Numbers. Numbers and more numbers.

Tibs grumbled as he went over the ledger. How had he enjoyed doing this? He looked at the list of repairs the equipment needed. Most had just arrived during the previous bazaar and some had only been through one team’s run, and already he wasn’t sure he’d have enough intact equipment to hand over to the Omega and starting Upsilon teams. It was the point of the ledger, after all. To work that out. Would the leathersmiths take extra coins to put his repairs ahead of other customers? Did he have enough coins left? If so, how long would that last him? At least, the Upsilon teams usually returned with a few armor pieces they kept. But there were still more Omega teams that would have to rely on what the guild handed them if Tibs couldn’t provide.

He should have asked Sto to make him armor instead of spending all his coins like this. Nothing special, just with the self repair enchantment so he wouldn’t have to worry about where his coins went.

Maybe he should ask during the next run, whenever that happened, since Don wasn’t going to cooperate, he was sure of that.

Don. He ground his teeth. He was so happy they hadn’t gotten to the point where he got Carina’s robe. That had been the plan, somewhere in the back of his mind, when he wasn’t too iced or angry to plan in that direction. She’d want to help their sorcerer in any way she could, even now that she was gone.

Fuck, it still hurt.

He pushed the ledger away before tears fell on it. I’m sorry, he thought again. I’m sorry I wasn’t faster. That I wasn’t strong enough to save you.

At least he’d avenged her. Not that it had brought her back.

The satisfaction had been short-lived.

He wiped his tears.

He’d make sure that when it came to the others responsible, he would make them suffer for much longer. Those responsible for hers, and Mama’s death.

He brought the ledger close. But for now, numbers.

* * * * *

Jackal dropped into the chair. “The schedule’s up.” He was covered with sweat, and by the way his essence bunched up and was cracked in his left leg, he’d done more than his usual morning run, and the fighting hadn’t been on the training ground. Tibs looked around to ensure there were no clerics in the inn and made a purity weave for the fighter’s injuries.

Jackal’s sigh was barely audible, but he relaxed.

That was the nice thing about not having Don around. Tibs didn’t have to let his friends suffer if they didn’t want to use one of the potions they’d smuggled out of the dungeon.

“When are we set for?” Mez asked without enthusiasm.

“Three days, the afternoon run.”

“I believe that puts a conundrum before us,” Khumdar said, “if we wish to be allowed in.”

“I can fix the problem,” Jackal said, making a fist and cracking the knuckles.

“I suspect the guards will not approve of whatever you would do that would allow us to let a new sorcerer to be on our team.”

“That’s if you win,” Mez pointed out. “Don’s strong and smart.”

“The other choice is to convince him to do the run with us,” Jackal said.

“No.” Tibs didn’t look up from his food.

“I don’t see other options, Tibs.”

Tibs hesitated. “Then we don’t go.” He made the words as steady as he could.

“Tibs,” Jackal replied, sounding hurt. “It’s…We…” the silence stretched. “Help me out here?”

Mez sighed. “I’m with Tibs. I don’t want anything to do with Don. He’s going to have to make his team, so I’m good with missing this run so we can get a new sorcerer for the next one.”

“Can he do that?” Jackal asked.

“Why not?” Mez replied. “He’s going to want to do runs too, and you know he’s not going to let what anyone tells him keep him from going.” The last words were filled with bitterness.

“He’s going to screw us over as long as he can,” Tibs added.

“Maybe you should talk with him,” Kroseph said, taking the empty plates and tankards.

“You don’t like him,” Tibs accused the server.

“No, I don’t. I think that how he went about doing what he did is reprehensible. But I’ve watched him over these last months he was on your team, and he isn’t the man I’d come to know before that.”

“That doesn’t mean I want anything to do with him,” Tibs snapped.

“Tibs,” Jackal said cautiously, “maybe we should…”

“You can survive without loot for a while.” Tibs rolled his eyes at the fighter’s horrified gasp. That hadn’t worked in a long time.

“Excuse me,” Jackal’s voice cracked as he got to his feet. “I need to have Kro mend my heart back together.”

* * * * *

Tibs pushed his plate away. The corruption that entered the inn had killed his appetite. “He’s here.”

“He might not be here for us,” Mez said, his back to the approaching sorcerer. “Every Runner comes here.”

The silence that spread in the inn had Tibs look up and every Runner was glaring at Don as he strode to their table, back straight, head held high and disdain all over his face.

“He found that stick again,” Jackal said, “and looks like it still fits up his ass nicely.”

Don stopped at their table, standing next to Mez and the unoccupied chair.

“Told you,” Tibs muttered.

“The run is tomorrow,” Don announced. “And I decided to be magnanimous and not let you suffer the loss of a run. I will be at the bottom of the steps,” he said, turning away, “waiting—”

“We’re not doing it,” Tibs cut him off. He didn’t know that big word, but the tone hadn’t made it a nice one.

The sorcerer turned back to them slowly. “You are not doing the run?” He sounded like he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly.

“Can’t do it a member short,” Tibs stated.

“Tibs,” Jackal said. “Maybe we shouldn’t be too hasty.”

Tibs looked at his friend. “Unless you found a way to bring in a new sorcerer, we can’t go.”

“I did offer a way,” Jackal replied. “You said no.”

“I must admit to surprise,” Khumdar said, “that you are willing to lower yourself to being among us. Were you not able to find others and form a team of your own?”

“Don’t think so fucking highly of yourself, cleric.” Don made that last word derisive. “People are lining up to be on my team.” The words were bright. “But because I’m already on one.” He bit off the words. “I can’t form another. Even my status as a Hero of the Town isn’t enough for the guild leader to bend the rules.” He glared at Tibs, and he grinned back. “So, yes. I must lower myself to be with the likes of you if I want to go on a run.”

“And you want to?” Mez asked skeptically.

The sigh was heavy. “I am a Runner. My duty is to run the dungeon. Unlike some, I don’t seek to shirk my responsibilities.” No glow, which surprised Tibs.

“No. You’ll just use up to get your loot,” Tibs said angrily.

“Just so things are perfectly clear,” Jackal said, cutting off Don’s reply. “I’m the team leader. If we let you do—”

“Let me?” Don smirked.

“Let you,” Jackal replied, saying the words slowly. “You came to us. Tibs said it. We were perfectly happy not doing the run.”

Tibs was happy Don didn’t have light, because Jackal’s words were bright enough to be blinding.

Don looked at the others at the table. “Very well. To ensure you do not miss your run, I will lower myself to following your leadership. No matter how horrible it will be.”

Tibs raised an eyebrow in surprise at how dim the light on the words was.

* * * * *

The guards by the dungeon entrance look at his team askance as the cleric cleared them. Once they were a few paces in, one asked, “What’s up with them?” He didn’t make out the other’s reply, and he didn’t care about guards opinion, anyway.

Jackal opened the doorway and once on the third floor Tibs stopped them before the intersection. “There’s been a change.” Ganny had rearranged the tiles. Spreading water over the floor told him the triggers had been moved around and no longer matched the previous color pattern. “I’m going to need time.”

He moved cautiously, feeling Don’s judgmental gaze on him the entire time. At least he kept quiet. “Ganny?” he whispered once he made it to the other end of the corridor. She didn’t answer. He’d wanted to know if this was about allowing them to talk, or she’d decided this part of the puzzle had become too easy. Her absence was answer enough.

Once he worked out the sequence that opened the three corridors and no others, which used to mean they were primed for the further triggers, he told the others where to step to reach him.

The first loot cache was no longer there. Which meant that even those that had been at the same place on each run couldn’t be depended on anymore. When they reached the section with the added trap triggers and nothing happened, Tibs went back over it. Stepping into that section had used to open the doorway and drop Gnolls on them. If Ganny had removed that, why leave the triggers?

It could be a decoy, but Tibs didn’t get that sense. He’d expect her to have shuffled them around for that. This felt like an invitation to pay more attention. And it paid off in locating a loot cache. Which triggered the doorway and dropped the Gnolls once opened.

“Watch for the trap triggers,” Tibs instructed his team as they came to his help, and the rest of the fight was in silence, as had been most of the run.

“Okay,” Sto said. “I come back in time to watch this and… what’s going on?”

Tibs glared at Don as he pulled the cache’s content out while Mez and Khumdar collected what the Gnolls left behind. The sorcerer responded with a look of his own; Tibs was too insignificant to bother with. The clothing was in bright colors and trimmed with gold and silver; the buttons looked to be silver, too. And the cut was… Don didn’t mask his eagerness in time.

“You’re too good for them,” Tibs said. On top of being made so a noble would drool over them, they had essence woven through. Light, darkness, and purity were the ones he could identify. He folded them again and put them in Jackal’s pack.

“Okay, why isn’t he replying to that?” Sto asked. “Where’s the banter? Tibs, what is going on?”

“Don’t bother lying,” Tibs told Don. He couldn’t think of another way to let Sto know who’s fault this was. “We all know just how superior to even nobles you are.”

“I have never made such claims,” the sorcerer replied, and the words didn’t glow.

Tibs snorted. “Like you had to say anything for us to know.”

“I really thought you’d have an easier time dealing with people lying now that you aren’t iced,” Sto said. “It’s not like he’s the first one to do it, or the only one. Seems to me people are always lying about one thing or another.”

Tibs ground his teeth. This wasn’t the same. People shouldn’t lie about claiming to be his friend. Or about being forced into the situation. People didn’t lie about big stuff like that.

The next fight was against golem people, and Tibs wasn’t sure how it had been triggered. They had elements, and once it was over, they were forced to use the few healing potions they’d gotten from the Gnoll fight because Tibs couldn’t help his friends. He had a hard time not glaring at the sorcerer while he checked the area for a cache that wasn’t there.

He unlocked the boar crest room, then they were looking at the Conquest board, with Ganny’s Lord, archer, sorcerer, and two infantry in place.

“Where do you want us?” Jackal asked Don.

“Me?” The sorcerer raised an eyebrow. “You’re the leader. Don’t you make all the decisions?” he asked with derision. “How could you ever trust me, after all those runs we did side by side? Aren’t you worried I’ll maneuvered you and your team so you’ll die?”

“This could have been your team,” Tibs snapped. “If you hadn’t lied to me!”

“I did not—”

“Enough!” Jackal glared at them both and Tibs nodded once he had his anger under control. Don simply shrugged, like he couldn’t be bothered to keep this going.

“Good,” the fighter said, smiling. “You’re right, I am the leader of this team, which you are still part of, Don. And I’m telling you to take care of this puzzle. As for you causing us to die?” Jackal smiled. “Just think of what the other Runners are going to think of the great hero of Kragle Rock if he’s the only one to walk out of the dungeon. Because that’s what’s going to have to happen for the rest of the team not to tell everyone how you purposely got one of us killed.”

Tibs heard Don grind his teeth as Jackal patted him on the shoulder.

“What’s going on?” Ganny asked.

“Something about his team,” Sto answered. “So Tibs is angry, and Don lying has something to do with it.”

“People are always lying about something,” she said. “So why is he angry this time?”

“I don’t know. He hasn’t walked away from them to tell me. I thought you might know.”

“I don’t know that much about people, Sto. If Tibs can’t explain it, I’m not sure that I can either.”

“Great. I don’t think he realizes that this isn’t at amusing as he might think it is.”

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

“If you’re done admiring the ceiling,” Don said in a snarky tone. “Take your position.” He pointed, and Tibs rolled his eyes. Of course, he’d put him as infantry; the least valuable piece.