Tycoon May: Chapter 32 (Patreon)

Chapter 32

As much as Grant wanted to start digging out the precious metals right away, he knew he needed to check in with Adria and the scout first to make sure they made it out.  There was still the three-headed Gracken to deal with, not to mention the remaining House Saturday Vassals running around.

Getting back outside went much faster than going down.  It was sunset as he emerged into the precarious rock slide, looking around carefully for signs of the others.  A flash of light pointed him toward a cluster of trees farther downhill, so he carefully picked his way down.

“Glad to see you made it.”  Adria stepped out of the trees as he walked up.  “We were starting to get worried about you.”

“Was there any sign of the other Gracken?  Or the other two Vassals who got away?”  Grant finally gave up trying to undo the clasp on his cloak and cut it off, the stinky fabric falling to the rocks at his feet.  “There’s the one named Brian running around here as well.”

“They were all gone by the time we made it out.”  Adria held up a hand to shade her eyes from the setting sunlight.  “You’re right though, somebody named Brian is obviously a person to look out for.  There’s no telling what they might do.”

“It’s getting dark, and I don’t know what you two are on about, but I think we should get back to the wagons.”  The scout poked his head out of the trees, still holding the crossbow.  “There’s no telling what’s going to be in these woods after dark.”

“He’s right.”  Adria looked back at Grant.  “Before you left, did they say where they were going to be?”

“The Wrecking Sisters said they were going to stop at the first stream they ran into and stop to wait for us.  Hopefully, they’re still there.”  Grant looked back at the cave.  “I know this is going to sound crazy, but you two go on ahead without me.  I’ve got a few more things to do before I can go back.”

“You’re crazy.”  The scout shook his head, taking a small step away from Grant as if his being nuts was contagious.  “Why would you want to go back there, especially since it’s you those people were after.”

Both Adria and Grant turned to look at the scout in surprise.  Adria was the first one to voice the obvious question.  “They were after him?”  She pointed a thumb at Grant.  “Not Sam, but this guy.  The kid still wet behind the ears.”

“They didn’t say why, but it was definitely him they were asking about.”  The scout shrugged.  “I wasn’t down there long enough for them to do more than ask a few questions and beat on me a bit.  I didn’t say anything, mostly out of principle.”  He shrugged at Grant.  “No offense, but it isn’t like I could tell them much about you anyway, since I don’t really know you.”

“None taken.”  Grant grabbed the messenger bag he had found and passed it over to Adria.  “Here, I found this.  Maybe it will give you some answers.”  He turned back to the cave and started picking his way back uphill.  “I’ll catch up to you in a little bit.”

“I’m not going to stop you, but I can’t hold up a whole merchant train for someone choosing to risk their life.”  Adria waved her hand in farewell.  “If you’re not back by morning, we’ll have to go on without you.  It’s the same rules for guards that go off hunting on their own when they’re not on shift.”

Grant returned her wave and tapped his sheathed sword.  “I understand, and don’t worry.  I’ll be okay, even if something holds me up.  It wouldn’t be the first time it was just me and my sword alone in the wilderness.”

The two quickly disappeared into the trees, long before Grant could make his way back inside the cave system.  His borrowed lantern provided enough light for him to quickly find the vein of Metallica, and he got to work chipping out chunks of ore.  The new pickax was a massive improvement over his old one, and he quickly worked to fill his storage pouch.

<I’m glad you’re weighing yourself down again.  You’ve had it too easy over the past few days.  Everyone eventually regrets skipping leg day.>

“Sarge, I thought every day was leg day?”  Grant grunted as another chunk of metal went into the pouch.  “How can I skip it?”

<Exactly, Grant.  Keep it up.>  He could only shrug at the sword spirit.  Sarge could be pretty weird sometimes.  <Make sure you stay alert.  This isn’t a secure area.>

Grant paused his digging at the reminder, listening for anything that might be trying to sneak up on him.  After a quick look around with the lamp, he got back to it.  The vein of ore went deep into the wall, so Grant gradually expanded the tunnel as he went.  There was also an occasional green gemstone Sarge called Peridot embedded in the ore, so he took care to remove the ones he found.  By the time he had all the major pieces, Grant had basically dug another side chamber halfway down the tunnel.  He brushed his hands off and squeezed the pickax into his pouch, looking around at the mess he had made.

<I think you might have just made a new place for the Gracken to live.  If it didn’t die from its injuries, of course.>

“Well, I’m not going to go check on it or anything.  Just because I didn’t kill it doesn’t mean I want to be friends.”  Grant picked up his lantern, turning to leave.  He had far more ore than he had last time, so he hoped it would be enough to boost him all the way to Tier Four so he could get close to Tycoon May.  “I’m getting close, I can feel it.”

As he emerged from the cave, Grant noticed something different.  The dome of loose rocks seemed more precarious than before, with an almost constant trickle of dust and pebbles that rained down.  By now it was completely dark outside.  There wasn’t even a hint of the stars, making his tiny lantern the only source of light.  He froze when a voice Grant had completely not expected to hear spoke out of the darkness.

“Well, it isn’t a complete loss, I guess.”  Steve, the man Grant had completely forgotten about, was standing in the small archway made by the rockslide.  “All the hassles, the unnecessary foot rubs, and terrible haircuts have led me to this.  I’m the one who gets the bounty.”

Grant heard a loud cracking sound, and jumped back to avoid a boulder that nearly crushed him.  The precarious dome of rocks fell in on itself, sealing off the only exit and trapping Grant inside the cave.