shwaz

And who... err, you must be Mayor Herman, right?

Trust me, you can leave it to the young lady.

Of course, if you say so, Mr. Mayor.

You can go now, boy.

You're not going to lock me up?

Do you want me to?

No.

Then go.

If I catch you again, I'll take you somewhere much worse.

Hmph. Don't think I'm scared of you.

Why let him go?

There was mineral dust on his shoes, and his clothes didn't seem to fit...

Also, I saw crystals on his body when I grabbed him. Originium.

You think he might be connected to the workers illegally digging up obsidian?

Yes.

If so, why not leave it to the Bureau?

Charlie knows what to do.

He might not.

When I returned, I dropped by the PSB.

You think he's doing a bad job?

No, he's done everything I asked him to before I left.

But I hadn't thought of everything back then.

We still have time, at least.

Lady Ceylon mentioned a Mr. Pelipper to me. I'm thinking of having a chat with him.

Private obsidian mining?

You've got the wrong guy, lady.

The volcano's already erupted. Who in their right mind would go against the mayor's decision now?

Everyone's on board now.

The eruption's just ended. To some, this is their best chance of striking it rich.

You think they bribed some miners into mining obsidian for them?

Yes.

And if I don't tell you, will it be my turn to be in a whole lot of trouble, former PSB chief Schwarz?

No, I'll go look for them myself.

Boss, I've got the newcomers dressed up as miners, like you asked.

Good.

From now on, forget being Bureau men. You're just a group of miners risking the volcano's heat.

Yes, ma'am!

Using them to draw out the bandits, boss?

No, I want them to learn what life in the mines is really like.

If they happen to draw out the bandits, then all the better.

Mind if I ask why?

They need to understand what the private obsidian miners actually do to solve this problem once and for all.

Is this... another one of Lady Ceylon's ideas?

It does sound like something she'd say.

But no. It's one of mine.

Got it. I'll get changed into a miner's outfit myself.

Let's head out first. You can change on the way.

Wait.

Hmm?

I told Lady Ceylon that if she ever needed something done, I'd help.

And it seems to me like helping you is helping her.

So leave it to me. I'll pull some strings.

You guys new here?

What'd ya say, kid?

Hey, show me a little respect!

Without me leading the way, you'd never find any obsidian!

S-Sorry!

So, what's your pathetic reason for risking so much to mine obsidian?

The work that Pelipper fella got us barely paid us a dime, and we really need the cash...

Hmph, that's what they all say. That Herman guy's real stupid too. He's sitting on a gold mine but won't do anything with it.

You guys know the rules?

Of course. Never tell, never fear death.

Not bad. We're nothing like that Pelipper poser. If you dig something up, we'll pay you.

Follow me. There's more of your buddies down there.

You'll be working here.

Right, of course.

The boy heads deeper into the cave. Little does he know, there is a pair of eyes watching him intently as he disappears into the darkness.

It's me.

How's the fresh meat?

This new batch seems pretty strong. Should be able to dig up plenty.

Good to hear. Head on in.

...Hmm?

Thought I felt something go by.

Nah, how could anyone else be down here? Must be the mine getting to me.

*whispers* Just as expected.

*whispers* This camp was clearly built after the eruption. They must have already infiltrated the mining community if they could find somewhere this deep so fast.

*whispers* About twenty people in total.

*whispers* That boy should be up ahead.

Heard you went out into the city today.

H-how'd you know?

I thought I warned you not to go into town just 'cause you feel like it? You'd draw unwanted attention.

You guys won't give me any cash, and you won't let me get any fresh air either! I'm suffocating down here!

You nearly got caught by the most dangerous woman in town, you know that?

Dunno what got into her to let you go, though.

Is she really that bad?

Hah! Why do ya think we're hiding down here? We're trying not to piss that demon off.

Then there's Rhodes Island.

Good thing I've almost made enough.

Go tell the boys to get ready to unload.

Finally! I'm getting cooked alive in this hellhole!

'Unload'... What's that mean?

Well, since you wanna be one of us, kid, I suppose I should tell you.

'Unloading' means we're gonna kill all those miners down there, grab all their obsidian and cash, then scram.

Why do we have to kill them? Some of them just joined!

Well, too bad for them.

If you wanna be in our line of work, this is one thing you've gotta learn.

Never leave any loose ends.

They've seen you, you've seen us.

So if you'd rather be one of us instead of dying by my blade...

Then they've gotta die.