The guards sit in the intake area, at an old wooden table in rickety chairs. The hobgoblin and tiefling that arrested Leaf and Canary chat amongst themselves.

“Did you see that freak who looked like he was melting?” The hobgoblin sneers, feet up on the table; Canary’s pickaxe hanging over his shoulder.

“How could I not? It was like looking into the face of death himself…” The tiefling responds

“He wasn’t that scary, I could take him-” The hobgoblin looks over at the tiefling; he smells it before he sees it.

The putrid smell of earth and ash — it was the freak.

Six-foot-four. Mining helmet. Gas mask. A sweater darkened with soot and old burns, fabric melted into skin in places. He stands in the doorway, shadows cast across his form.

The hobgoblin stands up and rushes over, “What are you doing out of your cell, freak?”

“Took my pickaxe,” Canary says, his voice muffled but also echoes; not just in the room, but in the guard's head.

The hobgoblin panics, taking a step back.

Canary steps into the room, cracking his knuckles with a sickly pop. His breath fogs his mask. He rears back.

CRACK

Canary saw the gap in the helmet and struck. The hobgoblin's helmet flies off and clatters against the wall behind him as the guard crumples to the floor: nose broken, teeth shattered, skull dented.

Blood pools.

Canary doesn’t even look at the gore as he reclaims his pickaxe from the fresh corpse, wiping stray viscera from its handle before swinging it over his shoulder just as the others come in through the door.

Maple lets out a horrid retching sound before spitting a foul-smelling blob of spit and mucus onto the body of the crumpled guard.

“I see you uh, got your pickaxe back.” Leaf chimes in, letting his presence be known.

The tiefling sits in the corner, jaw agape.

“It appears the hobgoblin met the end his people strive for, death in combat.” Tavlan retorts, looking at the grisly scene.

“Took my pickaxe,” Canary repeats, this time to his crew.

“Fuck this…” The tiefling offers, taking off his helmet. He walks over and tosses Leaf the keys, “I won’t be needing these, I quit.”

Leaf catches the keys, he looks down at them and back up at the tiefling. “Well, that was a lot easier than I was expecting…”

Leaf walks over to a side door labeled "Contraband." He unlocks the door using one of the keys, swinging it open.

Leaf grabs his pack, opening it up to make sure everything is still there. He opens his map and updates it with the town. Marking it with a frown, muttering under his breath: “Damn gem scammer…”

Canary grabs a small pouch of ore, tucking it into his pack before looking down at an envelope with the name Jonathan Warden scrawled across it. He clutches it firmly.

Tavlan grabs several pouches, each filled to the brim with gold, gems, and trinkets, reattaching them to his belt. He also grabs a saddle and puts it on Maple, who doesn’t make a fuss. His eyes linger on his crossbow for a moment too long before he loads it and straps it to his belt, pointing downward.

Now having their gear, the group walks through the prison, making their way out, being led by the tiefling who avoids looking at Canary, even out of the corner of his eye. A few guards stop and try to ask questions, but the Tiefling just cuts them off. Once the ragtag crew of misfits finally gets out of the jail, Canary speaks up.

“Find Son,” Canary clears his throat, the best he can.

Leaf looks over at his fellow miner, “Do you want me to come with you?”

Canary shakes his head, “Go alone, long overdue.”

“Alright, but don’t leave me too long; I might need another hobgoblin punched,” He chuckles to himself, gently punching Canary’s shoulder.

Canary lets out a chortle, playfully punching Leaf back. “Stay out of trouble, or else.”

“Yeah, yeah, get out of here,” Leaf shoos Canary away, “Go find your son!”

Canary nods, looking down at the envelope once more. “Long overdue…” before he walks off into the distance. His lantern dangling from his pack, the dim glow visible for longer than Canary himself is.

Leaf turns to Tavlan and Maple, only just realizing they are still next to him. “Oh, uh, Hey there!”

“This is your first time here, right?” Tavlan asks, “How about I show you around? I know this lively city like the back of my hand.”

Leaf nods, "Lead the way!"