“So ya plan on settin’ up shop in the ole mining office?” Sheriff Teddy said, once again with his feet up on his desk but not reading at the moment… though there was an old newspaper sitting next to his feet. He didn’t look too happy but as far as Will could tell nothing had happened while he was gone. He decided not to ask about it because he didn’t want to. Also because he had been ordered to steer clear of anything about the investigation but mainly because he didn’t want to. He’d had enough issues with the Landrys, not all bad.

“Figure it’s as good a place as any… At least for my profession class. Do you know where I can get the key?” Will asked. It was the reason he was still in the jailhouse, though he’d originally stopped in to report to Sheriff Teddy that the letter was delivered but Marshall Perrington had already made his presence known by sending one of his men ahead.

“There ain’t one as far as I know… Might be inside someplace, still a lotta odds and ends in there,” Teddy said, “Back door should be unlocked. Don’t think anyone would mind if ya helped yourself to it.”

“Alright… thanks, Sheriff,” Will said and paused on his way out to look at the bounty board. There was only one change, they’d increased the bounty on the Wilhup brothers by another $100 after Vicksby. Will was surprised it hadn’t gone up more... Maybe it’d go up later once the official report made its way to Fairpoint but Will wasn’t going anywhere near that bounty. There was no doubt the Marshall had made the decision.

Will had only briefly seen the man since he arrived in town, or more specifically when he arrived at Deathbane Ranch after the Landrys. Well after the Landrys… They’d arrived and Will had still been there but Void was in the middle of eating when they rode across the bridge.

Will wasn’t too keen on the idea of being around Margret Landry but he also wasn’t keen on the idea of stopping Void from eating after riding all day. Especially after Kate let it slip that Void was probably a wild bakarna that was wrangled as a yearling. Which meant he was just as big and high leveled as the Landry’s Greater Bakarna stud but had a lot of wild tendencies that made him far more dangerous… granted Will had already started figuring that out. He still liked the beast, Void had grown on him… And Kate seemed to like Void too, which was a plus in Will’s book.

So instead they stayed next to the corral while Void murdered a couple terrified goats, chasing them around one by one. It was kind of cruel to watch, mainly because Void did it one by one. Will almost pulled out his revolver when he saw them watch their fellow goat getting torn to shreds with nowhere to run. A bullet would have been a mercy but Kate advised against it for Void’s sake. He was enjoying the ‘hunt’.

Will followed her advice and just watched. Well… Will stood there and spoke with Kate while he kept his hands visible and away from her but his eyes were more often on her than Void. And when Void was done, Will said goodbye to her and headed for town. With an open invitation to stop by to visit and a warning, she’d be by in a few days to bring him some enchanted clothes to study. Hence his reason for going straight to claim his new space after getting Void set up at the stable.

Will made his way through town and quickly found his way to the back door to the large wooden building with a half stone facade in the front. He studied the exterior as he walked around it. Some of the window panels still had glass, some were boarded up but as far as he could tell there weren’t any gaping holes in the structure and there was a sizable fenced in area on the back side with an outhouse and a few old pickaxe handles laying around with other garbage.

He looked at the backyard for a moment and wondered if it was enough space to eventually have a single stall built for Void but shut down his own idea after remembering the smell in the stable. Not to mention dragging in enough meat to feed the bakarna. Giving that up, Will figured it could be put to use somehow and turned to the door. It was open just like the Sheriff had said. So not waiting any longer, Will stepped inside.

“Dammit…” Will muttered before he even made it through the threshold, “fucking spiders…”

It wasn’t as if the back hall was filled with giant tarantulas, or even living spiders as far as he could tell. It was only cobwebs, old ones that had sat around and collected dust and dirt... They were everywhere and so thick he couldn’t really see down the hallway.

Will left immediately and made his way to the general store after saying a few more choice words. He dealt with the owner of the store, who still didn’t seem to like Will, and made his way back. Once standing in the same position Will opened it again ready to go… this time armed with a broom.

“Uauugh,” he groaned, “better get started.”

The hall wasn’t very long or hard to ‘clean’… Will didn’t bother getting all the cobwebs, he just wanted to clear enough that he could walk through without getting a face full of them… but Will did take note of one important fact as he made his way down the hall.

“There’s no bats in here at least,” he smiled a little bit at that thought but only a little. He was still up to his eyeballs in cobwebs and dust but their very existence proved nothing had been flying around in there. Though after looking a little closer, he mentally added the dead spiders and bugs on the floor to the same list of shit he had to clean. The list already contained the cobwebs and dust but he knew there’d be more.

It wasn’t that big of a deal, it was just annoying. Will swung his broom into the cobwebs and quickly carved a path towards the front of the building until his broom looked more like a giant stick of dirty ass cotton candy. The hallway contained a couple doors but he didn’t stop and made his way down the hallway to get into the main room that took up around half the building.

“Huh? Teddy wasn’t kidding about things being left behind,” he said to himself at the sight of what had probably been a decent sized waiting area for miners to sit around in, waiting for pay or whatever they did. The space had a long counter extending from one wall, across the room, and almost to the other. Ending at a skinny interior wall the width of the counter. There were some papers stuck to it but they were too faded to read. Besides that, there were some stools behind the counter, benches and a bookshelf in the waiting area, and random crap under the counter. The odds and ends the Sheriff had mentioned.

Instead of digging through it, Will knocked down a few more cobwebs and made his way to the side of the counter open for people to walk through and froze.

And laughed.

“So they do have them,” Will muttered with a half grin. Sitting between the wall at the end of the counter and the outer wall of the building was a little swinging gateway, a saloon door. Something that he had yet to see on any actual saloon so far but he now had one to separate the area behind the counter from the waiting area. Or storefront, depending on how he set up shop... Well, he’d have one once he got a new hinge for one side, it was hanging on one bent hinge with the other ripped out. He swung the other side back and forth a few times before continuing through it. It was weirdly satisfying. His dad would have loved it.

Will walked his way into the center of the main room and looked around. It wasn’t as bad as the hallway when it came to cobwebs thanks to having a much wider space but they were lining the corners of the walls and ceiling, floor, counter, and windows… it was still going to be a pain to get clean. He also noted that there was no luck in a spare key hanging by the door or something, but he could unlock it from the inside.

Will left it alone and walked back into the hallway to check the other two rooms that were in the building. He opened the one on the right and after dealing with more webs, leaned in the doorway to take a look.

The sheriff had been right again. But this time only partially... There was stuff left behind but compared to the main room Will wouldn’t have called the room's contents odds and ends… There was just too much to fit that description.

The room had multiple desks pushed up against the wall, dry rotted chairs, half collapsed file cabinets, and even a large combination safe sitting against the back wall. It had to weigh half a metric ton and Will huffed in annoyance while he took it in.

“If there’s a spare key, that’s probably where it is,” he said and shook his head. He had no idea how to break a safe like that. Or any safe for that matter without having a combat engineer to tackle the problem with a plasma cutter or excessive use of explosives. He’d have to ask around for a locksmith or whatever they were called. It was morbidly funny to him. He’d had some training to open up bulkhead doors in ships and stations if they were quietly breaching. He was actually good at it but they didn’t exactly use combination locks and padlocks in space, he was used to digital ones. He realized how much it would have made his job harder if they’d stuck something like that in his way, any stealth they’d have would go with blowing the bulkhead… he shook his head at the idea of being thwarted by primitive tech...

Will entered and walked around, looking at the desks, besides the furniture, there were random pieces of paper strewn about, a few books on a bookshelf but of a record keeping variety and not the sheriff’s preferred dime novels, a few mini shelves on the desk for inbox/outbox or some other sort of filling system, a couple old lamps that looked like they ran off oil, and a rusted out coffee pot with a handful of ceramic cups… If there’d been a heat plate, he didn’t see it.

It was going to be a hindrance. Worse than the sheer amount of stuff, Will would have to go through every drawer to check for a key or a combination... and judging by the dead rats he could see under one of the desks, he’d probably wait till after he bought a pair of gloves. Which meant another trip to the store.

Will left the room be for that moment and opened the door directly across from it, repeating his previous steps but was a bit more pleasantly surprised. There actually was a living space in the back, Kate had been right. It had another, nicer desk and chair that might actually hold a person's weight still. A butcher block style counter with some cabinets, a cast-iron stove that he’d have to figure out how to clean but from what he could tell it hadn’t rusted through, a few small tables including one against the wall that looked like it was meant to eat on, two chairs next to it he wouldn’t even lean on, an old armchair, and of course a bed. He’d have to scrap the last two due to the condition of the cushions and mattress but it was a start. Will also changed his mind about where to start looking for a key. He eyed the desk.

“Guess it belonged to whoever ran this place,” He made his way to it and tried the top left drawer… it didn’t open. He yanked on it a few times and it was still stuck. Then he looked at it… “God fucking dammit, another key?!”

There was a keyhole but instead of trying further, Will moved on to the other drawers. But after carefully picking through the contents, he didn’t find anything he was hoping to find. Key, combination, a wad of cash… nothing but papers, office supplies, and an official looking stamp for Silverstead Mining.

Next Will crouched down and looked at the locked drawer, wondering if he should try to pick it or just break the damn thing. It was locked, so it likely had a reason to be locked. Ergo, he wanted the fucking thing open. He yanked the hell out of it but stopped after giving the desk a good shaking and pulling the handle loose

“Hmmmm….” He debated his options. The lock didn’t look complex and he wondered if it was like an old school pair of handcuffs. Not that it would matter, he didn’t have anything to even attempt to pick it but he might be able to find something. The idea of asking Kate if she had a cousin that knew such things crossed his mind but she was overly wary about her family’s reputation and he didn’t want to cross any lines he couldn’t uncross.

Instead, Will pulled out his knife and wedged it in between the top of the drawer and its framing. He moved it back and forth and felt something in the middle catch. So he pushed the knife in at the center, just above the keyhole, and pounded the knife into it with the palm of his hand. It took a few strikes but when he was done he tugged on the handle and the drawer opened, the locking mechanism bent too far back to catch the frame.

It was full of mouse poop, an old fountain pen, and most importantly, a ring of keys. Will pulled them out with the knife and laid them on the desk.

“Five keys-” Will stopped abruptly and looked at the smallest one. It matched the brass of the keyhole on the desk and sure enough, it turned the bent to hell clasp that held the drawer shut when it was locked. Will spared a moment to pound that back into shape and checked to see if his new desk drawer locked, it did. “Four keys… Front door, back door…”

Will shrugged and left the bedroom and made his way to the front door. He opened it and on the second key, the deadbolt locked. He spun the key back and forth a few times to ensure it worked and added oil of some sort to his shopping list. At least that he could probably get from the gunsmith.

After, he returned to the back door but stopped in his tracks. He hadn’t even paid attention when he entered but the back door had a chunk missing out of it, most likely exactly where the deadbolt was supposed to go. After inspecting the doorframe, he confirmed the lock was supposed to sit there. It was gone. He spent a moment looking inside and out of the doorway but it wasn’t anywhere to be found.

“Well, that still leaves two out of the three?” Will had no idea what else could have a lock on it. He also had no idea what key had gone to the back door, so he couldn’t even eliminate one. It took him a moment to come up with an idea and he grabbed his trusty stick of nightmare cotton candy, his broom, and headed back into the office to start cleaning off the safe but even after removing the cobwebs, there wasn’t a keyhole and all three of the keys looked too big to be for another desk or filing cabinet…

“Screw it. I’ll figure it out later,” Will said and after a moment's pause, walked out the front door and jogged to the gunsmith with the intent to swing into the general store for some cleaning rags, a bucket, and some soap. And of course a pair of gloves

Utility skill learned: Cleaning (Basic)-knowledge based level 1

Will looked at the skill and was not amused. He still opened up the Skill to see what it was about- He felt some information enter his head and winced through the short process, dismissing the window as he did.

“Nevermind,” he shook his head but at the same time though, it wasn’t exactly bad. He knew basic cleaning already, he had been a marine. You didn’t get very far in the corp if you were a slob after all.

But he now knew a few new techniques, namely Cradus specific techniques. Like a longbow cacti, whatever that was, cactus juice could be used to help treat grass stains… It wasn’t actually that great but the information did give him a few home remedies for things. Including a way to treat stains from an unsealed wooden floor. He’d take it.

Who knew, maybe at tier two he could get the skill to actually do something and make it easier to clean… He hoped he didn’t have to clean that much considering how long it’d take to get [Riding] up there.

In any case, he was about done. The place was still filthy in a way but it looked cleaner. It also looked emptier after dragging most of the broken furniture out back, which of course was a huge benefit to making something look clean. Clutter, even organized, clean, cared for clutter… looked trashy. At least to him.

It wasn’t that he would rather have a bare bones place to stay. He wasn’t purely utilitarian. Even if that was basically forced upon him when he was on the Valkyrie. He always preferred simple, tasteful things for the bit of aesthetic that he put into his private space. Well, function and aesthetic for his personal place. Work places were all function with maybe a dab of personal touch. Just enough that he could call it his without being called out by a superior. Usually involving some sort of speaker to play music and if it was more permanent, a picture of his kid sister or something.

Will pushed the thought of his sister out of his head and cracked his neck with a yawn but stopped when he heard the front door open.

“Hey, Billy? Ya here?” Will heard a voice coming from the front door. He’d been in the living quarters and stepped out into the hallway to see Skunk standing in the doorway. He waved for him to come in despite Skunk already striding into the room as soon as he saw Will.

“It’s Will…Hey, Skunk, what’s up?” Will asked.

“What’s… up?” Skunk repeated then looked to the ceiling.

“What can I do for ya?” Will tried again. He’d used that on Kate and she was just as confused but guessed based on context. He noted that she was a little different than the other people in Silverstead… to say the least. Compared to Skunk?

“Oh… just checkin’ in on ya. Boss said you were settin’ up shop here,” Skunk said and walked behind the counter, which Will hoped wouldn’t happen when he actually learned a bit of his artificer profession. Skunk looked around for a minute and nodded before speaking again, “He also wanted me to inform ya. If you’re gonna have claim on a building on the main street in town, ya gotta be in business. Pretty sure the Sheriff doesn’t actually care but the mayor just stopped by the jail.”

“Well. Hopefully I’ll be in business soon. I’ve got the tools for it now,” Will told him and Skunk nodded. He suddenly remembered something and decided even if Skunk wasn’t the man to ask it wouldn’t hurt, “Hey, just curious. I found a set of keys, I’ve got one for a desk in the living quarters, one for the front door but there’s still three more.”

“Probably one’s for the back door,” Skunk said.

“I figured that but the locks gone and that still leaves two more,” Will said, he added, “I found it in the desk in the living quarters. I think it’s whoever used to run the place.”

Skunk scratched at his chin and stared up at the ceiling for a minute before bobbing his head and then shaking it.

“Reckon, one of them’s probably for the dynamite room in the mine. Dunno if it’s any good no more, with the dungeon and all. The other…” he shrugged.

Will knew what he was talking about. One of the record books had contained a map of the mine. It was faded but still legible. He’d seen the dynamite room marked and as far as he could tell it was beyond the start of the dungeon a ways. It also must have been a newer version of the map the mayor had shown him because it actually had the cavern where the hall with the centipedes should have been. It wasn’t as large as the dungeon version but it was there.

“Ya could always ask around. There’s a few folk in town that used to work the mines, they might know. Or ask Betsy up at the saloon,” Skunk said.

“Betsy? She was a miner?” Will asked.

“Nah, look at her, she’s not much older than us. but her pa was a foreman down there, he worked in here too ‘fore he died, collapsed tunnel. She used to be in here all the time from what she said. She woulda been young but she might remember som’in’” Skunk said and then grinned widely. His damn smile stretched his face and Will knew what it was for, “Thinkin’ o’ Betsy. Me and Jakob owe you a drink. That Miss Kitty and her girls told us your deal wit’ ‘em. Wanted some honey but I’m not gonna complain or nothin’.”

“Yeah, no problem. Figured you’d like it more than me,” His grin grew even wider with Will’s statement.

“Oh… heard some things bout why you ain’t take her up on that too,” Skunk said.

“Oh… like what?” Will asked, wondering if the rumors had followed him back from Vicksby.

“Nuttin’ untowards, Just that you rode with Miss Kate on that Bakarna all the way to Fairpoint and back. Some of those folks from Vicksby were thinking she was sweet on ya,” Skunk laughed.

“Wait… sweet on me?” Will asked. They’d flirted obviously but sweet on him? Maybe Will was misinterpreting the phrase. Even translated into English it was outdated.

“That’s what they done said. You’re a lucky man, Will,” Skunk said and shook his head but he was still grinning ear to ear, “Treat her right… and if you got a chance to speak to her cousin, Elaina, tell- Shit!”

“What?” Will asked. Skunk suddenly looked distraught.

“Nevermind bout that, don’t be talkin’ ta Elaina bout me,” Skunk said.

“Okay?”

“Shot her favorite cousin, almost like her big bro since she didn't have none the other day, we both did but I done killed him… don’t think she’d be too happy with me for that,” Skunk explained.

“Okay?” What Will meant to say was ‘what the hell?’. Mainly because it had apparently just clicked for Skunk. The guy was nice but he was thick… Will once again thought that he and Jakob should try talking to women other than hookers. If nothing else but for the experience.

Skunk still looked a little distraught though. Will sighed and hopped up on the counter and after bouncing a bit to make sure it wouldn’t collapse patted a spot next to him. After a moment Skunk hopped up.

“What’s up?” Will asked again. He might have been younger than Skunk in his new body but he’d been almost a decade older than the man before whatever happened had happened. He still didn’t want to think about that. Will suddenly realized his wording but skunk surprised him by catching on quickly.

“Where you from Will? Small town?” Skunk asked.

“Small city,” Will said, even though he was pretty sure a city with a population of around a million wasn’t small on Cradus.

“Well, yer lucky then. Only a few women my age in town I’m not related to. They’re all either Landrys, work up at the saloon, or already done got themselves hitched,” Skunk said after a moment.

‘Ahhha,’ Will probably could have called it.

“There’s no one else?” Will asked, not really up for playing matchmaker but still trying to get Skunk to vent or whatever he needed to do.

“Nah…” Skunk didn’t sound too convinced at his own word.

“Nah, nothing. Who is she?” Will asked.

“Well, that Miss Kitty don’t work at the saloon and seems pretty nice,” Skunk said.

God damn it!