"WE'VE COME FOR YOUR SIGNATURE," Zan said, softly, as they entered the building.

  Per the norm, the building was filled with smoke. If he squinted, bottles and their many forms could be seen through the vapors.

  "It's polite to approach and then speak, child," Strong-Arm replied.

  "My apologies," Zan said, a bow to his flourish. Though he wondered if they knew he was being sarcastic with his bow.

  "That's better! N-now -- ugh!" the mayor hiccupped. "What-can-we-do-for-you?"

  Ignoring how the mayor spoke so quickly as to render his whole sentence one word, he said on his group's behalf, "We have rendered our services to the community -- we have hunted, help you till the fields, and even attended to your folk spiritually. We ask you fulfill your end of our agreement. Sign the papers and allow us to buy the land near the big-rock-bunker."

  Strong-Arm took some swigs of his ale mug before he replied. "FINE! You -- k-kids! Always demanding more of your elders. So spoiled!"

  Nodding at Jiehong, Zan impelled himself forward. He handed to Jiehong a lands voucher. One of many in his stack given to him by Colonel Winters.

  Strong-Arm snatched the voucher from him and slurred, "What was it?! The sum?" His eyes shot at Molly-Holly who seemed surprisingly sober.

  "One-hundred copper," she said.

  "Only a hundred?! We're way too c-cheap! Let's put that up to one silver!"

  Jiehong shouted before Zan could. "That's outrageous! I will not stand for you attempting to swindle us hard working and honest youth!"

  The outburst shot through the mayor and Molly. Each had unsettled looks on their faces.

  "Ooookay! Calm your fires. We were only j-joking!"

  He didn't think the mayor had been joking. There wasn't any doubt in his mind if Jiehong hadn't objected, the mayor would have expected a full silver mint as payment.

  Molly-Holly now spoke up. "We will have to increase the price slightly for the land you want. One-hundred and twenty-five copper. That and it's a done deal."

  He was going to ask 'why' the price increased. He didn't, though. Instead, he muttered a "Fine," and affixed his mark to the papers. It wasn't as though this price was coming out of their pockets, after all. Even so, a full silver? Way too much to expect the royal treasury to pay, not for a piece of nowhere land in nowhere town.

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  "Looks like everything is in order, then," Jiehong said.

  "We give this to a minister, and they pay us. Is that how this voucher works?" Molly-Holly asked.

  "Correct," Zan replied. "I think you can also give it to a traveling priest, and they will take it on your behalf. The next time their travels permits, of course."

  "Okay," Molly said and then affixed her name as the mayor's assistant.

  It was done. No more bickering. They now owned property.

  At the youthful age of sixteen, they owned land. What a world!

  Back at the bunker, Zan wondered at it all. They worked with the community. They argued with a village leader. And now they owned land!

  "Fantastic!" he breathed.

  "Now we have to clean all this up," Jiehong said, gesturing at the large slab of stone which jutted up from deep in the earth.

  "Speaking of... anyone have any ideas on how to begin?" he asked his friends.

  With the most experience mining, Jiehong spoke first. "We don't know how much about what is covering the bunker. Dirt, vegetation, rocks. It has clearly been here a long time. I think what we should do is chip away at it together, see if it is possible for the three of us to clear it away. If not, then we will have to recruit outside help."

  He looked to Whiskey, giving her the greenlight to speak. "I think that is a fine idea. Actually, it is the only thing we can do. And using magic, we ought to be able to clear this junk off really fast. I doubt we will need people. I think we have been out here obsessing long enough. Shall we get right to it?"

  With his team confident in their ability to dig the bunker up without aid, he found in his satchel his simple shovel tool; it was the same tool the Wardens had given them not long after Jiehong had asked them, back when MAC, the other Screen Master entity, had given them the Old Tongue Script bunker location list. It seemed to long ago, now. He reminisced for a moment: he remembered circumnavigating the waterfall and how they argued when they discovered the bunker. Okay, enough, mind. Enough sentimental backwash. That happened, like, a couple months, probably three months, by now, he argued with himself. Yet it did seem like a long time ago. So much had happened since. How could he not become sentimental?

  He and his teammates banged away at the bunker's sediment shell. Pieces chipped away and accumulated on the ground, often joined by larger dirt clods and stones. It wasn't long before a modest pile of earthen refuse piled at their feet.

  "How... we... looking?!" Zan asked his team. "I am feeling tired. Muscles are being flipped from one extreme to another, you know. I've spent today either sitting down listening to people or overworking my muscles."

  "I am feeling tired myself," Jiehong said. "It looks like we've made progress on the bunker. I can see a lot more of it, anyway. To be honest, though... we have so much more to uncover. Considering the fact we haven't even considered about the need to dig, I think it's fair to say we are going to need help with this after all."

  Whiskey, slick with sweat, had no reply. She only made a gesture to return the speaking role to him.

  "Then I am all ready to hire some people. Jiehong. You have reams of local currency, right? Your reward from the Colonel. Are you going to be so kind as to use them for our and the Order's benefit?" he asked. He wasn't going to lie, though. If Jiehong had changed his mind about using his mission payment to help the Order, he was not going to be impressed with his brother.

  "Of course, bro. I have your back," Jiehong said, pulling to his satchel to confirm its contents. He shuffled some things around and counted increments of cash under his breath.

  After a moment, he asked, "Do we have enough to hire a couple of guys?"

  Jiehong, Whiskey's attention trained on him as well, said, "Oh, yeah! Don't worry about that; we have enough to hire a few guys plus their whole village! Haha!"