Shawn McCurdy

[Shawn McCurdy]

I'm worried we miners might not be able to work for a long time,

and we can't afford that.

This is because of the bandits, right?

Oh, are you the adventurer who I've heard might become our new mayor?

Nice to meet you! My name's Shawn McCurdy, and I'm a foreman at the mine.

You can call me Shawn.

Sheriff Warp told you everything, right?

I've heard you've been busy because of the negotiation with the bandits.

It also has to do with the mine, doesn't it?

I might have a weapon you could use against one of them, Albert Ford.

Unprocessed ores. Just like the ones that the bandits stole from us.

These ores are worthless unless they're processed,

just like diamonds.

In other words, the ores have no use for the bandits.

The ores that they stole equal three months worth of work.

And that's not a lot, contrary to what most people think.

There was only one floor inside the mine,

but recently, we've drilled another floor below it.

There are a lot of ores buried in that floor, so we've been producing several times the amount we did on the first floor.

If necessary, we could produce a few weeks worth of ores in a matter of days.

We just can't work because of the bandits squatting in the mine.

No. Because there's a way to get to the second floor of the mine.

And that's the weapon I was talking about.

The bandits are only on the first floor. We could sneak into the second floor and continue to mine.

And that'll show those bandits they've been wasting their time squatting in the mine.

Now, this is the problem.

When we first opened the second floor, there was no elevator,

so we had to drill the vents and the workers' passage directly from the ground level.

Since the elevator started operating, we stopped using the passage,

but it's not blocked. We can still use it.

And I don't think the bandits know about it.

That temporary passage is connected to the farthest corner on the second floor,

and the bandits didn't bother checking so deep.

I can tell because no bandit is there around the opening.

So I'm thinking we should sneak into the second floor and gather ores.

Since the bandits set up shop in the mine, most of the experienced miners left.

And the temporary passage isn't safe, not since it was re-drilled.

Only people as strong as you could go in and out of it without getting hurt.

You have to go to the mine for the negotiation with Albert, anyway.

You could pick up a few ores on your way to the meeting place and show them to him.

The entrance to the second floor of the mine is farther south from the main entrance of the mine.

I need to make some arrangements. I'll meet you there.

The temporary passage drilled for development purposes will stay useful.

For adventurers like you, and for Rock Ridge, of course.

So I've heard.

I've made all the necessary arrangements.

Who knew they'd be hidden right under our nose?

This explains why the bandits have been standing guard around the mine.

Now it all clicks into place.

We know another passage leads to the second floor of the mine.

Let's go!

Soon, I'm going to take a few miners who recovered enough to work on the second floor of the mine.

We'll have to be careful, of course, since the bandits are still inside the mine.

They're on the first floor, so we're just going to block the elevator.

There are many things to do.