pick out, listening and feeling for the pins to click back into place. There were only three. He’d assumed if Jarell were using this chest for something valuable, he’d have fitted it with a lock of his own design. Cooper had to consider, “Maybe he was in a rush…? Or maybe this chest doesn’t hold anything of real value? But then, why conceal it down here?” He inserted the tension wrench and tested the cylinder. He then worked the pick and felt the first two pins click into place. He called back over his shoulder, “Almost unlocked. I dislike sounding cliché, but it’s been too easy.” He could almost sense Rukle unease through the rope that connected them. He felt the third pin fall into place and he rotated the cylinder. The lock disengaged with a click and he realized he was holding his breath. He wondered if the chest was designed to launch a cloud of poisonous dust when opened unless some release was triggered before opening it. If there were a hidden catch, it might be anything. A screw in one of the hinges might need to be removed. Or what appeared to be the head of a bolt might be a button to be pressed. But a button might just as easily trigger a trap. There was simply no way to guess. Cooper stood and faced Rukle, “I’m going to fling the lid back and sprint toward you. As soon as I start running toward you, get out of the way.” Rukle’s only reply was a firm nod and a slight tug on the rope. Cooper crouched down and hooked his fingers under the lip of the lid. He accessed his Talent and prepared a burst of speed. He took a deep breath and held it, closed his eyes and flung the lid upward and back. Keeping his eyes closed, he sprinted toward where he knew Rukle was standing and took two strides before opening his eyes. Rukle was already around the corner and out of sight, dragging the rope with him. The tension in the rope was almost enough to throw Cooper off his stride, but he adjusted quickly since he was going that direction anyway. He paused at the corner and looked back. He hadn’t heard any unusual noises, and the lantern revealed that there was no cloud of dust in the air, other than the small swirl he’d created by his own movement. He expelled his breath forcefully and took in a lungful of the damp, musty air. He took another step to relieve the tension on the rope and called Rukle back, “It looks like nothing happened. Follow me back. Stand where you were before.” He approached the chest and picked up the lantern to illuminate the contents. There was a vial of poison affixed on the underside of the lid. He examined the mechanism and it looked like it was designed to shatter and spread it’s contents if the lid was forced open. Turning the lock cylinder had disabled the trap. Still, there might be more poison yet inside. He shifted the lantern to reveal that the chest itself was filled with many cloth bags, some were the size of a flour sack, while others were no larger than a tobacco pouch. All the bags, regardless of size, were tightly filled and the openings tied closed. Cooper nudged a few bags with a single finger before carefully lifting one of the smaller bags. He could tell by the sound of the shifting contents that the small bag was filled with coins. He set that bag on the ground beside him. One of the smaller pouches sounded like it was filled with marbles, “Gems.” Cooper said to himself. He replaced that bag and drew out a different one, also filled with coins. He withdrew from the chest, retrieving the bags as he stood. He walked over to join Rukle, leaving the chest open behind him. They both breathed a sigh of relief and Cooper reported, “Certainly not all of the Guild’s lost wealth, but suddenly the path ahead doesn’t seem quite so steep. Let’s get back above ground.”
The Journeymen had been waiting impatiently. In the time that Cooper had been down in the underground passage, the sun had dropped below the horizon and they were visibly relieved that Cooper and Rukle had rejoined them. Cooper pointed out a structure that had nearly four walls and something like a roof overhead, “We’ll camp in there tonight.” They walked inside the structure and set their packs against one of the walls. Cooper stepped to the center and gathered everyone around him. He sat on the floor with the lantern next to him and placed the two bags he’d retrieved on the ground in front of him, then opened one of them. He poured out the coins, revealing a cascade of gold in the lantern light. There was a collective gasp from all around him. Cooper addressed the group, “Before we unroll our sleeping mats, there’s one more matter to clear up. I didn’t think I’d be in a position to make this offer, but here it is… If anyone wants to leave… if rebuilding the Guild isn’t what you want out of life, I’m willing to pay any of you fifty gold coins and send you on your way. The deal is this. You leave Paleros completely. You never mention where the coin came from. And you never return. There are only a few of us here. It’ll be easy to remember any or all of you. The ones that remain from this point forward are truly dedicated to the rebuild. The next several months will be horrible. We will certainly not go hungry, but all available coin will be dedicated to the effort, not to fill our pockets… but if we’re successful, then within a couple of years those fifty gold coins will seem like a pittance.” All were silent. No one appeared
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