Scarred Steps has now officially passed In RWBY's Shadow for wordcount! It actually already happened earlier, but that was without counting ANs. Now, it'll be ahead in both, and we've still got a long way to go. Adam hasn't even joined the White Fang yet! Who'd've thought it would take over 70 chapters for him to get there? Longfic Goose strikes again!

We also finally hit 800 followers on Twitch last week! Celebrated on Tuesday with a particularly goofy stream. Almost three years of streaming and I'm still having a blast. Only a hobby, since I still work full-time and have no intention of ever changing that, but I can't wait to see what comes next.

Anyways, on with the story!

Orostachys was changing.

It started with the ceremony for Geryon. The workers had always been given Sunday off. A single day each week to relax and unwind. It might as well have been sacred to the workers, so when the guards marched everyone out in the middle of the day to stand around in the midday heat, all to honor someone who'd tried to kill one of them, it went about as well as expected. People grumbled and complained. One or two even interrupted early on, shouting out their complaints, only to be escorted away by a new pair of guards.

That was another noticeable change. Orostachys hadn't just brought in a replacement for Geryon - they'd beefed up security a bit all around. The Sunday ceremony also served as a show of force, with the full complement of guards surrounding the ceremony and boxing them in. The reinforcements had arrived seemingly overnight - a move that hadn't gone unnoticed by the workers. Especially since they'd had a delivery only days before.

Need an airship for a worker leaving camp? Give us three weeks. More armed thugs to stamp down on the workers? We'll overnight them.

Sunday proved to be just the starting point, though. The guards began patrolling Faunus Alley, especially around the dining hall and, more aggravatingly, the Watering Hole. The incursion went about as well as could be expected, especially when alcohol was involved. Plenty of drunken workers had been punished for taunting the guards or throwing bottles at them. It got to the point where nowhere felt safe anymore. People were constantly looking over their shoulder lest they cross one of the guards and wind up beaten, in the hole, or whatever other cruel punishment their overlords could cook up.

If Adam had hoped the new guards would be more reasonable, he'd been sorely disappointed. It seemed like all of the new recruits were chosen specifically for their nastiness. They openly disparaged the faunus, goading the workers into acting out so they could enjoy a good beating. It didn't take long for them to pick out the more easily stirred up among the workers, either. Adam and Jakob were constant targets. Marion had developed quite the rebellious streak, too. Apparently hearing they'd tried to kill his friend hadn't sat well. As the guards cracked down on them, more and more began to push back, earning their own punishment as reward. Hardly a day went by without someone being tossed in the hole to the point they built a pillory to publicly display those that acted out. One quickly became three as the workers bristled against the new crackdowns. Adam had spent plenty of time with his head and wrists trapped in the wretched board, forcing him to squat uncomfortably in the sun on the same platform they'd honored Geryon from.

That had been another shift in the camp - Adam's rise in prominence. Adam had hoped his newfound popularity would die down a little, but as weeks slowly turned to months, he only seemed to rally more support. Bane followed him almost everywhere, refusing to relinquish his new role of bodyguard. For the first time ever, Bane had been put in the hole for standing up for Adam against one of the guards. They called in half a dozen of their thugs to escort him away. Afterwards, Adam had to take him aside and tell him not to get involved. Bane didn't take it well but begrudgingly agreed.

Others wouldn't be convinced so easily. Adam often had company in the pillory. Too many people eager to defend their apparent leader or just prove their loyalty by joining him in the restraints. It became a sort of badge of honor among some of the workers. Adam's efforts to get them to calm down were met with limited success. If anything, it only further escalated his popularity. Adam, the hero, taking their punishments for them. He could do no wrong.

Not according to the guards, naturally. They recognized his meteoric rise among the workers and quickly decided that the best way to keep the workers in line was to target their new so-called leader. Adam was convinced they had a pair of guards trailing him the moment he walked out of the mines every day, looking for any excuse to go after him for another beating.

Beatings that he allowed. Blaine had taught him a few things, like how to use his aura more instinctively, but that wasn't the lesson Adam used now. Remembering the trick Blaine had used to snap him out of his bloodlust, Adam kept his aura down, despite how much it hurt. All it would take was the briefest flash of aura to make their blows meaningless, but there was no way they'd miss something like that. Instead, he let their blows rain down time and time again, enduring the pain and keeping his secret safe.

He never cried out. Never begged for them to stop. He took each blow in silence, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing him break. Aura could always patch him up later. Instead, his silent suffering acted as a big middle finger to the guards, denying them what they really wanted - to make him look weak. They couldn't actually hurt him that bad. They needed him able to work the mines each day, so they could only take it so far.

Besides, their pathetic blows were nothing compared to what he'd been through. Life had beaten him down long before they got their chance. They wanted him to break, but you can't break what's already broken.

They wanted to make an example out of him. Instead, they'd made him a champion.

Adam sensed the kick coming before it hit but let it strike his side, bowling him over on the floor he was busy scrubbing. "Get back to work. We're not paying you to daydream."

"Not paying us at all," Adam grumbled quietly after Gideon turned away.

By far the worst change recently had been Gideon. He'd always been an antagonistic a-hole, but nothing like now. He'd been promoted to an outer guard - a fact he constantly reminded everyone of. If Gideon had been annoying before, having his aura unlocked and getting extra training from Trechend had only amplified his most annoying traits. Despite the promotion, he still kept his position as their Saturday escort, accompanied by one of the newer guards who practically worshiped the man. So he could use aura now. Big deal! Maybe it impressed his sniveling little underling, but none of the workers cared. He was nothing compared to Trechend and Dahaki, and as far as the faunus of Orostachys were concerned, they still paled in comparison to their new hero. After all, Adam had taken out Geryon. Despite Adam's best efforts to keep that part quiet, word had gotten around in time. The faunus would laugh at Gideon behind his back, but that didn't stop him from flexing his newfound ability every chance he got.

Gideon's ire had become increasingly focused on Adam as of late. Adam had a feeling that was Trechend's work. The man still held a grudge, somehow convinced Adam was responsible for Geryon's death. He was right, of course, but without any evidence, there was nothing he could do.

Not that it stopped Trechend from trying. He hounded Adam relentlessly, always watching for any excuse to come after him when they were outside the walls. Gideon would do the same, the two of them sometimes watching him together and quietly plotting. They didn't seem to care that it left Dahaki by himself to guard everyone else. Adam had a feeling they were waiting for another attack to arrange an accident for him.

Good. Let them try. Maybe they'd have a little accident of their own.

Gideon caught Adam's glare before Adam could tear his eyes away. "What're you lookin' at, Taurus?" A slew of answers flooded Adam's mind, but none made it past his lips. "What? You wanna go?"

If only. Gideon had tried this at least a dozen times by now. Fighting a guard would land him in serious trouble. He always kept himself just shy of the line that Jakob had warned him about - the line between being a nuisance and a threat. Nuisances were sent to the hole. Threats were buried in one. As satisfying as beating Gideon's face in would feel, Adam had a feeling attacking a guard would cross that line, even if Gideon started it. Who was Ferric going to believe? One of his trusted guards or some worker with a history of acting out?

He'd be the victim of an unavoidable accident within the week.

"Tch. Thought so. Worthless runt." Gideon reveled in his victory, unaware of just how poorly a fight with Adam could go. For all his bluster, Gideon was no Geryon. A couple months of training meant he might have limited aura control at best. He could probably tank a few hits, but his control would be inefficient, burning aura on a full defense rather than targeting specific areas. A prolonged fight would have him using up aura in no time. All Adam would have to do was wait.

Instead, he waited for Gideon to leave and went back to scrubbing the bathroom floor, grimacing at the yellowed stains beneath the urinals. Was it really so hard to aim? It looked like someone had completely missed. Adam had a sneaking suspicion Gideon had stopped by earlier. He'd seemed rather intent on making sure Adam got the men's room all to himself today.

How generous.

Better him than someone else. That might as well have become Adam's mantra lately. Actually it was more Jakob's philosophy than his. He'd just adopted it. The more spotlight I grab, the more shadows there are for the rest to hide in. Nowadays Adam tended to eclipse even Jakob. Hard not to when half the camp practically worshiped him. Considering how much younger he was than practically anyone in camp, he felt a little weird being looked up to so much. The workers weren't the only ones with their eyes on him, though. The guards kept a close eye and went out of their way to harass him any chance they got. Such was the price of being important.

Condemned to greatness. Is this what Jean meant? In a way, his aura had caused his newfound fame. That, and saving Axol. Saving someone in need. Jean's words sure were coming back to haunt him.

Well, if greatness meant taking beatings and scrubbing toilets, then Adam had to be the greatest man who ever lived.

Not everyone seemed thrilled by his newfound stardom. At least not with how he used it. "You need to stop causing so much trouble for the guards," Maurice lectured over dinner. This wasn't the first time they'd had this argument. "After all, if you rock the boat too much, you might just capsize it."

Adam had begun to hate little sayings like that. Don't rock the boat. Go with the flow. Don't poke the bear. Considering he'd taken on Ursai before, poking a bear wasn't exactly something he , he knew exactly what Maurice was saying. "I think that ship already sailed." The boat had been flipped, shot full of holes, and set on fire.

"Making waves won't help anyone."

Adam would give him points for sticking to the nautical theme, but neither of them were going to convince the other. They'd tried. Dozens of times. Maurice wanted him to get in line, keep his head down, and stay out of trouble. Adam just wanted him to realize he couldn't. Even if he became a model citizen, they'd still come after him. Not because of who he was, but because of what he represented. Hope. Defiance. Rebellion. He refused to give in when they started to push, and others saw that and rallied behind him. If the guards ever wanted to stamp down on the workers again, they'd start with him. Which meant if he ever gave in, they won.

Their conversation carried on as it always did. Maurice refused to see reason. Adam refused to accept mediocrity. Adam respected Maurice both as a friend and for his willingness to speak up. It would've been so much easier to keep quiet, but Maurice genuinely thought he was helping, and Adam couldn't help being proud of his friend.

Compared to everyone who listened but didn't bother standing up for Adam, Maurice might as well have been the bravest man there.

"The guards have it out for me," Adam reasoned.

"If you're a target, it's only because you painted it on yourself," Maurice countered. Neither of them ever got heated in their arguments. It was more like a political debate than a real argument. Except those tended to include more veiled insults and insinuations from what little he'd seen. "I'm only saying this because I care, Adam. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know." The only reason Adam kept putting up with their little discussions was because he knew. If anyone else tried, Adam probably would've just ignored them. "I won't let anything happen to me…to any of us," he added, earning a few nods around the table.

"Let us hope it never comes to that."

It already had, and Geryon had found out just how much Adam meant those words. He wasn't looking for a real fight, but if push came to shove, he'd step in if someone's life was on the line. And he could shove a lot harder than they realized.

/- - - - - - - - - -/

Despite the constant struggles between Adam and the guards, some things in Orostachys stayed the same. They still went down into the mines five days a week. The tree clearing crew still got to work outside on rare occasions. Sundays remained free other than the one for Geryon's funeral. No matter what else happened along the way, Orostachys was still a dust mining camp and had quotas to fill.

As long as Adam only caused a little trouble and worked his tail off in the mine, the worst he ever had to worry about was a slap on the wrist. Well, more like the slap of the pillory as it locked him in for another lovely evening. Or the slap of their fists, boots, and batons. In any case, as Jakob had warned him so long ago, he made sure to balance their irritation with his production, keeping himself too valuable for them to do anything more.

And he was valuable. 3C easily outclassed every other crew in terms of performance. Bane had always been a powerhouse among workers, but with Adam not far behind, they tended to harvest more dust each day than any other team. It really wasn't fair to have him paired with the biggest guy in camp, but he didn't make the rules.

He just bent them from time to time.

It helped that he could openly use his aura when they worked. He always had to hold back up top, afraid some guard would uncover his secret, but not down in the mines. The guards might have started patrolling Faunus Alley, but they never came further than the main chasm of the mines. Only faunus were expendable enough to send deeper into the dangerous shafts. Adam could hack away at rock all day, pushing his arms with the aid of a little aura for the whole shift. He could carve off large chunks, catching whole boulders of dust that should've squashed him without his personal forcefield. As much as he hated bringing in more dust for the camp and basically supporting his own abuse, it felt good to let loose for a while and work out whatever latest aggravations he'd endured.

Plus, down here, Adam almost felt normal.

It wasn't just the lack of guards that let him relax. Down in the mines with only his crew, he could forget about the role that had been thrust upon him. His team relied on him, but they relied on Bane just as much. Moreso, really. Adam had never realized how exhausting being looked up to could be until he experienced it himself. So many eyes. So many expectations. Down here, though, he was just another worker. An exceptional worker, but nothing more.

Down here, Maurice still led, and Adam was only too happy to let him. He didn't have to worry about making decisions or how his actions would impact everyone else. All he had to do was mine dust and let Maurice handle the rest. Whatever happened in the mine wasn't his concern.

The start of a week meant a freshly reinforced shaft where the gray of the concrete spray stood in stark contrast to the mixture of dark rock and colorful crystals they spent so much time around. Adam almost preferred the dull shade of the back wall. Color meant work. A blank wall represented a side they didn't have to mine. He could instead focus on what was ahead of him and ignore the back wall entirely.

Few things in life were ever as straightforward.

At least, they should've been straightforward. Their latest vein of dust had all but dried up again. With how thin the vein had been lately, they should've been moved to a different direction in search of more plentiful deposits. Instead, they'd spent the last week following the last traces of the current vein until there was barely any dust worth mining. Maurice reported their findings daily, expecting the order to come down for a new direction. When the weekend rolled around with no change, Maurice assured them they'd reassess and have them back on the dust in no time.

So why were they still wasting time going the wrong way?

Sure, they still found dust here and there, but it took way too much work to get a decent load. Adam couldn't remember ever pulling in so little dust, yet still they carried on, sending up more rock than dust each shift until Adam began to question what the point of it all was.

"Maybe they think there's another vein further in," Maurice tried, striving to keep their spirits up during lunch.

It wasn't working.

"They're wasting our time," Duncan complained, giving voice to what they were all thinking. "There's no dust down there. We'd be better off twiddlin' our thumbs all day."

"Never thought I'd miss seein' dust," Seb added with a grin.

"It does seem to be a bit futile." When even Monti got in on the complaining, you knew something was up. There weren't any prizes for bringing in more dust than other crews, but it felt irritating to have barely anything to show for a full day's work. With how deep they'd been digging, no one could say they were slacking off, either.

"Trust the process," Maurice insisted.

"The process ain't working." Jakob couldn't resist joining the fray. "Why can't we back up and try another spot? Have you talked to the boss?"

The mine boss. Or the pit boss, as they'd started calling him. Few guards ever bothered venturing into the mountain, but someone had to run things from the staging area in the main chasm. For the most part, he served as liaison between the mining crews and Ferric. If something broke, the pit boss would get them a new part. Offloading of the day's haul was overseen and tracked by him, too. He ran the mine, as much as someone who never left the entrance could.

"I've told him every time we come back up," Maurice promised. They'd heard a few of those reports themselves, tagging along to reinforce what Maurice reported. The pit boss assured them he'd look into it, but nothing had changed. "Even talked to him before lunch. He said orders are to keep digging."

"What a waste." Both of their time and their talent. None of them really cared to make the SDC any richer, but it still hurt their pride to be so useless. They'd talked to some of the other crews on their lunch shift and no one else was going through a dry spell. Only 3C seemed to be firing blanks lately.

The grumbling continued through the meal as the annoyed men lashed out verbally at the guards, Ferric, and even the mountain itself. Adam doubted the rock was conspiring against them, secretly hiding its dust away from them, but it felt good to vent, even irrationally. Adam cursed Orostachys along with the others as they polished off their meal and headed for the trucks.

Keeping up morale up top was normally Adam's job nowadays, but mining morale fell squarely on Maurice's shoulders. Right now, Adam didn't envy the man. He made empty promises on the ride back of richer deposits lurking just out of sight. They'd run into one eventually and be back on top in no time. They just needed to be patient.

It was a tough sell, and no one was buying.

"You'll see, boys. You'll see." They'd better. Adam was tired of beating his head against the barren stone walls. Not literally, but he might as well have been for all the good their mining was doing.

The ride back to the mines hardly helped. Usually they had a decent amount of dust already gathered at the halfway mark. Today, they'd probably be better off carrying it up by hand instead of loading it. Other crews kept quiet for the most part, shaking their heads in sympathy. There wasn't much worse than having nothing to show for your work.

When the trucks finally pulled up to the mines, 3C were the last ones out. They took their time marching back to their assignment, resigned to another half day of pointless laboring with little to show for it. Maurice made sure to lodge yet another report while they lingered nearby, just to prove he hadn't given up, then they followed the long path down to their gods-forsaken assignment once more.

Adam took his anger out on the wall, fracturing the solid stone with each reckless blow. Normally, strikes like that could be dangerous. You had to aim each strike, being careful to avoid hitting the dust directly. But with how little of the crystalline substance they'd seen lately, Adam probably had a better chance of winning the lottery.

Swing after swing. Blow after blow. Adam tore through the barren rock face like a man possessed, ignoring the chunks that broke off and rained down on him from time to time. They bounced harmlessly off his aura, the sharp impact a cathartic release as the mountain joined in his frustration. If he didn't find dust soon, he'd-

"Adam!"

Adam shook himself out of his funk as the single word finally broke through. Jakob nodded back toward the entrance. A quick look around showed no one was working, likely because of the sound of a cart coming down the rails.

"We've got company," Jakob muttered as Adam removed his ear protection.

They didn't have to wait long. A small cart carrying the pit boss and two other guards soon arrived, screeching to a slow stop right behind their skip. The workers of 3C glanced at one another, but no one seemed to understand what was going on. Guards never came down the shafts. Never. That's what the phones were for, after all. It almost felt like their space had been defiled by the presence of humans.

Armed humans, Adam noted. Not the pit boss, but the pair escorting him. Rifles seemed like an odd choice for such close range. Adam briefly wondered if they were here to execute the whole crew. After all, they couldn't exactly escape. There was no cover and only one way out. Adam only allowed himself to relax a little when he noticed neither guard fingering a trigger. They held their weapons loosely, more a show of force than a real threat.

"What's all this about?" Maurice asked, stepping up to meet the pit boss.

"We finally getting new orders?" Seb asked. Most of the crew hummed in anticipation of the relief, though why they'd come down in person still remained a mystery.

"I'm here for Bane," the pit boss announced. All eyes turned to the big man in question, but he looked just as confused as everyone else.

"Me?"

"Orders from up top," the pit boss explained. "Some of the beams in 2D's shaft need replaced. Ferric wants you to help get some fresh wood so we can install them be pretty urgent."

"Tree clearing." Bane nodded in understanding and walked over to join the pit boss. At least they had a cart for him to ride back up.

But that left a rather obvious question in the air. "What about me?" Adam questioned. "I'm on his team."

The pit boss stopped and stared for a moment before flipping through a few papers on his clipboard. Whatever he was looking for wasn't there. "Nope. Just Bane. Don't see any mention of you."

"There's gotta be some sort of mistake." Please let there be a mistake. Tree clearing sounded a lot better than smashing rocks all day. "I've been on the crew for months. Can you double check and make sure?"

"You're not on the list," one of the guards answered instead. "Only him."

"Are you su-"

"We're sure."

"Now, now. There's no harm in checking," the pit boss said.

"Orders are to bring this one," the guard replied, elbowing toward Bane. "No mention of a second worker."

"Maybe so, but if he says he's on the crew, then he's probably on the crew."

"He works with me," Bane confirmed.

"See?" Neither guard looked overly impressed, but the pit boss ignored them. "Anyways, I'll make a call and see what the hold-up is. You can ride up with us if you want."

"Can't you make the call from here?"

The guard pointed at the nearby phone, but Adam knew it wouldn't work even before the pit boss answered, "That only reaches the phone in my office. And if I'm down here, who's up there to answer it?" The slight snark earned a chuckle from the workers.

"He should wait here." Yet again, the guard seemed insistent on keeping Adam in this pit of despair. It wasn't hard to imagine why. Most of the guards hated him. Adam felt like he recognized the one that kept speaking up, but it was hard to tell them apart. Probably just one of the Faunus Alley patrols he'd gotten in trouble with at some point.

"He's coming." The pit boss put his foot down. As far as humans went, he was probably the least horrible in camp. "If he's supposed to be on the truck, they'll have to wait for us to come get him. If not, we can just send him back. Better to assume the best and not waste anyone's time."

Except his if they decided not to take him for some reason. Still, walking back wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. It would pass the time if nothing else, and right now he had all the time in the world.

The two guards looked at each other in annoyance, but they knew they didn't have the authority to override the pit boss on matters concerning the mine. "Fine. Let's get going. The sooner we make that call, the sooner we can send him back."

The ride up was conducted in awkward silence. The five of them packed into the small cart like sardines, with the guards shoving Adam from behind if he came too close. Bane stepped between them, almost daring them to try their luck against him and sparing Adam any more abuse. Adam nodded his thanks, grateful for his loyal protector.

"We should call Ferric," the mouthier of the two guards insisted the moment they reached the office.

The pit boss was having none of it. "Nonsense. No reason to trouble Overseer Ferric with something so trivial. I'll just call Trechend and see if we can straighten this out directly."

"I'll talk to him."

"My mine. My phone." The pit boss practically slapped his hand away from the phone, slowly picking it up himself. "My rules." His finger trailed down a small list of names and phone extensions. The guards shifted nervously, glancing back the way they'd come before they whispered something and one of them practically ran off. The other tapped his foot anxiously as they waited for the call to go through.

"Trechend? Good. I've got an Adam…what was your last name again?" the pit boss asked, covering the receiver for a second.

"Taurus."

"Taurus. Adam Taurus. Says he's part of the tree clearing crew. Wants to know if you wanted him too." Adam could hear the faint sounds of talking on the phone, but it was too quiet to make out. "Figured you'd want the whole crew, right?" More talking on the other end. "Yes, he's right here. I was about to send them up."

That certainly garnered a response. The pit boss held the phone away from his ear as Trechend yelled something. Adam looked to Bane, but his bunkmate just shrugged his shoulders.

"There's no need to yell, Trechend." Evidently there was, as the yelling continued. "So you don't want him?"

"No!" Adam heard that one loud and clear, though what followed escaped him.

"Alright, don't get your panties in a wad." Adam stifled his laugh as best he could. "Fine. I'll just send Bane then. We good?" Adam had a feeling Trechend had slammed the phone down by the way the pit boss lurched. "Geez. What's eating him?" He hung up and turned to Adam. "Only wants the one right now. Didn't say why, but it's his crew, so he makes the calls. You can head on back to the others."

Adam sighed, but there wasn't much he could do. It didn't make sense to exclude him, until he remembered who was in charge. Trechend hated him. Ever since Geryon died - since Adam killed him. Not that Trechend could prove anything. Still, he'd been out for Adam from that day on. Did it really surprise him that the guy would exclude him, leaving him to languish in a mine instead of getting some fresh air? Honestly, Adam wouldn't be surprised if he got kicked off the tree clearing crew. It was just a matter of time.

They'd probably say he got in trouble too much. Then again, even if he towed the line, Trechend would still find a way. Maybe claim he was too important in the mine or something. Or that they just didn't need as many people. Today might just be the opening salvo. Who could stop him? With Geryon gone, Trechend practically ran the show outside the walls.

It was a sad day when Adam missed having Geryon in charge.

"Better hurry back to your friends," the guard ordered, shoving Adam out the door. "Don't waste any time, or I'll tan your hide myself."

Tan his hide? Was that some sort of faunus joke? Adam rolled his eyes and picked up the pace a little. At least until he was out of sight. After that, he slowed to a walk, not at all in a hurry to get back to the monotony waiting deeper underground.

This sucked! Adam kicked a loose rock, taking a small pleasure in how it bounced and tumbled further down the gently sloping shaft. Bad enough they had to keep trying to find dust where there wasn't any, but they'd taken Bane outside the walls and left him behind! Talk about unfair. If only Trechend had been the one to attack Axol. Then Adam could've killed him instead. The world would be a better place without people like that.

Slowly, Adam kept heading down. The thought of just hanging out halfway crossed his mind, but he couldn't do that to his crew. As much as he hated it, he owed it to them to put in the work. They didn't deserve to be stuck down there alone, especially when he had no excuse other than not wanting to be there. He doubted any of them felt differently, yet there they were, wearing themselves out to cover for his absence.

"Right. Guess I'd better get back. I'll never hear the end of it if Maurice finds ou-"

BOOM!

Adam stumbled as the ground shook beneath his feet. The mountain felt like it was tearing itself apart. Dust rained down all around him, casting a strange haze over the tunnel from the bright lights above, which quickly turned an eerie red. Adam's shoulder slammed into the hard wall, catching him before he fell. He leaned against the stone barrier until Remnant stopped lurching. All he could hear was a high-pitched ringing in his ears.

And then, the wail of a siren pierced through the air.

It isn't explicitly stated here, but you can probably guess where the cave-in happened. More on that next chapter, of course, but I think most of you can see where this is going.

Started out worrying that this chapter would be too short, considering my whole plan could be summarized in the word BOOM. Glad I didn't try to fluff it too much, since we still passed 5k easily. Would've dragged on if I went with my first idea of stretching out some conversations early on. Much happier with this outcome.

Next chapter: Adam rushes to deal with the cave-in.