AS Ch-14 Second Half.

As promised, here's the second half of the last chapter. I had to condense it a bit and cut off part of it for the next chapter, but I think it turned out well.

I've also updated the actual chapter to include this, but in case you don't want to read that again, I've posted the second half below.

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Maggy and Garrelt packed in silence, each consumed by their own thoughts as they moved through the ruined command tent.

Neither spoke, too wrapped up in their own world.

Maggy stole a glance at Garrelt as he sifted through the stack of notes and documents Robert had left behind, gathering every scrap of information he could. Since Robert’s betrayal and Bert’s collapse, the scout leader’s usual detached indifference had hardened into something darker, focused, cold.

Looking back, Maggy realized it was a storm that had been brewing for some time. Ever since Robert began acting oddly. Maybe Garrelt had sensed something on instinct, or maybe he had simply grown tired of the man’s leadership. Either way, the dam had finally broken, and now Garrelt was on a mission.

They’d torn the command tent apart between them, overturning crates, unrolling maps, and picking through stacks of paperwork for anything that might expose Robert’s link to Icefinger and his criminal ring.

If Robert reached Halirosa first and muddied the waters, this evidence might be the only chance they had to prove what really happened.

Maggy glanced at the entrance. Time was slipping away. Their departure was fast approaching, and she wasn’t sure they had enough.

A sudden knock against one of the tent’s support poles cut through the quiet. She and Garrelt exchanged a glance. Only a few people would dare interrupt them now.

“Enter,” Garrelt called after a pause.

The tent flap rustled open, and Boarslayer stepped inside, broad-shouldered and smirking, with Antchaser close behind in his sleek black armor.

The goblin woman took one look at the chaos around her and folded her arms.

“Well, well. I always suspected something was going on with you two, but really?” She gave a long-suffering sigh, her grin stretching. “Now seems a bit of an inappropriate time. Aren’t you supposed to be preparing to leave?”

“E-Excuse me?!” Maggy sputtered, cheeks flushing a vivid pink.

Garrelt raised a brow, sneering. “Please. I don’t want to hear that from the most bull-headed woman within a thousand kilometers. Still banging your head against that wall?”

Boarslayer clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes as if she were the picture of patience itself.

Behind her, Antchaser exhaled a sigh and gave a small shake of his head.

Despite the words exchanged, there was no true heat in their voices. Antchaser still wasn’t entirely sure what Boarslayer and Garrelt got out of constantly needling each other, but it had become something of a ritual between them. Alpha had once called it ‘bonding’ and to let them have their inside jokes. Antchaser hadn’t fully understood, but he trusted the AI to know what it was talking about.

Still, he figured it was time to steer the conversation back to the point.

“What have you managed to find?” he asked, eyes drifting to the mess of papers spread across the large table.

Garrelt sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. “Little to nothing. That bastard must’ve kept anything important on him at all times. Given how paranoid he got toward the end, maybe he started suspecting the dungeon had eyes on him.”

He stepped forward and swept aside a few scattered pages. “Still, there’s enough here to prove something was off. Action reports that didn’t match up with actual engagements. Supply requests that only make sense in hindsight. Nothing concrete, maybe, but enough to show his story doesn’t hold water. I don’t think Robert ever imagined his plan would fail. For all his paranoia, the man was still arrogant.”

Antchaser nodded quietly, flipping through one of the documents left on the table.

Boarslayer scoffed from the side. “Lotta good that did him. Now he’s on the run, and you’ve got the truth in hand. I might not know much about your fancy Adventurer’s Guild, but I can’t imagine they’d look kindly on this kind of betrayal.”

Garrelt shook his head. “It’s not that simple. If Robert reaches Halirosa first, he still has enough clout to muddy the waters. Pull the right strings, make a few veiled threats, and suddenly we’re stuck in red tape for weeks. By the time the Guild even considers issuing a warrant, the damage will already be done. If Bert were well enough to send word ahead, maybe things would be different, but…” Garrelt shook his head.

Boarslayer’s lips curled into a snarl. “Bureaucratic bullshit.” She spat to the side.

Antchaser let out a low chuckle. “Then I guess we just have to make sure you beat him there, don’t we?”

Maggy sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I don’t see how we can. Maybe if I were a few circles stronger, I could try to teleport us part of the way. But if I were that strong, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with. And Robert’s already got a several-day lead. Even if he’s dragging the other bandits behind him, catching up now feels like a pipe dream.”

Antchaser grinned, the corner of his mouth tugging up as he set the paper down.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Mr. Alpha actually sent us to find you, too. Said he has… a surprise for you.”

Maggy and Garrelt both froze.

Their eyes met.

A beat passed.

The color drained from Maggy’s face.

She wasn’t sure if she should be excited… or absolutely terrified.