“Yeah, let me get a carton of flame shot and freeze shot in .45, a carton of lightning in .308, and a carton of shock waves in 12 gauge.”

“Goodness, with all that ammo, people might think you’re trying to raid the canyon.”

“...something like that…”

“Oh… well, just for your information and completely unrelated, we do wills and storage of valuables here as well.”

“You really are a general store, huh?”

“Best in town!”

“But you’re the only… whatever.”

The hot wind and dust blasted Billy in the face as he stepped out of the general store. He lowered the brim of his hat to protect his eyes while he walked towards the two other men hired for the job.

“What took ya? Buying a new dress?” said Oscar, a scrawny prospector Billy was sure had scurvy.

“If I was the banterin’ kind, I’m sure I could make a joke about wanting your girl to look nice when I took her out. But that would be beneath me,” stated Billy flatly.

“Ha! Joke’s on you, I ain’t got a girl.”

“Pfff, tha' wisnae a guid kimbik, kinnadum,” said Bob, the craggy, scar-faced miner.

This earned a perplexed look from Billy. Try as he might, he was unable to decipher the Scotsman's speech.

“Hey, screw you, ya haggis-eatin’ hillbilly, it was clever,” said Oscar, trying to shove the much larger man.

“Dinnae swang meh 'less ye want th' hamma,” retorted Bob, pushing back.

A sour look crossed Billy's face as he watched the two other men descend into a full-on slap fight in the middle of the dirt road that served as the town's main street.

“That’ll be enough, you absolute fence posts,” said Billy, separating the two men. “Now, are you gonna go stock up on ammo?”

“Nah, nah, that’s what we got you for, gunslinger. We’re just here for the rocks,” said Oscar.

“This place is more dangerous than a rattlesnake's den. You’ll be much safer if you have a weapon to protect yourself.”

“Never carried a gun, never will. Gunpowder messes with my senses. If I ain’t got my senses, I can’t prospect. If I can’t prospect, I can’t pay the boss back. Then I’m dead.”

The sour look returned to Billy’s face as he wondered how Oscar had survived this long. “What about you, Bob?”

“Naw, I kin jist hit ony beasts wi' ma hammer, or f’need, I kin sim dynamite.”

“I have no idea what you said. But I’m glad for you, or I disagree, whatever fits.”

This earned a thumbs up and a smile from Bob, revealing a startling lack of teeth.

“I’ll take that as a positive, so let's rustle up some action.”

After loading up their horses, the trio began to make their way out of the small but lively town. Brightly painted facades drew the eye to a variety of small businesses that had recently opened in response to the boom in population. Prospectors, miners, and crystal crafters swarmed into the town looking to make their fortune from the recently discovered magic crystal deposits.

While most were happy to pan or sluice for crystals in the nearby Blackwater River, a few expeditions had ventured into the deep canyon that the river originated from. The rumors from the few who had returned indicated that there was an absolute fortune in magic crystal to be had. But, as was commonly the case, the abundance of crystal also came with an abundance of dangerous creatures who survived off them.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

One particular rumor about an exceedingly rare type of crystal had made its way back to Billy's boss, Eugene “Hog” Porter. Hog had been so intrigued by this rumor that he had promised to wipe Billy's debts to him if he managed to secure the crystal, an unheard-of act of generosity for the ruthless businessman. And so here Billy found himself, riding to a canyon full of dangerous beasts with what he was told were the most trustworthy prospector and miner in Hog’s employ. Billy had strong doubts about that last part.

The crew followed the Blackwater River upstream for most of a day before coming to the entrance of the canyon in the late afternoon. The walls in front of them extended almost vertically for at least 100 feet and were made from a dull gray and black stone that contrasted with the reddish-brown dirt of the surrounding desert. These features made the canyon seem out-of-place in the open desert and invited wild speculation about its origin.

“Alright, we’ll camp here for the night and start working our way into the canyon at first light,” said Billy. “No reason to rush this; doesn’t look like anyone else is dumb enough to even try the canyon.”

“Maaaate, mate, you worry too much. Boss said it’ll be fine, so it’ll be fine.”

“He said it’ll be fine because he sent me. Do what I tell you when I tell you, and we will be fine.”

“Alright, gunslinger, you got it,” said Oscar, mimicking guns with his fingers.

As darkness settled in, the men sat around a small campfire eating a dinner of hardtack, beans, and salted pork. Oscar and Bob were having an argument that Billy couldn’t keep up with on account of being completely unable to understand Bob. Leaning back, he looked up at the star-filled sky, picking out constellations like he used to with Emma and the girls. The thought of finally getting to see them again made his heart beat faster with excitement. “Soon,” he thought. “Soon I’ll be free of Hog. Then we can do everything we were always going to do.”

The thoughts of the future comforted him as he fell asleep on the hard ground with his hat over his eyes and his duster wrapped around him.

The rising sun made his uncomfortable sleep seem far too short. Stoking the fire, Billy put a pot of water on to boil and added some thunder-root to wake himself up. He offered a cup of the concoction to Bob, who thanked him with a nod, then began to throw stones at the still sleeping Oscar so that they could eat and get on their way.

Leaving the horses at camp and taking only what they needed, the three men set off into the canyon. The high walls were narrow at the entrance, which restricted the light and made the sound of the rushing water echo loudly, hindering everyone’s senses. The lack of light also turned the water pitch black, giving the river its name.

Billy slowly led the way, working along a small ledge on the left-hand side of the canyon. Occasional obstacles like a boulder or a broken part of the ledge made their progress slow. Eventually, the ledge wrapped around a blind corner curving to the left.

Approaching the bend, Billy was struck by the smell of rotting fish and vinegar. He went to one knee and raised his hand to signal a stop, a signal that Oscar apparently didn’t understand as he continued until Billy grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

“This means stop,” whispered Billy, showing the hand sign again. “Now, there is something around that corner. You need to stay here while I scout. Bob, if you could kindly make sure he doesn’t get us killed.”

“Aye, kin dae that,” whispered Bob.

Slowly edging up to the corner, Billy pulled the rifle off his back, wrapped the sling around his arm, and placed the butt against his shoulder. Keeping the barrel low, he peered around the rock to see three extremely tall humanoids covered in thick, chalk-white skin. Their heads were almost completely dominated by enormous mouths filled with dozens of rows of teeth, acidic saliva constantly drooling out, puddling on the ground and slowly eating away at anything vulnerable to its reaction.

image [https://imgur.com/7Z7gQH7.jpg]

Slowing his breathing, Billy raised the rifle and sighted the closest of the beasts. Squeezing the trigger, he fired a lightning round, creating a terrible noise in the echoing canyon. But before the beasts could react, the first one was struck by the lightning, which then arced to the other two, electrocuting them all to death.

As the bodies slumped to the ground, Oscar let out a whoop. “Dang! Good shooting!”

Billy immediately grabbed him and dragged him to the ground. “I’m going to need you to be quiet,” said Billy in a calm whisper. “We have no idea if there are more of those things down here.”

“Yeah, but you killed 'em so easy.”

“That’s because I surprised them. Those Mawbeasts are quicker than you realize and will rip you apart, no hesitation. So, again, please do as I say because I will be fit to be tied if you get me killed.”

Billy cautiously approached the bodies, keeping his senses sharp for any indication of additional monsters. Finding no other signs of danger, he called the other two men over before seeing that the creatures had been eating shards of red crystals they had dug out of the canyon wall.

“Whew, that amount of ignis crystal would be worth a pretty penny. We should collect some to sell,” said Oscar.

“It ain’t what we’re here for. Carrying that will just slow us down.”

“Aww, but think of the money!”

“If there's space on the way out, you can take some. But only after we’ve got what we’re here for.”

“Fer shuir, Ibe saummaden heekrrs n lidl dappa cocaine,” added Bob.

“You’ve got a serious problem, Bobby,” chided Oscar.

Certain that this was a conversation he had no interest in being involved in, Billy just started walking again, aware that time was not on their side.