Chapter 116 - 114: The Mountain That Ate the Road

Chapter 116: Chapter 114: The Mountain That Ate the Road

The first thing Arin learned about the Northglass Highlands was that Magistrate Selka Venn had an interesting definition of beautiful weather.

The second thing he learned was that the mountains apparently disliked visitors.

The Civic Exploration Platform had been traveling inland for barely three hours when the temperature dropped by eleven degrees, the clear sky vanished behind thick clouds, and a wind strong enough to shake the observation deck came roaring down the valley.

Arin stood beside the railing, holding a cup of coffee.

His hair whipped across his forehead.

Somewhere behind him, Lucan was laughing.

"Lovely weather!"

Arin took another sip.

"Very refreshing."

A gust struck the platform.

His coffee disappeared.

Not the cup.

Just the coffee.

Arin stared into the empty mug.

Then slowly turned toward the mountains.

"All right. Now it’s personal."

EVE, standing safely inside the observation lounge, opened the door.

"Would you like to come inside?"

Arin looked at his cup.

"Yes."

Lucan laughed harder.

The Northglass Highlands earned their name from the pale crystalline veins running through their mountains.

From a distance, the ridges appeared covered in thin layers of frost, even where no snow had fallen. Under sunlight, the exposed minerals reflected blue and silver light, making the mountains look as though they had been carved from enormous pieces of cloudy glass.

The effect was beautiful.

It was also inconvenient.

The mineral deposits interfered with ordinary mana-based navigation, although not as severely as the crystalline formations Arin had encountered in the Varric Highlands.

Fortunately, the Civic Exploration Platform had already been equipped with shielding developed from those earlier discoveries.

Rian monitored the navigation systems from the engineering station.

"Positioning error is holding below two percent."

EVE nodded.

"Acceptable for this terrain. Continue cross-checking against physical landmarks."

A-01 adjusted the platform’s speed.

"Road conditions deteriorating."

Arin examined the forward display.

The old mining road wound between steep slopes, its stone surface broken in several places by frost damage and erosion.

"How far to the next settlement?"

EVE highlighted a location on the map.

"Approximately forty-three kilometers. The settlement is listed as Frostbridge."

Lucan leaned forward.

"Does it actually have a bridge?"

"According to the available records, yes."

Arin smiled.

"Let’s hope it still does."

By noon, the platform had reached the first serious obstacle.

A section of road had disappeared beneath a landslide.

Hundreds of tons of broken stone covered the passage between two steep slopes. Several uprooted trees lay among the debris, and a narrow stream had begun cutting through the fallen material.

Arin studied the blockage.

"Recent?"

EVE examined the exposed soil.

"Likely within the past several days."

Lucan looked toward the mountain.

"Can we climb around?"

"Not safely," Rian answered. "The southern slope is too steep for the platform, and the northern side has unstable ground."

Arin nodded.

"Then we clear the road."

Rian hesitated.

"Founder, the slope above the blockage is still moving."

Arin looked again.

A thin line of loose stones trickled down the mountainside.

Then another.

He smiled faintly.

"Good catch."

They would not be driving underneath that.

The crew deployed survey drones.

Their scans revealed a broad fracture running through the upper slope. The initial landslide had removed support from a larger mass of weathered rock, leaving it precariously balanced above the road.

Clearing the debris without stabilizing the mountain would be dangerous.

Arin examined the terrain model.

"We need to reduce the load above the fracture."

Rian nodded.

"Controlled removal?"

"Yes. Small sections. Nothing dramatic."

Victor, who had been listening nearby, looked disappointed.

"Define dramatic."

Arin didn’t look at him.

"Anything you would enjoy."

Lucan laughed.

Victor sighed.

"Nobody appreciates engineering enthusiasm."

The work began with a series of carefully placed anchors and temporary retaining supports.

Arin used his construction equipment to remove loose rock from the upper slope while EVE monitored movement through the mountain.

Rian coordinated the support installation.

A-01 handled the heavier anchor assemblies.

The operation was slow.

Deliberately slow.

Each section of rock had to be assessed before removal.

Arin could have blasted the entire obstruction apart with overwhelming force, but that would have risked destabilizing the surrounding cliffs and burying the road beneath even more debris.

He had learned long ago that possessing enormous power did not make every problem a suitable target for enormous power.

Sometimes the correct solution was patience.

Unfortunately, patience was not Victor’s favorite subject.

"Are we done yet?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"How about—"

"Victor."

"Right."

The first unexpected development came shortly after two o’clock.

One of the survey drones detected movement beneath the landslide.

Not geological movement.

Something alive.

EVE enlarged the scan.

"Multiple biological signatures."

Arin stopped the excavator.

"How many?"

"At least six."

Lucan immediately straightened.

"Monsters?"

"Unknown."

The thermal image showed several small bodies clustered inside a hollow space beneath the fallen trees.

Arin frowned.

"Are they trapped?"

"Possibly."

He looked toward the debris.

Then shut down the machinery.

"All right. Nobody moves that section until we know what’s underneath."

The creatures turned out to be mountain burrowers.

Small, round-bodied animals covered in thick grey fur, with broad digging claws and short tails.

They were not particularly dangerous.

In fact, their greatest defensive ability appeared to be making extremely offended squeaking noises.

Arin crouched beside the opening created by the rescue drone.

Six pairs of bright eyes stared back at him.

One creature squeaked.

Arin stared.

It squeaked again.

Lucan leaned over his shoulder.

"Terrifying."

Arin nodded solemnly.

"I’ve faced weaker opponents."

EVE examined the creatures.

"Northglass Stoneburrowers. Territorial but generally harmless. They construct communal dens beneath stable rock formations."

Arin looked toward the collapsed hillside.

"Well, they chose a terrible location."

The largest burrower squeaked angrily.

Lucan laughed.

"I think it heard you."

The rescue took another forty minutes.

Arin carefully removed the debris surrounding the den while EVE used a small drone to guide the animals toward a safe exit.

Five emerged without difficulty.

The sixth refused.

It sat stubbornly inside the tunnel, clutching a shiny piece of blue crystal.

Arin stared at it.

"Come on."

The creature squeaked.

"You’re going to get buried."

Another squeak.

Lucan folded his arms.

"Negotiations are failing."

Arin sighed.

Then held out a small polished stone.

The burrower examined it.

Looked at its crystal.

Looked at the stone.

And eventually exchanged them.

Arin gently lifted the creature out of the tunnel.

It immediately bit his glove.

He stared.

"You’re welcome."

By late afternoon, the slope had been stabilized and the road cleared sufficiently for the platform to pass.

The operation had taken almost five hours.

Rian reviewed the final measurements.

"Ground movement is within safe limits."

EVE nodded.

"The retaining supports should remain stable under ordinary weather conditions, though the route will require periodic inspection."

Arin looked toward the cleared passage.

"Good."

Lucan smiled.

"Only five hours to travel another fifty meters."

Arin shrugged.

"Excellent progress."

A-01 resumed driving.

The platform moved forward.

And the Northglass Highlands finally allowed them through.

For approximately twenty minutes.

The next obstacle was a bridge.

Or rather, what remained of one.

The old mining bridge crossed a narrow gorge, connecting two sections of the mountain road.

Its stone supports were still standing.

The wooden deck was not.

Most of it lay scattered across the rocks below.

Arin stopped beside the gorge.

Lucan approached the observation window.

Then smiled.

"Well."

Arin nodded.

"There’s the bridge."

"Technically."

EVE scanned the crossing.

"The gorge is approximately thirty-eight meters wide and sixty-one meters deep."

Rian examined the old supports.

"They’re damaged."

Arin sighed.

"Of course they are."

The crew considered their options.

Rebuilding the bridge was possible, but a structure capable of supporting the Civic Exploration Platform would require significant foundations, materials, and time.

A temporary crossing would be difficult because of the vehicle’s enormous weight.

Traveling around the gorge would add nearly seventy kilometers to the route.

Arin studied the terrain.

Then noticed something on the map.

"What’s that?"

EVE enlarged the western ridge.

"An abandoned mining access route."

"Where does it go?"

"Through a lower valley, reconnecting with the main road approximately nine kilometers north."

Arin smiled.

"Can we use it?"

"Unknown. The route has not been maintained for decades."

He considered.

Then nodded.

"Let’s inspect it."

Lucan grinned.

"An abandoned mountain road."

Arin looked at him.

"Don’t sound so excited."

"Too late."

The access route began behind a wall of overgrown vegetation.

Its entrance was barely visible from the main road.

Arin deployed a pair of ground drones to investigate.

The path descended gradually between two ridges before entering a narrow valley.

The first kilometer appeared passable.

The second was partially blocked by fallen trees.

The third contained something considerably more interesting.

A small mining settlement.

Or what remained of one.

Stone buildings stood along the valley floor.

Several wooden structures had collapsed.

An old processing tower rose beside a dry streambed.

And a narrow rail line disappeared into the mountainside.

Arin leaned forward.

"That’s not on our map."

EVE examined the records.

"No current settlement entry."

Lucan smiled.

"Another forgotten place?"

"Possibly," EVE answered.

Arin studied the abandoned buildings.

Then noticed movement near one of the houses.

A person.

An elderly man carrying a bundle of firewood.

Arin blinked.

"Wait."

EVE adjusted the drone.

The man stopped.

Looked directly toward the hovering machine.

And raised a stick.

Arin sighed.

"Here we go."

The elderly man did not attack.

He simply pointed the stick toward the drone and shouted something that EVE translated as an extremely creative insult involving a goat.

Lucan burst out laughing.

Arin smiled.

"Friendly."

EVE activated the drone’s speaker.

"Good afternoon. We are travelers seeking permission to use the old mining road."

The man stared.

Then shouted another insult.

This one involved three goats.

Lucan nearly doubled over.

Arin rubbed his forehead.

"Ask whether the road is safe."

EVE translated.

The man stopped shouting.

He lowered his stick.

Then replied in a much calmer voice.

"Safe for what?"

Arin considered.

"An unusually large vehicle."

The man frowned.

"How large?"

Arin looked toward EVE.

She displayed a small projection of the Civic Exploration Platform.

The elderly man stared.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he sat down on a nearby rock.

"Oh, you’ve got to be joking."

His name was Old Fenrick.

He was seventy-eight years old, according to his own account, and had lived in the valley for most of his life.

The abandoned mining settlement was called Copper Hollow.

It had once supported nearly three hundred residents.

Now fewer than forty remained.

The mines had closed decades earlier when the richest ore deposits were exhausted and transportation costs became too high.

Most families had moved away.

A few stayed.

Fenrick was one of them.

Arin traveled to the settlement with Lucan and EVE while the platform remained near the damaged bridge.

They arrived in a compact exploration vehicle, which Fenrick examined with deep suspicion.

"Does everything you own have wheels?"

Arin smiled.

"Not everything."

Fenrick looked toward EVE.

"Does she?"

EVE raised an eyebrow.

"No."

Fenrick nodded.

"Good."

Copper Hollow was quiet.

Small gardens grew beside the remaining houses.

Smoke rose from several chimneys.

A handful of residents watched the visitors from their doorways.

The settlement possessed a functioning well, a communal storehouse, and a small workshop.

Its residents were not starving or helpless.

They simply lived far from the larger trade routes.

Fenrick led them toward the old mining office.

"The road you’re asking about used to carry ore wagons."

Arin nodded.

"Can it support heavy loads?"

"Used to."

"How heavy?"

Fenrick scratched his beard.

"Not your ridiculous house on wheels."

Lucan laughed.

Arin smiled.

"Fair."

Fenrick explained that the lower route crossed an old stone causeway built over marshy ground.

The causeway had supported heavy mining wagons for decades.

But it had not been inspected in years.

Arin listened carefully.

Then asked whether he could survey it.

Fenrick shrugged.

"Your funeral."

Arin smiled.

"That’s encouraging."

The old man pointed toward the western ridge.

"Just don’t go near the upper quarry."

Arin paused.

"Why?"

Fenrick’s expression changed.

"Because the mountain’s been making noises."

Lucan raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of noises?"

Fenrick considered.

"Grinding. Cracking. Sometimes it sounds like something enormous is moving underneath the rock."

Arin looked toward EVE.

She examined the surrounding terrain.

"Possible geological instability."

Fenrick nodded.

"That’s what I keep telling people."

Arin smiled.

"Then we’ll stay away until we understand it."

The survey began the following morning.

Rian led the engineering team along the old causeway.

EVE deployed geological sensors.

Arin examined the stone foundations.

The structure was old but surprisingly well built.

Its lower sections rested on compacted gravel and reinforced stone, with drainage channels running beneath the road.

Several portions had deteriorated.

But the main foundation remained stable.

Rian looked impressed.

"Whoever built this knew what they were doing."

Arin nodded.

"Good engineering lasts."

The team identified three weak sections requiring reinforcement.

Nothing beyond their capabilities.

But before work could begin, EVE detected an unusual vibration.

It came from the upper quarry.

A low, repeated grinding sound.

Arin looked toward the mountainside.

"That’s what Fenrick heard."

EVE nodded.

"Likely."

Then the vibration came again.

Stronger.

Several loose stones rolled down the slope.

Rian frowned.

"That’s not normal."

Arin examined the geological scan.

A large mass was moving beneath the quarry.

Not a creature.

Not a machine.

Rock.

An enormous slab of fractured mountain slowly shifting along an underground fault.

And the old mining tunnels beneath it were beginning to collapse.

Arin’s expression sharpened.

"How much material?"

EVE completed the calculation.

"Approximately two hundred thousand tons of unstable rock."

Lucan whistled.

"That’s a lot."

Arin nodded.

Then looked toward the valley below.

Copper Hollow lay directly beneath the projected debris path.

His smile disappeared.

"How long?"

EVE examined the accelerating movement.

"Uncertain. But the slope may fail within hours."

Arin turned toward Rian.

"Get the survey team back. Now."

Rian nodded and immediately activated the emergency channel.

Arin looked toward the distant settlement.

Forty people.

A small village.

And an entire mountainside threatening to fall on them.

He took out his communicator.

"Fenrick?"

The old man’s voice answered after several seconds.

"What?"

Arin looked toward the shifting quarry.

"You need to get everyone out of Copper Hollow."

A pause.

"Why?"

"Because the mountain is coming down."

For the first time since they had met, Fenrick did not make a joke.

"How long?"

Arin watched another line of cracks spread across the quarry face.

"Not long enough."

Chapter End