Chapter 117 - 115: Forty Lives Beneath the Mountain

Chapter 117: Chapter 115: Forty Lives Beneath the Mountain

Old Fenrick had survived seventy-eight winters, three mine collapses, two monster migrations, and one marriage that he insisted had been considerably more dangerous than the other experiences combined.

He had no intention of dying because a mountain finally decided to fall over.

Unfortunately, convincing the rest of Copper Hollow to abandon their homes was proving difficult.

"Get your coats! Take your medicine! Leave the furniture!" Fenrick shouted as he marched down the village’s main street, striking the ground with his walking stick.

A woman standing outside her house stared at him.

"What’s happened?"

"The upper quarry’s coming down!"

She looked toward the mountains.

"They’ve been saying that for twenty years."

"And this time we’ve got a man with flying machines telling us exactly when!"

"How exactly?"

Fenrick hesitated.

Then shouted, "SOON!"

That, unfortunately, was not reassuring.

Three kilometers away, Arin stood beside the geological survey station, watching a series of red warning indicators spread across the terrain map.

The situation was deteriorating faster than expected.

The upper quarry had been excavated along a natural fracture system decades earlier. Over time, water infiltration and repeated freezing had weakened the remaining rock supports.

The abandoned tunnels beneath the quarry had finally begun collapsing.

Each collapse transferred additional weight onto the already unstable slope.

The result was a progressive failure.

Not a single falling boulder.

An entire section of mountainside was preparing to move.

EVE enlarged the simulation.

"If the primary fracture fails, the debris will enter the western valley."

Arin studied the projected path.

"Directly toward Copper Hollow."

"Yes."

Rian stood beside them, pale but focused.

"Can we stabilize it?"

Arin examined the geological structure.

"Not quickly enough."

He could reinforce the slope.

He could excavate relief channels.

He could even remove enormous quantities of material.

But the fracture extended too deep, and the mountain was already moving.

Trying to hold the entire mass in place would be risky, even with Elysium’s equipment.

The safest solution was evacuation.

Then, if time allowed, they could reduce the damage.

Arin activated his communicator.

"A-01, bring the transport vehicles to Copper Hollow. Maximum safe speed."

"Understood."

"EVE, contact every resident we can identify. I want a confirmed headcount."

"Already compiling."

"Rian, get your people off the causeway."

Rian nodded.

"What about you?"

Arin looked toward the mountain.

"I’ll see whether I can convince it to fall somewhere less inconvenient."

The first evacuation vehicle arrived at Copper Hollow twelve minutes later.

It was a compact six-wheeled transport designed for rough terrain, carrying emergency supplies and medical equipment.

A-01 stepped out.

Several villagers immediately stopped packing.

One elderly woman stared at the android.

Then at Fenrick.

"What in the world is that?"

Fenrick waved his stick.

"Doesn’t matter! Get in!"

A-01 approached calmly.

"Emergency evacuation assistance. Please bring essential medication, identification, and weather-appropriate clothing."

The woman looked offended.

"I don’t take orders from walking armor."

A-01 paused.

Then replied, "Understood. Would you prefer assistance carrying your belongings?"

She blinked.

"Well. That’s more polite."

Fenrick groaned.

EVE’s initial population estimate had been thirty-eight.

The actual number was forty-one.

Three residents had been staying in an outlying cabin near the southern ridge.

Two others were working at a charcoal-burning site beyond the village.

A sixth was an elderly man who had gone fishing beside the lower stream.

Arin listened to the report.

"Any communication with them?"

"Four confirmed. Two still unaccounted for."

"Which two?"

"The charcoal workers."

Arin frowned.

"Send a drone."

"Already dispatched."

The evacuation continued.

Families climbed into the transports.

Children carried blankets and small bags.

Several residents attempted to bring furniture.

One man insisted on loading an enormous wooden wardrobe.

A-01 examined it.

"That item exceeds the recommended emergency luggage allowance."

The man folded his arms.

"My grandfather built it."

Fenrick appeared behind him.

"Then your grandfather would tell you to stop being an idiot and save your own skin!"

The wardrobe stayed.

At the upper quarry, Arin studied the collapsing slope.

The geological sensors recorded continuous movement.

Several centimeters.

Then more.

A deep grinding noise rolled through the mountains.

Loose rock began falling from the upper face.

Arin looked toward the projected debris path.

There was a narrow ridge between the quarry and Copper Hollow.

If the falling material could be redirected toward the uninhabited eastern basin, most of the settlement might survive.

But the ridge was not strong enough to withstand the entire impact.

Arin considered his options.

Then smiled faintly.

"All right."

He opened his inventory.

A heavy construction machine appeared on the rocky plateau.

It was a reinforced excavation crawler equipped with a massive cutting assembly and stabilizing outriggers.

Arin climbed inside.

"EVE."

"Yes?"

"Calculate the minimum cut required to redirect the initial debris flow."

She examined the terrain.

"Approximately one hundred and sixty meters along the eastern shoulder, with a variable depth of eight to fourteen meters."

Arin nodded.

"How much time?"

"Estimated forty minutes before major slope failure. Confidence is low."

He looked toward the mountain.

"Then we’d better hurry."

The excavation crawler roared to life.

Its cutting assembly bit into the rock.

Stone shattered beneath the rotating teeth.

Dust rose into the cold mountain air.

Arin worked quickly, carving a broad channel along the eastern shoulder.

The goal was not to stop the landslide.

That would be nearly impossible.

Instead, he wanted to create a path that encouraged the falling debris to move away from Copper Hollow.

A controlled weakness.

A safer direction.

EVE continuously updated the calculations.

"Cut depth increasing."

"Good."

"Primary fracture movement accelerating."

"Not good."

"Secondary tunnel collapse detected."

Arin glanced toward the display.

"How much time?"

"Possibly twenty minutes."

He increased the machine’s output.

Meanwhile, Lucan had joined the evacuation.

He found Fenrick standing beside the village well, arguing with an elderly woman.

"I’m not leaving my chickens!" she declared.

Fenrick threw both hands into the air.

"Then bring the chickens!"

"They won’t fit!"

Lucan approached.

"How many?"

The woman looked at him.

"Seventeen."

Lucan considered.

Then smiled.

"I can handle seventeen chickens."

Ten minutes later, he regretted that statement.

Profoundly.

One chicken escaped beneath a wagon.

Another attempted to fly onto his shoulder.

Three began fighting inside a basket.

And the largest rooster attacked his boots with remarkable determination.

Lucan stared at the bird.

The rooster stared back.

Then charged.

Lucan stepped aside.

"Arin," he muttered, "if you ever hear about this, I’ll deny everything."

Unfortunately, EVE was recording.

The final evacuation transport was nearly full when a drone returned from the southern charcoal site.

EVE’s voice sounded through the communicator.

"Two missing residents located."

Fenrick looked relieved.

Then EVE continued.

"Both are trapped."

Lucan’s expression changed.

"Where?"

"Approximately four kilometers southeast of the village. Their access road has been blocked by a secondary rockfall."

Fenrick swore.

"They’ll never get out on foot."

Lucan looked toward the mountain.

Then toward A-01.

"Can you finish the evacuation?"

"Affirmative."

Lucan nodded.

"Then I’ll get them."

The charcoal workers were brothers.

Merrin and Olan.

Both were in their forties.

Both had spent most of their lives working in the surrounding forests.

And both were currently trapped behind a wall of fallen stone.

Merrin stood beside the blocked road, holding a shovel.

Olan sat on a log with a bandaged ankle.

When Lucan arrived, Merrin stared at him.

"Who are you?"

"Rescue service."

Merrin looked toward the enormous sword on Lucan’s back.

"That’s an unusual rescue tool."

Lucan smiled.

"Very versatile."

He examined the blockage.

Then drew his sword.

Merrin took a step backward.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a road."

The first strike split the largest boulder.

The second shattered the remaining obstruction.

Stone fragments scattered across the path.

Merrin stared.

Olan slowly stood.

"Well."

Lucan sheathed his sword.

"Can you walk?"

Olan looked toward his injured ankle.

"Not quickly."

Lucan sighed.

Then crouched.

"Get on."

Olan hesitated.

"You’re going to carry me?"

"Unless you’d prefer to argue with the mountain."

Olan climbed onto his back.

Merrin followed.

And Lucan began moving toward the evacuation route.

At the quarry, Arin’s excavation channel was almost complete.

The machine had removed thousands of tons of rock.

But the mountain was no longer waiting.

A deep crack echoed across the valley.

Arin looked up.

The upper quarry face shifted.

A massive section of stone dropped several meters.

Then stopped.

For one terrible moment, everything became silent.

EVE spoke.

"Arin."

"I see it."

"Primary failure imminent."

He examined the unfinished channel.

Twenty meters remained.

Arin smiled grimly.

"Of course."

He pushed the crawler forward.

The cutting assembly struck the final ridge.

Stone broke apart.

The machine shook violently.

Then the channel opened.

Arin reversed immediately.

"EVE, confirm the route."

"Eastern diversion channel complete."

"Good."

The mountain moved.

The sound was unlike thunder.

Thunder came and went.

This continued.

A deep, grinding roar rolled through the highlands as hundreds of thousands of tons of fractured rock began sliding downhill.

The upper quarry collapsed.

Stone towers broke apart.

Abandoned mining structures vanished beneath the moving debris.

Dust erupted into the sky.

Arin watched from a reinforced observation position as the leading edge reached his diversion channel.

For several seconds, the outcome remained uncertain.

Then the debris shifted.

The first wave turned east.

Followed by another.

And another.

The majority of the landslide began pouring into the uninhabited basin.

Arin exhaled.

"Good."

Then EVE’s voice sharpened.

"Secondary flow approaching the western ridge."

He looked toward the display.

A smaller but still enormous mass had separated from the main landslide.

It was moving toward Copper Hollow.

Arin frowned.

"How much?"

"Approximately eighteen thousand tons."

He looked toward the village.

The evacuation was almost complete.

But the last transport had not yet cleared the valley.

Arin’s expression hardened.

"Not happening."

He moved.

The excavation crawler was abandoned.

Arin crossed the rocky plateau at tremendous speed, reaching the western ridge ahead of the debris.

The secondary flow struck the upper slope.

Boulders bounced through the air.

Dust filled the valley.

Arin raised one hand.

A powerful defensive field formed across the narrow passage.

The first wave of stone slammed into it.

The impact shook the ground.

Arin held the barrier.

But he did not simply let the debris accumulate.

Using controlled force, he redirected the leading rocks toward a natural depression beside the ridge.

The smaller fragments followed.

The flow spread.

Slowed.

And finally settled against the reinforced hillside.

Arin lowered his hand.

For several seconds, he stood in the settling dust.

Then he looked toward the village.

Still standing.

Mostly.

A few outer sheds had been damaged by falling stones.

Several fences were buried.

But the houses remained intact.

Arin smiled faintly.

"Good enough."

The final evacuation transport reached the safe staging area twenty minutes later.

Lucan arrived shortly afterward with Olan on his back and Merrin stumbling behind him.

Fenrick immediately counted the residents.

Once.

Twice.

Then a third time.

Forty-one.

Everyone was present.

He sat heavily on a wooden crate.

For several seconds, the old man said nothing.

Then he looked toward the mountain.

A vast cloud of dust still hung above the valley.

The upper quarry was gone.

The old mining road had disappeared.

But Copper Hollow remained.

Fenrick slowly removed his hat.

"Well."

Lucan sat beside him.

"Well."

The old man looked toward Lucan.

"Did you really carry Olan all that way?"

Lucan nodded.

Fenrick smiled.

"Good lad."

Then a chicken escaped from a nearby basket and attacked Lucan’s boot.

He closed his eyes.

"Not again."

Arin returned shortly before sunset.

His coat was covered in dust.

His boots were scratched.

And he looked thoroughly satisfied.

Fenrick approached him.

For once, the elderly man did not begin with an insult.

He simply held out his hand.

Arin shook it.

"Everyone safe?"

Fenrick nodded.

"All forty-one."

"Good."

The old man looked toward the ruined quarry.

"You saved the village."

Arin shrugged.

"Mostly redirected the mountain."

Fenrick snorted.

"Same difference."

Arin smiled.

The residents could not return immediately.

EVE’s geological assessment showed that smaller rockfalls remained possible along the damaged slopes.

The village itself had escaped the main landslide, but its water channel and eastern access road required inspection.

Arin explained the situation to Fenrick.

The old man listened carefully.

Then nodded.

"Fair enough."

Arin looked surprised.

"No argument?"

Fenrick folded his arms.

"Young man, I’ve argued with mountains before. Never won."

Lucan laughed.

That evening, the expedition established a temporary shelter area on stable ground.

The Civic Exploration Platform provided medical supplies, heating equipment, and additional food.

The villagers contributed what they had brought.

Within an hour, several cooking fires were burning.

Children played beside the transport vehicles.

Adults discussed the condition of their homes.

And Fenrick sat near the largest fire, telling increasingly exaggerated stories about the old mining days.

Arin joined him with a bowl of stew.

Fenrick looked toward him.

"So."

Arin smiled.

"So?"

"You still planning to take that ridiculous house through our valley?"

"Eventually."

Fenrick laughed.

"After all this?"

Arin nodded.

"After a proper survey."

The old man shook his head.

"You’re either very brave or very stupid."

Arin considered.

"Probably both."

Fenrick laughed so hard he nearly spilled his stew.

Later that night, Rian approached Arin with the updated terrain assessment.

"The causeway is intact."

Arin nodded.

"Good."

"But the upper quarry collapse has blocked part of the northern exit."

"How badly?"

"Approximately sixty meters of debris."

Arin smiled.

"That’s manageable."

Rian hesitated.

"There’s something else."

Arin looked toward him.

"What?"

Rian displayed a geological scan.

The landslide had exposed a previously buried section of the mountain.

A broad wall of dark stone lay beneath the collapsed quarry.

Within it ran several thick veins of pale blue crystal.

Arin studied the image.

"Mana crystals?"

Rian shook his head.

"Not exactly."

EVE joined them.

"The material appears to be a naturally occurring mana-responsive mineral. Its structure differs from ordinary Mana Crystals and from the navigation-shielding material recovered in the Varric Highlands."

Arin leaned forward.

"Useful?"

"Potentially."

He smiled.

"Interesting."

Then he looked toward the sleeping villagers.

The exposed mineral lay beneath land traditionally used by Copper Hollow.

And the people who lived there had just survived a disaster.

Arin knew better than to treat a geological discovery as permission to start mining.

"First," he said, "we make sure their homes are safe."

Rian nodded.

"And after that?"

Arin smiled.

"After that, we ask Fenrick who owns the mountain."

EVE laughed softly.

Outside, the wind swept across the Northglass Highlands.

The quarry was gone.

The road had changed.

And beneath the broken mountain, something valuable had been uncovered.

But for tonight, forty-one people were alive.

That was enough.

Chapter End