217 - The Silent Smelter

Emberwatch's outer gate stood open, but no workers were moving between the settlement and its mines. A pair of guards watched Subin's team approach from behind a barricade of iron plates, and one raised a hand to stop them before they reached the entrance.

"Identify yourselves."

"Awakeners travelling north," Subin answered. "We received your message about trouble near the smelting grounds."

The guard exchanged a glance with his companion before opening the barricade. "Then you should speak with Warden Brannoc. He's been trying to keep the settlement running since the miners stopped coming back."

Inside, Emberwatch looked less like a village than a mining camp that had grown too large to dismantle. Stone houses crowded around a central yard, iron chimneys rose above the rooftops, and heavy carts stood abandoned near the workshops. The usual noise of a working settlement was missing. Only the clang of a hammer from a distant repair shed broke the silence.

Warden Brannoc met them in a room beside the main storehouse. He was a lean, middle-aged man with a burn scar running from his left cheek to his collar. A metal brace supported his right wrist.

"Three days ago, the lower smelter stopped receiving ore," he said. "We sent a team to investigate. They returned with two injured men and reported that something had taken over the smelting grounds. The next team never returned."

"How many are missing?" Yerin asked.

"Nine miners and four guards. We heard fighting near the lower works yesterday, but no one has been able to reach them."

Subin looked at the map spread across Brannoc's desk. The mines ran beneath a ridge east of the settlement, while the smelting grounds stood at the entrance to an older industrial complex.

"Did the first team identify what attacked them?"

"Not clearly. They saw creatures moving between the furnaces. One described a tall monster with a burning blade, but he was injured and couldn't give a better account."

Ara studied the map. "Was the smelter still active when the attacks began?"

"Partially. The main furnace was shut down after the first incident. We don't know whether the lower furnaces are still burning."

Subin folded the map. "We'll inspect the smelting grounds and look for the missing workers. Keep the settlement gate secured until we return."

Brannoc offered them a guide, but the only worker familiar with the lower complex was recovering from a broken arm. Rather than risk sending someone who could barely walk, Subin asked for the layout of the accessible buildings and proceeded with his team.

They found the first sign of the attack outside the lower smelter: a crushed ore cart, a trail of dark fluid, and several deep cuts across the iron doors. The doors had been forced inward, though the hinges remained intact.

Jae-hyun examined the cuts. "Something sharp did this."

"Something strong enough to cut through reinforced iron," Rafael added.

Subin drew Simple Edge. "Stay alert."

The smelting hall opened into a broad chamber lined with furnaces and casting molds. Most of the equipment had been abandoned in place, but one furnace still glowed behind a damaged metal screen. The heat was intense enough to make the air shimmer.

A movement near the casting pit caught Yerin's attention.

Three creatures emerged from behind the machinery. Their bodies were humanoid, with dark metallic plates across their torsos and long, blade-like growths extending from their forearms. Red light pulsed through narrow seams in their armor.

Ara's scanner identified them as Forgebound Stalkers, ranging from Level 218 to Level 226, all A-rank.

The first attacked without hesitation.

Subin intercepted it before it could reach Ara, deflecting its blade and cutting across the exposed joint beneath its elbow. The creature staggered, and Liu Wei finished it with a thrust through the gap beneath its chest plate.

The other two split apart, one moving toward Yerin while the second attempted to circle behind Rafael. Yerin's spear forced her opponent away from the central furnace, while Rafael blocked the flanking creature's path. Jae-hyun struck its shoulder from the side, giving Subin enough room to close the distance and cut through its knee joint.

The final stalker retreated toward a narrow passage behind the casting pit.

Subin followed far enough to see it disappear through a doorway, then stopped when the floor ahead cracked beneath the creature's weight.

"Don't cross that section," Ara warned. "The foundation is damaged."

The team regrouped beside the casting pit. The creatures had fought aggressively, but none had attempted to defend the furnace or the surrounding equipment. Their movements suggested they were using the hall as a hunting ground rather than protecting the industrial complex.

Ara examined the surviving machinery. "The furnace is still drawing mana. Whatever is keeping it active, it isn't the normal fuel system."

"Can we shut it down?" Subin asked.

"Not from here. The controls are probably in the lower chamber."

They searched the adjacent rooms and found signs of the missing workers: a broken pickaxe, a bloodied glove, and a dropped guard badge. The trail led through a service corridor descending beneath the smelting hall.

The passage ended at a heavy door with a warped frame. Beyond it, something struck metal repeatedly.

Subin motioned for the others to prepare. Rafael took the front while Yerin and Liu Wei covered the sides. Jae-hyun helped Subin force the door open.

The chamber beyond contained the lower furnace assembly. Iron pipes crossed the ceiling, and a thick column of orange light rose from a circular pit at its center. Several Forgebound Stalkers moved between the machinery, carrying pieces of broken equipment toward a larger figure standing beside the pit.

The larger creature was nearly four meters tall. Its body was encased in black metal-like armor, and its right arm ended in a broad blade that glowed along its edge. A heavy plate covered its face, leaving only a narrow red slit where its eyes should have been.

Ara's scanner displayed Level 257 — A-rank: Furnace Warden.

The creature turned toward the open door. It raised its blade, and the smaller stalkers immediately abandoned their work to attack.

"Get the workers out if you find them," Subin ordered. "We'll hold the chamber."

Rafael and Jae-hyun took the entrance while Yerin and Liu Wei moved to keep the smaller creatures away from the furnace controls. Subin advanced toward the Warden.

The monster's first strike cut through a metal support and sent a shower of sparks across the chamber. Subin avoided the falling beam and countered with a slash across its forearm. The blade bit into the armor but failed to reach the structure beneath it.

The Warden responded with a sweeping attack that forced Subin backward. Its weapon left a glowing line across the floor, melting the thin metal plating where it struck.

Subin adjusted his approach. The creature's armor was thickest across its chest and shoulders, but the joints around its elbows and knees were less protected. He drew it away from the furnace pit, where its heavy steps would not risk damaging the already weakened floor.

Yerin recognized his intention and struck the Warden's knee when it shifted its weight. The creature turned toward her, raising its blade, but Subin crossed the gap and cut into the joint beneath its elbow.

The Warden's arm dropped slightly. Liu Wei used the opening to drive his weapon into the damaged shoulder, widening the break in the armor.

The creature roared and slammed its blade into the ground.

A wave of heat rolled through the chamber, forcing everyone to retreat. The furnace's glow intensified, and several metal pipes began to vibrate violently.

"Ara!" Subin called. "What happens if the furnace keeps drawing power?"

"The pressure is rising. If the lower assembly fails, this chamber could collapse."

"Can you shut it down?"

"Not while the Warden is connected to the control platform."

Subin looked at the creature again. Thin orange lines extended from the plates along its back toward a metal frame behind the furnace. It was not simply standing near the machinery; the frame had been built around it, with several connections feeding into the armor.

Subin understood enough to act.

He drew the Warden away from the platform, forcing it to turn and follow him. When it raised its blade, he evaded the strike and cut across the connection running from its shoulder to the frame.

The orange line flickered.

The Warden's next movement faltered. Yerin struck the exposed knee while Rafael and Jae-hyun prevented the smaller stalkers from interfering. Subin attacked the same shoulder again, cutting through the weakened armor and severing the remaining connection.

The furnace's glow dimmed.

Ara reached the control platform and began shutting down the assembly. The Warden staggered toward her, but Liu Wei intercepted it long enough for Subin to move between them.

The creature's blade came down in a final, desperate swing. Subin stepped inside its reach and drove Simple Edge through the gap beneath its chest plate. He turned the blade and cut upward, breaking the structure sustaining its armor.

The Furnace Warden collapsed beside the pit.

The remaining stalkers lost their coordination. Two fled through the service corridor, while the others were quickly killed by the team. Ara completed the shutdown, and the orange light within the furnace faded until only ordinary embers remained.

The chamber fell quiet except for the cooling machinery.

Subin looked toward the far side of the room. "Find the workers."

They discovered the missing miners in a storage chamber beyond the control platform. Nine people were trapped behind a collapsed barrier, and four had sustained injuries during the initial attack. Two guards had died protecting them, but the remaining workers were alive.

Rafael and Yerin helped move the injured while Jae-hyun and Liu Wei cleared the obstruction. Subin checked the route ahead before leading everyone back through the service corridor.

By the time they reached the upper hall, the workers were exhausted but able to walk with assistance. The team brought them to Emberwatch, where Brannoc and the settlement's healers took charge of their care.

The warden's relief lasted only a moment before he heard the number of dead.

He lowered his head. "Those guards knew the lower works better than anyone. They stayed behind to keep the creatures away from the miners."

Subin did not offer empty comfort. "Their actions gave the others a chance to survive."

Brannoc nodded slowly, then turned to the injured workers. He ordered the lower smelter closed until the damaged machinery could be inspected and made it clear that no one would return to work there until the structure was safe.

Ara explained what they had found. The furnace had been drawing mana through the lower assembly, and the Furnace Warden had been connected to the control platform. They could not yet determine whether the creature had activated the machinery deliberately or had simply occupied a system that continued operating around it.

"Whatever the cause," Ara said, "the furnace is shut down. It won't overload while the assembly remains disconnected."

"Can the smelter be repaired?" Brannoc asked.

"Probably. But the damaged supports need to be replaced first, and the lower passage should be inspected before anyone restarts it."

Brannoc accepted the assessment. Emberwatch would lose production temporarily, but the settlement would not risk another collapse by restarting the furnace immediately.

That evening, the recovered miners told the team that the first signs of trouble had appeared several days before the attack. The lower furnace had begun running hotter than normal, and workers had noticed a metallic scraping sound beneath the casting floor. They had assumed the machinery was wearing out.

Subin listened but did not jump to conclusions. The malfunction could have attracted the creatures, or the creatures might have interfered with the furnace before the workers noticed anything. Without examining the lower structure, there was no way to know.

Before the team left the next morning, Brannoc gave them a report intended for the northern settlements. It listed the missing workers who had been rescued, the guards who had died, and the equipment that needed repair. He also asked them to warn other mining communities against using damaged mana-powered machinery until it had been inspected.

Subin agreed to carry the report.

At the settlement gate, Yerin adjusted her spear across her back. "Two settlements, two different problems."

"Both had people who needed help," Subin replied.

"And neither problem was solved just by killing a monster."

Subin glanced back at the quiet smelting grounds. "That's why we check what remains after the fighting."

The expedition continued north toward the Cinder March. Behind them, Emberwatch began the slow work of repairing its lower smelter and rebuilding its guard force. Ahead lay more settlements, more unfamiliar territory, and whatever challenges waited beyond the next ridge.