225 - The Settlement Beyond the Road

The western road out of Northwatch was narrower than the main trade route, but it was still usable. Subin Vans and his companions left shortly after breakfast, carrying the request from Brackenford and a list of supplies that the settlement urgently needed. They had delivered the first caravan safely, and Captain Rusk had promised to send a report to Windscar about the captured road bandits. For now, there was little more they could do in Northwatch.

Their next destination lay west, along a secondary road that curved around a low range of hills before descending into farmland. Brackenford was a small settlement rather than a fortified town, known for its timber yards, grain fields, and workshops that produced simple tools for nearby farms. It depended on Windscar for medicine and specialized metal goods, while Northwatch served as its nearest source of armed assistance.

The arrangement had worked well before the monster invasion and the subsequent disruption of regional trade. Now, merchants were avoiding the western road, farmers were holding back their carts, and Brackenford's supplies of essential tools had dwindled.

"At least this time we're not heading toward a mine," Jae-hyun said as the road climbed between two hills.

"Don't tempt fate," Liu Wei replied.

"I'm not tempting anything. I'm appreciating a road that doesn't have a giant creature chewing through it."

Yerin glanced at Subin. "He's been complaining about the last few weeks."

"He's been complaining since we met him," Subin said.

"That's because no one appreciates my suffering."

Ara walked ahead with a small route map in hand. "Save your energy. We're almost past the hills."

The road descended into a broad valley. Fields stretched across the lower ground, separated by low stone walls and irrigation ditches. Several farmhouses stood at a distance, and smoke rose from chimneys near the settlement. A timber mill occupied the bank of a stream, its wheel turning slowly in the current.

Brackenford's wooden palisade was modest, built mainly to keep out wild animals and deter opportunistic raiders. A stone watchtower stood at each end of the entrance, but only one had a guard posted on its platform. Outside the gate, two wagons waited beside a pile of timber that had not been collected.

The guards recognized the request from Northwatch and opened the gate without delay.

A woman in her forties met the group inside. She wore a heavy work coat, carried a ledger under one arm, and had sawdust caught in the seams of her gloves.

"I'm Elwen Marr, Brackenford's settlement administrator. We sent our request to Northwatch three days ago. I wasn't sure anyone would come."

"We were in the area," Subin said. "Captain Rusk passed your request to us. Tell us what you need."

Elwen led them toward the settlement's central storehouse. The building was crowded with sacks of grain, bundles of dried vegetables, and stacked planks of timber. Several shelves, however, stood nearly empty. A group of workers was sorting damaged farming tools on a long table, separating the ones that could be repaired from those that had become useless.

"We have food," Elwen explained. "We have timber. We can repair most of our own buildings, and the stream still supplies enough water for the farms. But we can't make the metal parts we need. Our blacksmith can repair tools if he has iron, but his remaining stock is almost gone. We also have very little medicine."

"Why haven't you sent a caravan to Windscar yourselves?" Ara asked.

"We did. Two weeks ago, a cart went east with timber and grain. It returned empty after the merchants refused to travel west with the payment. A second group made it as far as the hills before they were chased back by armed men."

"Bandits?" Talia Renn would have asked if she had been there; instead, Subin asked the question.

Elwen shook her head. "The drivers couldn't tell. They saw movement above the road and heard arrows striking the trees. They never got close enough to identify anyone. Since then, our farmers have refused to send wagons out without an escort."

"Have there been any monster attacks?" Yerin asked.

"Nothing major inside the settlement. We lose livestock occasionally, and something has been prowling around the western fields after dark. But the immediate problem is the road. If we can't trade, our food will eventually spoil or be consumed, while the tools we need to plant next season's crops will wear out."

Subin looked around the storehouse. Brackenford was not facing imminent destruction. Its people had shelter, food, and a functioning water supply. What it lacked was the ability to exchange its surplus for the things it could not produce.

That made the situation easier to solve in one respect, but it also meant that a careless decision could create a problem where none had existed.

"Show us the road where the wagons were turned back," he said.

---

Elwen assigned two local guides to accompany them. The western track left the settlement through a gate in the palisade and passed between cultivated fields before entering a stretch of wooded hills. The first few kilometers were uneventful. The road bore wagon ruts, hoofprints, and the occasional mark left by a cart wheel slipping over loose stones.

Near a bend, Subin stopped beside a broken wooden marker.

Someone had cut it down recently. The timber was split cleanly through the post, and the painted sign that once pointed toward Brackenford lay in the grass.

Ara examined the ground. "Several people stood here. At least six, perhaps more. The footprints overlap too much to count accurately."

One of the guides, a farmer named Olan, looked toward the wooded slope. "This is where the first cart turned back. The driver said someone shouted at them from above."

Subin studied the hillside. The trees were dense enough to conceal people, but the slope was not steep. Anyone familiar with the area could reach the road from either side without much difficulty.

"Did the attackers demand money?" Liu Wei asked.

"No. The driver said they told him to turn around. When he tried to continue, an arrow struck the front of his wagon."

"That sounds less like robbery and more like someone trying to keep the road closed," Jae-hyun said.

"Or someone who doesn't want witnesses," Yerin added.

Subin did not draw a conclusion yet. There could be several reasons for blocking the road, and the evidence did not establish which one was correct.

They continued at a measured pace. A few hundred meters farther on, they found a second marker lying across the track. Beyond it, the road narrowed where a rock outcrop pressed close to the trees. The passage was wide enough for a single wagon, but anyone standing above the rocks could overlook the entire approach.

Subin raised a hand.

A small stone struck the road in front of him.

The guides stopped. Yerin shifted her spear into a ready position, and Jae-hyun moved away from the center of the track. Subin looked toward the upper edge of the outcrop.

"Come down," he called. "We know you're there."

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a voice answered from above.

"Leave the way you came. This road is closed."

"By whose authority?" Subin asked.

"Turn around."

"That's not an answer."

A man appeared on the rocks, holding a bow. Two others emerged behind him, one carrying a crossbow and the other a short sword. Their clothes were ordinary travel garments, but their equipment was well maintained. None wore Brackenford's colors.

Subin counted three. The surrounding terrain offered several hiding places, and he assumed there were more nearby.

"We're not here to fight," he said. "We want to know why you're stopping merchants from using a public road."

The archer tightened his grip. "The road is dangerous. Go back to your settlement."

"If it's dangerous, we can deal with the danger."

"You can't."

The response came too quickly to be a warning offered in good faith.

Subin's gaze moved from the archer to the man holding the crossbow. The crossbowman had already taken aim at the guides rather than the armed Awakeners.

"Put the weapons down," Subin said. "Nobody needs to get hurt."

The archer released his shot.

Subin's sword flashed, knocking the arrow away from Olan. Yerin advanced up the slope, forcing the crossbowman to abandon his aim, while Jae-hyun intercepted the swordsman as he tried to reach the road.

The archer attempted to retreat into the trees. Subin followed without rushing, closing the distance before the man could draw another arrow. One precise strike knocked the bow from his hands, and Subin caught his wrist before he could reach for the knife at his belt.

"Stay still."

The man struggled once, then stopped when Subin turned him away from the weapon.

The other two were disarmed within moments. The fight had been short, but it had confirmed that the men were deliberately guarding the road rather than simply warning travelers about a nearby threat.

Ara and Liu Wei searched the immediate area while Yerin secured the prisoners. Behind the outcrop, they found a narrow trail leading to a concealed camp. It contained bedrolls, cooking equipment, several crates of food, and a small collection of tools. There were also three empty cages made from wooden slats and iron wire.

Jae-hyun frowned at them. "What were these for?"

"Livestock, perhaps," Liu Wei said.

Ara inspected the iron hinges. "They're too small for most farm animals. They could hold dogs or other medium-sized creatures."

The camp's supplies suggested that the men had been there for several days. A crude lookout platform stood among the trees, with a clear view of the road below.

Subin returned to the prisoners.

"Who are you working for?"

The archer remained silent. The swordsman, however, looked at the other two before answering.

"We were paid to keep people away from the old quarry."

"What quarry?"

"The one beyond the ridge."

Olan looked surprised. "That quarry was abandoned years ago."

"Not abandoned," the prisoner replied. "Closed. There's a difference."

"Who paid you?" Subin asked.

The man shook his head. "We never met him directly. A courier brought the money and instructions. We were told to stop carts from entering the western pass. We weren't supposed to kill anyone."

"You fired an arrow at a wagon."

"To frighten them."

"An arrow can kill someone even if you don't intend it to."

The prisoner lowered his eyes.

Ara searched the camp more thoroughly. Beneath a pile of blankets, she found a leather pouch containing silver coins and a folded sheet of paper. The paper showed a rough map of the western ridge, with the old quarry marked in red. Several paths had been crossed out, and a single narrow route was circled.

There were no names, signatures, or identifying marks.

"Someone wanted this route controlled," Ara said. "But we still don't know why."

Subin looked at the map. The quarry was close enough to Brackenford to affect its trade, yet it had no obvious connection to the settlement's farms or timber yards.

"Did anyone tell you what was at the quarry?" he asked.

The swordsman hesitated.

"We heard there was a shipment stored there. Metal, maybe. The courier said no one was to enter until the work was finished."

"What work?"

"I don't know."

Subin considered the answer. It could be a stolen shipment, an illegal mining operation, or something as ordinary as a private buyer trying to secure goods before a price increase. None of those possibilities justified blocking the road and threatening farmers.

He looked at Yerin. "We'll inspect the quarry before we decide what to do with this."

She nodded. "But the guides should return to Brackenford. They shouldn't be involved if there are more armed men up there."

Olan and the other guide agreed to take the prisoners back to the settlement with instructions to alert Elwen. Subin's team continued toward the quarry, following the narrow trail marked on the map.

---

The old quarry occupied a bowl-shaped hollow on the far side of the ridge. Its stone walls had been cut into broad terraces, and rusted rails ran from the lower excavation toward a collapsed loading platform. Scrub grass and young trees had begun to reclaim the outer edges, but the central pit had been cleared recently.

Fresh wagon tracks crossed the entrance.

Subin crouched beside them. "Heavy loads. More than one wagon, probably."

"Someone has been moving material out," Ara said. "The tracks are recent, and the ground hasn't settled."

A faint metallic clang came from below.

They approached the rim and looked down. Several workers were moving crates between the excavation floor and a wooden platform. Two guards stood near a stack of iron bars, while another man supervised the loading of a small wagon.

At the far end of the quarry, a temporary shelter had been built against the rock wall. Nearby, a winch and pulley system had been installed above an old shaft. A narrow tunnel opened beneath the platform, partially hidden by stacked crates.

"This is more than a hidden shipment," Liu Wei said.

"Maybe they're reopening the quarry," Jae-hyun replied.

Ara shook her head. "Not with that equipment. The old quarry's main stone face is on the opposite side. The shaft is new, or at least newly cleared. They're using the abandoned site for something else."

Subin watched a worker struggle with a crate. Its lid shifted, exposing several bars of dark metal. Even from the rim, he could see faint lines along their surfaces, like channels cut into the material.

Mana-fused metal.

The same kind of material that had been declared as ordinary tools in Windscar, though this shipment appeared far larger.

Before they could inspect further, a guard looked up and spotted them.

"Who's there?"

The workers stopped. One of the guards raised a crossbow while another shouted toward the shelter.

Subin stepped into view with his sword still sheathed.

"We're investigating the men blocking the road. Put down your weapons, and we can talk."

The supervisor emerged from the shelter. He was a tall man in a fitted coat, with a polished metal clasp at his collar. Unlike the hired guards, he did not appear surprised to see armed Awakeners at the quarry.

"You've trespassed on private property," he said.

"Then explain why your guards are threatening travelers on a public road."

"They're not my guards."

Subin glanced toward the tunnel, then back at the man. "Your workers are loading metal into wagons. Your guards are carrying weapons. Someone is paying men to keep the road closed. If you aren't involved, this is a good opportunity to explain what's happening."

The supervisor's expression tightened.

"We have a private contract. The materials are legally purchased, and the work is authorized by the landholder."

"Then you won't mind showing us the contract."

"I will show it to the proper authorities."

"Windscar and Brackenford are the authorities concerned with the road you're blocking."

"That is a local dispute. It has nothing to do with you."

Jae-hyun gave a short laugh. "Funny. It became our business when your men started shooting at us."

The supervisor turned toward the guards.

"Remove them."

The guards hesitated. They had seen Subin's team defeat the men at the outcrop, and none appeared eager to repeat that experience. The supervisor's expression grew colder.

"Do it."

Two guards advanced. The first swung a short iron baton at Subin, who stepped aside and caught the weapon against his sword's guard. A turn of his wrist sent the baton spinning across the ground. Yerin intercepted the second guard before he could strike from the side, forcing him to drop his blade.

The remaining guards withdrew toward the shelter. One reached for a lever beside the loading platform.

Ara saw him move. "Subin!"

The man pulled it.

A heavy crate hanging above the platform dropped several feet before its safety rope caught. The load swung toward the workers, who scattered in panic. One worker slipped near the edge of the excavation and fell to his knees.

Subin abandoned the supervisor and crossed the distance in a burst of speed. He caught the worker by the back of his coat and pulled him clear as the suspended crate slammed into the platform, splintering a railing.

Yerin rushed to help the workers move away from the unstable structure. Liu Wei and Jae-hyun disarmed the guards before they could interfere again.

The supervisor tried to escape through the tunnel.

Subin saw him go but did not pursue immediately. He checked the injured worker, confirmed that the man could stand, and then turned toward the tunnel entrance.

"Yerin, keep everyone away from the platform. Ara, find out how much of this structure is safe. Jae-hyun, Liu Wei, secure the entrance."

He followed the supervisor into the tunnel.

The passage descended through rough stone, its walls supported by recently installed wooden beams. Crates lined one side, and a small rail cart stood on a track leading deeper into the hill. Subin heard hurried footsteps ahead, followed by a door slamming.

He reached the door and pushed it open.

The room beyond contained a workbench, several sealed containers, and a second exit opening onto a narrow ledge above the quarry's far side. The supervisor stood beside the exit with a short mana blade in his hand.

"You should have left," the man said.

Subin drew his sword. "You should have answered the question."

The supervisor attacked first, moving with the speed of a trained Awakener. His blade carried a thin coating of mana that hardened its edge, and he used the narrow room to prevent Subin from taking a wide stance.

Subin did not need one.

He parried the first strike, stepped inside the second, and cut across the supervisor's weapon hand. The man's blade fell. Before he could retreat through the exit, Subin's sword stopped against his shoulder.

"Don't move."

The supervisor stared at the blade, then slowly raised his hands.

Subin searched the room while keeping him under control. The sealed containers held metal components and several small mana stones. A ledger on the workbench listed quantities, delivery dates, and payments. Some entries referenced Windscar merchants, while others used abbreviated names that could not be identified from the document alone.

There was enough evidence to establish that the quarry was being used to store and process valuable materials, but not enough to determine who controlled the operation.

Subin took the ledger and brought the supervisor back outside.

By then, Ara had confirmed that the damaged platform was unstable but that the workers could leave safely by the main entrance. The guards had surrendered, and Yerin had arranged for the injured worker to be taken to the settlement.

The supervisor's name was Hadrin Voss. He claimed to be acting under contract for a private trading company, but he refused to identify its owner.

"You can refuse to answer," Subin told him, "but you can't expect us to ignore what we've found."

Hadrin's eyes moved toward the ledger in Subin's hand.

"You don't understand what you're interfering with. Those materials are worth more than your entire expedition."

"Then the people paying for them should be able to explain why they're threatening farmers."

Hadrin said nothing.

Subin handed him over to Yerin while Ara collected the documents and inspected the containers. They would not seize the entire shipment without knowing who owned it, but neither would they allow it to disappear before the authorities could investigate.

The team returned to Brackenford with the prisoners, the ledger, and a clear account of what had happened. Elwen immediately sent a messenger to Windscar, requesting an official inspection of the quarry and temporary protection for the western road.

The settlement's blacksmith, a broad man named Torval, examined the recovered metal samples. He confirmed that they were mana-fused alloy bars, valuable for reinforcing weapons and equipment. Some of the material had been processed recently, though the exact source could not be determined from appearance alone.

"With even a fraction of this stock, I could repair every plow and mill fitting in Brackenford," he said. "But this isn't ordinary trade metal. Someone has invested heavily in obtaining it."

"Can you tell where it came from?" Ara asked.

"Not without examining the production marks. If those bars were made in a proper workshop, the markings should still be present."

Ara recorded the observation for the Windscar inspectors.

Elwen, meanwhile, arranged for the road markers to be restored and sent workers to clear the passage of debris. The men captured at the outcrop would remain in custody until Windscar's officials arrived. The quarry would be secured, and no materials would be moved until ownership and permits had been checked.

It was not a complete resolution, but it gave Brackenford something it had lacked for weeks: a road that could be used without having to negotiate with armed strangers.

That evening, the settlement held a small meal for the expedition team. The food was simple—fresh bread, roasted vegetables, and a thick stew made with locally raised meat—but the hall was warm, and the farmers who had spent days worrying about the road seemed relieved to have something other than bad news to discuss.

Yerin sat beside Subin near the end of the table.

"You did well today," she said.

"We caught some men and found a shipment."

"You also stopped to help that worker when the platform collapsed. You could have chased the supervisor and let someone else deal with it."

Subin looked at her. "The worker was in danger."

"I know."

She rested her hand over his for a moment. The gesture was brief, but neither of them moved away immediately.

Across the table, Jae-hyun noticed and opened his mouth.

Liu Wei kicked him beneath the bench before he could speak.

Subin glanced at them. "What?"

"Nothing," Liu Wei said smoothly.

Jae-hyun rubbed his shin. "I was going to ask for more stew."

"Then ask the person serving it," Yerin replied.

The laughter around the table eased the tension of the day.

The next morning, a Windscar inspector arrived with two guards and a sealed order authorizing the temporary closure of the quarry. He would examine the documents, trace the metal shipment, and determine whether the private operation had violated regional trade regulations. Elwen promised to provide records of the road attacks and the settlement's earlier complaints.

Subin's team did not wait for the investigation to finish. There was little value in remaining at Brackenford once the road was secured, and other settlements still needed help.

Before they departed, Elwen gave them a small bundle of dried food and a letter addressed to Garrick at Windscar.

"Tell him Brackenford can supply grain and timber again," she said. "Not in enormous quantities, but enough to trade if the roads remain open. We don't need charity. We need a fair chance to sell what we produce and buy what we lack."

Subin accepted the letter. "I'll deliver it."

As they left the settlement, the western road was already busier. Two farmers were preparing a cart for the journey to Windscar, while a timber wagon waited near the gate for an escort. It would take time before merchants trusted the route again, but the first steps had been taken.

The quarry investigation would continue without them. Whether the hidden operation belonged to a private trader, a merchant consortium, or someone else would depend on the records and the people who could be identified through them. Subin had no reason to guess before the evidence arrived.

For now, the immediate problem was solved.

They returned toward Northwatch with a new report for Captain Rusk and a letter that could help reopen another trade connection.

And as the road wound back through the hills, Jae-hyun finally stopped complaining about the lack of monsters.

He had found something else to complain about.

"The stew was good," he said, "but they should have given us more meat."

Yerin shook her head. "Next time, we'll leave you at the settlement."

"You wouldn't."

Subin looked ahead at the open road. "Try us."