The heavy oak doors groaned shut behind them, sealing the team in a room that smelled of old smoke. Torchlight flickered across their faces as Jonas sat before them.
Sam stepped forward first, his boots scuffing against the floorboards. He kept his breathing even, mana circulating in slow, steady loops.
"You've seen what we can do," Sam began, voice calm but firm. "Now you want to know how it works."
"I know power when I see it. That creature of yours makes metal from nothing. That's—"
"Give us some valuable information first, and in exchange we'll tell you some of what you want to know," Victor interrupted. His quiet presence suddenly heavy.
Walter's cane tapped against the floorboards, drawing everyone's attention. "You've had visitors," he said, voice dry as autumn leaves. "Merchants, judging by the wheel ruts I saw near your eastern gate when we arrived. From the River Pact, if I'm not mistaken."
Jonas's eye twitched slightly at the words. Confirmation.
Lily laced her fingers loosely in front of her. "We want information. While we've learned little bits about the powers that exist we need more details."
Ethan shifted his axe onto his shoulder, the ravager-scale blade catching the firelight.
A long silence stretched. Even the settlement sounds outside seemed to hush.
Jonas exhaled slowly. "The River Pact arrives tomorrow," he admitted. "They trade goods and information. You'll want to ask them. We don't know much."
"One of theirs came through last week," he continued. "Said the Obsidian Sect's digging near Titan's Spine. Looking for something. Some say it's another obelisk."
Sam's pulse jumped. Had they found another obelisk? Questions stirred in his mind—he wondered what kind of benefits they would be gaining if they really had found another.
The moment shattered as shouts erupted outside—the creak of wagon wheels, the snap of whips. The River Pact had arrived early.
Sam watched through the window as a dozen merchants began unloading their wagons. Their leader, a broad-shouldered woman with a braided beard, carried a sword that gleamed sharply in the sunlight.
The merchant leader's boots thudded against the wooden floor as she opened the doors, entering the hall.
Up close, her braided beard was threaded with iron beads that clinked softly with each movement. The sword at her hip reflected the torchlight, its edge was notched from use.
"Jonas," she greeted with a nod, showing the minimum of respect. Her gaze swept over the team, lingering on AJ's gelatinous form. "And guests."
Jonas stepped forward, his usual swagger diminished in the merchant's presence. "Veyra, you're early."
"Tides wait for no one," Veyra said, her voice rough as gravel. She pulled a cloth-wrapped bundle from her belt and tossed it onto the table.
The wrapping fell open to reveal a handful of dried mana-bloom petals, their edges glowing faintly blue. "Payment for the rights to the well."
Sam vaguely recognised it as Mana-bloom, a mana-rich flower. It could be potentially valuable for cultivation if one knew how to extract the mana.
Ethan shouldered his way forward before Sam could stop him. "That's a fancy blade you've got there, Captain. Where'd you get metal like that?"
Veyra's hand drifted to her sword hilt. "From people who ask fewer questions." Her eyes narrowed as they landed on Victor's knife, then AJ. "Quite the strange bunch, aren't you?"
Sam stepped between them before Ethan could reply. "We'd like to travel with your group when you leave."
A murmur ran through the merchants crowding the doorway. Veyra's lips thinned. "We don't take passengers."
"Even ones who can tell you about the Obsidian Obelisks?" Lily's voice sounded out.
"Information like that is dangerous," Veyra said, a glint flashing in her eyes. "You'd better make it worth the risk."
Ethan didn't hesitate to reply. "Don't worry, it's worth it. I'd bet my life on it."
The merchant captain studied them for a long moment. Outside, the settlement's children had gathered to gawk at the merchants, their whispers filtering through the open door.
Finally, Veyra jerked her chin in a reluctant nod. "You ride in the back wagon. If you slow us down, we leave you behind."
"You're serious?" a stocky man near the front grunted. "Just gonna let them ride? After last week's incident?"
"You want to lead the convoy?" Veyra shot back without turning.
"I just don't want to get bled out in my sleep."
A younger woman with ink-black braids narrowed her eyes at AJ. "What even is that thing?"
Ethan stepped forward with a slight grin. "He's our cook."
The traders eyed Ethan and AJ warily. They weren't convinced, but none protested further.
Veyra commented, "They ride in the back. One slip up, and they get dumped."
As the merchants dispersed to conduct their business, the team found themselves once more facing Jonas. "You'll tell me now, won't you? Before you go? How the slime makes metal from nothing. How you—"
"No." Victor's voice cut through the room like a blade.
Jonas stiffened, his face twitching. "After everything we, the camp shared—"
"You shared nothing of great value," Walter corrected mildly. "Passing on rumours hardly counts as sharing information." His cane thumped against the floor as he turned toward the door.
"Wait!" His voice cracked. "You want information about safe zones? About the factions? We'll trade—"
"Too late. We've got access to your source of information now," Victor said, already walking towards the door. The guards at the exit shifted uncertainly, their spears wavering between threat and surrender.
"The Iron Vanguard's been recruiting from safe zones," Gareth blurted. "Taking the strong and leaving the rest to rot."
"Even if you've got proper information," Ethan cut in, hefting his axe onto his shoulder with deliberate casualness, "You should've given it up earlier."
They left the hall and made their way over to the merchants' wagons.
Sam glanced back just once. Jonas stood in the doorway, his hand holding up his head, regret could be seen in his eyes. He had been greedy, but luck wasn't on his side and so he lost any chance he had.
Ahead, the River Pact's wagons waited, their canvas covers flapping in the wind. The wagons were pulled by Stoneback Draught Beasts—hulking creatures that stood halfway between a rhinoceros and an armadillo.
Their segmented grey hides resembled layered stone plates, shifting with a sound like grinding pebbles as they moved.
Wide, calloused feet spread their massive weight across the terrain, leaving saucer-shaped impressions in the dirt.
They waited as crates were shuffled, voices barking orders back and forth. Someone cursed about weight distribution. Another muttered about mana-reactive powder getting too close to the new folks.
Sam took in the convoy's layout, the wagons looked sturdy and ready for anything. The lead wagon was clearly built for defence—reinforced wooden panels studded with metal brackets.
The second wagon bore the unmistakable marks of a mobile workshop. A miniature forge was built into one side.
Tool racks lined the interior walls, holding everything from hammers to files, whilst a small anvil was bolted securely to the floor.
These weren't simple traders. They were armed to survive.
The Stoneback Draught Beasts snorted, their noses twitching at AJ's bizarre scent. One massive head turned toward them, it had no eyes, but it was still keenly aware of its surroundings.
One of the traders walked around AJ in a wide circle, muttering under his breath.
"They've got weapons and that slime," someone whispered. "Smells like a trap."
Veyra ignored the muttering. "Back wagon's being reorganised. Don't touch anything that isn't yours."
Sam watched as they moved barrels marked with crude sigils—some glowing faintly. Could they be mana-infused goods? Sam wondered.
"I'm starting to think they're more dangerous than us," Lily murmured under her breath.
Veyra stood at the wagon's edge as Sam climbed in. "Y'all don't wear guild tags, sect marks, or even merchant colours. So what are you?"
Sam met her eyes. "Just a couple survivors."
"Plenty of those." Her fingers drummed on the cart's railing. "But survivors usually beg, not barter."
"We can handle ourselves, so there's no need to beg."
Veyra studied him a moment longer, then moved on.
---
The wagon lurched forward with a groan of wooden axles. Sam braced himself against a barrel as the settlement's barricades slowly disappeared into the distance.
The Stoneback Draught Beasts moved with surprising speed, their heavy footsteps muffled by the thick calluses padding their feet.
Ethan sprawled across a sack of grain, his axe resting across his chest. "Well, that was certainly an experience."
Lily ran a finger along the edge of a crate, her touch stirring faint motes of mana that drifted like dust in the moonlight. "We managed to learn quite a bit from them... we're still too ignorant of the world's happenings though."
They quietened down for a moment. They familiarised themselves with their surroundings, looking around them, in the wagon and outside.
Lily's fingers danced above a crate, tracing invisible mana currents. "There's something alive in that one. Or... almost alive."
Ethan shrugged. "Maybe they're selling those Stoneback things as babies. I'd take one."
Walter spoke up, fatigue evident in his voice. "Best not to poke at a hornet nests while we're in their wagon."
Outside, the Draught Beasts' stone-like plates clacked together in rhythm, their steady pace eating up the kilometers.
The wagon hit a rut, jolting them all. Sam caught a glimpse of Captain Veyra glancing back at them, her braided beard swinging with the motion.
Ethan lowered his voice. "So what's the play when we reach their base?"
Sam watched the landscape roll by—sparse trees giving way to rocky foothills. "We listen first. They're traders—we'll see what kind of information we can get our hands on, and we can try to buy any interesting materials we see. Once we've got what we can, we'll decide on the next move."
"Then we continue towards the safe zone?" Lily asked. "I miss Maria."
"We won't be able to return peacefully. Going back there is a declaration of war. We had better be ready for that when the time comes." AJ's voice rippled. "That's why we're out here—to grow stronger. Don't forget that."
He wanted to return most of all, but they couldn't—not until they were strong enough to deal with Richard's numerous lackeys.