Chương 22: Ironridge

The city of Ironridge was nestled into the mountainside, spreading over several tiers of terraces carved into the cliffs. According to Alex, it was home to about fifteen thousand people. Its location right next to the entrance of the tunnel that cut through the mountain range had led to rapid growth in the past decades, and now Ironridge was one of the main trading hubs in the region. Evan was excited by the hustle and bustle of the industrious city, but above all, he wanted to see the tram.

If it had been up to him, he would've gone straight to the tram station, but Alex stepped in. They were all tired and exhausted from several days on the road, so they retired to an inn for the night. After a quick breakfast, they headed back out into the city with the first rays of sunlight. They made their way through the narrow alleys and up and down countless stairs connecting the different levels of the city with each other until they reached a large gray brick building, melting into the cliffside.

Despite the early hour, a large crowd of people was streaming in and out of the building. They joined the crowd going in and soon found themselves inside a massive hall that looked like it had been carved right into the stone of the mountain. Six large pillars held up the ceiling, and hundreds of light orbs lit up the space. Evan craned his neck to take everything in. Like the city itself, the hall had multiple levels connected by stairs. Each elevated level had access to a tunnel, leading deeper into the mountain.

The ground floor provided space for shops and stores, probably so travelers could buy food and other necessities before their journey through the mountain. There were also at least a dozen small booths where people could buy tickets.

"What are all those tunnels leading to?" Evan asked as they climbed the stairs to get to a higher level.

"They all run alongside each other, but some are just for cargo, some are for foot traffic, some are for horses and carts, and some are for the trams. A lot of people move through here every day in both directions. That's why separating the traffic is important." Evan found a vantage point from where he could look down into one of the tunnels and watch the magical trains—trams, they were called here—come and go. They were simple, long, wooden carriages with wheels, painted in bright colors.

Each one had room for approximately sixty people. Considering they were little more than large carts with roofs, they were surprisingly fast.

"A magical train station. This is so cool," Evan said, eyes fixed on one of the trams shooting out of the tunnel, coming to a screeching halt and releasing three dozen people onto the station platform. He turned around to the Detreyo siblings, who looked equally enthralled.

"It is cool, right?" Both nodded enthusiastically, and Maya's sour mood, a constant companion since they'd left their Silvercreek, seemed to dissipate. She turned to Alex, who seemed pretty amused by their collective awe.

"Alex, can we please take the tram? Please!" Alexandra shook her head sternly.

"That would be a waste of money. Do you have any money to waste, kids?" Evan didn't know how much mana stones Maya and Oliver had brought, but his wallet wasn't exactly bursting. Now that he'd bought some supplies, he could better judge the value of a mana stone and knew that what he'd managed to amass would probably not go very far, especially not in a large city like Stormhaven, with ample opportunities to spend money. All three of them made distraught faces, sparking a laugh from Alex.

"Don't worry. You'll find plenty of opportunities in Stormhaven to earn money. Especially you two, Olly and Evan." She was probably right. As mana users, they would have an easier time making money than Maya, who would have to earn it in a more traditional way, but the reminder was yet another dampener for her mood. Her expression darkened and her shoulders slumped. Man, they really needed to find a way to get an affinity crystal for Maya.

Watching her brother enjoy all the perks of magic while she had to slave away in a hot smithy wasn't fair. Evan was determined to fix that. They left the colorful trams behind and proceeded to a higher level, where another tunnel branched off. The sign above the entrance showed the pictogram of an ox pulling a cart. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"That's the one we'll take," Alex explained. They stopped at one of the ticket booths and bought their tickets: a one-way trip through the tunnel for 22 mana stones per ticket. Two guards with wooden batons hanging from their belts checked their tickets at the entrance, then waved them through. They joined the slow stream of people making their way inside. The tunnel was more spacious than Evan had expected, at least 50 feet in diameter, with smooth stone walls and light orbs on the ceiling.

Like the sign had suggested, most of the people using the tunnel had carts or wagons, drawn by horses or oxen, so Alexandra's conjured stormcloud horses drew a lot of attention.

"The tunnels have a speed limit," Alex explained as they mounted their horses.

"It's magically enforced, so don't even think about taking one of my horses for a joyride, understood?" They all nodded dutifully and set off, horses trotting at a leisurely pace.

"How long is this tunnel?" Evan asked, riding past a little girl giddily pointing at his horse.

"How long will it take us to go through?"

"At this pace, about eight hours," Alex said, "Don't worry. There are rest stops along the way." Evan steered his horse past a group of preteen boys who'd stopped to stare at the magical animals, excitedly whispering to each other. They weaved their way through ox carts and plain-covered wagons that reminded Evan of the Oregon Trail. Most of them were filled to the brim with crates and barrels of all sizes.

"Rich merchants can afford to move their wares with a cargo tram," Alex explained.

"But most people have to resort to simpler modes of transportation." Evan tried to pry more information about the economy out of Alex, but the topic seemed to bore her to tears and her answers got shorter and grumpier with every new question, so he decided to leave her be and fell back until he was riding side by side with Maya.

"So Maya, completely theoretical question, if you could pick an affinity crystal for yourself, which one would you pick?" She gave him a suspicious side glance, as if she were trying to determine if Evan was mocking her.

"Hm… well, one that works well with crafting-focused gems, I guess." That statement brought a question Evan had wondered about before to the forefront of his mind.

"Can you combine any skill gem with any affinity?"

"Technically, yes," Maya said.

"But the more unusual combinations result in very weird skills. Sometimes experimenting gets you something amazing, but often people just end up with a really useless skill, so most mana users stick to tried-and-true combinations. The guilds keep lists of which combinations they recommend."

"Tried and true… does that mean the same combination always results in the same skill?"

"No, not at all. Just look at Olly. He used two sword gems and got two very different sword skills, right?"

"Yeah, true."

"A lot of things factor into what skill you'll get, not just the affinity and the gem itself. Your attributes, what skills you already have, your rank… the guilds are trying to figure out the system behind it to make better predictions, but it's way too complex to know for sure." Evan nodded thoughtfully.

"I'll keep that in mind." His first gems had been picked pretty much at random. He'd known nothing about the world and magic, and the system behind it, so he had to make do with the gems he'd found in the ruins and estimated guesswork. Next time he would consider his choices much more carefully. They rode side by side in silence for a while, with Alex going ahead and Oliver trailing behind.

The gray tunnel walls provided little distraction for the eye or the mind, which made the passage through the mountains feel a lot longer than their wild ride through the Rainwilds wilderness. About two hours in, they encountered the first rest stop. Evan turned around on his horse, trying to get a good look.

"Don't get all excited," Alex said, amused.

"It's no different from any other inn, but carved into the mountain."

"You say that like it's no big deal," Evan protested.

"It's an inn carved out of solid stone. Can we go in? Can we take a break there?"

"Later, kid. There will be more rest stops along the way." Alexandra made good on her promise about two hours later, around the halfway mark of their journey. They dismounted and dissolved the horses and sat down at one of the solid stone tables inside the inn. Many of the guests had brought their own food, but there was also a small bar and kitchen where travelers could order meals and refreshments. After a hearty meal, they were back on their horses, back on the road.

Oliver was quiet, and Evan felt he was growing quieter the further they traveled through the tunnel. They'd traveled for days now, Silvercreek was far behind them, but it was like this tunnel symbolized some kind of passage for his friend. Away from his home, into the unknown. And Evan could tell the second thoughts were creeping up on him again. To distract Oliver, he slowed down his horse until they were riding side by side.

"The station was a lot cooler than this tunnel, huh?" A feeble attempt at small talk.

"Hm, I guess," was the only response he got. Evan pointed at the large metal bell they were riding past. There was one attached to the tunnel wall every mile or so, but he hadn't figured out their purpose yet.

"Any idea what those bells are for?" Oliver glanced up.

"No idea."

"Alex, do you know what those bells are for?" Evan asked.

"They're alarm bells. Travelers can ring them in case of an emergency."

"Emergency?" Evan asked with furrowed brows.

"A fire. A medical emergency. A monster attack." That last bit got Oliver's attention.

"Wait, what? Monster attack? There aren't any monsters in these tunnels, right?" Alex shrugged.

"Humans aren't the only creatures digging tunnels through the mountain. Occasionally, an uninvited guest breaks into a tunnel. You don't need to worry about it. It's really rare. We would have to be incredibly unlucky to—" The rest of her sentence was drowned out by a low rumble vibrating through the stone walls so loudly Evan could feel it in his bones. A moment later, the ceiling above them cracked open with a deafening roar.