THE STORY OF A WARRIOR

Chapter 4: A Hard Bargain

Author's Note: Hard bargains always come with a price, but survival requires teamwork. If you're enjoying the twists and turns of this journey, don't forget to drop a vote and add this story to your reading list! Let's dive in.

The woman holding the heavy crossbow narrowed her eyes, studying the trio in the dim light for several long, agonizing seconds before slowly easing the tension on the firing mechanism and lowering the lethal steel tip of the bolt.

"Wastewater and bad luck," the woman muttered, stepping out from the deep shadows of the rocky overhang into the open air. A heavy iron wrench was tucked securely into her dust-stained leather tool belt. "Every stray dog from the ruins thinks they can run through my pass whenever the northern monsters wake up hungry. My winch is jammed at the upper switchback, and the handcart full of winter seed is completely stuck on the track. You want safe passage through this gorge? You earn it. Grab the iron lever!"

Vane let out a low, disgruntled huff, muttering under his breath about arrogant gatekeepers and ungrateful locals, but he didn't argue. The captain marched past the rusted machinery, his heavy boots clanking against the stone, and locked his hands firmly onto the thick iron bar. Lycus and Kaelen hurried to join him, stepping into position and throwing their combined weight against the stubborn, jammed gear.

"On three!" Vane grunted through clenched teeth, his muscles bulging as he took the strain. "One, two, three heave!"

With a deafening screech of protesting metal and a brilliant shower of bright orange sparks cascading into the dark canyon, the jammed cog finally gave way. The heavy iron-rimmed wheels groaned and rolled forward, pulling the heavy handcart safely over the lip of the ridge. Old Thomas, an elderly settler standing nearby, let out a massive, audible sigh of relief, wiping his graying beard with a dirt-smudged hand.