Time Remaining: [N/A] (Status: Post-Crisis. Domestic Operations.) Location: The Pendelton Estate - Osgard Valley.
The transition from the public highway to the Pendelton Estate grounds was marked not by a gate, but by a change in vibration.
For the last hour, the Iron Horse had been battling the King's Road—a glorious name for a rutted mud track filled with potholes deep enough to crack an axle. The new Imperial leaf springs Arthur had installed in Ferro had worked overtime, groaning and flexing to keep the cabin from rattling apart.
But the moment the tires hit the property line, the chaos vanished. Hummm.
The gravel changed to paved slate. Smooth. Graded for drainage. The Iron Horse settled onto the flat surface, gliding forward like a ship entering calm water.
"Finally," Julian sighed from the passenger seat, adjusting his sling. "I forgot how bad the roads are in the valley. I think I dislocated my shoulder again just hitting that last bump."
