Erik stood still, stunned by what he had just witnessed.
He had been ready to jump in—prepared to intervene the moment Rud was cornered—but the sudden surge of mana had stopped him cold.
It wasn't just power. It was something else. Something deeper.
For the briefest moment, Rud's presence had changed so drastically that Erik instinctively wondered:
Could I have taken him down while he was in that state?
He shook the thought from his head and walked over to where Rud now lay unconscious. His breathing was steady, but he was completely out cold.
Erik bent down, plucked a few large crocodile teeth from the beast's ruined skull, then hoisted Rud over his shoulder with practiced ease.
Yosul stood nearby, but his gaze was distant—fixed on the peak of the waterfall, his expression unreadable.
As Erik approached, Yosul finally turned to face him.
"Is he alright?" Yosul asked.
"Yeah. Just drained. He burned through everything he had." Erik paused. "You seemed... distracted."
"Huh? Oh—" Yosul blinked, almost surprised to be addressed. "It's nothing."
But Erik didn't believe him. That flicker—was it sadness? Worry? He couldn't tell, but it was obvious Yosul knew something he wasn't saying.
"You want to take a look up there?" Erik asked, nodding toward the waterfall.
Yosul hesitated. His fists clenched unconsciously at his sides.
"Yes," he finally said, voice tense.
"Alright then," Erik replied. "Let's go."
With Rud slung over one shoulder and Yosul leading the way, they began climbing toward the top of the waterfall. Yosul moved quickly, urgency in every step.
"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Erik asked.
"I don't know."
"Any guesses?"
"No…"
Yosul's voice was tight. He was clearly troubled, but Erik let the silence stretch. No more questions—he waited for Yosul to speak on his own terms.
Eventually, Yosul did.
"When we got close to the waterfall earlier… I felt something."
"What kind of something?"
"A bad feeling," Yosul said, eyes still scanning the trees. "At first I thought it was just the crocodiles—but it wasn't them. It's like something dangerous is up ahead."
"Mmhmm," Erik murmured, not dismissively, but thoughtfully.
They reached the peak. The waterfall above was little more than a trickle, spilling lazily over jagged rocks. Everything looked normal.
"Anything?" Erik asked.
"I don't know," Yosul muttered, walking further along the ridge. "Let's check a bit farther ahead."
They continued along the riverbank.
It didn't take long before they found it.
Massive logs and entire tree trunks had piled together, blocking the stream. Water had pooled behind it, forming a still, unnatural lake.
"So this is why the river was nearly dry," Erik said. "Look at this—almost a dam. It's backing up the whole flow."
Yosul didn't answer.
Instead, he pointed silently across to the other side.
Erik followed his gaze.
The stream ran between two steep hills. One side had clearly collapsed—mud and rock burying the slope in a thick wave of debris.
"A landslide," Erik said. "Makes sense. It rained for three months straight."
"Yeah," Yosul said, but his voice was distant.
Erik frowned. There was still something off about the scene.
He turned away from the dam—then stopped.
Something caught his eye.
He turned back, squinting.
Among the mess of broken trees and tangled roots… something pale. Something wrong.
He stepped closer, carefully, brushing aside a few broken branches.
"Yosul," Erik called, voice quiet but sharp.
"Come look at this."
Yosul joined him, and the moment he saw it, his expression darkened.
A corpse.
Human.
But it wasn't alone.
Several bodies were half-buried among the logs—twisted, bloodied, pinned beneath the wreckage.
"What the hell happened here?" Erik muttered.
He followed the slope with his eyes, tracing it upward—then froze.
Something clicked.
Two things became immediately clear:
First—this landslide was recent. Maybe a day or two old at most.
Second—this wasn't natural.
The way the land had been cut… it was too clean. The depth of the break, the angle, the exposed roots—it looked like someone had carved the hillside open deliberately.
"This was made by someone," Erik said.
Yosul didn't respond at first. Then:
"Let's report it to the guild."
"Yeah," Erik agreed, gaze lingering on the corpses.
They turned and began their trek back to town.
But even as they walked away, the silence between them hung heavy—thick with unspoken thoughts.
Something terrible had happened at the top of that waterfall.
---
Erik waited outside the Adventurers' Guild while Yosul went inside to collect the bounty.
Rud was still out cold, draped across a bench nearby, his breathing steady but shallow.
It didn't take long before Yosul emerged, shaking a small leather pouch filled with clinking coins.
They started walking back toward their inn.
"How much did we get?" Erik asked.
"Forty-five gold and fifty silver."
"Oh, really?"
"You sound disappointed."
"To be honest, yeah," Erik admitted.
"Seriously?" Yosul raised an eyebrow.
"That thing was massive," Erik said. "And Rud had to use his blessing just to take it down. I thought the bounty would be a bit more."
"Well, if we waited a few more days, the price probably would've gone up," Yosul said with a shrug. "But we don't have that kind of time."
"Fair enough," Erik muttered. "So… what time are we leaving tomorrow?"
"Sunrise, if all goes well."
"How long till we reach Velhein?"
"About a week from here," Yosul replied.
"Oh. That's not too bad."
Yosul glanced at him. "Already bored of traveling?"
"No, I just don't like riding horses."
"Really?" Yosul chuckled. "That's a weird thing to dislike."
"It feels… off. I can never get used to it."
Yosul laughed again. "You're funny, Erik."
Funny. That's a first.
Erik didn't respond.
A quiet moment passed between them as they walked.
Then Erik spoke. "I wonder how things are going in Velhein."
Yosul's smile faded a little. "Yeah… I just hope they can hold out until we get there."