That night, the four of us gathered to talk about the Flood Beast. Maya told us everything she knew about it from her own experience; we also gathered information from the locals and prepared for a possible encounter.
The next morning dawned with the same curtain of rain as the night before. This time, it was even heavier. Water began to rise and seep into houses, and currents were forming in the streets.
The innkeeper came running toward us.
—"You! You're adventurers, right? Please, we need your help! There are people trapped near the mill!"
Maya stood up.
—"Let's go," she said.
—"Yes!" we all agreed.
We rushed into the streets, our footsteps sinking into the mud, the wind not even allowing us to keep our hoods on.
We reached the place the innkeeper had told us about and saw the disaster: a brown stream, formed by the mix of rain and mud, had washed away the path. On the other side, a group of people clung to a wall to keep from slipping.
—"Stay calm! We've come to help you!" I shouted over the roaring wind.
—"I'll make the path!" Noko raised her hand and, with the help of the earth spirits, branches and roots sprouted from the water, intertwining to form a kind of bridge. "Quickly, cross-nya!"
The people began to cross, but suddenly a large log, carried by the current, rushed toward the bridge. If it struck, it would endanger everyone.
Then Zara, with her usual precision, aimed at the log and, with a snap, conjured a lightning bolt that split it in two, diverting it and preventing the impact.
There was still a little girl on the other side, paralyzed by fear. The noise of the wind and rain was so strong that no one had noticed her before.
—"I'll go for her," Maya said.
She crossed the bridge, fighting against the wind. Once she reached the girl, she took her in her arms and turned around. But at that moment, the current intensified and the bridge collapsed.
—"Maya!" I shouted, alarmed.
—"Don't worry, I can handle this!" she shouted back from the other side, raising her voice over the storm.
The girl in her arms was terrified.
—"Don't be afraid," Maya told her with a warm smile. "Nothing will happen to us. In just a moment we'll be on the other side. Just hold your breath a little."
Then Maya began to cross directly through the current with the girl in her arms. The water rose to her chest and lifted the girl high enough to keep her from being swept away. From our side, we were astonished: with pure brute strength, Maya resisted the current and advanced step by step.
When she finally crossed, she set the girl down and started coughing from the water she had swallowed.
—"M-Miss, are you alright?!" the girl asked, worried.
—"Yes…" Maya replied between coughs. "Don't worry, this water is nothing against me."
Noko ran to Maya and hugged her right there in the storm.
—"Maya! I'm so glad you're okay-nya!"
—"Noko, let go… it's hard to breathe."
Once Maya caught her breath, the girl timidly approached again.
—"Th-thank you so much, miss."
—"It's nothing. Now go, and find shelter."
—"Yes!" the girl nodded.
After rescuing everyone, we looked for a place to catch our breath. Maya leaned her back against a wall: she was soaked, exhausted, and with the firmest gaze I'd seen in days.
—"Maya, what you did was amazing," I said.
—"I couldn't leave that girl alone," she answered, still recovering her breath.
Suddenly, a gust of wind made us turn. Something impossible was happening: the rain began to change direction, as if it were all converging toward the hills.
Zara lifted her gaze.
—"The rain… it's moving."
—"I feel like something bad is calling us," Noko murmured, her ears drooping.
I swallowed hard.
It wasn't our imagination. The rain was gathering at a single point and, if the Flood Beast was truly behind it, it wanted us to come to it.
Then a deep roar echoed through the valley, coming from the place where the storm was concentrating.
—"It's her…" Maya said, gripping the hilt of her sword.