"What on earth is happening!?" A dwarf soldier’s shout rang out, shattering the silence.
Dodan, the Supreme Commander, walked up to the crest of the waterfall. What he found was not the rushing current as usual, but dry stone grooves and lines of soil with only small, stagnant patches of water remaining.
"This must be the handiwork of the elves," Grimm stated immediately. "They must have built a dam to divert the watercourse, hoping to starve us of resources."
Dodan frowned slightly before shaking his head. "Would the elves really be that foolish?" he said calmly. "Even if the waterfall stops flowing, the water stored below is sufficient for us to survive for many more days."
"I will send our men to the source immediately to see what has happened there," Grimm proposed at once.
"You will see nothing," Dodan paused for a moment before replying with a firm voice. "If this truly is the work of the elves, the path to the source will be riddled with ambushes."
"Then what should we do?" Grimm asked anxiously, knowing that if this was indeed an enemy plot, inaction would be unwise.
Dodan narrowed his eyes slightly. "We dwarves will continue to feign ignorance, living our lives as if we are unconcerned, to make the elves complacent." He paused briefly before continuing, "Grimm, send your men to fetch Farran to see me."
Grimm hesitated slightly. "You are sending Farran up to explore the source?"
"Precisely," Dodan answered without hesitation. "Farran, though young, is very capable. And one of his companions appears to be a knowledgeable wizard. Perhaps... he might see things that we do not."
The person Dodan referred to was none other than Galdur. However, what Galdur did best was not "seeing what others do not see," but rather "making others not see him."
Galdur used the Vanishing Apple to lead Farran, Fiona, and Marino past the ambush of the elven warriors, penetrating deep into enemy territory without a soul realizing they had infiltrated.
Although Farran and his party could turn invisible by holding hands in a chain with Galdur, each instance lasted only a short time—precisely as long as the old wizard could hold his breath.
The more frequently he used it, the shorter the time he could hold his breath became. Therefore, every step required careful planning; if they made even a slight mistake, they might appear right in front of the enemy. Because of this, even though the distance did not seem far, the journey took a very long time.
Finally, the efforts of Farran and his companions bore fruit when the scene before them revealed the cause of the stopped waterfall. What they saw was not a stone dam or a high earthfill as many had predicted, but a mass of water standing completely still and motionless. It was truly a most astonishing sight.
They all retreated to hide in the tall grass near the water's edge to consult one another, staring in awe at the stream that should have been flowing but was perfectly frozen in place.
"Why is the mass of water standing still?" Farran was the first to speak in a low, tense voice. "Could this be... the magic of Queen Embla?"
Upon finishing his question, he stared at Galdur as if waiting for an explanation.
"Do not stare at me like that," Galdur shook his head slightly. "I am just an old thief wearing wizard's clothes, not an actual wizard."
"Or perhaps this isn't magic, but some magical item used to control water?" Fiona offered an opinion, and then she too turned to stare at Galdur, awaiting an answer.
"Don't look at me like that," Galdur sighed. This time, he not only shook his head but raised his hands as if surrendering. "It is true that I am an old thief, but I do not know every kind of magical item."
"But I think... I see something in the water," Marino, the warrior with the magnificent mustache, spoke up with a hesitant voice. Before he could even turn to look at Galdur, he heard the other's voice interject immediately.
"Don't look at me. I am an old thief, very old now. My eyes aren't good; I can't see anything in the water."
"Wait..." Farran suddenly interrupted, raising a hand to stop Galdur from speaking further. He turned to look at Marino instead with serious eyes. "Brother Mustache... what do you see?"
Marino went silent for a moment to review what he saw to be sure, before speaking with a firm voice. "I see a woman... who has a tail like a fish, inside that still water."
"A tail like a fish, you say..." Galdur murmured softly before looking up. "I know of a type of elf called an Aqua Alf. They are elves that must live in water, have no legs, and have a tail like a fish."
"Aqua Alf? I have never heard this name before," Farran showed a face of disbelief.
"In a world full of magic, there are still many things you have never seen and never heard of," Galdur said, sounding like a knowledgeable wizard.
"Great-grandfather... you aren't lying or teasing us, are you?" Fiona argued with concern, knowing well the playful nature of the elder.
"Do you think that just because I am a thief, I must lie and deceive all the time?" Galdur retorted to his great-granddaughter, sounding hurt that his profession implied a deceptive nature.
"Actually... I myself can't see very clearly," Marino spoke up, his voice beginning to waver. "I'm not sure if what I saw might just be legs, not a fish tail as I thought."
"In that case..." Galdur said with a thin smile. "I will turn invisible and go in for a look myself. I will see it with my own two eyes and then come back to tell you."
Having said that, he raised his right hand to grip the Green Apple tightly before holding his breath. In a blink, his body vanished.
Galdur, in his invisible state, slowly approached the stationary mass of water. He peered inside and found that not only was there truly an Aqua Alf, but both her hands were also bound by thick metal chains.
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Galdur surveyed the surrounding area carefully. Once confident that no elf soldiers were guarding it, he stopped holding his breath. His body slowly reappeared. He stood still outside the water mass, hoping to find an opportunity to converse with the Aqua Alf before him.
She seemed quite surprised that an old wizard in blue robes had suddenly appeared. Her eyes widened slightly before she slowly poked her head out from the still water, as if trying to see clearly whether what she saw was reality or just an illusion.
"Hello," Galdur greeted politely.
The Aqua Alf stared at him unblinking, before asking warily, "Wizard... how did you get here without those elf soldiers noticing?"
Galdur smiled thinly. "My name is Galdur. And what is your name?"
"My name is J?rva," the Aqua Alf woman replied. "I was captured by Queen Embla and forced to use my power to stop this water so that the dwarves could not use it."
Galdur glanced at the chains binding her wrists before speaking with a serious voice. "Do you wish to receive help?"
However, seeing that Galdur was an old man, J?rva doubted he would have the strength to save her from these thick chains, so she cut him off. "You are too old."
Saying only that, she turned back into the water mass, refusing to converse further.
Galdur had not expected to be rejected simply because of his old age. He decided to return to consult his companions by turning invisible again.
When they had all discussed it, for the second round, Fiona volunteered to be the one to speak to and help J?rva because she was not old and had used the Apple to turn invisible many times. Therefore, she believed she was the most suitable person for this round.
Fiona took the green Apple from Galdur and gripped it tightly with her left hand before holding her breath. In a blink, her body vanished.
Fiona reappeared standing outside the water mass, then waved slightly to call J?rva to poke her head out to talk.
J?rva saw that the person appearing this time had changed to a woman, so she slowly poked her head out from the still water and asked, "And now, who are you?"
"I am Fiona," she said. "I have come to help you."
J?rva looked at her for just a glance before replying in a flat voice, "You are a woman."
Saying only that, she turned back into the water mass, refusing to converse further.
Fiona had not expected to be rejected simply because she was a woman. She decided to return to consult her companions by turning invisible again.
When they talked again, for the third round, Farran volunteered to be the one to go talk to and help J?rva because he was not old and was not a woman. Therefore, he believed he was the most suitable person for this round.
Farran took the green Apple from Fiona and gripped it tightly with his right hand before holding his breath. In a blink, his body vanished.
Farran reappeared standing outside the water mass, then bowed his head slightly to J?rva as an invitation. The Aqua Alf woman extended her head out to converse.
J?rva saw that the person appearing this time had changed to a young boy, so she poked her head out from the still water and asked, "Oh! Changed to another person again?"
"My name is Farran. I ask to be a friend and will help you out of those chains," Farran smiled in greeting politely, ready to offer various things.
J?rva looked at him from head to toe before sighing softly. "You are too weak."
Saying only that, she turned back into the water mass, refusing to converse further.
Farran had not expected to be rejected simply because he was scrawny. He decided to return to consult his companions by turning invisible again.
After listening to the story from Farran, Marino volunteered to be the one to go talk to and help J?rva because he was the last one left. Therefore, he believed he was the most suitable person.
"I will go myself," Marino said in a flat voice. He waved his hand to refuse when Farran tried to hand him the green apple. "Keep it. There isn't a single elf soldier around here. You lot have walked in and out to talk to her three times already; if anyone were to see, they would have seen us long ago."
He adjusted the sword at his side before walking boldly straight toward the still water openly. There was not the slightest hesitation in the steps of this warrior.
J?rva saw that a new stranger was standing there, so she moved closer to the water's surface to examine the other party. She found that this person had a mustache. Usually, when people start to get old, they grow mustaches and beards, but looking at the face with the horn-shaped mustache was strange, resembling a woman who had stuck a mustache on. Looking at his figure, he was also very scrawny.
But... Marino did not give an opportunity for talk. His hand shot out to grab the chains binding her wrists tightly. His other hand drew his sword from its scabbard with lightning speed!
Clang!
The sound of metal being cut asunder rang out just once. J?rva's eyes widened in shock. Sparks from the impact of the sword reflected in her eyes. Before she could recover from her surprise, Marino swung his sword again. The second chain was severed just as easily.
Freedom returned to J?rva without the need for any additional words.
Seeing that the situation was resolved, Farran and the remaining companions came out of hiding to join them.
"J?rva, you are free," Farran asked with concern. "Is there anything else we can do to help you?"
"With these chains gone, I can return to my homeland at the great lake," J?rva replied with a wide smile.
"In that case, can you make this water flow as before?" Farran asked tentatively.
"Certainly, but you must hurry and leave this place," she warned with a serious voice. "The moment the water moves, the elf soldiers will realize immediately that I have escaped."
"Can you escape alone?" Farran was still worried. "Should we escort you for a while?"
J?rva laughed softly until the water surface rippled. "Last time I failed because I carelessly went up to sit and play on the rock mound. But if I am in the water, even with ten Queen Emblas, don't hope to catch me!"
"Do not be careless," Marino warned with a stern voice. "Queen Embla is not someone to be underestimated."
The warning of the warrior with the magnificent mustache seemed to hold special meaning for J?rva. She nodded obediently. "I will remember, Brother... I will not be careless. I will dive as deep as possible. They will never see me, just like how you all turn invisible."
"Excellent!" Galdur spoke up with a cheerful smile. "Then let us set a time. When will you start letting the water move again?"
J?rva looked up at the sky, which was starting to turn orange-purple. "I will wait until the sun sets below the horizon, then I will use the darkness to cover my journey along with the water."
"Then we must hurry," Farran said with a determined voice.
"How can we hurry? The elf soldiers are ambushing everywhere," Fiona objected with concern, thinking back to the dangerous path they had come, having to move stealthily and carefully avoiding the enemy every step of the way, progressing slowly the entire time.
"If we could come, the way back must be easier," Galdur said with a voice full of morale in the typical style of a master thief.
Farran turned to speak to the Aqua Alf who was still poking her head out of the water again, his eyes filled with friendship. "J?rva... even though we don't have much time, I still hope we can be friends."
J?rva stared at the thin young boy in front of her and raised an eyebrow. "I heard that you came to wage war against the elves. Then why become friends with me?" These words carried the implication that Aqua Alfs were also elves.
"Because I have never met an Aqua Alf before, and I admire your water-controlling power," Farran thought about how incredible these water-controlling powers were, even though right now he couldn't think of how to put them to use.
"Nope! You are too weak," J?rva replied with the familiar sentence, before turning to the warrior beside him instead. "The only person I want to be friends with is this Brother with the magnificent mustache."
Marino paused slightly in surprise, not thinking he would be selected by the water sprite over Farran.
"Brother... what is your name?" J?rva asked with a serious face. Her eyes reflected respect for the favor of helping cut the chains.
After the two had given their word to each other to remain friends forever, everyone split up according to the plan immediately. The journey back was not easy at all; they still had to overcome various obstacles by hiding carefully.
Until finally, three full days later, Farran and his companions returned to the fortress of Ainen-dor. The sound of cheers welcoming the return from the mixed warriors waiting echoed loudly, until even the sound of the waterfall was drowned out.