Meanwhile, at the riverbank where Ayumu, Levain, and Drobar stood, tensions were running high.
Levain and Drobar were locked in a heated negotiation with Boto, the massive beaver. Ayumu stood between them, acting as translator—her gestures growing more animated with each exchange.
Drobar jabbed a finger at the towering dam. "Look, your house here is damaging other people's houses and lands! The water is flooding entire villages downstream!"
Levain stepped forward, his voice calmer but firm. "Let the river flow freely, Boto. With the season changing, there will be more rain. The lake will overflow, and the water will spill over into the lands below. We will find you a new place to build your house—somewhere safer."
Boto thumped his wide, flat tail against the ground—a sharp, echoing slap that vibrated through the earth. He let out a low, guttural growl of anger.
Ayumu listened intently, nodding along. Then she turned to the men and translated—but with such poor, exaggerated acting that Drobar and Levain could only stare.
"Look here, you people!" She threw her hands up, mimicking Boto's aggressive posture. "You come here, wanting to destroy our house, and then promise another place for us to build! And you think I am foolish enough to believe you. Who are you to order me around!"
She was making faces—scowling, puffing her cheeks, baring her teeth.
Drobar rubbed his temples. "Ayumu… you can translate without making faces. We can still understand the sentiment."
Ayumu paused. Her cheeks flushed pink. "Oh, yes. I understand, Sir Drobar."
She straightened, cleared her throat, and composed herself.
Levain tried a different approach. "Then tell us what you need for you to relocate and abandon this dam. Whatever it is, we will provide it."
Ayumu relayed the message to Boto, her voice now gentle and respectful.
Boto's growling subsided. He studied her with small, intelligent eyes. Then he chattered a response.
Ayumu translated: "And how can I trust you all?"
Drobar slumped back, shaking his head. "I cannot believe we are negotiating with a beaver."
Ayumu turned back to Boto, speaking directly to him. "Boto, I understand your concern and your care for your family. What if we assist you with food and wood at a nearby river? Enough for you to prepare you and your family for the incoming winter?"
Boto fell silent.
His tail stopped thumping. His eyes narrowed in thought.
The place here had grown scarce. Food was harder to find. Not to mention, his family is growing. They had been here for years, and the land was wearing thin. What Ayumu suggested was not a bad deal.
He chattered back to her—a longer response this time, his tone softer.
Ayumu's face lit up. She clapped her hands together, delighted.
Drobar leaned forward. "What? What did it say?"
Ayumu beamed at them. "He says he agrees—there is a place nearby that he has in mind. So long as we keep our words, he will agree to move his family there immediately."
Drobar scoffed, crossing his arms. "Well, that was too easy. He was putting up quite a fight before. Why the sudden change of mind?"
Boto growled and squeaked—a sharp, chattering sound. Ayumu listened, then turned to Drobar with an apologetic expression.
"He says, 'I have faith in this white one and her promises. But I would never put my trust in a bunch of hoodlums like you.' that is what Boto said..."
Drobar's eyes narrowed and exploded in anger. "What did you say, you oversized rat?!"
Levain quickly stepped between them, placing a hand on Drobar's arm. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Wait, wait. We should be glad the negotiation was short. With this, the flooding problem can be settled without major problems. So, why do we not destroy it before he changes his mind?"
Ayumu overheard and nodded enthusiastically. She turned back to Boto. "Boto, do you have any family still inside? Would you be all right if we were to demolish the place soon?"
Boto chattered a response. Ayumu translated on the spot, her voice light. "He says we may destroy it even now. His family has been staying outside the dam for quite a while."
Drobar's face went red. "Gahh! This mischievous critter! Its been playing with us!" He threw his hands up. "Then why was he making all that fuss if they had already moved out?! I cannot stand it—I am going to break this thing now."
Levain's eyes went wide. "Wait! Wait, Sir Drobar! The water will explode on—"
But Drobar had already drawn his new magical sword.
The blade gleamed under the moonlight, humming with barely contained energy. Without hesitation, he swung—a powerful, two-handed strike that carved deep into the wooden dam.
The sword's magic exploded on impact.
A shockwave rippled through the structure. Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface. Wood splintered. Mud crumbled.
Then—a gush.
Water burst through the fissures like a living thing. The dam collapsed in a thunderous cascade—logs and debris flying in every direction. A wall of water exploded outward, sweeping everything in its path.
Drobar's eyes widened in shock, realising what he had just done.
Ayumu's arms flew up.
Levain barely had time to shout.
And then they were all gone—shoved by wood and water, swallowed by the raging flood, disappearing into the churning darkness.
----------------------------------------------
Kaiser arrived with Azhdar, the wyvern descending through the moonlit sky to survey the scene below.
The destruction was evident. The dam was gone—shattered into splinters and debris scattered across the muddy riverbank. Water gushed freely from the lake into the long-dry riverbed, churning and brown, carrying logs and branches in its current.
Rhea dismounted first, her boots sinking into the wet earth. She stared at the chaos before her, her mouth slightly open.
"What… happened here?"
Kaiser remained silent, his red eyes scanning the area.
Then—a splash.
A hand covered in armor burst through the churning water. Drobar's head emerged next, gasping, sucking in deep lungfuls of air. He thrashed toward the shore, dragging Levain with him, one arm locked firmly around the water magis' chest.
Rhea's scream cut through the night. "DROBAR!"
She scrambled down the bank as Drobar threw Levain onto the shore and collapsed beside him. Both men lay flat on their backs, coughing up water, chests heaving, limbs trembling with exhaustion.
Rhea dropped to her knees beside them. "Drobar! Levain! What happened?!"
Kaiser approached more slowly, his red eyes still scanning the water. "Where is Ayumu?"
Drobar gasped between breaths, one hand pressed to his chest. "We are also fine, thank you for asking- haa", Drobar said sarcastically and continued, "That—that lady of yours… she is trouble." He coughed violently. "Haa—she always creates trouble!"
Levain, still coughing, managed to shove Drobar's face. "You were the one who destroyed the dam without thinking! This mess is because of you—not Lady Ayumu!"
"You—cough—you told me to destroy it! Before the rodent changes its mind!"
"Even then, you're supposed to think first before destroying things! Dont you have common sense?!"
Despite their exhaustion, the two men began to bicker—pushing and grabbing each other.
Rhea sighed while Kaiser ignored them completely.
His eyes remained fixed on the water.
Then he saw them—a group of large creatures, swimming toward the shore. Rodents?
Then he realized it was Beavers. The largest of them was leading the group, and on its back was a white figure.
The largest beaver reached the shore, growling and chattering angrily. Its anger was directed to Drobar.
Drobar, still lying on the ground, shouted back at it as if he understood what the creature is saying to him.
"Shut up, you beaver! This is not my fault! You are the one who took advantage of the situation!"
The beaver growled louder, thumping his tail against the muddy ground.
And then the white figure on its back slipped. It was Ayumu.
Ayumu tumbled from Boto's back and landed on the shore with a soft plop. Her white robes soaked through, her hair plastered to her face. She coughed, sputtering water, then rolled onto her side, panting.
Kaiser was at her side in an instant.
He dropped to one knee, his hand reaching for her shoulder. "Ayumu. Are you all right?"
Ayumu blinked up at him, dazed. For a moment, her golden eyes seemed unfocused, swimming with exhaustion.
Then she smiled.
"Hello again, Kaiser. Look, I—I solved the flood problem, Kaiser." She coughed again, then managed a weak laugh. "Well… Sir Drobar helped me. His method was a bit...unexpected. But, it worked."
She gestured weakly toward the river—where the water now flowed freely, the murky brown slowly clearing as fresh water from the lake pushed through. The current was strong and steady, carving a clean path where the dam had once stood.
Kaiser looked at her.
Soaking wet. Covered in mud. Hair a tangled mess. Looking like a drowned kitten that had been dragged through a storm.
And yet she was smiling.
Behind them, Drobar and Levain were still squabbling with each other. Their voices rising over the growls of the massive beaver who had joined in the argument. Rhea stood between them, arms flailing, trying to restore order.
Kaiser looked at the chaos around him—the bickering men, the angry rodent, the exasperated Rhea, and the soaked Ayumu.
He has no idea what to feel of the situation but for now, the river is flowing free. And the flood issue would be resolved.