The waterfall was on our left, and the small stream in front of us is what divides the land on both sides. All we have to do now is cross this stream to get to the other side of the cliff.
We must first descend this cliff-
"Hey everyone, I've found a path down here." Someone shouted from the back of the throng, interrupting my train of thought.
I dismounted my horse and went to investigate. I found a large tunnel running downwards behind some trees.
"One of you… get in there," I ordered.
With minimal hesitation, a thin, pale-faced man stepped forward and said, "I'll go." The man named... something I don't remember... hurriedly approached the tunnel, not appearing bold enough by his appearance. I nodded as he looked back at me to confirm.
We waited for him to return to us as he entered the tunnel.
"Hey guys, have a look over here!" I could hear his voice from the other side of the tunnel.
Ignoring the roar of the waterfall, he screamed, "Get to the bottom of the cliff!"
We all went to the cliff's edge to discover the pale-faced man swinging his arms wide and crying out to us.
With a big grin on my face, "To the tunnel, everyone." I ordered.
"But, Captain... what about the horses and slaves?" Jacob, the vice leader of the reconnaissance team next to me, inquired.
"We can free the slaves and take them with us, but we must abandon the horses... Even if we bring them down there, they won't be able to cross the river. "
"It's unfortunate."
"It is, indeed..." I was determined.
"Everyone! Kill the horses. " As my order spread across the group, some hesitated, but in the end-
"Slash~ slash~ slash~"
Every horse's throat was slashed.
"Jacob, take some men and toss these corpses into the river and leave no traces behind." He replied with a nod.
The tasks were progressing nicely. I noticed several paths inside the tunnel as I passed through it, but now is not the time for us to explore. Our number one priority is to reach Vanora. We don't even have any horses to carry the essentials anymore. With the additional strain placed on them, my men will quickly become weary.
The passage was littered with stacks of mana crystals. They were all yellow.
"Medium grade..."
Mana crystals form where the density of mana in the atmosphere is extremely high. When the mana in the surrounding area reaches a particular density, it condenses and solidifies. They are classified into four grades based on the purity of the mana they contain.
Red crystals (low grade)
Yellow crystals (medium grade)
Blue crystals (top grade)
Violet crystals (premium grade)
This tunnel is filled with crystals of low and medium grade. We could harvest them and sell them in the market, but we don't have the means to transport them, and harvesting would take a long time and a lot of labour.
Everyone came out of the tunnel in a matter of minutes. The cliff we had stood on before was now to my back.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" As horrified screams erupted in the front, I rushed forward to the group.
"P-people... dead people!!" Hale yelled as he collapsed to his knees. Disgust was written all over his face. How could it not be?
People's bodies lay in front of us, their faces cut several times with a knife... no, a dagger. Their shredded flesh was protruding from their bodies. The corpses of five adult men were found on the riverbank, with waves swaying the front and back of their unbuttoned garments.
"Who in their right mind would do such a thing to a living person!?" Stan yelled.
"There is no evidence of torture. Their faces were skimmed after they died. So there's no sign of struggling. " Jacob reported with Cullen by his side.
When I got a closer look, I noticed a cut mark on their throats... All five of them had it. So they were slain in a single slash, with no idea what or how they died. Their skewered faces must have been to conceal their identities.
"Come here, Captain... These clothes don't belong to them... They aren't the right size." Cullen brought this up.
He was correct. One was too big for a man to wear, while another had to be ripped in half to fit.
"They must have changed their clothes after killing them," Jacob concluded.
"How should we proceed now? There could be a secret enemy here in front of us. " Hale showed his concern.
"We just need to be more cautious, that's all."
"Yeah, yeah, believe in our captain, Hale." Stan, who had been silent until now, piped out, attempting to lighten the mood.
"B-Boone…?"
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