The sea itself seems to rise up in anger.
What, in the mercy of the Elders, is that?
From the turbulent waters below, a colossal Kraken breaches, its massive tentacles slamming the surface, sending tons of water into the air. Its eyes are black as a starless night, and its roar echoes like thunder over the crashing waves. Me and the Dryad exchange a look; her eyes are wide in terror, confirming that the beast is not just another trick of hers. The monster is Tainted. It has somehow sensed us—two intruders entering its domain and has risen from the abyss to punish us.
Seems like I’ll face a worthy opponent tonight after all. The Shadowblade shifts, morphing into a sleek, deadly spear. I dodge a lash of the Kraken’s tentacle, thrusting the spear into its slimy, writhing flesh. The beast roars in pain, but another tentacle comes crashing down, knocking me off my feet. I push myself up before plunging into the black water, and the Dryad resorts to her cursed magic, sprouting sturdy vines that writhe around my feet.
“Not today,” I growl, summoning the Shadowblade back to its sword form and slashing through the vines pulling me toward the chasm. The cursed Dryad, seeing an opportunity, directs the Kraken’s attacks toward me. She maneuvers herself in front of me and rolls sideways when a tentacle comes crashing down. I manage to free myself from the seaweed and evade it in the last moment, by some mercy of the Elders. The beast is enormous but devilishly fast.
The bridge sways violently. Rolling to the side, I avoid another tentacle and swiftly parry the Dryad’s strike. Her arms have morphed into two long, heavy clubs overgrown with thorns. The Kraken, enraged, sends another wave of tentacles crashing onto the bridge.
It’s a miracle the thing still holds.
A battle with such odd opponents demands odd solutions. And praised be Heroy, I could be quite creative.
I let the Shadowblade morph into a whip, wrapping it around one of the Kraken’s tentacles. With a powerful yank, I use the beast’s own strength to pull myself back to my feet. A swift kick to the Dryad’s breastbone sends her stumbling. The rewarding crunch of bones makes me grin.
The nightmare from the depths lashes out again, and this time, I’m ready. The Shadowblade changes back into a sword and slices through two tentacles in a single, fluid motion. The beast screeches, thrashing violently and causing the bridge to sway even more. Fountains of dark water, taller than the Beacon in Nighthaven, rise and fall.
Black blood showers.
I got him good.
One more slash will send this cursed demon back to the hell pit that spawned it.
A mad smile curls my lips. Nothing makes me feel more alive than a battle like this.
The Dryad recovers from my kick, dark blood dripping down her chest, and summons another surge of vines to bind my legs, pulling me down. Struggling against the tightening grip, my blade changes form once more, transforming into a swarm of sharp, ethereal daggers that fly through the air, cutting through the vines and striking her with precision.
With one final, desperate effort, she attempts to overwhelm me with a mass of writhing roots and vines, but the Kraken, in its agony, slams into the bridge with such force that it begins to collapse. Seizing the moment, I summon the Shadowblade back into a spear and hurl it with all my might at the Kraken’s head. The weapon pierces the beast’s eye and sinks into the soft flesh. The leviathan’s deafening, final roar rumbles over the water and echoes over the desolate beach before its massive carcass sinks back into the depths.
The bridge, now barely holding together, sways dangerously. That Atos damned Dryad is still struggling to regain her balance. Her resilience is stunning. One swift movement and the Shadowblade is back in my hand. I deliver the final blow, sending her head tumbling off the bridge into the churning waters below.
My muscles and lungs burn as I run toward the shipwreck, the wind pulling me back.
Elders, let that bridge hold a little while longer!
The vines snap, and holes gape just before my feet, but I don’t slow down, my gaze fixed on the shipwreck ahead.
I swing my legs over the decaying railing just before the vines disintegrate and sink back into the churning black water. My left foot falls through the dilapidated planks, but I make it to the captain’s cabin, sliding on the wet planks. The door is open, and there’s something odd about the gloom beyond.
The floor screeches as I enter, and the moldy air tickles my nose. Rags, bones, maps sealed in wax cylinders litter the narrow space, and crabs the size of dogs scatter into the corners.
Now I know what was so odd about this place. The magic inside me swells and quietens.
The Candle of Azalyah is gone.
There is nothing here. While I was busy fighting the Dryad and the Kraken, someone took it.
I roar in frustration and run back to the deck, peering into the dark horizon. No boats in sight. Whoever took it is already beyond my reach.
With the Dryad’s bridge destroyed, swimming is the only option to reach the shore. Cursing my luck, I rip a wide plank from the deck and jump into the black waves below.
Every muscle aches, but I press on. The shore looms closer, and with a final burst of strength, I pull myself onto the wet, sandy beach, collapsing in exhaustion.
It takes a while to calm the trembling in my limbs, to regain the steadiness of my breath. Searing pain jolts up and down my thighs, but I push myself back up. Walking the desolate beach, stumbling over debris and bones, I’m obsessed with one single thought, so irrational, yet so right: to find Talysse.
A faint magical shimmer ahead pulls all my senses by an invisible thread.
