Twenty minutes passed before Oladi and Zarud arrived with their gear at the ready. Shortly after they arrived, Max and the scouting team approached the members of Mag Ársa to discuss the plan for descending to the island.

“Okay,” Max said while moving to the center of the group. “Members of Mag Ársa, this is the third scouting team. I’m sure most of you are already familiar with each other, but for the two that aren’t. The third scouting team is headed by Captain Reszu.” He said and motioned to a short caitsith with onyx colored fur and light gray eyes.

Captain Reszu was wearing a dark green, hooded robe over a suit of leather armor. A wooden mallet hung from a loop on their belt and a wooden dirge was strapped to their back. “If it’s not immediately obvious by the attire, the captain is a druid.” Max explained while looking at Aldritch and Faeyra.

“Aldritch of clan Blackshield. Pleasure to meet you, Captain.” Aldritch said and offered a friendly smile while holding out his hand in greetings.

“Yes, lovely to meet you, Captain. I’m Faeyra Silverowl, an Alchemist.” She said and copied Aldritch’s greeting.

The Caitsith Captain grabbed both of their hands at the same time; Aldritch’s in the right hand and Faeyra’s in the left and shook them. “Excellent to meet you both!” She said and smiled.

“Now,” Max said, getting their attention once again. “The other members of the scouting team accompanying you today are as follows,” he said before briefly mentioning the names and classes of the other eleven members. Perhaps the most impressive thing about the whole display was his ability to name each member without reading them off a list.

However, not all of them were going with Mag Ársa to the island. Only seven members would be accompanying them on the journey today, the rest had been conscripted by Joolbic and his allies to help with the reclamation project.

Aside from Captain Reszu herself, these were the members going to the island with them.

Aneko and Fone were Caitsith twins; their fur was almost entirely white, save for a black circle around Aneko’s right eye and the same circle around Fone’s left eye. And both twins had bright amber eyes that shined with excitement.

Aneko’s class was Rogue with a specialization for lockpicking and trap finding. She wore a suit of leather armor over jeans and a black hoodie and leather boots. A small crossbow was strapped to her right leg, a container of crossbow bolts was strapped to her left leg, and a pair of short swords crossed over her lower back.

Fone’s class was Ranger with a specialization for tracking and pathfinding. He wore an identical outfit to his sister, except his weapon of choice was a surprisingly large longbow slung over one shoulder and a quiver full of arrows strapped to his back. He also had a single dagger sheathed against the inner side of his left forearm. A small crow was sleeping inside his hood, seemingly unconcerned about the people surrounding it.

Jarome Malek was a lanky male Kandis: He had short brown fur that laid flat against his body and black eyes. Jarome was a cleric serving Yjun: The God of Chance, Funerals, Trickery, and Thieves. He wore a black robe over a thin suit of cloth armor, thick leather boots, and leather forearm guards. Four sheathed daggers were strapped across his chest and a rapier dangled loosely from his belt.

Harik Virqen was a short Lunaren elf. His pale skin looked even paler beneath the curtain of pitch-black hair that hung past his shoulders. He was wearing a dark suit beneath a purple cloak, thick leather shoes, and carried a six-foot tall staff in his right hand.

Harik’s class was Warlock, which was a type of spellcaster who primarily worked with spirits- both elemental and otherwise. Some likened them to necromancers, but that wasn’t a fair comparison. Warlocks couldn’t create undead or control them against their will. They could only forge partnerships with a willing spirit and use a few of their abilities.

In Harik’s case: his spirit took the form of a four-inch tall, human-shaped ruby that sat atop his left shoulder. The details on the ruby were phenomenal, and somehow managed to make a gem look like a living boy complete with strands of hair that moved in an unfelt wind and eyes that could move.

Meira Faranna was a tall Solaren elf Ranger with ebon colored skin. Her long, bone-white hair was carefully braided and laid over her left shoulder. She wore a suit of black leather armor over white pants, a cut off dark red hoodie that exposed her surprisingly defined abs, and leather thigh-high boots that had been dyed black to match her armor.

Meira had a large crossbow strapped to her back that caused Aldritch to raise an eyebrow at its appearance. The track that launched the bolt was almost three times as long as a normal crossbow, and there was a trio of ten inch long mounted ‘legs’ attached just beneath the track. Another surprising thing was the three canisters of crossbow bolts strapped to her back, each bolt was almost double the length and thickness of a normal crossbow bolt.

The last member going was Ellie Underlake: the mousy Halfling woman Sulika saw a few days ago, during the original debriefing with Max. Ellie had short brown hair that ended just beneath her ears and gray eyes.

Her outfit consisted of a dark blue robe over cloth armor, and a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Ellie’s class was Wizard - another variant of the spellcasting class. However, unlike Sulika, whose magic came from her bloodline. Aldritch, whose magic came from Oakairo. Oladi, whose magic came from the natural world. And Harik, whose magic came from his contract with a spirit. Ellie’s magic came from the countless objects she carried around inside her comically large backpack.

Wizard’s had mana, just like the other classes. But they couldn’t use it to cast spells. Instead, their magic could be used to implant spells into seemingly mundane objects like pebbles… It just required the Wizard to carve an intricate, and extremely temperamental spell formation onto each object. A single mistake could cause the spell to literally blow up in the Wizard’s face. But in return, they could carry around as many ‘spells’ as they wanted.

Ellie’s preferred method was the slingshot tucked into a pocket of her robe. With just a piece of wood and a few muscle fibers, Ellie could launch spells almost as fast as she could load pebbles into her slingshot.

“And, of course, I’m going.” Max said, patting himself on the chest. “Per standard protocol, I’ll be accompanying Mag Ársa into the dungeon to ensure nothing goes wrong.” He finished while looking up at Aldritch. “Any problems with this arrangement?”

“If that’s what you wish to do.” Aldritch replied while smiling slightly. “Adding one or ten more people won’t make much of a difference. However, if you’re coming with us, that makes you a temporary member of Mag Ársa. You’ll follow orders just like everyone else. If you cannot accept that, I’ll insist you remain with the scouting team.” He said while matching Max’s gaze.

“You think I’ll cause trouble?” Max asked, amused at the thought. He wasn’t used to people talking to him in such a casual manner. Especially not the guild master of a green guild.

“You think I’ll allow anything to go wrong?” Aldritch asked. In spite of the questions and Max’s challenging statements, Aldritch never lost the slight smile on his face.

The two guild masters watched each other for a few more seconds before Aldritch reached out a hand for Max to shake- which he took a moment later. “This is your show, you run it the way you see fit. But I won’t hesitate to step in if I feel it’s necessary to save lives. I know you’re strong, but great personal strength doesn’t make you a good leader.”

“So says the child.” Oakairo muttered in a tone filled with derision. “I love his confidence, and his pride has a rather robust flavor. But I can’t help but see the humor in this situation.”

“He doesn’t know about my past. I can’t blame him for being cautious.” Aldritch mentally replied to Oakairo. “If such a situation occurs, I would gladly thank you for protecting my people... Just know that if I believe you, or anyone else, intentionally creates such a situation in order to besmirch my name or endanger my people. The culprit won't live long enough to make the same mistake again.” He said, surprising everyone within earshot.

Had he just threatened Max? No, Aldritch didn’t think so. In his eyes, it was just a statement of fact: like saying the sky was blue, the sun rose from the east, or demons were dangerous.

What he'd said was a simple, irrefutable, fact that couldn’t have been clearer if Faeyra had seen it in a prophecy.

Max couldn’t help it. He laughed. A full, unfiltered belly laugh that surprised those listening even more than what Aldritch said. “I’d be disappointed if you did any less.” He said, nodding his agreement. “Follow me. Our ride has been patiently waiting for us for a while now. I fear if we keep her waiting any longer, we’ll face her wrath.” Max said, grinning.

The three groups went their separate ways then. One group headed deeper into the aerial docks, while the other moved towards the city to get ahead of the panic that was sure to follow.

Aldritch, Sulika, Faeyra, Derrik, Zarud, Oladi, and Ralocan followed closely behind Max and the third scouting team as they quickly moved through the docks. Within minutes, they arrived at the largest hole in the whole of the docks and stopped just beside the edge.

Max knelt beside the hole and placed his palms against the floor… He whispered something almost no one could understand, then stood up- A subtle flash of light preceded a deafening *whoosh* of air that signaled the hole had been ‘opened’.

“I’m only saying this so no one makes a mistake and attacks my friend.” Max shouted to be heard over the rushing wind. “I’ve raised this creature since she was an egg. She knows me, and though she’s the friendliest member of her species I’ve ever met, she is dangerous. Do not approach her alone. Is that understood?” He asked and got a series of nods and a “Yes.” from Aldritch in return.

“Perfect. Well, then. Without wasting any more time, allow me to introduce you to-” Max’s voice was cut off by an ear-shattering cry that was loud enough to shake the bones of any who heard it. *Thump* The ground shook violently. *Thud* The air trembled as something massive moved through it- An impossibly long object shot through the hole and slammed into the ground a mere ten feet from the group.

“Calamari, anyone?” Oakairo laughed. He and Aldritch were staring at the hundred-foot-long violet tentacle that was coiling around one of the reinforced structures that could be found all across the aerial dock. That tentacle was almost immediately followed by nine more that were just as long as the first, each one grabbing onto a structure and going taut as it pulled on the structure. Within moments, a massive arrow shaped head rose through the hole. The creature’s entire body was a shade of purple, though its tentacles were a few shades darker than the rest of it. Three pairs of black eyes passed through the hole and landed on the people waiting beside the hole. A wickedly sharp beak chittered a greeting that only Max seemed to understand.

Almost everyone who saw the creature reacted in a similar way. Those who’d never seen such a beast felt fear down to their very core, while those who knew what the creature was felt nervous at its presence in the city. Sure, Max was vouching for it, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t decide to grab a snack for the trip… Meanwhile, Aldritch and Oakairo were far more interested in Max now that they knew he could control such a creature. Curious to confirm its identity, Aldritch pulled on his mana and cast Encyclopedia of the Great Sage.

Species: Kraken

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Danger Rating

7/10

Description

The second largest member of the cephalopod family.

Krakens are a variant of Giant Squid: they have three brains, eleven hearts, five sets of gills, and two sets of external lungs. This allows them the unique ability to survive on both land and beneath the waves- though only one set of breathing organs can be activated at a time. Making it easy for a kraken to drown or suffocate depending on how much of their body is submerged.

Size

Capable of growing up to three hundred feet long from the tip of its head to the base of its body. And over three thousand feet long if you consider the length of the tentacles as part of their body.

Appearance

Though they come in a variety of shades and colors, males are almost always brighter and more vibrant in color than the females.

* New Information

Due to a recent mutation:(sometime in the last 600-800 years) The Iolaran Kraken and numerous other aquatic species have begun possessing a special organ at the center of their brain. This organ is known as the ‘Caeli Imperium’, named after the spell of the same name.

This organ allows the creature to use a lesser form of telekinesis by controlling air particles around their body, a feat that was previously unheard of in non-demonic animals. By enveloping its body in a thin capsule of air and forcing the ‘capsule’ to move, aquatic creatures with more than 5 Intelligence points can simulate flight for brief periods of time. However, it must return to the sea after a few hours or risk damaging its mind and drying out its body.

Both are death sentences for most creatures.

Aldritch read through the data while Max explained what was about to happen.

He thought the presence of a genetic mutation was fascinating. It was something he’d never encountered before. I mean, he knew animals could mutate if they were exposed to miasma for prolonged periods of time. But he had no idea the mutations could pass on through the generations. Most of the mutated animals he’d seen were either too mad to bother procreating and had to be put down. Or were killed outright from the miasma before they could produce offspring. Aldritch couldn’t help but wonder at the Kraken’s origins. How did it come about? Was its mutation a result of selective breeding, like Garr attempted with Synne, or was it a complete accident? Was it truly passed on from its parents, who had a similar mutation, or had it mutated while it was still inside its egg?

“I doubt the yappy dog is going to allow you to dissect his companion. If you want to answer those questions, we may have to catch one ourselves.” Oakairo pointed out. He was also interested in the Kraken’s presence… But his interest wasn’t so much scientific and more along the lines of ‘Squids are yummy’.

“Everyone, this is Sophia.” Max said while motioning towards the Kraken. “On her back, just above her tentacle line, is a large compartment that seats ten people comfortably and twenty people if you don’t mind standing. There’s no food or drinks allowed inside the compartment, and I didn’t have the coin to have a bathroom installed. So, if you need to relieve yourselves, I suggest you do it now.” He explained before leading everyone around the rear of the Kraken. True to his word, a large bronze compartment with multiple glass windows awaited them: It sat between two iron triangles that braced either side of the compartment, forming a crude gyroscope that allowed it to swing back and forth, but wouldn’t allow it to flip or tumble. Those riding inside shouldn’t be able to be thrown about as long as the Kraken was somewhat conscious of their presence.

At twenty-five feet wide, ten feet long, and seven feet deep. The compartment was capable of fitting almost everyone comfortably. Aldritch, being just under seven feet tall, knew he would repeatedly hit his head if he stood inside that thing.

“I’ll follow along behind you guys.” Aldritch announced while Max was guiding the scouting team into the compartment.

“I didn’t know you were the type to be scared, Aldritch.” Max said, grinning up at the much larger man.

“Scared?” Aldritch repeated. “Ah, no, I’m not afraid. I just know I’ll be faster on my own, and you’ll have more room inside without me.”

“And-uh- just how do you plan to get there, Guild Master?” Ralocan whispered to him.

Aldritch stared at the cleric for a few seconds before it occurred to him: Only Sulika, Faeyra, and Max knew he could fly. And even they hadn’t seen him do it, only heard about it from Garr’s story. “O’ mighty Oakairo; my king and guiding light, let my words reach you on dragon’s wings. With my body as the vessel, bring your wrath down upon mine enemies: Aspect of the Dragon - Wings.” Aldritch muttered while slowly backing away from the Kraken.

“Permission granted. My wings are yours.” Oakairo muttered, deep inside Aldritch’s body, the Dragon God was grinning like a mad man.

A potent mana rushed out of Aldritch’s body that hit the people watching him like a punch to the guts. Oakairo’s wings were rapidly constructed in the air behind him, starting as a faint silver light that exploded into four resplendent wings that sent tremors through the souls of onlookers. Not even the Kraken was spared from feeling like a prey animal. It reacted instantly, its eyes finding Aldritch as its body trembled from resisting the urge to flee. But Aldritch was expecting this and quickly reined in the divine mana pouring from his body, transforming it from a tidal wave of power to little more than a current of static electricity in moments.

As Aldritch’s mana receded, so too did the Kraken’s fear. Eventually its natural intelligence and training kicked in, and it was able to return to a neutral state.

Aldritch grinned proudly at the creature. He admired anyone who could face their fear and still complete their duty. That level of self-control was something Aldritch could respect.

While Aldritch was watching the Kraken, everyone else was captivated by the divine energy Aldritch exuded. Sulika was no exception, but at least she and Faeyra were growing used to feeling this way. Most people would go their entire lives without experiencing the raw, unfiltered mana of a God. But they’d had breakfast with one this morning. It was slow going, sure, but they were adapting to Oakairo’s presence- underneath the gasps and awe-filled exclamations, Sulika heard rapid breathing coming from at least two directions at the same time and turned to investigate. She knew Aldritch’s demonstration was impressive, but this was going a bit too far- wasn’t it?

She found Ralocan, Jarome, and Harik rooted in place. Their eyes were all wide open, allowing Sulika a clear view of their irises and the expressions on their faces.

Ralocan’s dark yellow eyes were as bright as a bonfire on a moonless night and glowing the color of molten gold. He stared at Aldritch with a look of intense interest. The tightness in his jaw and lips showed a deep concern- for what, Sulika wasn’t sure. But it was obvious that something was on his mind.

Similarly, Jarome’s black eyes were illuminated by a silvery glow that made his eyes look like crescent moons. There was open hostility in his eyes that didn’t match the character Sulika had known before today. Jarome was usually an easy-going guy, what was going through his head that made him look at Aldritch as if they were mortal enemies?

Harik’s eyes hadn’t changed in the slightest. They were still almost the same shade of red as the ruby boy sitting on his shoulder. However, the emotions he displayed were so radically different from what he’d shown earlier, Sulika was having a hard time recognizing this small, frightened man as the same aloof Warlock she’d seen just moments ago- That was when she noticed something else that was different about Harik, or rather, it was the ruby boy who looked different.

The ruby boy’s body shook as if he had hypothermia. His surprisingly detailed eyes stared straight ahead at Aldritch, and it was clear he was afraid. But unlike Harik, the ruby boy did not try to shrink away from Aldritch. Rather, he stood with his back straight and his hands were shoved out to either side as if he was trying to make himself appear larger than he was.

Sulika wondered if the ruby boy was trying to protect Harik?

“I apologize if I frightened anyone.” Aldritch said, pulling Sulika’s attention back to him. “That wasn’t my intention. Rather than try and explain it, I believed it would be easier to show you how I intended to follow Sofia.” He said and motioned to the Kraken.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Aldritch. But I’m fairly certain it’ll take more than a few flamboyant wings to frighten us!” Zarud hollered, his words eliciting a round of nervous laughter from most of the scouting team.

“Aye!” Derrik yelled, nodding his agreement with Zarud. “Dwarves don’t fear sparkly pixie wings, Aldritch. Come back when you ‘ave upgraded to some real wings, then you might have a shot at at scarin me!” Derrik laughed.

"They're right. It'll take more than that to scare us, Aldritch. After all, we've all seen what Zarud looks like in the morning." Oladi replied, smirking at the half-orc. Zarud reacted as she knew he would, and hurled a slew of curses her way- much to Derrik, Sulika, and Faeyra's amusement. Their laughter allowed everyone to relax a little more. And as they came to realize that Aldritch wasn’t getting angry at Zarud and Derrik for insulting him and was merely shaking his head with an amused grin plastered across his face, they began to relax even more.

A sense of humor goes a long way towards easing people's fears; Aldritch knew it, Max knew it, and whether or not Derrik and Zarud realized it, they'd just helped Aldritch overcome his first hurdle of the day.

“Alright. Everyone load up- We’ve wasted enough time as it is.” Max yelled and started ushering people into the only Kraken blimp in existence; It took a few minutes to get everyone inside the compartment, and a couple more to show them how to fasten their seatbelts in case of emergency. But within ten minutes they were ready. Max sealed the compartment door behind them and activated the defensive wards: three paper-thin rectangular barriers formed one on top of the other before merging into a single, more powerful barrier and fading from view.

“Eye of the Magic Eater.” Aldritch muttered while walking backwards. Once the spell activated, Aldritch watched the Kraken’s whole body. He saw the capsule mentioned in the Encyclopedia of the Great Sage start to form in the air above the Kraken’s head: when fully formed, the capsule was spherocylindrical in shape. Though it started as something no larger than a bag of flour, it quickly swelled until it was the size of a small building- reaching its full size in only two minutes. Once it was big enough, Sophia lifted her body off the dock with her tentacles, while simultaneously pulling the capsule down over the tip of her head- The capsule reacted to her body instantly by dropping down and covering all of her body, save for her tentacles- which were simple too long to fit inside with the rest of her.

With the capsule covering her body, and her passengers safely ensconced within the compartment, Sophia was finally ready to depart. She lifted body a few feet higher still- Then pulled on the anchors with all her might and launched herself back through the large hole she’d arrived through; much to the horror, and entertainment, of those riding inside the compartment.

Aldritch calmly walked over to the edge of the hole and looked down. He saw Sophia plummeting towards the ocean some 20,000 feet below; her tentacles flapped violently as she barreled through layer after layer of air resistance.

Aldritch was interested to note the way each of her tentacles began to reflect the morning sunlight as she plummeted through the air. He stepped forward, moving his left foot over the edge and prepared to follow Sophia- But something caused him to hesitate; The tingling across his skin, the goosebumps that spread across his neck and down his arms. Oh yes, he would recognize that feeling anyway. It was the feeling of someone watching you, specifically, someone planning to inflict pain and suffering upon you.

“I feel it too; Some little rascal is attempting to call us out for that display earlier. And did you notice the clerics? How they responded to my mana?”

"I did. It’s like they were possessed by something.”

"More like ‘someone’. And since they didn’t die on the spot, I’m assuming they were possessed by the gods they serve… Aldritch, now that their attention is on us, we’ll need to be more careful. We don’t know what kind of beings we’re dealing with; they might not be pleased with my presence in their world.” Oakairo said in a serious tone.

“How unfortunate for them.” Aldritch muttered to Oakairo. Following his instincts, Aldritch turned his head towards the city: After centuries of following his instincts, Aldritch was pretty good about finding the people targeting him. His eyes landed on the clock tower near the center of the city… Aldritch smiled at the presence he sensed behind that broken clock-face.

So, a God had seen fit to personally come to the city. And judging by the bloodlust directed at Aldritch, they weren’t happy with what they’d found here.

Aldritch slightly dipped his head in greeting towards the unseen deity and stepped off the edge, falling through the hole and out of the opening Max created within the ward earlier.

No matter what they wanted, he would deal with it in his own time. If they didn’t like it, then they were more than welcome to pursue him to the island.