“I repeat – what the fuck was that?” Ron muttered.

“Did you just ask if it wanted to be friends?” added Kurik.

“Bro.”

“What?” asked Elijah. “It’s kind of cute, right? Like a pug, but instead of a tiny lapdog, it’s a giant tentacle beast.”

Kurik cut in, “Monster. The word you’re lookin’ for is monster.”

“It’s not a monster,” Elijah argued. “If anything, I think it’s closer to a guardian, and one that’s been kidnapped and enslaved.”

Indeed, the moment Elijah had laid eyes on the enormous beast, he’d realized two things. First, that it had picked up that giant without breaking a sweat – and with only a single tentacle, too. What’s more, the act seemed perfectly fitting, like watching a lion take down a gazelle. But as impressive as that was, Elijah was far more concerned with the second thought that had come to him.

The creature was a guardian. He didn’t know how things worked on the other planes, but he trusted his instincts. He could feel the kraken’s nature, and it felt almost identical to what he’d felt with the panther back on his island. And Snappy the turtle. The guardian bear as well. Elijah had enough experience with guardians to feel entirely secure in labeling the kraken as such.

The only question was what he intended to do with it.

His first instinct was to save the creature. It had been unjustly harnessed, and its enslavement set Elijah’s blood to boiling. It was one thing to kill a guardian. He didn’t like it, and he would certainly never approve of such action. But he also knew that it was always a distinct possibility, and he had little choice but to accept that, sometimes, it was even necessary.

However, there was no excuse for capturing and enslaving such an impressively mighty creature. That someone had was both troubling and infuriating, both in equal measure.

But Elijah couldn’t very well explain that to his companions. Not adequately, at least. So, he opted for an abbreviated version. “It’s a Druid thing. I’m not leaving this place until that kraken is free,” he said. “I don’t expect any of you to understand, and I get it if you don’t want to –”

“We’ll help you,” Sadie said.

“We will?” asked Kurik. “I don’t think you understand. That ain’t just some squid down there. It’s a –”

“I have eyes, Kurik. But Elijah would support us if the situation was turned around, so we owe him the same. Besides, as I understand it, that thing has been enslaved. Even if it is a monster, that is a despicable thing, and I won’t let it stand,” Sadie stated. Then, she turned to Elijah and asked, “So, what do you want to do?”

Elijah blinked in confusion before he finished processing what she’d said. To that, she cocked her head sideways, but before she could ask what the issue was, he said, “Thanks. I didn’t really expect anyone else to understand.”

“It’s instinctive. If anyone gets that, I do. Yours seems a lot more altruistic than mine, though.”

“Still, thank you. Now, as to what we’re going to do? I have no idea. I was hoping one of you would have a suggestion,” he said. None did, and they didn’t have time to stand around debating various courses of action. Already, they’d garnered the attention of a few of the gargoyles, which were on their way. So, Elijah said, “I’m going down there to talk to it.”

“You can talk to animals?”

“Uh…no. But I hope I can get through to it,” he said. Then, without further discussion, he added, “Just stay alive until I get back.”

Then, he leaped over the side of the bridge, already having cast Shape of the Sky. Before he hit the pool of magma, he snapped his wings out and glided in the direction of the kraken. It was only partially submerged, so at least it was visible. And what Elijah saw was a truly magnificent creature whose head was the size of a school bus.

Elijah landed on its ridged head, which definitely didn’t go unnoticed. In the space of a second, one of the thing’s tentacles was already on its way. So, he wasted no time before digging deep into One with Nature and delving into the creature’s vital essence.

Time felt like it slowed down as he dug through all the noise until, at last, he found the guardian’s core, which was teeming with so much life that Elijah almost didn’t notice the fire. He latched onto the former, using the sense granted by One with Nature to give him access.

He had done something similar with the guardian panther, though back then, he hadn’t had a clue what he was doing. He’d formed a bond with the creature, which had, in turn, given him access to the Animist class. This time, that was not his goal. Instead, he only wanted to create a temporary alliance based around an exchange of services. Elijah wanted to set the creature free, and in return, the guardian kraken would help them dispatch its master.

A win-win if there ever was one, and if Elijah was honest, he expected the goals to be one in the same. Yet, the kraken was horrified at Elijah’s touch and pulled away the second he made contact.

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“YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED!” it roared in a voice that shook the entire cavern.

“Oh, shit!” Elijah exclaimed, stumbling backwards and very nearly sliding from the slick surface of the kraken’s skull and into the magma below. “You can talk!”

“SO CAN YOU!”

“Oh…uh…touche, I guess. Look, Mr. Kraken. I’m a Druid of upstanding moral character, and I want to help free you. In exchange –”

“YOU ARE NO DRUID.”

“What? Yes, I am. I don’t have a badge or anything, but my status is pretty clear about my druid-hood.”

“A DRUID WOULD NOT REQUIRE PAYMENT.”

“I’m not asking for payment!” Elijah said. “I just thought I needed to –”

“LIES!”

“Look here, buddy. I’m just trying to help you out. You’re not here by choice, are you? I want to get you out of here, and I think the guy who’s keeping you here is the same guy I want to take out. This is a win-win.”

“WIN-WIN? I DO NOT KNOW THIS TERM.”

“It means that we both get what we want. I want to help you, and I need to kill the person in charge. The same one the giants are trying to kill. You want to be free.”

“I WISH TO GO HOME.”

“Yeah. That. So, what about you help me, and I’ll help you. And please stop waving your tentacles at me. We both know you’re not going to use them. I touched your core. I know what’s in your heart.”

“WHICH HEART? I HAVE SEVENTEEN.”

“Metaphor, man. Or woman. Or agender squid-lizard-thing. Whatever. My point is that I’m a Druid, you’re a natural creature in need, and I think we can help one another out. What do you say to that?”

“YOU WILL KILL THE FIEND? HE IS FORMIDABLE AND PROTECTED.”

“That’s what I came here to do,” Elijah said. Sure, the terms of the challenge called for him to overcome Cinderath, but he expected that sending the kraken back to its own world would satisfy those terms. How he would accomplish that feat was anyone’s guess.

“THEN WE HAVE AN ACCORD.”

“Awesome,” Elijah said with a grin. “So, what are we dealing with?”

That’s when the creature explained – in much a much quieter tone – the situation. The master, who was predictably one of the ta’alaki, had used his magic to summon a host of fire spirits from Ignis, then harnessed their power to fuel a much larger portal. That was how he’d brought the first fire giants over, and eventually, he’d enslaved Cinderath, keeping the giant kraken in check by holding its eggs hostage.

Once Elijah had all the necessary information, he launched himself back into the air, flapped his wings once, then glided toward where he’d left his companions. After that, he explained the situation before saying, “So, we need to get into that dome, defeat the so-called Master, then send everyone home through the portal. Once that’s done, we can free the fire spirits as well. Simple, right?”

“What are this Master’s powers?”

“He’s an Elemental Summoner. He shouldn’t be that strong by himself, but he’ll be guarded by minions he’s summoned from other realms. Probably fire-themed, given the setting.”

All the while, the battle between the giants had continued without pause. It was only because of the sheer noise of it all that the meeting between Elijah and Cinderath hadn’t been overheard. Instead, it had been lost in the cacophony. However, that short conversation had given Elijah all the information he needed to overcome the challenge.

At first, Elijah had considered asking the giants for help, but it only took one look at the ongoing battle to recognize the error in that line of thinking. They were so busy fighting one another that if they even tried to retreat, the other side would doubtless take the advantage.

So, once again, the goal became less about slaying the giants – if they were even capable of such a thing – and more about slipping through the cracks. The only reason Elijah suspected it was even possible was because he and his companions were so much smaller than the giants.

The only issue was that Elijah had no idea how to get inside the lattice dome.

Fortunately, while Elijah had been engaged in pleasant conversation with a kraken, Dat had used that time to study the situation from afar. He’d even used Ghost Cloak to get close enough to come to a few conclusions – chiefly, that he thought he could open the door.

When Elijah asked about it, Dat just gave him a wide grin and said, “I’m a Witch Hunter, bro. I can do lots of cool stuff.”

With that, the group made some final preparations before plunging into the fray. They’d spent the past hours steadily descending through one battle after another, so Elijah thought himself prepared for what to expect. However, this fight was between the biggest giants of the bunch, each one of a size with the leader. So, he felt smaller and less significant than ever before.

Fortunately, their prediction that the giants wouldn’t care about their presence proved prescient, and after dodging between so many enormous giants’ legs, they finally reached the door. It was sized to fit a ta’alaki, which meant that the giants had left it alone. Instead, they’d focused their efforts on fighting one another and, when possible, trying to tear through the lattice itself. Because of the giants’ focus, the door was mostly left alone, giving Dat an opportunity work his magic.

Ethera swirled around him as he knelt before it, and suddenly, a silver padlock manifested before him. He wasted no time before attacking it with a pair of lockpicks, and a second later, it clicked open. When it did, the door followed suit, swinging inward on unseen hinges.

And exposing a scene of horrors on the other side.

Elijah had no connection to elemental creatures, but even he could feel the pain radiating from five glass cylinders surrounding the room. In the center was a dais, upon which was a portal that resembled the ones they’d encountered in the Underrealm challenge – though on a much larger scale.

Sitting before it on a throne made of onyx and glowing with molten heat was a ta’alaki clad in black armor. Elijah hated the creature the second he laid eyes on him.

“So the time has come,” the creature said, pushing himself upright. His lower half was exposed, but Elijah could sense a shield of shimmering ethera surround it. The armor was high quality and studded with large, decorative rubies. In its hand was a massive sword with a blade that was at least five inches wide. “The emperor sent you, did he not? I will not surrender. I will fight –”

“We weren’t sent by your emperor. We have come to free the creatures you have enslaved,” Sadie said, stepping forward, her own blade in hand. “You will pay for this injustice, fiend. You wear your sins as armor – a practice I will not abide.”

“Sins? All necessary. You have –”

He never got the chance to say more, because he was cut off by a blue crossbow bolt slamming into him. The projectile bypassed the ta’alaki’s shield, piercing through his armor as well. Not much, but just enough to interrupt whatever spell he’d been casting.

“No casting for you, bro,” Dat announced.

And just like that, the battle began.