Midday damn-near pissed himself when the elephant lifted its trunk to the exact branch he and the others were standing on. Coming face-to-face with its enormous trunk, which was like that of the trees native to the old growth—if not larger and sturdier—was an experience on par with when Weathermaker had killed hundreds of people in less than a second with his lightning. The realization that a creature so incalculably massive could actually exist made him feel even smaller and more powerless than before. Thanks to his experience with Weathermaker, he hated the feeling.

The elephant took in a big whiff with such force that Midday felt as though he was about to be sucked into the titan's trunk and then froze for a few seconds. From then on, the creature, its mouth still distant below, started making clicking sounds. These noises meant nothing to most of the group and, if not for Jenjo's eyes suddenly going wide, everyone would have assumed that they were merely the typical noises of an animal.

But Jenjo, with a background in the military, knew better. He knew that the elephant was using morse code to speak. He listened, stunned at what was happening, for many seconds until the creature finished its message.

"My name is Jenjo of Harriseppu," he declared to the beast, trying his best to maintain his composure. "We were sent here by Mulberry Slumpson to protect Solomon the Frog."

The elephant responded with some more clicks that Midday had no means to decipher.

"Sounds like we know as little as you do. All I can say with confidence right now is that this fog was created by someone called Weathermaker and that it can reanimate the corpses."

The elephant once again answered with some clicks.

"Oh, him? His name is Midday, I think. What of it?"

Midday winced. Why had his name come up? The only reason he could think of was that the elephant had mentioned him, but he couldn't think of any reason for why that might be. He clenched his fists at his sides, trying to keep his growing anxiousness in check. The elephant continued.

"I can accept those terms. Just to clarify, we'll still be allowed to follow you two, right?"

The elephant answered with some clicks.

"Then it sounds like we have an agreement. Feel free to take him." Jenjo turned to Midday. "I have no idea why, but this elephant wants you—and you alone—to ride on its back and be the first to meet Solomon. We'll be following close behind."

The elephant positioned its trunk to be directly beneath where Midday was standing and made some clicks.

"It says to jump down," said Jenjo, who Midday—unaware of the existence of morse code—could not even begin to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why the man could speak the language of elephants.

Midday stared down at the top of its trunk. The thick, wrinkled hide was a deep grey-brown, and its surface was adorned with intricate patterns of mud and moss. The drop was only a few feet, but the distance seemed enormous when coupled with the mysterious nature of the beast.

"Do I need to push you?" said Jenjo in far too serious a tone for Midday's liking. "I confess that I'm just as confused by this as you are, but don't be impolite."

Midday said a quick prayer to no one in particular and jumped. He landed less than a second later, owing to the fact that the elephant had such precise control over its trunk as to hold it just inches away from the branch. From there, the elephant curled its trunk to send Midday rolling down it as though it were a slide. Now atop the creature's head, Midday gathered his bearings and looked around.

The portions of its ears that he could see were like the masts of a ship, and its back was so broad that the edges were hidden in the fog. No doubt about it, the creature was large enough to build a mansion or two atop but, despite all these things, one trait stood out above the rest.

The elephant had a small forest on its back, complete with everything from small patches of grass to decently large trees. Squirrels, birds, deer, and other wildlife lived in this forest, and as amazed as Midday was by all this, he didn't get any time to appreciate it because, once the elephant started walking, he lost his ability to maintain balance. Each step was like an earthquake, and all Midday could do was wrap his arms around a tree and hope for the best. This elephant was not walking with the grace of a centuries-old giant but, rather, it was galloping through the swamp like a horse.

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Before long, the elephant had arrived at its destination: another elephant, this one somehow even bigger than the last. Upon arrival, the first elephant curled its trunk around Midday before he could react and squeezed. Rather than crushing him though, the gentle titan had simply picked him up and gently dropped him off on the other elephant's back.

Gathering his bearings once again, Midday looked up and saw the second elephant had an entirely different biome on its back. This time, it was a pond: a giant pond that somehow existed atop the bizarre, concave-shaped back of the second elephant.

Mister Potatoes, who had somehow managed to stay on Midday's shoulder during the craziness that had just ensued, licked up a nearby firefly as Midday looked around and saw the lily-pad-filled pond ahead filled with all sorts of tadpoles, small fish, geckos, and all kinds of creatures one might expect to find in a pond. The beetle, evidently hungry, shot out his tongue—which could apparently extend multiple feet out his mouth now—and snacked on various bugs on the ground, treating the place like a buffet more than anything else.

Midday, still confused, stood there for a while, at first just taking in the sights and then beginning the search for Solomon. He still wasn't sure why he, out of everyone in the group, had been singled out, but he imagined he would find out soon enough. All he needed to do for the present moment was to find Solomon.

It was fortunate, then, that doing so was very easy. An ordinary-sized green frog, no difference in appearance from any other frog insofar as Midday could tell, was sitting atop an ethereal blue hand that levitated a few feet above the ground. Upon seeing Midday, the frog flew over to him atop the hand.

"Hullo. Who might you be?"

"Midday Sunson," answered Midday, trying his best to stay composed. "Mulberry sent me and a few others to protect you this month.

"Oh, I see. Didn't know she was doing anything like that." The frog, Solomon, looked at Midday with a blank stare that someone more sensitive to such a thing might consider cute. "Well, thanks for coming."

Midday nodded, not sure what to say.

"Mugrim says you're an Elvanerean. I'm surprised you're not here to kill me. Not that you could."

"Mugrim? Kill you? I'm sorry, but I don't follow. What are you talking about?"

"Mugrim is the name of the elephant who carried you here. The name of the elephant you're standing on right now, by the way, is Jugrim." The frog stopped for a moment. "At least, that's what I call them."

"Okay… Cool, I guess? Forgive me for asking, but why did you think I'm here to kill you?"

"Because you're an Elvanerean, no? Mugrim said so."

"Uh… I mean, I live on Elvanera Island at the moment… So I guess?"

"That's not what I mean. You do have the ring, no?"

"Wait… What do you mean by that?" Midday tensed up. Solomon was talking about the Elvanerean Ring, no doubt about that, but how did he know about it? He hadn't told anyone about it.

"Old Growth Elephants have some of the best noses you'll ever come across. They know an Elvanerean Ring when they smell one. I taught them that."

"Oh… I see." Midday frowned. "So you know what it is."

"Yes. That's a component of my research." The frog went silent for a few seconds. "I have an Elvanerean Ring too. I was under the impression that Elvanera Group found out about it and had sent you here to kill me and retake it. But I guess not."

"I'm here to protect you."

"Right. Can you use it?"

"Use what? The ring?"

"The ring."

"Uh…" Midday was not enjoying this conversation very much. Giving up his secrets was a very unpleasant thing to do, but he nonetheless felt compelled to answer honestly. This frog, after all, might know something. "Y-yeah?"

"I see. Keep it then. It might play an important role in your future. I would advise keeping it a secret from everyone else, by the way."

"What kind of role?"

"Depends. What level are you?"

"Six."

"Oh. Level up four more times then."

"And then something will happen?"

"It's possible."

"Like what?"

"Depends."

"You're… not going to tell me, are you?"

"It'll be a surprise."

"Why won't you tell me? What harm would come of it?"

"It'll ruin the surprise. Tell me this: how many charges can you use per day?"

"Uh, three? Why?"

"I only get one. You must really love agriculture. You'll probably be fine then. Probably."

"I mean, okay? Whatever." Midday knew that he had an entire month to get information out of Solomon, so he wasn't especially worried about interrogating the frog for everything it knew at the present moment. "Putting the ring aside for a moment, what now? Should I be doing anything?"

"Hmm. Build a house? That's your prerogative. Unless you're good at science. In that case, I could use some help."

"With what?"

"Are you good at science?"

"Not really? I mean—"

"If you get good at science, you can help. Until then, do whatever."

"Oh, umm, alright. Sure. Well, is it okay if my companions come aboard this elephant now?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Well, can you tell this elephant that?"

"Jugrim."

"R-right. Can you tell Jugrim to let them aboard?"

"Hey, Jugrim. You heard that just now, right?"

The elephant made some clicking sounds.

"Jugrim will let them on when they get here. It'll be a while before then. I'm going to do some science now. Bye." Solomon, still atop the ethereal hand, flew away.

Midday stood there, dumbfounded, for a while before deciding he might as well have a look around. He had never imagined he might find himself standing beside the pond on a giant elephant's back. And yet there he was.