They arrived at the Unagi Peninsula right when the sun had begun its descent into the orange ocean. Although the area was smaller than he had expected- only a narrow, elongated appendix to the Continent- Elem was fascinated with Unagi’s unique geography.

Strangely enough, the peninsula’s coastline was both rugged and smooth, dotted by a collection of strange rocky outcroppings that had been formed by centuries of erosion from both wind and sea. The shadows of the setting sun accentuated the rocks’ strange and twisted shapes, making them seem even more mysterious, and Elem couldn’t help but think they had stumbled onto an entirely different planet. Some of the formations were tall and thin, reaching up towards the sky like the fingers of some petrified titan while others were stubby and rounded or took up strange, intricate shapes.

“I can’t believe people actually live here,” Aja said as she pointed at a collection of lights further up the peninsula. “According to the guide, this place is so prone to flooding that the inhabitants built their houses on these small, man-made hills to stay dry. Can you imagine having to move your entire house because the sea keeps dragging it away?”

Unsurprisingly, Unagi turned out to be a sleepy hamlet and it wasn’t difficult to find the town’s sole hostel. The establishment was small and cozy, a grand ocean view. Although humble, it was outfitted with soft beds and clean bathrooms which was all they needed for a good night’s rest anyways. After settling into their room, Elem and Aja realized how tired they actually were following their day-long trek and it didn’t take long before the hypnotic sound of waves slapping against the coast rocked them into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Elem woke up feeling refreshed and focused. Their journey hadn’t been without its troubles but despite everything they were still moving forward and he felt eager to face what was ahead of them.

Finally, he’d have the chance to challenge and defeat the master of the Unagi Summoning School just as Balthazar Flame had suggested. Beating a master, no matter how green, would be a great step towards becoming a legendary summoner himself, and more importantly; avenge his father.

But before all that, they had to quench Aja’s rumbling stomach first. In many ways the exact opposite from Elem, his friend was the type of person who was always excited to try out the local cuisine and had a stomach with the absorbent capabilities of a medium-sized black hole, and the moment they stepped out of the door, Aja dragged Elem to a cafe on the corner of the street and ordered two steaming bowls of sea urchin stew for breakfast.

There wasn’t much to Unagi Town apart from a few houses, a small harbor, a fish market, and its sun bleached lighthouse towering above it all. According to Aja’s guidebook, its local economy revolved around fishing mussels, urchins and clams, as well as a limited tourist industry mostly focused at traveling Summoners who visited its famed school.

They found the Unagi Summoning School on a pebble beach near the tip of the peninsula, just below the cliffs that housed the lighttower. The school had clearly specialized in Water Summons and many of the younger disciples sat cultivating in the surf while the more advanced students were sparring with their Summons on the beach.

“So how do you want to do this?” Aja asked. “You just want to rush in again like we did at the Ultra Gym?”

“Sort of,” Elem chuckled. “But let me try to use my brain a little this time.”

Although they joked about it now, the debacle in Alabaster City was hardly something Elem wanted to repeat and while cycling to the Unagi Peninsula, he had come up with a proper plan. While Balthazar had told him that the town’s master was an inexperienced instructor, Elem still didn’t expect her to be an easy opponent and knew he had to approach his challenge with tact and care.

Stolen story; please report.

He had decided it was wise to respectfully challenge one of the school’s instructors first, so he could test himself and display his skills before approaching the master herself. But even that wouldn't be enough. He wouldn’t want to duel the master blindly, not before observing one of her duels so he could craft a proper strategy.

“Let’s wait till they’re done with this training session,” he suggested.

“Sure thing,”Aja replied as she plopped on a nearby boulder. “As long it won’t be too long cause I’m already getting hungry again.”

They watched the Unagi School Summoners spar on the beach. Each of the practice matches were fierce and fast paced but Elem was most drawn to a duel between a Carcinos and a Grindylow.

The slimy, green-colored Grindylow was extremely quick. It dashed in and out of the water to avoid getting hit but was unable to inflict any damage to its opponent. The Carcinos, a massive crab-like Summon, blocked the Grindylow’s repeated attacks with ease before grabbing the smaller Summon with one of its claws and knocking it out with the other.

“That’s the one I should face first,” Elem nudged at the Carcinos’ summoner.

The man almost looked as tough as his Summon; his tall, muscular frame was marked with multiple battle scars and his eyes were nearly covered by the navy bandana he wore to keep the sweat from his face. Beating someone like that, Elem figured, would definitely impress the school’s master.

“Seriously? You really have to fight that crab?” Aja protested, theatrically covering her face with her palms. You know how much I love seafood and that's only gonna make me even more hungry.”

Elem would have raised an eyebrow at Aja’s tease but he barely processed what his friend was saying. He walked up to the summoner and tapped his shoulder.

“My name is Elem Eldyck. I am a traveling summoner looking to improve my craft. It would be an honor to duel with you. One Summon each.”

The man gave Elem a stern stare. He folded his arms over one another, his nostrils flaring like an angry bull. “We are in the middle of a training session. Do you know what that means?”

Elem wasn’t sure what to say. He had tried to sound as respectful as possible but now worried that he’d come across too pushy or even arrogant.

“It means that you’ve come at the perfect time!” the man finally said, jovially slapping Elem on the shoulder. “My name is Dante, nice to meet you. We can start now if you’re ready?”

“Right now?”

“Of course my friend!” Dante exclaimed. Apparently, he wasn’t the type to beat around the bush.

Elem nodded and took the place of Dante’s previous opponent and dropped into his stance.

“Where are you from, traveler?” the man shouted. “You sound like you’ve come far!”

“East,” Elem replied. “Lightning Rod.”

“Ah Lightning Rod. So you’re a city boy huh? I’ve heard there’s a good school over there as well. Sekudeim? Or was it Sekuheim?”

Elem didn’t answer his opponent. He focused on the Essence bulging in his stomach, waiting to get out. He took a few breaths, pumping the energy into his Essence nodes before propelling it through the rest of his body. In a flash, his eyes colored blue and his Kappa emerged into the physical realm.

“I summon the Kappa, a Water Summon; mysterious protector of rivers!”

“This is gonna be great!’ Dante let out an excited, rolling chuckle. “I summon the Carcinos, my Water Summon; the horror of the abyss!”

Splashing water everywhere, the Carcinos dramatically rose from the beach like an emerging submarine. Up close, the creature looked even bigger and far more terrifying than it had before. It had the tail of a massive crawdad but the front of its body was reminiscent of a crab. However, what really rattled Elem to his core were the Summon’s claws. The two shears were uneven but even the smaller one looked like it could cut a man in half without much effort.

“Kappa!” Elem shouted. “Attack!”