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I will show them what the consequences are for trying to take what is mine.
25
LAIKEN
Down here in the depths of my realm, the water is cool and still. Not much light makes it this far underwater, but I can see perfectly well all the same. The dark stone of my cavern fades away behind me as I propel myself into open waters, determination burning brightly in my chest.
I’ve never been forced to protect my home like this – nothing has ever been stupid enough to challenge me here – but my resolve only burns brighter for it. Thoughts of Penny fill my mind as I shoot through the open water, refusing to let the apparent calmness of the ocean belie the danger that lies ahead.
Thoughts of Penny, of the life I plan to have with her, drive me to a level I’ve never experienced before. I’ve always fought with ferocious intensity. It’s in my nature. But I’ve only ever fought for my own survival, or at times, my own pride. Never before Penny had I fought for the sake of another. For the fate of one I love.
Now that I am, I realize just how weak I was before. I always thought being secluded kept me strong, that having no attachments meant I had no weaknesses. I hadn’t realized the strength and courage that come from having something to protect. I hadn’t realized that my lack of attachmentwasmy weakness.
Simply put, Penny gives me a purpose such as I’ve never experienced, and I see now that without that purpose, I was lost.
The knowledge that I could be going to my death is not lost on me, but I’m willing to die if it means saving Penny. I plan to live and to live for a long time, but…
“If my death buys life for Penny, I’ll give it happily,” I declare resolutely.
As I drive myself forcefully through the water, my heart brims with violent intent. These people are here to hurt her, to torture and enslave her. I will rip them to bloody shreds before I let that happen. I’ll kill every elf on Protheka if I must.
Dark shapes begin to materialize on the surface. Rage burning like the sun, I kick hard with my tentacles, driving myself full speed toward the closest boat. In the final seconds of calm, as I traverse the final few yards of open water, my fury builds to its apex, helping me reach a speed I didn’t even know I was capable of.
With a mighty crash, I slam my body into the prow of the boat, lifting it up out of the water. The wood crunches under the impact, and I let out a ferocious roar as my body breaches the surface, tossing the ship over and sending the dark elves aboard tumbling into the sea.
The world explodes with commotion as I send the boat to its watery grave. The sounds of screaming elves and the twang of bow strings barely register through the veil of my determination. “The monster is here!” one shouts from one of the other boats. “Get ready!”
I arch my body as the boat leaves my hands, diving headfirst back into the water, tentacles lashing as I make for the overboard elves. The first elf bobs on the surface, treading water near one of the other boats.
Before he can be helped aboard, I slam into him, grabbing hold of his legs and pulling him underwater. The elf struggles for a moment, but it’s too late for him. My tentacles are already around his throat. With a sickening crunch, I snap the elf’s neck and release his body to sink limply into the depths.
Wasting no time, I locate the next elf and shoot towards it, violent purpose driving me forward. Arrows begin to hit the water around me, forcing me to dodge and roll on more than one occasion. Luckily, the water slows them down significantly and makes it much harder for the archers to aim.
This elf, having a bit more sense than the last one, awaits me under the water, magical energy shining in its right hand. He seems to be holding his attack, waiting for the right moment to strike with full force. Good. They haven’t figured out how to beat me yet. These elves think it will take one big blow to take me down, but I can dodge one blow easier than fifty.
The moment they all begin to pepper me from different angles is when I have something to worry about. Until then, I must take out as many of them as possible.
Shooting forward at full speed, I prepare to dodge in either direction, watching the elf carefully so I can anticipate his attack. Sure enough, when I’m about ten yards from him, the elf pulls his right hand back and aims a burst of energy straight for my heart.
Seeing the intention in those dark eyes, I spin effortlessly downward, allowing the bolt of energy to shoot over my head. A moment later, the elf is in my grasp. Holding onto him with my arms, I use a tentacle to pull the short sword from his belt and drive it into his black heart.
“You came for what is mine,” I say, though I know he cannot understand me under the water anyway.
Arrows fall again as the elf’s blood gives away my position. One grazes a tentacle, but I manage to squirm away from the others, diving back under the water to a depth they can’t hit me from.
The injured tentacle burns slightly, but the wound is shallow. Unfortunately, there will be a bit of a blood trail following me now, which will make it harder to surprise them.
I use the temporary respite allowed by my depth to quickly take stock of the situation. There were three boats there when I attacked initially. One has been sunk, but the last three elves that were aboard have probably been helped onto the other ships by now. That means two boats with thirteen total elves remain.
I consider trying to topple another boat as I did with the first one, but that took an enormous burst of energy, and I’m not sure I could do it again. Moreover, they’ll be wary this time and much more likely to fill me with arrows the moment I pop out of the water.
“I need to lure them down here where I have the advantage. They know they’ll have to enter the water eventually.” That worries me, though. Dark elves are crafty, and whatever designs they have planned to fight us underwater, I have a feeling I won’t like them.
Even so, my best chance is to fight them where I’m strongest. My mind made up, I swim toward the surface once again, preparing to bait the elves into the water.
As I approach the surface, projectiles, both magical and mundane, begin whizzing toward me, forcing me to spin and weave my way toward the light. One of the magical attacks grazes my shoulder, but I manage to avoid the rest of them.
When I reach the surface, I throw myself forward, leaping out of the water. My body arcs over one of the boats. As I pass over the elves, I wrap tentacles around two of them, pulling them below the surface with me.
