18

You lash hard to reach Estre, knowing that your own attackers must be right behind you. You only have one good shot at this. You line up the full swing of your hammer for his captor. It's dangerous, but this is important. You aim for the the lower part of the squid's mantle, closer to where it's attached to Estre. That way you'll be sure not to miss the squid. You put your full force into the blow, sending a shock wave through the squid's soft body. The remains of your target release a cloud of ink, and you give it a second blow to finish the job. The creatures goes limp, and Estre spasms back to consciousness. You spin around in anticipation, but the pair of attackers you were expecting aren't there anymore. All this ink is confusing your electrical senses.

Once Estre regains full control of his body, he puts a lot of effort into trying to see if he can spot his falling trident. You both know it's long gone. It's not until you see the pain in his eyes that you recognize his search as merely an excuse to hide his face from you. He gives a forced shrug and pulls a dagger out from his waist wrap. "Looks like they didn't think of everything," he says.

You nod. Then, off in the distance, you hear panicked sonar blasts.

Estre turns and gasps. "The whales!"

You turn to look yourself. They've broken their formation, and most of them are swimming away.

"They're chasing after a runaway," says Estre. "I think they might need help." He looks around at the clouds of squid nearby and mumbles, "Looks like everyone does."