How to feed the Kraken

How to save the captured merman, who looks suspiciously like a Royal Envoy, without hurting him? He looks quite beaten. The bandits start poking him with their spears. Pretty soon he will bleed out, so I should do something.

Oh, tides! No matter how I think about it, using my air blast will hurt him. Stealth may not be an option for me anymore.

I swim out from behind the crags.

"Hey! Pick on someone your size!"

The bandits stop poking him. They all turn to me with beady eyes.

"He is our size. Move it, pipsqueak. We don't want to hurt a child."

That was not the entrance I envisioned. They turn around, ready to continue their torture. And you know what I do? I send a barrage of spit at all of their heads. I know I said to the King that I won't be spitting on anybody anymore, but they do deserve it. Let's just say the bandits are not impressed. They snap their heads back and start growling. They lied. They have no problems hurting a child.

I stick my tongue out at them.

"Catch me if you can!" I flip my tail like a dolphin, darting away as fast as possible.

They are faster.

They circle me, eyeing their prey, snapping their jaws at me as I twist my body to avoid their nasty bites.

Whack! I slap a spear off one of the bandits with my tail. It flies straight toward the captured merman, narrowly missing him. His eyes roll over and he faints. I should be more careful where I attack from now on.

I swiftly swim up and away from their lair. The bandits follow closely behind, nipping at my tail. I loop, slamming my head into the closest bandit. He falls back, colliding with the others, dazed. Then I scream with everything my tiny lungs can manage. A violent vortex blasts from my mouth, collecting all the bandits within its grip. The bandits' heads ram against each other, their spears unintentionally impaling each other. I close my eyes at the sight, the scent of blood filling my nose. This is why you don't swim with weapons.

The mer-shark bandits float upside down as the sea is inked in scarlet. The stingrays sway... then steady. Uh-oh. They dart towards me. I spin, I twist, but I'm too slow. They ram into me and surprisingly, bounce off. I love this new thick skin of mine and my physical strength is more than theirs. Oh, now we're talking. A devilish grin spreads on my face. They slowly back away as I approach them. I bite one on the tail and spin it around me, aiming at the other stingray. They collide mid-spin, floating belly-up.

If my fins were long enough, I'd brush them together. I just completed my first quest alone! I have subdued the bandits. I release a water tendril, tying all the bandits up together. That should do it.

One quest down. Only four more quests to go: find the Royal Envoy, feed the Kraken, get the Queen a gift, and fix the Enchanted Reef.

I return to the captured merman, nudging him.

"Excuse me, are you the Royal Envoy?"

His eyes open and he shakes his head, mumbling.

"Oh, my mistake. I shall leave you to it."

Turning around to swim away, I can hear him screaming muffling sounds with his gag on. I carefully approach him, using my teeth to untie his gag. He gasps, then sighs.

"Yes, I am."

"Then why didn't you say so?"

"I tried, but you couldn't hear me."

"You were shaking your head."

"I was trying to tell you to ungag me."

I take a deep breath. At least I completed another quest. I untie the rope around his body, and he stretches.

"Finally, I'm free at last. Did His Majesty send you?"

I nod, chest puffing with pride.

"He's sending whales now?"

I shrug nonchalantly.

"Well, I have to pay the bill somehow."

He tilts his head, squinting at me like I'm speaking barnacles.

"Right, I must go back to the King right away."

"Wait a minute, you're not going anywhere. I just saved you so help me finish my quest."

"But I have an urgent matter to tell the King."

"I'll be done soon if you show me the way. Or I can tie you back up and leave you here."

He starts to retort, nose flaring with royal indignation. I give him the look my master usually gives me. His neck draws back like a turtle into its shell. Hm... Maybe I should use this look more often. It's very effective.

"Which way is closer, the Kraken or the Enchanted Reef?"

"The legendary beast is actually on the way to the Enchanted Reef."

"Great. Do you know how to get to the legendary beast?"

His eyes widen, shaking his head.

I eye him suspiciously.

"Don't make me repeat myself. I know you're lying."

His shoulders slump as he sighs.

"I will take you to the legendary beast. I know a shortcut."

I knew it! Everybody knows where the Kraken is. I was assuming an envoy would be knowledgeable about the layout of the Ocean Realm. I shoot another water tendril at the fallen bandits, dragging them along.

My new guide scurries away. I follow him over a cliff, the water darkens as familiar giant bubbles float out of the abyss. The water heats up as clusters of bubbles burst. The merman trembles, he flicks his tail to flee. I fling a water tendril around him, he squirms, still trying to escape. I shake my head at him.

"Don't even think about it. You're supposed to escort me to the Enchanted Reef after this."

He whimpers, shaking as he stutters.

"But nobody meets the legendary beast and lives. This area is out of bounds."

Then the water currents stir violently, as a giant red-orange tentacle unfurls next to me. The ocean heats up as another enormous tentacle unfurls. The Kraken emerges from the abyss, roaring, spraying spittle on us. Ew! Oh... now I see why everyone was upset with me.

I understand the feeling my gigantic friend has at the moment.

"Mr. Kraken, I brought you food."

I sling the bandits toward the hungry sea giant, and he opens his mouth and gobbles them up, letting out a resounding burp.

"Feeling better?"

He nods and smiles, which sends a chill down my spine.

"Would you know what the Queen would want for a present?"

He nods happily. Another tentacle slowly unfurls. And a small box falls out of his tentacle.

"Great. Thank you, Mr. Kraken. Nice to see you. I'll come by some other time."

He waves a tentacle and sinks back into the abyss.

I turn back to the Envoy, who's still shaking.

"Mr. Envoy, can you please pick up the box for me? Don't lose it, it's for the Queen. You know what she's like."

I release the water tendril so he can move. He picks up the box with trembling hands, clutching it like his life depends on it.

That's quests three and four done.

The Kraken's well fed with a motley crew of bandits, and I've got a dazed, thoroughly scared envoy holding the Queen's gift, guiding me to the Enchanted Reef.