"Who dares coming into my dwelling?" asked a low and raspy voice now from the right of him. Asher froze as a slimy smooth tentacle brushed against his leg. "Human what are you expecting to do? Are you the latest sacrifice from the Aquins disguised as a hero?" His voice was dripping with a condescending tone that infuriated Asher.
"Dude, is that smell your breath?" Asher asked as he dramatically grabbed his nose. He hoped that the monster could see him in this darkness. "No dental insurance for the wicked, huh?"
"Your bones will be used as toothpicks when I'm through with you, boy," Vican said with an angry growl.
"It's easy to make threats when you know I can't see, smelly," Asher said—annoyed that the monster continues to insult him.
"You think sight will help you in the situation you've put yourself in? Very well."
Asher gasped as around him he watched the tentacles begin to shine around him. A fluorescent blue light began to appear from the squid itself, and Asher gasped at the sheer size of it. Tentacles stretched across every corner of the room. The longer Asher tried to see where the massive limbs started and ended, the longer they seemed to become. Another chuckle escaped the squid's mouth as he appeared directly in front of Asher's face. Asher screamed and tried to swim away as fast as possible while the squid laughed at him. Vican reached out and playfully gripped Asher's ankle with the tip of his tentacle.
It wasn't until he was frantically swimming that Asher realized he dropped the sword and shield. His heart sunk to his feet just as the weapons sunk to the floor.
"You're their big hero?" asked Vican tauntingly. "You can't even keep hold of your weapon! What do you think you're going to do now, boy? Scream me to death?!" A rough cackle sounded throughout the room. "What's wrong, boy? No taunting comments?"
Asher stopped swimming and watched as the squid made no move closer. He used this time to look around and gain an understanding of his surroundings. He was in what looked like an old ballroom that was demolished on the inside. With the size of Vican, Asher was unable to make out the entire size of the room, but he imagined it to be big without the giant squid crammed into it. He was on one side, and Vican's head was on another. The squid's sword-shaped head stood hauntingly next to Asher's bare fist he was left to work with. Wooden banisters that made up the ceiling were scattered on the ground, and there were huge holes in the walls and ceiling.
What the hell are you going to do, Ash? He thought to himself.
The only thing Asher was sure of was this: he wasn't going to die down here.
Not like this.
"You let me worry about me," Asher taunted from the other side of the room. "You need to worry about how you're going to get out of this," Asher looked at him and scoffed. "You want a witty comment? How about I've seen clownfish more intimidating than you!"
"That would mean a lot more from someone who didn't just squeal like a piglet," Vican countered with a chuckle.
Asher had enough of the games. He focused on the light blue water particles that surrounded Vican and began to freeze them. Vican looked confused at first before he jerked his tentacle hard, breaking the half-frozen water surrounding him. He jolted forward, his pointed sword-like head spearing toward Asher, who barely managed to topple away before being impaled.
Vican stretched out a tentacle and lashed Asher across the face. The bubble of air-popped, and with tears in his eyes, Asher frantically put the air bubble back together. Vican lashed at him with his tentacle again, but this time Asher dodged the monster's mighty limb and swam lower than he was.
Asher began to scan the bottom of the ballroom floor for the sword, but before he could find it, the light that Vican was giving off was cut off. Asher stood in complete darkness as he waited for the squid to make the move. He focused on the water and waited to feel any movements to either side of him.
Before long, Asher felt a sudden move on his right. Asher needed an escape plan. His swimming was strong, but he wasn't fast enough to outrun a monster who was born in the water. He began to focus on the water around him, and soon he began to feel the temperature increase around his hands. Asher stared down confused and then kicked his body upward. He shot into the air quickly and smacked his head against the ceiling.
Asher saw stars. The world around him was spinning, and the monster laughed hysterically as Asher fought to find his bearings after the hard smack to his head. He slowly raised his hand to his head and winced at the cut that had formed in the center of his scalp.
"Damnit!" Asher swore as he closed his eyes to gather his senses.
When Asher opened his eyes he looked around and saw a small glimmer of light coming from a hole in the ceiling. He took a deep breath and did his best to angle his body to not get hit as he shot forward in the dark toward the gleam. He let the temperature rise in his hands, and then quickly covered his head as he swam safely through the hole in the ceiling. The light burned his eyes, and his head pounded harder as he looked around the new arena.
He was in the middle of what looked to be a rock garden. Piles of wood were gathered all around the floor where they were in the ocean. Asher swam toward a pile and began to frantically dig through them to find something to defend himself.
Maybe I can impale him with a piece of wood.
Asher tried not to think about how stupid that sounded. He knew that if he didn't think of a plan, a magical one, fast then he'd be a goner.
A fast-moving bright light came toward Asher. He squinted his eyes in pain as the light got closer and closer and he barely managed to get out of the way before the sword embedded itself into a wooden beam in one of the various piles. Asher focused on the heat around his hands, and shot forward toward the sword and grabbed ahold of it just in time to see Vican swim out of the hole.
"Well, let's get this over with," he said cheerfully. "It's been a while since I've had a human."
Vican shot toward Asher at a blinding pace. The freedom of the garden apparently making it easier for his large body to move around. He wrapped a tentacle around Asher's body and began to squeeze as Asher tried his best to wiggle free of the giant monster's tentacle. As the limb began to tighten around his torso, Asher found it harder and harder to breathe. His vision began to get fuzzy when he looked forward and saw Elle, Elora, Jayden, and Judah standing before him.
Great, I'm going to succumb from either a head injury or a giant squid.
His friends, or the illusion of them he couldn't decide what it was he was seeing, looked worried. He watched as their eyes filled with sadness with each squeeze of Vican's tentacles. One by one they disappeared before his eyes, and Asher was left looking at Gedeon.
All the powers of the Dominions erupted before him. First, Gedeon shot water from his hands, then he grew a tree right before him. He then summoned an army of the dead and caused a lightning storm. Lastly, he waved his arm and the army of the dead flew to the side.
"No," Asher choked out as the fuzziness in his vision got worse. "No, that isn't our story."
He did his best to move the palm of his hands to get as flat as they could against the giant squid. He heated his hands as hot as they would go, to the point where it was even painful for him to send the heat out. Vican hissed as the grip on Asher loosened just enough to wiggle free.
He struggled to catch his breath as he raised the sword above his head.
With a quick chop, the tentacle fell to the ground. Blood scattered across the water, and Vican screamed in agony as it raised the nub to inspect where its tentacle used to be. Asher used this opportunity to quickly slash at another tentacle, but this time Vican was expecting it. The tip of the tentacle clashed to the ground, and Vican hissed once again as even more blood filled the area.
Black sludge-filled all around Asher. The dark sludge was so thick that he could barely see his hand in front of him. Asher placed his palms down beside him and shot up using the heat once again. Bubbles erupted from his hands and as Asher sprang above the dark cloud. The rock garden he once swam in was now coated with black sludge. Asher couldn't see anything through the dense blackness that surrounded the area. It reminded him of the Plague of Dread.
"You will die for that worm!" screamed Vican as the sea monster shot at him rapidly through the thick cloud. Asher held the sword out in front of him, and one palm over his head. When the sea monster came closer Asher used the speed to drop lower to the ground and used the sword to slice the body of the squid.
Vican screamed in agony as he writhed and fell to the floor. The water was a mix of red and black, and Asher used this opportunity to once again, sprint toward the monster with the sword pointed toward it. Asher swam closer to Vican and then swiftly chopped off the monster's head.
Asher's breath caught as he began to feel dizzy. The adrenaline was leaving his body and he felt his consciousness begin to slip. He grabbed the head by the point and quickly pressed the gem in the center of the bracelet. Asher felt a current start to form and he was quickly dragged away from the scene of the headless monster. The rush of the current almost made him drop the monster's head, but he held on, and seconds later he was in the center of the court in front of Queen Elisandre.
The Queen looked at him in shock as he threw the head of the monster on the ground in front of her. "We'll talk war strategies after the rest of the trials, Your Majesty," Asher said as his eyes rolled and he collapsed to the ground.