The South Sea was as smooth as glass. Here, near the continent's coast, the water seemed bound by magic. The usual crashing waves and treacherous undertows had been completely neutralized.
At the center of this unnatural calm stood Leonidas's Palace.
"Didn't expect you to drag this thing all the way out here," Orion said. He stood on the palace's highest balcony, staring out over the water. The sea mirrored the night sky, a surreal, shimmering expanse of starlight.
"A gift from the boss," Kraken replied. "Having a mobile stronghold makes running things a hell of a lot easier. I can drift wherever I want and stay off the radar."
The massive octopus, Kraken, slowly breached the surface outside the palace. His titanic, nightmarish bulk radiated an oppressive aura. Orion knew immediately this was Kraken's true form.
"You actually came." Orion didn't try to talk him out of it; he respected his friend's choice.
