As Arthur ordered everyone to rest a day recovering from the previous night, I was able to spend my day leisurely. I constantly chewed on something and tried my best to keep the cage I contained my thirst in shut. Some tried to talk to me, but after a round of snarling, they all chose to leave me alone.

In solitude, I waited until I couldn’t feel the sun anymore and my heightened senses returned to me along with my strength. It was mostly a curse as humans stank considerably and also fuelled my thirst considerably. Biting into my hand, I sneaked away from everyone and started to run as soon as I entered the area where the normal soldiers spent their time.

Sprinting through the created pathways and only once giving in to my thirst, I soon reached the outskirts of the camp and sneaked out unnoticed in the cover of the night. I sighed as I reached the shoreline and looked across it. Magical lamps were lit around the elven camp, so close, yet so far away. A bit worried about the timeframe I set for my activities, I ran upstream, always making sure to stay away from the water as much as possible. Two hours later, I reached the bridge I spoke about earlier, still partially submerged in water. The flood already receded considerably and at least the guardrails were above the water.

“I hate water so much …” I said as I walked a few steps away from the bridge that was still a metre or so away from solid, dry ground. “… but it won´t stop me from murdering this worm.” I ran as fast as I could, jumped at the last moment and nearly slipped on the still wet wood of the railing.

Muddy water flowed beneath me at an incredible pace, giving me a hard time to creep forward on the railing. Naturally, the actual danger was incredibly slim. Even when I would slip, I could easily grab onto the rail and secure myself, but I would get drenched this way. From time to time, the waves licked the rail and droplets of water were sent upwards. This alone was enough for me to shriek and jump horrified each time it happened.

If I would have to fight against a water elemental or a monster like the Devourer, I would undoubtedly choose the latter. At least I had a chance of succeeding there. And during these next twenty-four hours, I would use the last chance that presented itself.

For quite some time now, we, the two residents of purgatory that got here, played chess against each other, but in no way the normal variant. Both played one side and fought against each other fiercely. The king and the queen were still in my hands, along with the majority of special pieces, but the pawns were already turning against me. She outmanoeuvred me completely, but I had no reason of giving up so far. I only had to stand up from her lap and take the opposite seat, where a completely new and healthy army awaited me, ready to strike at a group that was tearing itself apart through internal conflicts. I just had to hope she wouldn’t anticipate this move as well. I honestly doubted it as asking others for help was definitely something I usually wouldn’t do. To conclude, I just had to do the unexpected to beat her, that’s all.

Safely, I landed on the other side of the river and began to sneak into the forest. In the beginning, I thought of myself as incredibly lucky as no arrows came flying towards me, but the further I went downstream, the more suspicious I became. The elves were either completely dumb, or they already awaited my arrival. Whatever case it was, I soon discarded my caution and began sprinting at full speed once more. Once again, it took me two hours to reach my destination, the elven army. They still had all their tents as they apparently camped in a higher position since the very beginning. Either it was incredible luck, or …

“The wise elven king, huh? Well, Aska mentioned him, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that he is somewhat capable.” I said as I spotted a brightly lit tent on a hill, completely separate from the rest. I grumbled, hoping that at least the Devourer didn’t have some crazy magic like the elven king apparently had. I rolled my eyes and climbed the hill, only to stop just before the tent. Only one elf was breathing inside the tent and with a questioning gaze, I entered swiftly.

“You are known as the wise elven king, and yet you are completely alone. What´s up with that?” I asked as I saw an elf for the second time. He had smooth skin, although it was a bit pale. He had blonde hair and green, piercing eyes and behind these, I saw a completely calm sea of blue. His green clothing fluttered slightly as he sat down in front of a simple table.

“I doubt that my guards can save me from you.” He smiled knowingly as I took the seat opposite of him.

“You must have incapable guards then.” I smiled back and tried to discern his emotions. His face didn’t show anything except the friendly façade and the blue in his eyes never changed.

“We are still recruiting, so if you want…” He was obviously sarcastic and at some point, I really wanted to see how he would react if I accepted.

“It honours me, but I have to decline. A good friend of mine told me you may be able to help me with … a few issues I have.”

“And who is that good friend?” He asked with a slight smile. I wondered how much he knew about me for real and began to test him with my next answers.

“Santa Claus.”

“What an interesting name. Where does he come from?” He definitely couldn’t read my thoughts, otherwise, he would know that Santa Claus never existed.

“A place called the north pole. It’s a place completely covered in ice.”

“Interesting, I didn’t know such a place exists. And what does the ice princess needs my help for?” He did reveal that he could spy on me from the distance though, which made me somewhat wary about his magical ability.

“Are you, in any case, interested in winning a war?” I asked and tried to lure him into a trap.

“You intend to switch sides?”

“No, not really, but even a lost war can be used domestically.”

“I see … and you aren’t in fact worried about these worms that breed in corpses? Because, why else would you flood the area where your army was camping?” I tiled my head and wondered about his answer until I finally realized what exactly he could do.