B2 Chapter 20: Running Away From Your ProblemsDespite being surrounded by water on all sides, neither Marcus nor the Legionnaires that accompanied him deemed it bath-worthy. It had already been of questionable cleanliness before their fight, and now that it had been turned into kraken soup? No one wanted to touch it more than absolutely necessary, especially not after smelling the men who had been pulled out.As Marcus lay there, catching his breath, he stared up at the domed ceiling. With his luck, it would only be a matter of moments before the next calamity befell them. What would it be this time? An adult kraken? A dozen ships? Maybe there had been a giant turtle hiding below them this whole time.Another series of trumpets sounded. The sound caused their entire group to tense, heads swiveling to scan for threats. Yet compared to before, the trumpets’ melody sounded different. The series of ascending notes had an almost victorious quality to them.As the melody ended, the boat began to shift. The water around them swirled in a series of regularly spaced whirlpools. Yet rather than revealing some collection of eldritch horrors, the whirlpools began to drain the arena. The water level gradually fell over the course of several minutes before the boat touched down on wet sand.With an effort, the mostly recovered Marcus heaved himself upright and followed the Legionnaires out of the boat, his legs wobbling slightly on the stable ground. Now that he was only damp instead of sopping wet, he accepted his belongings from the man who’d been holding them, doing his best to keep them away from his body.The group arranged itself in a defensive formation, still wary of additional threats. Fortunately, none (...)