Cord gained altitude; under normal circumstances, a person would be glad to experience flight, but Cord expression wasn't that of joy or happiness, he only expressed shock, regret and worry.
He had a faint guess about what was going to happen next and did something he would normally never do. He shouted loudly:
[HELP!]
[HELP!!]
[HELP!!!]
The moment Cord shouted his last cry for help, the tentacle that grabbed him in the waist coiled all the way to the skull of Cord, covering his mouth and preventing him from making any sounds that could alert his companions.
Fortunately for Cord, Maru and Floki were already on scene, Maru began stirring up a hurricane around the river bed, Maru had a lot of tension within him as he hurriedly stirred up the hurricane.
He didn't use his hands or acted cool while fighting, instead he came across as raw and gritty, unleashing waves of chaotic wind from every part of his body. A moment after the wind was unleashed, he then stirred them together forming an artificial hurricane.
While Maru was doing this, Floki stood around doing nothing as he watched how Cord was squeezed like a frost-bitten apple and although Cord was under immense pain he had hope in Maru that if a single stroke of lightning landed on the monster that just burst out of existence it would be swiftly destroyed.
Unfortunately for Cord, the storm all around the riverbed meant that the lightning wouldn't strike the tentacle; instead, Maru was aiming for a stray bolt to strike the deep river.
Cord braced himself to absorb the shock that the electrified water would undoubtedly deflect towards him, while hoping against all hope that although he wanted the giant squid to be destroyed, he hoped the conducted electricity wouldn't affect him so much and even if he was affected, his noble sacrifice would be enough to destroy the abomination.
However, before a single lightning bolt could be manifested, the squid gave an ear-piercing scream. It caused Maru and Cord's bones to shake so vigorously that they felt their joints might dislocate, accompanied by a momentary lapse in consciousness.
Once the scream started, it showed no sign of stopping, the squid kept on screaming, while Maru and Cord, were barely able to keep themselves conscious. They switched between consciousness and unconsciousness like a busy supermarket revolving door, causing them to forget what was going on and what they were about to do.
This caused Cord to forget the pain he was in and Maru to forget what he was about to do. Meanwhile, Floki chose that time to say the following:
[Burn!]
Immediately after Floki spoke, the tentacle holding Cord writhed in agony, not due to sudden flames, but due to a mental command from Floki. It shook and vibrated, crushing Cord's bones further. Just as Cord was about to be snapped in half, the creature threw him aside like a broken ragdoll.
However, while Floki didn't feel invisible burns on his body or felt pangs of agony on his body that came from an unknown source, immediately he said the word, it seemed a bright light left his bony eye sockets, causing him to slump precariously on the floor like a dead man.
Cord wasn't lucky in the traditional sense, but he had one small mercy. The moment Floki shouted 'Burn!', Cord finally slipped from the edge of consciousness into total darkness. Because he was completely unconscious when he hit the ground, he felt nothing as his arm snapped upon impact.
Meanwhile, Maru became completely unconscious and could not command the artificial storm he formed to release a lightning bolt, fortunately for him the tentacle of the squid was retreating under water.
A few moments before Maru sprang awake, he had been unconscious. Now, he watched the stark scene of his comrades beaten in battle and a clear riverbed that seemed to signify their opponent had won, before saying:
[We lost.]
***
Sebastian noted the third day's end, puzzled by his master's continued absence and sudden 'busyness'—a stark contrast to his usual lazy nature.
Not thinking much of it, he decided he would ask why that was so, when his master returned, and so he began compiling a report of what had happened since his master's absence and what he had found out concerning Frank's disappearance.
While compiling the report on Frank's disappearance, he thought back to their first meeting and the rumors he had heard when Frank first arrived in the city of New Darkovia.
Most of the gossiping soul beings—ranging from weak spirits to stellar skeleton knights—spread the news like wildfire. They speculated about how they had seen him arrive wearing the skin of a demon and how that skin had disappeared, leaving him looking like a malnourished soul vampire.
Others said Maru had tamed some of the cursed ones which include zombies, wraiths, jiangshi and so on, Frank's performance in the Talent Bout only went on to fan the flames of their speculations.
Sebastian also thought back on his first meeting with Frank, how Frank had looked calm and cool headed completely different from the person portrayed in the rumors.
He watched Frank's countenance shift as his master presented the low-class being's head. Frank clearly struggled to offer thanks for such a weird gift.
He watched the unexpected result of Frank's training, but noticed the struggle within Frank to prove himself—a struggle he himself had once faced, and still did.
Finally, he remembered how he had compiled all the observations, rumors, and traits he had gleaned from Frank to find him—all to no avail.
However, remembering all these things wasn't for nothing, instead it provided Sebastian with the greatest bit of information he might have not have noticed had he not thought about it.
It was evident that his master valued Frank; despite Frank's seemingly useless nature, his master's eyes were always full of hope when looking at him. Sebastian found this baffling, yet he reasoned that if Frank was a beacon of hope to his master, he would surely become one to others as well - others who were less graceful and honest than his master was.
Sebastian had a grim expression as he produced a piece of parchment containing five names, and above the names was a title: 'The Five Families'.
Sebastian's bony index finger lingered on one name; he tapped on the name: "Grim"