Since he spoke to Soce, Dhaga never returned to his mate. He had said his farewell and was unsure what would happen if they talked again. The experience was painful enough so he didn’t want to relive it. Luckily, the Kraken forces kept him pretty busy. In addition to learning lots from Cridror and Acro about how to better support the flanks, the naga grew strong enough to summon a third orca, Ray. Ray was bigger than Cridror but its combat style was very different. This orca liked close combat using its teeth and tail to devastating effectiveness. Dhaga saw Kraken followers flee in fear against such overwhelming strength.

  I don’t think I can fight like you Ray. Even as an adult naga, I’m fairly average in size.

  I’m more of a jack of all trades and master of none. You should be more specialized, unlike a poor weak orca like me.

  The naga knew the orca was joking because the orca boasted both overwhelming strength and incredible speed that was only second to Acro and him. Once his mind wandered to the consequences of accepting the orbs, he wondered how the other nagas were doing.

  Have they accepted their fate now? Have they also said goodbye to their loved ones?

  Dhaga knew he needed to find a chance to speak to his father, the only family member he had left. Given that the two of them were terrible at conversations, he had been putting it off. In the meantime, he wanted to check up on the other orb users. Yet, the orcas made a good point that he couldn’t offer much. Knowing practically nothing about the other nagas, his comments would be vague and impersonal. His contribution to the war also required him to be away from the others. The red, blue and yellow orb users were far better suited for the center where they could break through enemy ranks and rally fellow nagas forward. The pink orb user would remain behind the formation to aid those who need healing. He and the orcas would ensure the flanks remained strong, allowing those in the center to continue pushing forward.

  By the way, why are nagas with healing abilities considered albino nagas?

  Albino nagas?

  Seeing the puzzlement on the orcas’ faces, Dhaga first explained what albino nagas were. He then described Azi’s situation, noting that, if the orbs existed in the past, nagas with healing abilities shouldn’t be considered outcasts.

  The pink orb never existed before.

  Ray’s response wasn’t what Dhaga had expected as he thought the five orbs had been summoned through the ages whenever the nagas needed help. When he asked what happened to the previous orb, Ray stated that the Kraken was responsible for its destruction. The Kraken had deemed the orbs too dangerous so it attempted and succeeded in destroying the orb.

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  What did that orb do?

  The clear orb was a debuff orb. As the name suggests, it gives the user the ability to debuff enemies with curses. It was said to be the most powerful out of all five orbs.

  Dhaga had fortunately never experienced curses personally. He heard the stories of how some of the Kraken’s followers formed cursed cults that had their entire identities formed around curses. Rumors claimed that some of the curses were so powerful that, even with the death of the caster, the curses would remain until the afflicted individual died. If the clear orb was as powerful as Ray said it was, then the naga could see how the orb alone could turn the tide of battle.

  We should intercept those.

  Dhaga snapped out of his thoughts and soon located what Acro referred to. A pod of sailfish swam near the seafloor towards the naga capital. Sailfish were known for their speed and sharp bills but the naga was confused as to why the pod was so far from the other Kraken followers.

  Do you see those markings on their dorsal fins? Those are portal markings, similar to the demon portals that are capable of transporting large number of soldiers over incredible distances.

  They will get behind our lines and summon where we are the most vulnerable.

  That’s why I said we should intercept them.

  Dhaga and the orcas then swam into action. They might have a head start on the sailfish but the fish earned its title for fastest fish in the sea. The naga soon realized that he might not make it and only Acro had a chance of just getting close. Then, he felt powerful magic behind him. Moments later, the sailfish slowed down, almost as if their speed was cut by half. Prioritizing the defeat of the sailfish, Dhaga focused on catching up. Once they lost their speed, the sailfish were easily disposed of by the group as their bills did little to help them against Dhaga and the orcas. .

  What was that? They slowed down all of a sudden.

  Ray explained that he acquired something from the other orbs when he was last summoned. Therefore, he learned a few useful curses from the clear orb owner. One of those curses cut the speed of the targets by half which just happened to make sailfish slow enough for orcas to catch up. If the sailfish had gotten through, the defenders would be at a big disadvantage.

  So your teeth and tail abilities came from the blue orb?

  Yes, my defensive skills came from the yellow orb while the red orb granted me limited uses of powerful explosive spells.

  Dhaga felt envious that Ray was capable of so many different abilities and spells. He had improved his speed but he had yet to unlock anything that made him stand out as a naga. He started to wonder if this was his full potential with the orb making a mistake of picking him. Fearing disappointment, Dhaga couldn’t bring up the topic with the orcas. After saying his farewell, he couldn’t confide it with Soce either. With the idea weighing him down, the naga simply trained harder to distract his mind on the matter. From the deployment of the Kraken forces, he was certain that the battle was entering its climax.

  I got to be ready to do what I can to keep the capital safe.