With Turncoat's keen eyes and the Audacity Six and Half’s supernaturally quiet approach, the group found themselves easily circling around to the western side of the island, where a slum of a camp was pushed up against the ocean shore. The party disembarked, and Bait ran up to the nearest hut. The rest of the party spread out, securing the perimeter. There wasn’t anything in sight, but they patrolled anyway to give Bait time to connect with what they all hoped were his people. If these goblins were enslaved, they were at least ignored during the night hours. Either way, it ended now. Just as soon as Bait convinced them to go with Turncoat.

Bait’s fist slammed against a worn down wooden door hurriedly. An older Goblin in threadbare clothing and dirt-stained arms came trudging out of the hut. “What Emergency?” When he saw Bait, he cocked his head to the side. “Who you? New ‘helper’?” The older goblin said, spitting on the ground.

“Bait, look for Goblin Tribe. You Black Powder Clan? I Black Powder Clan.”

“You no Black Powder, I Black Powder, I no Know you,” he said.

“Tribe disappear, Bait join Blue Banner Army, keep looking for Clan. Father is Fishhook!”

“Fishhook, he Black Powder.”

“See, I Black Powder too. We rescue you now, K?”

“Pointy men grab us, or dumb pirates kill us. No weapons.”

“Bait brought boat, you get on boat, Bait shoot anyone who try stop you. Illaria stab, Naya slash, Mavec shoots lightning, Alvec makes us go fast, and Sarbie keeps us not dead. We protect Black Powder Clan.”

“Let's go see Fishhook. He know if you real Goblin or just Devil playing prank on old wort-butt.” The elderly goblin exited the house and walked up to a different hut, Bait following right behind him. He beat on the door while cursing. “Fishhook, Net, I’ve got a strange goblin here claiming to be your son.”

“Grub is in goblin pit with rat stick, only son we have., A voice rang out from the other side of the door.

“Not true, Bait first son, best son, only son with a gun.”

“Must be cruel devil trick, no see Bait since before we were captured.”

“No, it me!” He proceeded to strip. “Look, Bait have all the right burn marks from when he learn how to make black powder.”

Alvec quickly slipped his hands over Sarbie's eyes. “Bait! Why are you getting naked? What about a goblin family reunion means you need to stand naked in front of them?!” Alvec half shouted.

“Shoosh wizard, Bait HOME,” Bait shouted back to Alvec, who was looking at the ground to avoid looking at Bait’s naked body. The goblin woman's eyes went wide.

“By Dogmother, Fishy, I think it really is Bait.”

“No, can’t be, right?” Bait’s father said. “They do this before, taunt us, remind us what they have taken from us. This just another cruel prank.”

“We are here to rescue you, the boats right there; see for yourself,” Alvec said, trying to urge them to hurry up. Maybe Bait would put their pants back on once this matter was cleared up. “We just need directions to the Styxweed before you all load on.”

“Don’t pee on the boat; it's haunted. It will crush your nuts with a wooden board if you pee on it,” Bait informed them.

“Bait, for the love of the spirits, put your pants back on; none of us want to see your goblin dong,” Naya shouted.

“Guys, might I be reminding you we’re supposed to be on a stealth mission. Shouting about Bait’s genitalia isn’t really meshing with our game plan,” Illaria whispered sharply.

“We’re in a goblin slave village... I’ve got a strong feeling it's not being monitored as well as it should be,” Mavec said.

“Goblins are rowdy by nature, so a little noise here probably won’t ruin the operation, but Illaria’s right; come on guys,” Alvec said to the goblins. “Bait’s not lying; he is the genuine thing. Now, for the love of the gods and spirits, make him put his pants back on.”

“Go check if boat real,” Fishhook said before running past his son. A few minutes later, he returned and threw his arms around Bait. “Boat real! Too clean to be pirate ship, and devils no have ships. Dis real Bait. Son, we thought you dead, we mourn. Have other son, name him Worm; he still young, in the nursing cages. You meet him when we are free. You bring us away from here now?”

Bait’s lip quivered as he shook his head. “Bait heart full, like feeling of tummy after good cheese. But also sad. Illaria’s family still out there. Bait, no can leave her till we rescue hers too. Strange, tall, green man, bring you back to shore. Blue Banner take care of you till I return. Bait independent compactor with the blue banner. Bait own Bait’s own cheese forge, winner of Festival of Blades, Bait invited to Goblinmoot, and most importantly, Bait good friend.”

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“You invited to Goblinmoot?” his mother asked, eyes going wide. “Great honor! My son a hero,” she said, wagging her hands in his direction.

“Bait big goblin hero. Friends with Boogie of the Boar Eater tribe.”

“Son, I am proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom. Now, you guys go. Bait, see you tomorrow. We feast on cheese then. After Bait murders Crowley and pirates.”

The goblins gathered up and boarded the boat. Imparting basic directions to where the Styxweed was grown and tended before the boat silently sailed away from the small alcove. “Oh, Oh, Nearly forgot! Watch out for Big PRICK. He dangerous!” Fishhook shouted to them.

Bait stood and watched it sail away till it was almost indiscernible in the blackness of the night and the ocean. He had only just found them, and they were already gone. That was the life of goblins, though. Short and swift.

Illaria came beside him and bent her knees to place a hand on his shoulder more easily. “Thank you, Bait; I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d be choosing to go with them.” She said.

“Bait know, but Bait can’t just leave friend alone. We both find our family. Bait no feel right till we do.”

“Well, let's get a move on. The sooner we destroy the Styxweed, rescue my parents, and steal a flying ship, the sooner we return to your tribe.” She said, giving him a firm pat on the back. The two joined the rest of the team and began following the path the goblins had laid out. Before too long, they stumbled into a pirate on guard who looked shocked beyond belief to see anything but a goblin.

“Oi!” he shouted behind him before Illaria thrust her sword through his unprotected neck. He stumbled back, gurgling blood, and collapsed to the ground. His single shout, however, had been enough to rally several more pirates and a devil. The “garden” that held the Styxweed wasn’t what Illaria had imagined. She had thought of a topiary wall surrounding a green space. This was much closer to a barren rice field half submerged in shallow water than it was to any sort of garden. She supposed it shouldn’t be too surprising. Styxweed was from hell, not exactly renowned for its beautiful gardens.

Alvec pointed at the devil, who stood a few heads taller than the pirates he accompanied. “Well, that one must be the big prick.” He said. The group rushed into combat with them. Illaria and Naya moved with Echo, Alvec followed close behind, and Sarbie, Bait, and Mavec stayed in the back lines. Illaria clashed with a trio of men wielding swords. She landed a shallow hit on the one in the center before they retaliated; her blade blazed a golden red light as she knocked their blades aside and returned the strikes twice, folding them. She brought the man on her right to his knees simply by responding to his attacks.

Naya was not to be outmatched either; she came in swinging hard, whirling both blades in tandem; she quickly cut through another pirate before he could even pull the trigger on his pistol aimed at Illaria. No sooner did the man collapse to the ground than the earth shook violently, and tentacles emerged from the ground all over the damp garden. A massive worm burrowed from the earth and towered above Naya and Echo. The temptation to enlarge Echo tugged at the back of her mind, but they only had a minute to break this root free from the ground and its power source. Risking any of that time seemed like a poor choice. She’d have to save it until absolutely necessary.

Mavec found himself surrounded by these strange barbed spiked tentacles.

“Bait, think that actually big prick; it looks like it prick you if you get too close.” Bait shouted over the din of combat.

“Thanks, Bait, I never would have guessed!” Alvec retorted as he watched the tentacles assault Mavec. One wrapped around his leg, pulling him off balance; the others began a barrage of strikes that knocked him unconscious and dropped him into the water. “Sarbie, get over to him. I’ll give you cover,” Alvec shouted to her. She nodded and dashed towards him. As soon as she was next to him, and the tentacles lurched at her, a rush of arctic air swirled around her and hardened into a shell of ice protecting them. The multitude of tentacles slammed down on the ice dome, slowly cracking it. It was okay, though; the others would keep providing threats while she revived Mavec. He took in a sharp breath of air as her magic ran through him.

“Welcome back; I am not sure how much longer this wall will hold. you have a plan?” she asked, unsure how to support him.

“Yeah, I’m going to shoot some lightning at that devil or that worm. Haven’t decided yet. I guess whichever one Bait hasn’t already turned into a red mist,” Mavec said as he pushed himself off from the ground. The ice wall crumbled under an assault from the tentacles. The worm had several bullet holes punched through it, but it still stood. Naya and Illaria looked like they had everything under control with the devil. The worm, on the other hand, was bearing down on Alvec; he managed to dive out of the way of the first slam and narrowly blocked with his shield as it gummed on him. The worm it was, Mavec decided, taking aim at it and letting a bolt of lightning arc from his hands. The bolt struck the worm, and it convulsed as the electricity arced through it. Alvec used the momentary distraction to scorch its underside with fire. With a bellowing roar, the beast went down, slamming onto the ground.

Illaria and Naya had the devil cornered. Unable to land a strike against Illaria, the devil quickly switched its focus to Naya, striking her repeatedly, drawing blood with his own longsword. In a race of blade on blade, Naya was faster. For each strike he landed against her, she scored two more, whittling him down and slowing him considerably. As he wavered, she swung hard, her blades biting deep into his neck and severing it from the rest of his body. He fell in two pieces to the ground, and she let out a large sigh as her shoulders slumped. The group moved towards the large root. Naya was ready to enlarge Echo when a white robed devil with thin snakelike features emerged from the shadows and planted a bone staff into the ground. He spoke, but the words never reached Alvec’s ears.

The root responded to his words. Tendrils of ghost-white vines crept with alarming speed over the corpses of the slain pirates, the worm, and both sections of the devil wrapped with it and rebound themselves together, a scarf of ghost-white vine holding its head to its body. The white-robbed devil merely smiled and stepped further back as the reanimated pirates began to attack.