“First I will check out the tower and see if anything is there. We could be lucky and no one is home. More than likely they are going to be here or worse. There could be more than I was expecting,” I said to the gathered crew.

“Well, then you better get to work,” Three Earrings said.

I smirked and flipped over the rail. Getting straight to work I turned into an eel. I got this from the horde of monsters that attacked us on the way to the hag. It was a weird form with how slimy I felt but the mobility was great. I swam quickly through the water towards the tower. As far as they should know I am just a nonnative fish. Okay, that might be suspicious. I kept going looking for enemies. The Chuul were easy to spot. Big, yellowish long-legged lobster things. No sign of the scion. He could be in the temple.

I checked the live show and I believe all the treasure in there belonged to a long-dead adventurer. His luck stone and the feather token are the only things I need from there. I don’t think the Nein used the potion in there. The armor can be replaced. I hadn't checked if the driftglobe was useful. All this and some gold was what I was after here.

I returned to the ship and climbed aboard. "I see the chuul. No sign of the Scion. I think the plan should be the same. Any complaints," I said.

"No complaints here. Heidi, are you ready?" Three Earrings asked.

"Aye captain. As long as tha boy can handle it," Heidi said.

"Ha, more than ready. Don't shoot me. I promise I know what I am doing," I said and dived back in. I sunk deeper and soon the other two followed. Looking at them I waved and pointed at them and then myself. Look at me. When they looked, I shifted into the giant octopus. They were a little shocked but I told them to expect it. I then finished the modifications.

Heidi was looking a little horrified but held it together by trying not to look at me. Three Earrings was also spooked but didn’t run away or shoot me. So that's good. I swam down towards the temple. With my many eyes, I could see the lobsters lying around. They hadn’t noticed me yet but they will soon. I inhaled as much water as I could and spewed it behind me rocketing myself forward. The chuul panicked into action as a twenty-foot by twenty-foot space was filled with a raging octopus. I immediately managed to grab two of them and began to pick apart their exoskeletons. It will be a useful protection to add to my vestige later. The biggest benefit from killing these chuul will be the poison. I can probably extract that from myself and bottle it. I planned on poisoning the Roc with it.

The other two chuul attacked me with their large pincers. They had a strong grip and began to tear into my tentacles. I was using alligator skin to help protect some areas but I had gaps to not limit flexibility. Crossbow bolts flew through the water hitting the chuul. Three Earrings was using a light crossbow. Underwater it didn’t have much range before the bolts lost all power. Heidi used divine fire to try and burn the chuul. It wasn’t actually fire since the damage type in the game was listed as radiant damage. This meant there was no penalty for using it underwater. No sign of the scion. He either wasn’t here or had already fled. I doubt the latter was the case.

I kept the two chuul I grabbed restrained. Their claws could not reach me and I squeezed and pulled at the exoskeletons of each of them. The other two were being harassed by my two hydra heads and the efforts of the pirates. It was not long before I broke one of the chuul I was grappling and he died. With the freed tentacles I repeated this process on the remaining three.

This wasn’t much of a fight and I could have probably done it alone without help. It was fine though. I invited the others in order to make allies, not gold. I moved the corpses of the others aside and settled on the ocean floor in front of the tower. The seaweed was hiding the entrance beneath. There was a spherical chamber below. I move inside and with animal eyes that give me darkvision I can see what lies below. The remains of an adventure-wearing magical studded leather are now nothing but bone. I see small glints on the floor from platinum, gold, and silver coins. I know the exact amount that should be here. I began to scoop it into suction cups and grab everything here.

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14 platinum, 323 Gold, 31 silver, 48 copper. An agate also known as the luck stone, an orb I believe to be the driftglobe, the potion of giant strength, and the glamoured studded leather. All here and accounted for. I had a bag prepared for this and I scooped everything inside. Then I squeezed out of the hole and saw Three Earrings and Heidi waiting. They were trying to talk with one another but the water made that difficult. Pointing a tentacle at the boat I swam towards it with the booty.

The crew was looking down when I breached the water. They freaked out as I climbed the ship. I landed on the deck and most of them prepared to attack when I dissolved the form into silver light.

“You lot calm down,” I said. They didn’t look calm but some lowered their weapons. The captain and first mate breached the water as well. The crew helped them up. Three Earrings said,” Well how was it? The cultist thing you mentioned didn’t show up and you got out of there quicker than I thought it would take.”

“All the items are accounted for. The scion might just be away today. I say that makes us lucky. As promised,” I said handing over the bag. I took the agate and feather token for myself and put them in the bag of holding.

Three Earrings looked over the bag and smiled. The small fortune will pay for the ship's expenses for a few months. Up to her to decide what to do with the magic items. “Pleasure doing business with you. We can take a break before we have the conversation about hunting the Roc,” she said.

I nodded my head. The regeneration had already removed any wounds or pain I was feeling. I was ready to go right now but not everyone is as gifted.

………

I sat down on a crate in the hold thinking about the temple. It was one of the three remaining seals of Uk’otoa. All that needs to happen is for someone to place a cloven crystal inside a slot in each temple and the dark demigod serpent would be unleashed. The problem with that is the demigod is bound by a pact to unleash two other demigods onto the world, Quajath the Undermaw and Desirat the Twilight Phoenix. These three are powerful demigods almost minor gods that will unleash great havoc on the world. Each is in danger of being freed as I speak. Well, I am unsure about Desirat. Her prison is underneath the fire giant city of Vuthos which itself is under Mount Mentiri in Wildemount. I know Quajath is being freed. He is in Eiselcross buried in ice. There is a cult there that is eating his flesh becoming wormkin and his followers. They are slowly breaking him out. The cult has around 300-400 members in a town next to his prison. There are children there as well. In order to stop Quajath from being freed I will need to probably kill everyone and reseal the ice in that area. I might approach the Kryn outpost there for help. That will probably be the last thing I want to do in Eiselcross.

I have decided to shorten my trip here on the Menagerie Coast. I will fly near the Everplume with the Roc form and get whatever I can find. I will ask Three Earrings to take me to Darktow and introduce myself to the Plank King. I want the ability to return there when I can. Once these things are done I am flying to the Empire, to the ruins of Shattengrod. I am going to find the Luxon beacon before the Cerberus Assembly does. They don’t find it for a few years and won’t affect them at all if I get it first, except for the fact they will have one less. The Nein will recover the other two as part of their adventure. With the beacon in my hands, I will return it to the Kryn and make myself a valuable agent they can call on every now and then. They might use me to find the other two beacons but I will try and avoid that. I might direct their interests to Taldori. There is a settlement called Reaching Bludd that has found a strange yellow beacon I am sure the Kryn would like to study. It's best they don’t take it from there but instead try and ally with the city and build there. I am sure connections with countries other than the Dwendialn Empire would be interesting to them.

I do not want to be involved with the Dwendalian Empire if I can help it. The corruption especially at the top is unpleasant. Tearing down the Cerberus Assembly is more my style. That is not to say there aren’t people in Empire I don’t like. The Cobalt Soul is an organization I want to ally with. Once Jester meets her dad I plan on giving information on the Mryiads leaders to the Soul. No information on the Gentleman though. I am going to convince him it's time to hide and help him set up a life in Nicodranus. The Cobalt Soul can go after the Myriad and I can help the Nein fuck over the Assembly. Win-win. This will start to happen in two years. So I need to get as strong as I can.

……….

"So have you come to a decision captain?" I asked.

"I have. My crew isn't capable of killing a Roc. I have seen you fight and know you might be able to do it. I have an offer though," Three Earrings said.

"I am listening," I said.

"I know some people that would be more than interested in killing this bird. I can introduce you to them. You will need to keep an open mind though," she said.

Haha perfect. I love it when a plan comes together. “If you are speaking of members of the Revelry I am fine with meeting some of them in order to form a hunting party. If you wish to take me to Darktow I wouldn’t mind either,” I said.

She looked slightly surprised I mentioned the Revelry. Now she was studying me. “Aye. Darktow is a few days from here but we can leave today. I am sure you will find great help there. But know this. Darktow takes care of its own and hurts those that hurt the Revelry. By doing this you become one of us. There will be some laws you have to follow and it will be my job to look after you since I am vouching for you. You will need to follow along at least till you get what you want. And maybe you can bring me some benefits as well. After all, I am the one that invited you,” She said.

“Heh, I can do that. Consider the deal made. To Darktow then,” I said.