“Are you sure this is a good idea, sir?” a small figure looked up at him. He wore a suit of full plate, marred with scratches and dents. One of his closest confidants, trusted, he would almost call him a friend. Almost.

“Do I detect traces of doubt in your tone? Was I mistaken in your loyalty?”

“No! Of course not! It’s just… attacking them in their own airspace, one of their strange “research facilities” no less. There is still much we don’t know about our enemy.”

Another skeptic. Didn’t they see?

“They will be the death of us, you know? Did you see what they had on that ship we raided? Those weren’t people anymore. I want to hurt them, Martom, do you understand me?”

Martom tried to look him in the eye and failed.

“Very well, Geoffrey.”

-

Geoffrey awoke in a cold sweat to a loud thudding on his door as he struggled to gather his thoughts. Doing his best to ignore a blossoming headache, he addressed the noise.

“What! By Gruumsh’s lost eye, what is it!?”

Ryu’s stern voice filtered through the door, “Geoffrey, the sun will be rising soon, and with it our payday. Please ready yourself.”

Oh dear. The job. Geoffrey sprang from his bed and began hurriedly fastening and tying on his armor. From outside his window he could see the sun beginning to peak over the ocean out in the distance. He was fairly sure the ship would not leave without a sizable portion of their guards but, frankly, Geoffrey would rather die than be scolded like a child by some Legion grunt.

Grabbing his rucksack and hefting up his greathammer against his shoulder once more, he ran out the door. Waiting by the exit to the Sultry Siren was Ryu, impeccably dressed and armored, he did not look amused. Next to him, practically asleep, was Igna.

“Right, let’s be off, shall we?”

Ryu responded by giving a roll of his eyes. He didn’t move.

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

Geoffrey gave a dramatic sigh, “Fine, Ryu, I apologize for my tardiness.”

Ryu’s usual stoic frown cracked into a small smile, “Much better, let’s go.”

The three began sprinting down the docks, earning a few angry shouts as they loudly stomped through wooden walkways and woke the inhabitants within a good mile. As they approached the section of the dock from the day before, he could make out a large trawler being boarded. Surely, they did not intend to leave without he and his companions, right?

Geoffrey bellowed to the ship, “Hold it! Hold, damn you! We’re here! Huff… here!”

It appeared Commodore Porter was indeed waiting for their arrival; he began making a few marks on the clipboard he carried and nodded.

“Ah, perfect, right on time. Good to see you make it. We’re ready to leave anytime you are.” Geoffrey could detect traces of amusement in his voice.

Geoffrey took a moment to compose himself. This was not helping the headache, and neither would the rising sun.

“Right, yes, we’ll just be boarding then.”

Marching up the gangplank, Geoffrey almost tripped on his own foot before catching his balance. Apparently, several of the trawlers found this quite humorous and began to quietly chuckle.

Yes, it was going to be a long day indeed.

-

Ryu and Igna had settled into positions on the ship, standing near the bow and stern. Geoffrey maintained his presence in the center. However, this time, he was joined by the extra guard that Commodore Porter had mentioned. They were a Raptoran man, resembling a stock human mixed with an eagle or perhaps an owl. He had an oval shaped face with severe eyebrows and an affable expression. In truth, Geoffrey didn’t know much about Raptorans outside of the legend of their promise to some ancient beings of air in exchange for the gift of flight. The man, who introduced himself as Wyatt, had one of those strange arcane-o-tech devices hanging at waist height.

Arcane-o-tech was an amalgamation of magic and technology that made up for each side’s weakness. If you wanted a device that helped you fly, you would build a sort of scaffolding from metal and designed to properly propel by expelling enough force beneath you. The “force” was then produced via magic that fit inside the casing. He did not understand the specifics, but that was the simple idea. Utility aside, the creation of arcane-o-tech also made strides in weaponry, such as the device hanging around Wyatt’s neck by a strap.

Noticing Geoffrey’s curiosity, Wyatt spoke up,

“Admiring my rifle? It’s a fine piece of custom built arcanotech sourced entirely from my homeland. Air and water cores, great for a job like this where some fish need a reminder in manners.”

What in the good Gods…? Is he… “talking shop” with me?

Geoffrey was pretty sure the weapon needed “cores” to function, which acted as a magical conduit and provided the “force.” Cores could only be found in extraplanar beings, Geoffrey had killed one or two in his day and even salvaged a core, they had appeared almost like gemstones but thrummed with an otherworldly energy and required special holding containers. Getting one whole wasn’t much more difficult than killing the being of choice and rooting around through the remains to find the core. If you were lucky, you’d find an intact core that could be sold for a hefty sum.

Geoffrey looked at the lightly glowing weapon, “Hrm, er, yes, what a fine piece of handiwork. Fish in a barrel, indeed.”

Wyatt seemed pleased with himself, “It’s no military grade weapon, but skies, does it sing.”

Geoffrey frowned, he guessed it was probably that air core of his screaming, but he kept the thought to himself.

Geoffrey did his best to avert the gun talk, “Ahem, that said, what brings you around these parts, Wyatt? Certainly, you could be flying far above to wherever you want. Why Portside of all places?”

Wyatt shrugged, “Oh, just a bit of boredom I suppose. It’s fun to go slumming every once in a while, you know? Not to mention I’m sure father’s men are looking all over the skies for me, this is the last place they’d look.”

That explained the strange cadence in Wyatt’s voice. He was likely a highborn like Geoffrey.

“Ah, a bit of youthful rebellion is it? Teaching dear father a lesson?”

Wyatt barked a small laugh, “Hah! Yes, I suppose it is. I’m already 35 and father says I still need more time to mature. Maybe he’s right.”

Wyatt was 35? Geoffrey wasn’t too sure on the lifespans of a Raptoran. Wyatt may very well be a young adult, still, mentality and all. It would explain a lot.

As their conversation died down, one of the trawlers, an elven woman, grabbed everyone’s attention,

“Looks like we’ve got some friendlies approaching, judging by the dolphins.”

A small commotion built up on the starboard side as everyone took a break to meet the strange visitors. It appeared to be two merfolk accompanied by a pair of dolphins. It looked like they were interested in a bit of trade for “land dweller” goods or gold. Geoffrey struggled to contain his excitement. He cursed that he had no fish on him to feed the dolphins with.

While most of the small magical trinkets they had were a bit too steep in price, Igna seemed fascinated by some ingots of metal they had called “Pearlsteel.” The pair of merfolk mentioned it was a special type of metal forged only by skilled Icathian smiths. Apparently, weapons made from the stuff were lighter and functioned better in water. Not only that, but the metal didn’t rust. Igna, seemingly entranced by the ingot, began counting out coins.

Geoffrey frowned, “Igna, what use could you possibly have for a lump of metal?”

Igna squinted at Geoffrey, “You have no appreciation for beauty. Besides, this thing can probably be sold for way more up in the skies. I bet you it’s super rare up there.”

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “Yes, Igna, I’m sure a Skylander will have great need for pearlsteel, a metal designed for use in the ocean.”

Igna scoffed and finished her transaction with the merfolk, “You’ll see.”

-

The rest of the guard duty passed without issue. It was good work, but Geoffrey was beginning to chafe under the indignity of Legion work. Geoffrey proposed they wrap up their business with Faulkner, have a meal, and rest up before prowling for work again.

They arrived at the Sultry Siren a little after noon. Geoffrey saw that Faulkner was behind the counter as usual. As the gang took seats at the bar and ordered lunch, Geoffrey flagged down Faulkner after he finished dealing with a large group of patrons that had just walked in.

“Great news, Faulkner. We’ve completed those two tasks of yours. What would you like to hear of first?”

Faulkner rubbed the stubble of his chin, “Tell me about Yera first.”

Geoffrey nodded, “Very well. We delivered the notice and discovered that she joined a cult, that’s why she’s gone.

Faulkner raised a single eyebrow, “You’ll have to give me more than that, come on.”

Geoffrey frowned and glanced around for possible eavesdroppers, “Fine. We may have found our way inside her apartment. It doesn’t look like she’s been there for a few days. We also found a little black book written in Undercommon with strange depictions of eyes.”

Faulkner’s eyes widened, “Oh, that almost sounds like-“

“Like the strange man who came in a few days ago? Yes, it’s concerning, to say the least.”

Faulkner sighed, “Dark times indeed, I’ll consider the matter resolved. Now, what of the thief?”

Geoffrey shifted uncomfortably, “Faulkner, believe me when I say that the matter HAS been resolved…”

Faulkner tapped his foot, “What of their name? Don’t keep me waiting.”

Igna spoke up, “There’s not gonna be anymore theft but believe me, man, you don’t want to go down this rabbit hole. It’s not worth it, Faulkner, trust us.”

“Not worth it? What do you mean?”

Igna’s face grew severe, “Listen, just take this win and walk. Some things just aren’t worth messing with.”

Faulkner gave a concerned look, “Right… fine, yeah, you’re right. Okay, so long as the theft has stopped.”

Geoffrey smiled, “So it’s a done deal then? 30 gold and rooms until we depart?”

Faulkner nodded, “Yeah, a deal’s a deal. Thanks for the hand. I’ll make sure Ike hears about this and doesn’t go trying to charge you three. Now, I’ll go see if your meals are ready.” A few moments later and lunch was served. Having missed breakfast and forced to dine on rations during the job did not help Geoffrey’s or his compatriot’s table manners and they finished their meals with gusto. Parting with Ryu and Igna, Geoffrey went up the stairs to his room on the second floor. Removing his armor and resting on the bed, Geoffrey closed his eyes. His head still ached, but hopefully some good food and rest would help.

-

Geoffrey had slept much longer than intended, as a glance outside his window showed that dusk was descending. The few buildings he could see outside his window were lit up with torches and multicolored magelight to attract customers as the night life of Portside began to wake up. Geoffrey readied himself and walked down to the bustling dining area where he saw Ryu and Igna in their usual booth by the fish head. Neither looked particularly peeved about Geoffrey’s lengthy rest, which he was grateful for. He sat down and shouted a dinner order to a wandering barmaid who nodded before hurrying toward the kitchen.

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Turning to his companions, Geoffrey cleared his throat, “Right, any interesting rumors pop up while I was out?”

Igna shook her head, “No luck, we’ll probably have to start tavern hopping or do some more petty jobs like with Faulkner.”

Geoffrey frowned, “I’d rather be spared that kind of torturous tedium. A repeat of something like Marvelo is simply too much for me. I’d rather be risking my life, thank you very much.”

Ryu nodded his head, “Yes, I did not hone my skills for years to handle petty issues like a walrusfolk’s eating problems.”

As Geoffrey chuckled at Ryu’s candid agreeance, he spotted two new visitors to the Sultry Siren. With a cough, he directed Ryu and Igna’s attention toward the pair. Two Merfolk had slowly hopped inside, the weight of their tail seemed to be making each hop a very difficult affair. They were clad in what appeared to be silvery pearlsteel breastplates with some form of insignia on the chest. Geoffrey wasn’t intimately familiar with the politics or iconography beneath the sea, but he knew a royal insignia when he saw one. They were doubtlessly from the Kingdom of Icathia. Very interesting… Geoffrey was beginning to see real potential here. It seemed Ryu had picked up on it as well and was giving Geoffrey the side eye. Igna mused that their armor looked nice.

Geoffrey whispered to his companions, “Alright, this looks like, please pardon the language, quite a catch. Icathian guards in expensive armor don’t just walk on land unless they have business. Business means money. We want to get involved in whatever they’re here for if we can manage it.

Igna surreptitiously glanced at the guards for a second, “Are you sure they’re not just here for a meal before heading home for the night?”

“Pish posh! Actually… hm, I don’t actually know how far beneath us the Kingdom of Icathia is. I… suppose that’s possible. Still, we must at least try!”

Igna grinned, “You know what, you’re right. When opportunity starts knocking…”

Geoffrey smiled, “It’s up to us to answer. Now then, I’ll go have a chat with them. Best not to overwhelm them with several armed land dwellers, hm? I’ll chat them up and see what I can learn.”

Getting up and out of their booth, Geoffrey walked over to the table the two merfolk were sitting at. The chairs were straining a little under the weight of their tails but managed to hold strong. It appeared one was a female and the other a male. Their attention turned to him as he approached.

Right, time to get to work.

Turning to the male of the two, Geoffrey spoke, “My name is Geoffrey, Geoffrey Lepons. A pleasure to meet the two of you. May I sit?”

The two guards exchanged looks before they both shrugged, “Go ahead. This saves us some time anyhow.”

Oh dear, that could mean any number of things. Well, he was fairly certain he hadn’t broken any undersea laws.

Dismissing the thought, Geoffrey gave a polite smile, “Excellent. Now, to whom am I addressing? I would be remiss if I were to simply refer to you as guards.”

The woman spoke up, “I’m Lorelei of the Royal Icathian Guard, a pleasure.”

The man followed suit, “I’m Garry.”

Lorelei frowned at what Geoffrey assumed was Garry’s less than elegant introduction.

Garry gave her a blank look, “What? Did I do something wrong?”

Geoffrey cleared his throat, “Ahem, it’s a pleasure to meet you both, Garry and Lorelei. In truth I had suspected as much, you both certainly have the bearing of royal guards.” He paused a moment to let the compliment sink in, before continuing, “Now, I’m quite interested to hear what brings you to Portside. Certainly, you’re not mere tourists.”

Lorelei nodded, “You’d be correct, Geoffey. We’re here hunting a special criminal. Tell me, have you ever heard of a Malenti?”

Geoffrey stroked his chin, “Hm… no, I haven’t. Are they a sea creature of some sort?”

“Yes, of a sort. Sahuagin, sea-devils, can sometimes hatch as a Malenti instead of the standard nasty spiked breed. The Malenti is nearly identical to an aquatic Elf and the Sahuagin seem to keep them around to use as bait. Malenti are known to frequently use their guise to spy on others or trick hapless victims to their deaths.”

Geoffrey’s face turned serious, “Tricking people to their death, hm? Is there anyway to definitively identify a Malenti?”

“Yes, actually. We simply need to bring them near a dolphin, of which we have a pair. Dolphins have the keen ability to detect Sahuagin, a Malenti is no different in this case. Now, we’re looking to find the bastard that’s been sending travelers to their deaths. We followed those rumors to Portside with little luck. Now, the Kingdom has given us permission to offer an award for assistance in the capture of this creature. 750 gold, dead or alive.”

Geoffrey got excited at the mention that they brought dolphins but kept calm. Now was the time to make he and his companions very wealthy.

Geoffrey gave a flat reply, “Bring the award up to 1000 gold and I’ll give you your Malenti right now. This very moment.”

Garry and Lorelei looked surprised for a moment before looking to each other and talking in a hushed whisper. When they turned back, Lorelei nodded and held out her hand, “1000 gold, we’ll also need the body returned to Icathia with anything on them.”

Geoffrey tried and failed to suppress a devilish grin as he shook her hand, “It’s a deal.”

-

After briefly explaining the situation to Igna and Ryu and noting that Eridia was not in her usual booth, Geoffrey strutted over to the bar where he flagged down Ike.

Geoffrey got straight to the point, “Ike, I need Eridia’s room number. A key as well, just in case.”

Ike folded his arms, “Now why in the hell should I do that, I thought you guys were mercs, not petty thieves.”

Geoffrey gestured to Garry and Lorelei, “Do you see those two? Those are members of the Royal Icathian Guard. Royal, Ike. You see, Ms. Eridia Swellington has been sending people off to die and they got wind of it. Now, we’re going to go deal with Ms. Swellington, but I’m going to need that key and her room number so she can’t run off.”

Ike’s eyes widened as he glanced to the Merfolk, “Shit, you’re serious, aren’t you? Hey, fine. Here’s the key, she’s in 201, right by the stairs.”

Satisfied, Geoffrey walked back over to Igna and Ryu, “Alright, position yourselves outside the window of room 201 in case she tries making a dash to the ocean. If she comes willingly then you two will follow behind as a deterrent in case she has friends. The guards and I will bring her to waters edge so the dolphins can test her.” Geoffrey paused, thinking on if he missed anything, “Oh, don’t bother taking her alive if she makes a dash or does anything shifty. Not worth the hassle.”

Geoffrey parted ways with Igna and Ryu before walking over to the guards once more, “My team will be in position shortly. I’ve got her room number and key. Shall we?”

The guards nodded and stood up, picking up the pearlsteel tridents they had resting against the table. Then they began to slowly hop besides Geoffrey.

Oh Gods, I’d forgotten.

After a bit of difficulty getting up the stairs Geoffrey, flanked by the two guards, knocked on Eridia’s door.

A voice hummed from behind the door, “Yes, yes, one moment. Do be patient.”

After a click from the door, it looked like Ms. Swellington was in casual clothing instead of her usual, gaudier, getup.

“Oh, Geoffrey and… these aren’t your usual friends? What can I do for you?”

Geoffrey felt positively sanguine as he addressed her, “Ms. Swellington, I’m going to have to ask you to come down to the docks with us. There’s been rumors that you’re a Malenti tricking hapless adventurers to their deaths. We just want to verify that this isn’t the case.”

To her credit, Eridia seemed entirely nonplussed, “Oh really? Fine, do what you will so that I can return to my “me” time.” She presented her hands to have irons clasped around them, which Garry did without issue. Her act was very good, Geoffrey even felt a small pang of doubt that she was the Malenti. Of course, it was only a minor hesitation.

Slowly bouncing out of the tavern, the guards flanked Eridia while Geoffrey walked behind, hammer at the ready. It surely had to be her; she would try some sort of trick any moment now. Checking behind himself, he saw Ryu and Igna slowly advancing from behind, keeping an eye out for any ambushes. When at last they arrived at the edge of Portside, Geoffrey tensed himself as the dolphins began to surface from the water.

Three things happened in quick succession:

First, the dolphins began clicking loudly and splashing frantically.

Second, Eridia began uttering something in a foul guttural language.

Third, Eridia was silenced permanently as Geoffrey’s greathammer swung and connected with her head with enough force to kill her thrice over.

However, the damage was already done, four sea-devils burst from the water, armed with tridents and razor-sharp teeth. All of them matched Geoffrey in height, about six feet tall, and they appeared like a cross between a humanoid, a deep-sea creature, and a frilled lizard. They hissed as they all charged.

Geoffrey and the guards immediately readied themselves as the beasts tried flanking them. Lorelei began expertly parrying both attacks against her before riposting with a stab of her own and Garry assisted her by helping in fending off strikes against her with his own trident. Geoffrey used his bracer to deflect a strike from one of the two Sahuagin on his side, the second managed a grazing strike at his leg. Unperturbed, Geoffrey quickly closed the distance between him and the Sahuagin and in one fluid motion swung at the creature’s center of mass. The beast, clearly wary of Geoffrey, pulled back before the mighty swing could connect. They must have made the connection that he was Ms. Swellington’s untimely demise and been especially wary. Pity.

In the next instant Ryu and Igna had arrived. Ryu was sporting his katana in one hand and his wakizashi in the other. Igna had her rapier at the ready. They immediately split, with Ryu rushing over to Geoffrey’s side while Igna went to assist the guards.

Ryu wasted no time and delivered two slashes as he charged. His katana sliced into the sea devil that Geoffrey had tried hitting the moment before. As the creature stumbled, Ryu followed his attack up with a strike from his wakizashi. With a single vertical slash, the Sahuagin’s chest was split open and it fell to the floor, dead. On the other side, Igna got between the guards and Sahuagin as she began pushing them back with skillful fencing jabs. Her rapid flurry of strikes eventually found purchase in a sea devil’s shoulder.

On the backpedal, the sea devils intensified their attacks. The remaining Sahuagin on Geoffrey’s side threw its trident to the side as it flexed its hands and black claws jutted out. It threw itself on Geoffrey as it tried to tear at him with tooth and claw. Geoffrey pushed back with the haft of his hammer but found the creature unperturbed as it bit into his arm.

Geoffrey couldn’t repress a shout of, “Fucker!” before he pushed the creature off. As the monster stumbled back, Geoffrey used his momentum to swing his greathammer down from above onto the beast’s head, killing it instantly. Crunch. What a joy greathammers were.

At the same time Igna was dodging vicious attacks from both Sahuagin on her end, while the one closer to her had opted to use its claws and teeth as well. Though she managed to dodge and befuddle the creatures, one still managed to lunge and bite into her side, its teeth pushing through the chainmail. Igna yelped in pain, but the creature’s victory was short lived as Lorelei jabbed her trident through the Sahuagins skull and yanked it out. Even in death, it clung to Igna as she turned her attention to the remaining Sahuagin. With a final strike, she ducked beneath a trident jab and thrust her rapier up into the creature’s throat. It stumbled back for a moment before it fell over, choking on its own blood.

Still flush with adrenaline, Geoffrey stomped over to Igna and wrenched the jaws of the clinging Sahuagin head from her side. Silence pervaded as everyone calmed down. Igna nodded in way of thanks.

Finally, Geoffrey broke the silence as he began picking scales off of his hammer, marveling at his handiwork, “It appears that’s all of them. Is everyone alright?”

Igna spoke first, “I don’t THINK my ribs are broken. I’ll be sore for a day or two, though.”

Ryu followed up, “I’m fine, thank you.”

Lorelei was grimacing at the brain matter caught on her trident, “Garry and I are good, whew...”

A few bumps and scrapes, but everyone seemed well. Mission accomplished.

Geoffrey clasped his hands together and grinned.

“Now, the matter of payment. I believe it was 1000 gold we had agreed to? I do hope you’re satisfied with our handiwork.”

-

The guards had taken Eridia’s body into the water, fastening it to a very miserable looking dolphin. It was unfortunate they would not permit any proper looting of her corpse as she was wearing a few fine pieces of pearl jewelry, changeling or no, it seemed Eridia Swellington enjoyed her lavish persona, even while relaxing. Alas, a deal was a deal. The guards had seemed a bit tense as they noticed Geoffrey eyeing the valuables, but he was not one to break his word.

In the interim, Ryu and Igna began searching through the bodies of the dead Sahuagin. Geoffrey would help, but he was more likely to get in their way than actually assist them and he instead opted to guard the area from vagabonds and vultures. Aside from the four tridents made from some form of outlandish coral, the sea devils wore a strange armor made from shark skin. As luck would have it, one of the pieces survived the scuffle and was exceptionally well made. Ryu had also noticed a strange woven kelp satchel on the same body. In it he found a small golden idol and a potion of some sort containing a green liquid. The idol depicted a humanoid with the upper half appearing as a four-armed crab creature, and the bottom half appearing as a scantily clad female humanoid. It was entirely unpleasant to look at.

Geoffrey grimaced, “Augh, I’m guessing that’s their God or something?”

Ryu thought about it for a moment, “Most likely. We can get it melted down. I highly doubt anyone would buy it otherwise.”

Geoffrey nodded, “…Yeah, unless we can find a museum willing to pay up. Highly doubtful considering our locale. Oh, we can go find an, ugh, wizard tomorrow to identify that potion.” Geoffrey did not like wizards. They were never normal, ever. Not to mention they adopted “wizard names” once they finished their education, so they always had grand or disturbing names to match their mannerisms. Titles such as “the sparkling” or “the constantly sometimes mostly indecisive” were frequent and never in name only.

After a half hour wait and no other finds of import on the sea devils, Garry and Lorelei resurfaced with a large wooden chest and hauled it onto the docks with a loud clunk. Geoffrey’s heart fluttered as he undid a small clasp and marveled at the glow of gold in the moonlight. Truly a lovely sum, he ran his fingers through a few coins and listened to the beautiful harmony that sang forth.

He turned to the pair of royal guards, “It has been an absolute pleasure dealing with the both of you. I wish you safe travels.”

Garry smiled, “Same to you, Geoffrey. The Kingdom of Icathia thanks you for your help. We’ll make sure our superiors hear of your assistance in this matter. Don’t be afraid to visit!”

Geoffrey couldn’t help but grin, “Perhaps if my companions and I grow gills. Safe travels!”

As Lorelei and Garry turned to leave, Geoffrey couldn’t shake that something was bothering him.

Realizing, Geoffrey shouted to Garry and Lorelei right before they could sink beneath the ocean’s surface, “Ah! One moment!”

The guards paused and turned inquisitively.

“Could I pet your dolphins?”

-

Once again, the team clanked their mugs together, splashing alcohol onto the table with reckless abandon. It was not the watered-down garbage they had been subsisting on previously. Geoffrey had suggested mid-shelf drinks and even gave Ike a generous drop from their riches in the form of fifty gold as a reminder that Geoffrey Lepons rewards those who have been helpful to him. Ike was not entirely pleased when he was informed that he would need to clean out Ms. Swellington’s room, but the gift and a gentle reminder that she was killing people resolved the matter quickly.

Oh, what a lovely day it had been. Geoffrey’s heart was full to bursting. Money, drinks, plans to finally get out here. Everything was going swimmingly. Oh, and the dolphins, such friendly creatures.

“Alright, as agreed we’ll handle the selling of the extra loot tomorrow. Having those tridents clutter my room is already becoming quite the tripping hazard. We’ll also have to find a wizard or alchemist. That’ll be your job, Igna, the chatty Cathy that you are.”

Igna nodded with a smile and took a swig of her drink, “You got it boss!”

“Right, then all that’s left to do is enjoy the rest of our night, to us!”

With a cheer, he took a deep drink, Geoffrey paused for a moment. Best to take it slow. He didn’t want a repeat of this morning.

Musing over the day’s events, Geoffrey noted that he would have to put a little extra polish into tonight’s maintenance, splattered with sea creature filth as they were, not that he minded. He would want to look his best when he returned to the skies.

1000 gold.

They could finally get out here, at last! To true civilization!

Taking another drink, his thoughts drifted to home. To Torex.

Just a little bit longer. I will take back what’s mine.