Trout's Landing.

Well, this was certainly a development, Jeb thought as he looked into the crate. It had been emptied of supplies and was now filled with water as well as the catfish from hell. It was a pretty decent size for a catfish, certainly would make some good eats.

But he knew damn well that catfish normally didn't look like they just got out of the twilight zone. If it wasn't for the rather uniqueness of the fish he'd think it'd come from the world the kobolds did. Was this really what he could expect from now on, Jeb thought as he watched the nightmarish catfish remain almost perfectly still in the box.

Picking up a nearby baitfish and dropping it in proved that it wasn't dead though as the second it glanced the glowing whisker tips it thrashed about and devoured the baitfish. Even taking a chance and wriggling his finger in the water just in front of the catfish barely got a reaction out of it. Though he wasn't sure if that was because it might've been his power that transformed it and thus it didn't want to bite the hand of its god, which being the eldritch god of catfish wasn't something he ever thought he'd be associated with, or it really was blind now and used the whiskers to catch prey.

Looks like this isn't going to be the last though, Jeb thought as another crate was repurposed into a holding cell as a nightmarish bass was thrown in. Roughly the same looking as the catfish was, river bottom black with boney spines along its back and on the tips of its fins, unlike the catfish though, it didn't have glowing lures and it wasn't blind but instead had a second, smaller, pair of eyes sharing the same sockets of the original two while the mouth was filled with long fangs.

As he and the tribe of kobolds stood there watching the fish with uncertainty smaller transformed fish were still being fished up and put into buckets before being brought over to join their expanding terror-aquarium. Even smaller baitfish looked like they just took a trip through a Hot Topic as they were the same river bottom black but had streaks of glowing blue scales on their sides or on the top like racing stripes and even they had little maws of fangs.

The river ecosystem was already predatory, but it was looking like it was turning into an eldritch arms race as formally familiar fish became mutated and looked ready to go to war! Plus this was only the fish, Jeb realized as the ecosystem itself was more than likely just going to get worse and worse as everything within the river, hell probably everything nearby, started to look like it went through a gothic taxidermist.

Crawfish, birds, frogs, squirrels, hell even the kobolds themselves were looking a little different now that he was looking for changes! He was more surprised that the lodge itself wasn't different already. But then again he had a good idea why it wasn't as he started to recall the other night when he went on a rampage against the murlocs.

If his power bled out when he transformed, then he could've mutated who-knows how much of the river or even surrounding creatures! If he didn't completely cleanse the murlocs then there was a good chance that some of them might also be touched with his power now that he thought about it. He would need to go back up the river just to make sure though. Having murlocs was already a problem that the Greenbrier and the entire Ohio and Mississippi was probably going to have to deal with if they weren't already, but having a bunch of Lovecraftian murlocs or fish was going to play hell on the ecosystem!

Maybe they could eat those jumping carp that everyone's complaining about, Jeb thought wishfully. Then again, with the way they looked and probably acted now they'd be just as likely to take a bite out of a fisherman or a gator. Thank god gators didn't get this far north. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if those fucking dinosaurs got a dose of eldritch juju!

Instead he'd have to worry about bears, deer, gar, sturgeon, the kobolds, and oh just about everything else as everything around him turned into a Goddamn thunderdome with fangs and God only knows what else they might have aside from a new paintjob and extra teeth!

Of course that wasn't bad enough, now he was seeing the ghost orbs as well, Jeb thought as he spied the flicker of a blueish wisp float just out of his eyesight. He didn't used to be able to see them unless he used his power. Now they were barely visible at the edges of his vision. If the kobolds could see them they didn't seem bothered or cared. But he doubt if they could see them they would act so calm.

That wasn't even mentioning the cries. It didn't take much to block it out, but when he paid attention or at night when sounds of work from the kobolds stopped, he could hear faint sobbing and crying from somewhere nearby. At first he thought it might've been Ruby or one of the other kobolds. But as he listened he noticed it moved and followed along to the blue wisps that floated nearby when he had used his powers. Except now he wasn't using his power, was wide awake, and unfortunately sober as a bird. Sometimes they would speak, but every time he tried to pay attention to them it just sounded like he was trying to hear through cotton or wax.

The worrying part though? He didn't have any trouble sleeping last night despite it. So one more thing to add to the list of things he should obviously be concerned about and isn't. Doubt he could go see a therapist for this stuff though, Jeb thought with a sigh as he turned his gaze back down to the nightmare fish.

"Think we'll be lucky and these are the only ones?" Jeb asked the assembled kobolds.

As if to answer, yet more buckets of Twilight Zone fish were brought over. The Chief looked from the buckets and crates and up at Jeb.

"I don't think so."

"What do we do with them?" One of the nearby kobolds asked worryingly.

Before Jeb could answer, the Trap Master stepped forwards.

"We eat them obviously."

"Are you sure?" Jeb asked with a raised brow.

"Can't be any different than the food you conjure." The Trap Master stated as he took a fishing spear from one of the nearby fisherbolds.

"Yeah, but that's different. That's apples, potatoes, candy. It isn't somethin' livin' and breathin' that might have God only knows what else in it." Jeb countered.

"And the river and the fish within are now a vital form of food. We can't just ignore it." The Trap Master countered back.

Jeb made to continue but the Trap Master was already moving towards one of the fish. He moved to a crate that had a ghostly trout within it that didn't seem like it cared at all what happened as it just bobbed and glided in the water with an ease that made the Trap Master wary, probably a good idea since the fisherbolds that caught it weren't sure how they even caught it in the first place. So he moved on to the four-eyed fanged bass. Despite the darker color and the extra eyes and fangs, the Trap Master appeared far less concerned than with the ghost trout.

A quick thrust was all it took to end the nightmarish creature's life and he hauled the sizable fish out of the crate and displayed the twitching corpse for all to see. Then he pulled it closer and took a bite at the belly.

The tribe and Jeb all watched as the Trap Master continued to chew, waiting for the verdict or whatever horrible fate that might befall him for eating the eldritch-touched bass. For several tense seconds he chewed as they all waited for something to happen. Then he finally swallowed and waited.

After another few long seconds of nothing happening he took another bite, then another, then another. Being more mindful of the extra boney spines and fins as well as the fangs, but other than that it appeared that the bass was no less edible than the food Jeb was able to conjure.

Eventually the other kobolds started to wander over to the other fish and took their own turns trying them. But for all the freakish looks, they still seemed to be just regular fish on the inside, at least when it came to taste, Jeb thought as he made his way over to the ghost trout. There really was something eerie about it that he wasn't really surprised that none of the kobolds decided to try it.

He picked it up and noted that the texture felt weird. Like running your hand over cold jello, he thought as he was half tempted to cook it rather than eat it raw like the rest of the kobolds. But if they're willing to risk a raw meal then he could as well. So with a bit more reluctance than he cared to admit, he bit into the ghost trout, and almost immediately wanted to spit it back out!

The texture really was like jello. Like getting a big mouthful of fishy jello. The only semi-solid thing in the fish it seemed was the bones and there was barely even a crunch when he bit into them. The whole thing practically fell apart as he bit into it. Despite the weirdness of the fish, the taste was actually not half bad, Jeb thought as he tried to ignore the jello texture and focus on the taste itself. It actually had a pretty light taste to it, not bland, but really light on the fishy flavor.

Despite the surprisingly mild flavor, the texture made trying to swallow it more difficult and he had to practically choke it down. It was also surprisingly filling, Jeb noted. Barely one bite and he felt like he just had an entire meal. Maybe a good thing though, he thought. As alright as the taste was, he wasn't really looking forwards to trying to gag down the rest of the jello ghost trout.

He looked up from his ghostly meal and saw the rest of the kobolds staring at him.

"What?"

"How is it?" The Chief asked.

"Like eating a mouthful of jellied fish. Other than that, not bad actually." Jeb said though made no hurry to finish his meal, even the normally glutinous salamanders didn't seem too keen on eating it when offered.

Since he wasn't too keen himself on finishing the ghostly trout, and none of the kobolds or salamanders wanted it, he went over to the river and tossed it in for whatever else might want it for a meal. But as if the fish wasn't weird enough, when it hit the water it actually swam off like he hadn't just taken a bite out of it!

Definitely the weirdest fish, Jeb thought as he tracked the ghostly fish in the water until it vanished below the murk. He turned back towards the kobolds and found them happily eating away at the other, only slightly weirder, fish.

Well, one brief problem solved, Jeb thought as he glanced back at the river. He doubt this'll be the last of weird fish coming from the river. But at least it seemed they were still edible, even if the texture of some was left to be desired.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

With that he made for the boats, he wanted to see just how much of the river he might've royally fucked. As he did he heard the sounds of claws closing in behind him and he turned and found the Trap Master and a couple of skirmishers following behind.

"What's up?"

"Where are you going?" The Trap Master asked.

"Upriver to get a good idea of just how much I might've changed the Greenbrier."

"Then we'll come with you." The Trap Master declared.

"You don't really need to you know I'll be fine on my own."

"Like the last time you went off on your own and we didn't see you for almost an entire day and you came back wearing that?" The Trap Master pointed out while gesturing to the silken suit Jeb still wore.

He had put some pants and a shirt over it, but the burgundy silk still poked through sometimes when he moved. He left behind the gilded armor though. It was a bit too flashy for his liking.

"Fair point. But it's goin' to get cold, will you lot be alright?"

"We'll be fine. The cold is actually something I want to discuss with you about." The Trap Master said as the four of them made for the boats.

So they got a couple of canoes and headed upriver. The two skirmishers took one canoe and Jeb and the Trap Master took the other. Despite him wanting to talk about the cold, the Trap Master remained pretty quiet as they rowed up the river.

Though Jeb wasn't really wanting to talk either. But mainly because his mind was, understandably, on other matters. Like just how much of the ecosystem did he fuck up, for one. What could he do to fix it, if he even could. Just to name the most recent worries he's had.

Then they came upon the first of the murloc villages. Jeb could smell it before they saw it. The smell of rotted fish flesh was strong even further down the river. They didn't bother to stop though, it was obvious that Jeb had been pretty thorough on the first one if the piles of gore and viscera was anything to go by.

So they kept going, village after village they went and the signs of destruction and butchery grew more and more. Even a few days latter and there were still birds picking through the rotted flesh. But the more they moved on the more Jeb started to notice some signs that his power really did start to bleed into the surrounding areas.

Some of the pools of blood had soaked into the ground, dried up, or washed away. But even he could tell that some of the soil and mud was a darker color than it should've been. Even the sparse trees here and there had blackened bark and leaves and needles that glowed a eerie blue color.

This got more frequent as they continued on until they came to the village before last. The one where his boat had been scuttled by the murlocs and he had to resort to actually climbing the rock to advance further.

Jeb looked to where he had climbed the rock, deep gouges were formed where it looked like he ran on all fours across the stone, even the stone seemed to take on a duskier grey where he had traveled along it compared to the rest of the stone.

Then they came upon the last of the murloc villages. Even now the smell of death and blood was thick as birds and even some wild animals picked at the remains left over. Most quickly scattered as they beached their boats and headed into what was left of the village.

It seemed his power hit its climax here, Jeb thought as he looked around and saw thorned black vines still wrapped around or punctured through bodies and carapace. The buildings, what was left of them anyway, didn't seem like they were affected by his power like the actual landscape was. What little foliage was nearby had the same ghostly bluish hue to their leaves. The stone and rocks nearby turned a dusky grey as well. The mud itself, where he could see it through the stagnant pools of blood and gore, was pitch black and thick like tar.

Even some of the balefire that he remembered using was still burning. Much of it had burnt out, but there were still a few that managed to keep going. The eerie blue flame seemed to add an ominous feel to the area making it feel more like a ritual sight and not the brutal slaughter that it actually was. Maybe it really was a ritual, Jeb thought with a bitter chuckle. What do many powerful spells and rituals are said to require? Blood sacrifices, and boy was there plenty of blood around.

He was surprised the river itself wasn't running red with blood or had itself turned eldritch. Then again, he didn't remember reading about the oceans becoming anything more than just regular water in any books of Lovecraft's. So maybe he didn't have to worry about the river itself suddenly becoming some horrible nightmare. Or maybe he should just shut up before the universe turns its eyes towards him and decides that even thinking "at least it can't get worse" was an invitation.

Jeb and the kobolds moved through the wreckage for any signs that any of the murlocs might've survived the encounter. So far so good though, Jeb thought as he made his way through everything. He turned his head though when he heard a gasp and turned around and saw the Trap Master sticking his arm into some balefire!

"What are you doin'?!"

Despite his tone the Trap Master made no hurry to remove his arm from the ghostly blue flame. If anything, he took a step INTO the fire! Jeb watched in horror as the fire... didn't do anything. It moved and flickered as the Trap Master moved into the fire but otherwise nothing. No screaming from the kobold, no sound or smell of burning scales. Nothing.

"What the hell?" Jeb muttered as he and the skirmishers stared in awe at the Trap Master as he stood within the flame with a relieved smile on his snout.

"It seems your fire is selective in what, and who, it decides to burn." The Trap Master said, his breath causing the flame to flicker and move some more.

"Yeah, that's great, can you get out of the fire now please?" Jeb asked with a measure of concern in his voice.

The Trap Master took a couple steps out of the fire, which seemed to follow and grip him like it didn't want him to leave yet before jerking back towards the pile of timber that it continued to scorch and eat away at. The other kobolds and Jeb rushed towards the Trap Master and looked him over for signs of any burns. But all they saw was some remnants of the balefire fading away.

Or seeping into him, Jeb thought as he noticed the flame didn't just snuff out but instead seemed to flow between the Trap Master's scales. Leaving the kobold with nothing to indicate that he just walked into a fire and walked out perfectly fine. He knew that the kobolds had a bit of a tolerance to fire and heat. But he was pretty sure they weren't tolerant enough to just walk into fire and act like it was a warm bath.

"How do you feel?" Jeb asked.

"I feel... warm." The Trap Master said as he smiled and ran his claws along his scales.

Jeb reached out a hand and ran it along the Trap Master's scales. Getting a sensitive hiss from the kobold that he wasn't sure he meant to let out. But he was right. His scales were warm, then again, he did just step into a fire. So he doubt it would be cold, Jeb thought.

"Yeah, that tends to happen when you set yourself on fire." Jeb voiced the thought he had and moved on.

"But it didn't burn me." The Trap Master stated.

"And that's weird."

"It also means that the rest of the tribe could use it to counter the cold more than normal fire could." The Trap Master continued.

"Did you know it wouldn't burn you before just a second ago?"

"Yes. When we went searching for you one of us got caught in the blue fire by accident. But it didn't burn him. I tested it with an arm after that and managed to find a murloc still alive and threw it into the fire."

"And?"

"It burned it."

"Shocker."

"It didn't just burn away the flesh, it burnt away its soul." The Trap Master explained.

"So wait, let me just get this straight then. YOU want more of this fire that can somehow keep you warm compared to normal fire and wont burn you and can burn away somethin's soul? Is that about right?" Jeb asked in a tone of disbelief.

"Why do you find it so strange?"

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because there's a fuckin' mountain of evidence that suggests that gettin' pumped full of the stuff might be a bad idea?!" Jeb said as he gestured around.

"We don't really have an alternative!" The Trap Master snapped.

"Yes you do!"

"What? Be such a hinderance to you and ourselves that when winter comes around that we're forced underground just out of sheer necessity?! Is that what we are now?! Some treasure for you to hoard and protect?!"

"I PROMISED TO KEEP YOU SAFE!!!" Jeb roared and his voice echoed across the rocky walls and sent what few birds remained into the air.

"And how is keeping us from defending ourselves keeping us safe?! Do you honestly expect us to just sit around and be content that you'll always be there to protect us?! We've been looking after ourselves for thousands of years back when we had a dragon for a master and we're not going to stop just because our new one likes to be proactive!"

Jeb made to argue but bit his tongue back before he could say something he'd more than likely regret. Instead, he turned and kicked at a watchtower that was still somehow standing and sent it crumbling to the ground.

At first he thought he was angry. Why wouldn't he be?! He was trying to protect the kobolds and it seemed like they were intent on making that job harder than it should've been! As if giving them guns and some training wasn't enough, now they wanted to go tampering with something even he didn't understand and he was the one that made the damn fire!

But the more he breathed, and the more he calmed down, the more he realized he was sad. He sat down on a nearby rock and just breathed. He was sad that the only normal thing in his life now was changing along with everything else. He chuckled sadly. The talking lizards out of a fantasy novel was considered normal to him.

Yet now even they were getting wrapped up in this fucking eldritch horseshit, seemingly willingly too! He heard the sounds of claws coming closer and the Trap Master put a claw on his shoulder.

"We're not hatchlings, Jeb. We're not pets, or treasures to store away and protect. I'm worried about our tribe and our numbers the same as you are. But I still want us to be able to take care of ourselves. When winter comes what do you think will happen to us? We'll be forced underground and potentially end up hibernating even with what heat we can get from normal fire. Those heaters you got won't last forever and we won't be able to collect firewood or food when it gets worse. How do you expect us to feel if we have to sit around while you do everything for us when winter comes?"

"What do you think will happen after bein' exposed to that fire for so long?" Jeb asked with less force in his voice.

"What do you think will happen the longer we're around you?" The Trap Master asked and held up his arm for Jeb to see.

"We're changing. That's because of you. Not the fire. You. If the fire changes us in a different why, so be it. But I'm sure that even if the rest of the tribe knew about the changes we'd still stick with you. You've been far kinder than our last master ever was and have done more than enough for us. Just let us make our own decisions. This fire can keep us warm and productive through the winter. Let us be the ones to decide to use it or not."

Jeb sat on the rock, weighing the Trap Master's words. He was right though. As much as he might not want to admit it, he was right. They weren't his pets, and while he might treasure them, they weren't gilded treasures to hoard and keep around because they looked pretty. They were people, scaled kleptos, but still people.

"Fine. When we get back we'll talk about the fire some more." Jeb said in a quiet voice at last.

The Trap Master nodded and left Jeb and returned to the other skirmishers that had wandered off in part to give them some privacy and to keep searching for signs of survivors among the murlocs. But after a few minutes the cold forced the two skirmishers to agree to head back. Which made Jeb's disagreement over the fire seem all the more petty to himself. They were cold-blooded, of course they were going to want a better way to keep warm in the winter, Jeb thought bitterly.

He just hoped that things would be normal. But looking around at the carnage and destruction that HE did, to the land itself changing because of his power, to the kobolds being influenced by him in more ways than one. It was obvious that "normal" was taken out back and given the Ol' Yeller treatment long ago.

"Jeb?" The Trap Master said as he neared Jeb again.

"You guys go on. I need a bit is all. Not like I can't get back on my own." Jeb said.

The Trap Master nodded and left with the two skirmishers. Even glancing at the Trap Master as he left, Jeb noticed that the cold no longer affected him as much as it did the other two. At least for a little bit. He wasn't sure how long it would last but he doubt the kobold was suddenly warm-blooded after a couple seconds in the balefire.

So the three kobolds left Jeb alone to sort out his thoughts. Though perhaps he should've done it somewhere that wasn't a battlefield not long ago and he wasn't ankle deep in gore, he thought as he got up from the semi-clean rock and made his way through the wreckage. He wasn't even sure what he was doing. Maybe just something simple to clear his mind is all.

He ran his hand along some of the wreckage. Crude structures, but structures none the less. He walked past small nests that contained the remnants of eggs. As primitive as they were, even these creatures had an inkling of sapience to them. Albeit a crude one. Yet he still butchered them without care. Without remorse. Even now he didn't feel a thing for them.

"Was this how those people thought of the kobolds?" Jeb wondered aloud.

Sure they didn't speak like the kobolds do, but then again he wasn't even entirely sure how he could understand the kobolds. For all he knew they could be speaking another language and he just had some sort of eldritch translator. Or maybe they really were speaking English. Which opened up another train of thought that he was thankfully taken out of as he heard something closer to the rock wall.

The sounds increased as he got closer and he realized that they sounded like eggs hatching. He followed the sound to a curtain of moss and pushed it aside to reveal a shallow pool tucked into the rock. Within it was dozens of eggs. Some of them looked like the murloc eggs within the rest of the village while others kinda looked like crab or crawfish eggs. Probably belonging to those weird giant crawfish creatures that seemed to live among the murlocs. He wasn't sure about the crawfish eggs as they were black before, but these murloc eggs were black compared to the others that were white.

These had been touched by his power, he realized as he watched the eggs continued to wiggle and wobble as they started to hatch. He watched as the first "Eldritch-touched" murloc broke free of its egg. The murlocs looked like a fish with frog arms and legs. These looked much the same, except for the fish head looking more like an anglerfish or some other fish from the deep dark depths and they were darker in color.

The crawfish creatures also hatched alongside the murlocs but they were too young for Jeb to notice any similar changes to them compared to the murlocs. He probably wouldn't see any until they were older and their carapace grew out and thickened more.

A part of him wanted to end them. Just go in and finish the job he started a day or so ago. If they were pests before having a touch of eldritch power in them would probably make them even more so. Yet the thoughts of before stopped him. It was one thing to harm or even kill something like the goblins or even those people that sought to harm the kobolds. But these things? They stole a fucking fish trap and he butchered them because he fucking could.

God, he really was messed in the head lately, Jeb thought as more of the eggs hatched and the soft-shelled crawfish creatures and eldritch-touched murlocs stared up at him. He sighed and stepped aside from the moss curtain. If they were going to die, it wasn't going to be from him.

He watched as the murlocs and crawfish looked between him and the opening before they rushed out of the shallow pool and into the sun. Some of them gaped at the sunlight while others began to explore the area more. Some started picking through the wreckage, unknowing or uncaring if it was Jeb that caused it. Others made a beeline for the river and jumped right in without a second thought.

Jeb merely watched it all happen. Would they be a problem for future Jeb? Maybe. But right now he felt good and didn't care what the future may hold. At least for a moment before thoughts of the future came back to him and he realized that if he wanted to avoid something like this happening again than he needed something to fall back on instead of just rushing headlong into a fight and risking yet another transformation and potentially terraforming yet more of the land.

So with a sigh he started the process of teleporting. While he didn't really want to, it was obvious that there was only one person nearby that could assist him in finishing a fight before it even started. So without a sound, and a sense of deja vu, Jeb left the murlocs and crawfish to whatever fate had in store for them, and teleported to the parlor of Anna.