Just before the ship went down, Griffin dived into the water and made his way to his companions. "What now?" asked Naymeira, as the four of them treaded water. Griffin spat out some salt water. "Let's see if we can get to the ship that Ranimus and his crew sailed here. Then we'll get as far as possible from this place." By now, the wreckage of the Cyclops and the remaining pirates were drifting away from the Predator, which was closer to Griffin and his mates. They made their way to the boat and managed to climb onto the ship's deck. It was empty, save for a terrified ratman at the wheel who dove into the sea at the sight of Bo'cul coming aboard. As the few pirates who were still alive - some injured and all disoriented - splashed around in the water a short distance away, the four travelers worked feverishly to prepare the boat. Bo'cul pulled up the anchor. Kwint and Naymeira set the sails. Griffin gripped the wooden-spoked wheel. As they set off, they heard a low groaning sound that seemed to be echoing from the water. "What in Hurverick's name is that?" Kwint asked. The groaning sounded intense, almost desperate. It soon became clear that it didn't come from one source. A dim green light began to shine from the water where the pirates flailed about, and the light grew brighter by the second. Griffin watched as the pirates began to shout in confusion and panic. Then the creatures surfaced - scores of giant jellyfish transforming the cove into a nightmare of an otherworldly shade of green. "By Droma..." Naymeira muttered. "Why did they come now?" Griffin wondered. Bo'cul noticed a full bottle of wine that had been left on the boat and stomped on it, creating a pool of red liquid. He then bent down and took a good whiff of it, as if to say... "The jellyfish. They sense blood in the water," Kwint translated. "Bo, you could have saved the wine..." Screams echoed in the darkness as some demons were stung in dozens of places, while others were pulled under the waves after being ensnared by jellyfish tentacles. The foursome continued to navigate away from the horror, wincing as they heard cries of pain behind them but sailing in silence. It wasn't until the lights of Galgavor were only tiny dots in the distance that Kwint finally muttered, "I hate the sea." The water was a jumble of colors - the blue of the sea, the green of the jellyfish, the red of blood. Ranimus could only see through one eye; the other had been swollen shut by a jellyfish's sting. He had been lucky that only a smaller jellyfish had attacked him and lucky, too, that he was so comfortable in the sea. He had managed to free himself from the creature's grasp and made his way to the surface some distance away. With his one good eye, he spotted the fishing trawler that Griffin and his friends had... borrowed. Unlike the sinking Cyclops, it was surrounded by only sporadic and smaller green creatures. He swam toward it, and when he reached the hull, he heard a gurgling and felt a thrashing beneath him. He looked down, and there was the viperman who had given him his ship for a price. He was struggling with a jellyfish, clawing toward the surface in an attempt to free himself and find air. Ranimus just smiled malevolently and stepped on the viperman's face, pushing him into the murky depths below while gaining the foothold he needed to climb onto the boat. As he sailed from the cove, leaving his crew to their fate, he thought of the Cyclops resting at the bottom of the sea and the interlopers who had caused it to sink. His smile faded. "Look there!" shouted Naymeira. "Land! The mainland!" "Oh, thank Hurverick!" Kwint cheered, the green of his face already diminishing. The first night, they had slept, letting the wind take them farther west. The companions had awoken to find Griffin standing at the prow, the wind blowing his hair, his eyes closed. In his hands he held the Ungornem Gem. "Feel anything, Griffin?" asked Kwint. His eyes opened. "Actually, I think I do. It's a very slight shift in balance. Hard to explain, really." "In which direction?" "West." "And you think the Hiamahu Jewel is in that direction? Somewhere?" asked Naymeira. "Yes. I think. I hope, at least." "Well, that'll have to do," Kwint shrugged. The wind was with them, and only two days later they spotted the mainland, although it was not particularly inviting. It was a bleak landscape of gray and brown rocks with only the occasional shrub emerging. Griffin studied the land and frowned. "Bo'cul, can you fetch that map you found in the weapon hold?" The minotaur, who was standing next to Griffin and eyeing the black jewel curiously, nodded and returned with a map of the coastline. He pointed to a specific spot beneath two words in bold demon handwriting: "Mulgarian Barrens." Above it, a skull and crossbones was hastily scrawled. Griffin scanned the coastline for the nearest town. "There," he said. "It's toward the southwest a bit more. Firstport, it's called." Kwint grinned. "Can't wait for my feet to touch the mainland." He sighed and watched the coast disappear behind him.🏁

Submitted by munkeontop - 11/07/2025

Just before the ship went down, Griffin dived into the water and made his way to his companions. "What now?" asked Naymeira, as the four of them treaded water. Griffin spat out some salt water. "Let's see if we can get to the ship that Ranimus and his crew sailed here. Then we'll get as far as possible from this place." By now, the wreckage of the Cyclops and the remaining pirates were drifting away from the Predator, which was closer to Griffin and his mates. They made their way to the boat and managed to climb onto the ship's deck. It was empty, save for a terrified ratman at the wheel who dove into the sea at the sight of Bo'cul coming aboard. As the few pirates who were still alive - some injured and all disoriented - splashed around in the water a short distance away, the four travelers worked feverishly to prepare the boat. Bo'cul pulled up the anchor. Kwint and Naymeira set the sails. Griffin gripped the wooden-spoked wheel. As they set off, they heard a low groaning sound that seemed to be echoing from the water. "What in Hurverick's name is that?" Kwint asked. The groaning sounded intense, almost desperate. It soon became clear that it didn't come from one source. A dim green light began to shine from the water where the pirates flailed about, and the light grew brighter by the second. Griffin watched as the pirates began to shout in confusion and panic. Then the creatures surfaced - scores of giant jellyfish transforming the cove into a nightmare of an otherworldly shade of green. "By Droma..." Naymeira muttered. "Why did they come now?" Griffin wondered. Bo'cul noticed a full bottle of wine that had been left on the boat and stomped on it, creating a pool of red liquid. He then bent down and took a good whiff of it, as if to say... "The jellyfish. They sense blood in the water," Kwint translated. "Bo, you could have saved the wine..." Screams echoed in the darkness as some demons were stung in dozens of places, while others were pulled under the waves after being ensnared by jellyfish tentacles. The foursome continued to navigate away from the horror, wincing as they heard cries of pain behind them but sailing in silence. It wasn't until the lights of Galgavor were only tiny dots in the distance that Kwint finally muttered, "I hate the sea." The water was a jumble of colors - the blue of the sea, the green of the jellyfish, the red of blood. Ranimus could only see through one eye; the other had been swollen shut by a jellyfish's sting. He had been lucky that only a smaller jellyfish had attacked him and lucky, too, that he was so comfortable in the sea. He had managed to free himself from the creature's grasp and made his way to the surface some distance away. With his one good eye, he spotted the fishing trawler that Griffin and his friends had... borrowed. Unlike the sinking Cyclops, it was surrounded by only sporadic and smaller green creatures. He swam toward it, and when he reached the hull, he heard a gurgling and felt a thrashing beneath him. He looked down, and there was the viperman who had given him his ship for a price. He was struggling with a jellyfish, clawing toward the surface in an attempt to free himself and find air. Ranimus just smiled malevolently and stepped on the viperman's face, pushing him into the murky depths below while gaining the foothold he needed to climb onto the boat. As he sailed from the cove, leaving his crew to their fate, he thought of the Cyclops resting at the bottom of the sea and the interlopers who had caused it to sink. His smile faded. "Look there!" shouted Naymeira. "Land! The mainland!" "Oh, thank Hurverick!" Kwint cheered, the green of his face already diminishing. The first night, they had slept, letting the wind take them farther west. The companions had awoken to find Griffin standing at the prow, the wind blowing his hair, his eyes closed. In his hands he held the Ungornem Gem. "Feel anything, Griffin?" asked Kwint. His eyes opened. "Actually, I think I do. It's a very slight shift in balance. Hard to explain, really." "In which direction?" "West." "And you think the Hiamahu Jewel is in that direction? Somewhere?" asked Naymeira. "Yes. I think. I hope, at least." "Well, that'll have to do," Kwint shrugged. The wind was with them, and only two days later they spotted the mainland, although it was not particularly inviting. It was a bleak landscape of gray and brown rocks with only the occasional shrub emerging. Griffin studied the land and frowned. "Bo'cul, can you fetch that map you found in the weapon hold?" The minotaur, who was standing next to Griffin and eyeing the black jewel curiously, nodded and returned with a map of the coastline. He pointed to a specific spot beneath two words in bold demon handwriting: "Mulgarian Barrens." Above it, a skull and crossbones was hastily scrawled. Griffin scanned the coastline for the nearest town. "There," he said. "It's toward the southwest a bit more. Firstport, it's called." Kwint grinned. "Can't wait for my feet to touch the mainland." He sighed and watched the coast disappear behind him.🏁

Submitted by munkeontop - 11/07/2025