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Chapter 54 - The Return of Shatterkeel


“Time to burst Shatterkeel’s bubble,” Kai said, hurling the sentient weapon from the Black Earth cult, Iron Fang, towards the floating gigantic, shimmering globe of water. The longsword spun end over end as it sailed over the island surrounded by rose, ivory, and lavender coral. Upon impact, it stuck in the mass momentarily before the orb burst. The shrieks echoed throughout the chamber from the water droplets.

“That be easy,” Kildo said, shaking the rain from his beard. The dwarf was glad to see the blue portal closed, along with the yellow one from the Feathergale society. However, concern crept into the back of his mind as there were possibly others left. The brown Black Earth Cult was known, but others were unknown, including Green, Red, and likely Black. They only had one remaining sentient weapon, Black Razor, that he was more than willing to see destroyed. He wouldn’t mind seeing that green quarterstaff Qiekamis hurled into a portal too. However, Wave fits well with the group’s resident paladin, Kai.

A slow, rhythmic, yet sarcastic clapping resonated from the north. Then, a voice sounded like someone gargling water said, “Oh, well done. Good job. You defeated the aboleth and sealed off the portal.”

A humanoid figure emerged on top of a waterfall north of the group. Heavily muscled, his skin was blue and covered with sea barnacles all over his body. The same growths acted as his hair. He held a three-pronged trident in his right hand, but his left hand was missing. In its place was a massive crab-like claw with serrated pincers. His only clothing was a shell-like skirt that covered his waist and legs. It was Captain Shatterkeel.

Stepping forward, Kai said, “We’ve been looking for you. Return our captain’s soul that you have trapped in a gem and I might be in the mood for taking requests about letting you live.”

“Captain? Soul gem? What in the seven seas are you blathering about,” Shatterkeel replied. “I thought your captain was murdered. In any event, it turns out there is no value in staying here since you have closed this portal, I can now go play with my machinations.” He then motioned and two other figures arrived on either side of Shatterkeel.

The first was a dwarf that was bare-chested, exposing his bulging and well-formed and tight muscles. He wore a two-layered kilt, also with thick boots. His hair and full-length beard were more gray than black, with an orange bandana across his forehead. He was armed with two short swords.

The second was a human with rich blue-themed color clothes ornamented with embroidery and cheap baubles. He wore loose pants and thick brown boots. He had thick black hair, a full beard, and a black and red striped bandana across his forehead. He was armed with a cutlass and a dagger.

Shatterkeel motioned to the dwarf and then to the human. “Frank and Joe here will be giving you a parting gift from me.”

“Why don’t you come down here and give it yourself,” Guo Gan shouted.

“My ship is waiting. I’m going amongst the stars to hunt for an impossible shovel,” Shatterkeel replied.

Frank and Joe didn’t climb or leap but descended down the waterfall slowly, almost like they were floating but connected with the water.

Preparing to greet them, Kai said, “A word to the wise. Shatterkeel just sent you over the falls to your certain death. You might want to think about your loyalties.”

Looking up and down the beat-up party, the dwarf Frank scoffed and said, “We’s ain’t ever been too wise, have we’s Joe,” Frank said.

“Nope, not too wise at all.”

“Can’t say I didn’t warn you,” Kai said, thrusting with Wave. The trident struck the dwarf, Frank.

Taking the blow, both Frank and Joe struck back as their weapons struck Kai. Droplets of blood fell into the water. It bubbled with movement under the waves from the dwarf and human. Two swarms of quippers, carnivorous fish with razor-sharp teeth, swarmed around the paladin’s feet. The water churned violently as they swam at Kai’s exposed legs. The triton, used to predatory fish under the sea, hopped and found stability on top of the swarm.

On relative stable footing, but moving ground, Kai lunged with Wave. The trident stuck Joe in the chest. Glancing up, he had a disparaging look in his eyes as he died.

Running across the water, Guo Gan batted with both ends of Qiekamis, striking the dwarf, Frank.

“Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life,” Kildo chanted as a wave of healing energy washed out in every direction from the cleric as he cast, Mass Healing Word. He then pulled out his wand of magic missiles. Three force darts shot out, raced toward Frank, and blasted the dwarven, dark tide knight.

A bubble of acid hurled from Scomatch and splashed Frank’s front. His beard and chest hair sizzled from the corrosive liquid.

Engaging closer to the paladin, Frank slashed his two short swords, scoring two quick strikes.

Still balancing on top of one of the quipper swarms, the other group leaped out of the water at Kai. Several of the fish latched on as their teeth sunk in. Swiping them away and crushing them with his weapon, Kai then deliberately attempted to impale his enemy with Wave. All three of the trident’s prongs sunk deeply into Frank’s chest and pierce through the other side. Retracting the weapon, the blue cultist fell dead into the water.

Aiming his wand of magic missiles, Kildo fired three more darts. They obliterated several of the fish.

Still flinging themselves out of the water at Kai, as if enraged at killing their magically bonded master, Scomatch hurled another spray of acid. The fish’s scales began to melt as it ate away, exposing bones and innards, effectively ending one of the swarms.

Turning to the swarm of quippers Kai was riding, they didn’t seem interested in the triton becoming their new master. The paladin repeatedly stabbed into the mass of fish. In short order, Wave’s three prongs were filled with skewered quippers.

“It looks like we be having fish fer dinner tonight,” Kildo commented.

A familiar voice boomed around them. It was the cultist of Belial, Odium. “Captain, there is someone here who wishes to speak with the officers. You were expecting him. By Balial’s pointy horns! All hands to battle stations!” Odium’s voice was then immediately cut off.

A magical monotone voice then spoke. “Reply, please. Reply, please. Reply, please.”

Eyes turned up in thought, Kai said, “Uh, Kai to Odium. Abandon the island if you have to. Save the Sea Ghost the best you can. We’ll find you. We are coming!”

A resounding splash came from the waterfall. Something large had just fallen from above. Turning, a figure emerged from the waves. Humanoid, he had a barrel-shaped body with short legs. He was dressed in a naval officer’s uniform, a dark-blue coat with tails, yellow tassels, and brass buttons. White pants were tucked into buckled boots. However, the most distinguishing feature was his enormous head of a hippopotamus.

Rising from the water, he spoke with a profound, throaty voice, “Help! He’s stealing me ship!”

“Who?” Guo Gan asked.

“He didn’t stop to give introductions. Suffice to be saying he be a barnacle-covered lobster-like, crab thief.”

“Shatterkeel,” the party spoke in unison.

“What be yer name,” Kildo asked, taking more than a bit of back, having never seen a sentient hippo before, but it did make some semblance of sense that if there ever were one, he’d be a sailor.

“Silas,” the hippo said, saluting.

“Where is your ship?” Guo Gan asked.

“Up the waterfall.”

The monk sprang into action as Guo Gan leaped from rock to rock up to the top and disappeared.

“Great, he just left us here,” Scomatch moaned.

A rope then came flying down from the top of the waterfall. Guo Gan was at the top. Nodding to the group, he left.

The party then began to use the knotted rope and rocks for footing along the cliff to make their way up slowly. The water continued to push against them, but one by one made it to the top. Guo Gan was nowhere to be seen.

Pulling his shield from his back, Kildo glanced around the large cavern. To the north, past a large pool of water were several wrecked ships. A large number of stalagmites and stalactites were scattered throughout the area. “Where be that blasted monk?”

“Run!” came the frantic cry from the wood elf as he emerged from two halves of a broken vessel.

A mighty and deafening roar preceded a gigantic creature at least twenty feet long bursting through one of the wreckages. A lizard-like hydra sporting five massive heads, like snakes that twisted and slithered amongst themselves, snapped at the running monk.
























“What are we doing? What are we doing?” Scomatch called out.

“What else? We fight,” Kai said, bracing Wave in the water, waiting for the hydra’s charge.

As Guo Gan came into range, Kildo cast, Mass Cure Wounds and then Mass Healing Word. A wave of healing energy washed out from the cleric rejuvenating each party member, including the hippo creature, Silas.

The hydra plowed into the party’s defensive line. Its heads twisted and snapped at Guo Gan and Kai. It deliberately missed with one mouth, causing a reaction to jump back and into the reach of another that clamped down onto Kai’s midsection.

Thrusting with Wave, the three prongs sunk deeply into the beast’s body. One head roared in pain and let go of its bite on Kai.

Using Qiekamis like a bat, the Guo Gan smacked three heads away as they lunged at the monk.

A low, rhythmic pulsing began to emanate from under the water. White light came from the waves. Fog rolled out approximately fifteen feet from the Kildo as he cast, Spirit Guardians. Small wisps of air arched out. Longer tendrils began to form. They blasted radiant damage into the hydra’s body.

“All right, worm! If you are hungry, why don’t you snack on this!” Scomatch called out as a bright streak flashed from the halfling. Seemingly acting on instinct, one of the hydra’s mouths snapped and swallowed the fireball spell. Smoke emanated from between its teeth as its eyes went wide a moment before its head exploded in a spray of gore. Its neck went limp and dropped.

Hurt, but still a creature of nature, its remaining four heads lashed out. Kai knocked away three heads, but the fourth came from above. Throwing up his left arm, the hydra’s mouth clamped on.

Charging in, Guo Gan bashed his sentient quarter staff and smashed it into the creature’s neck holding Kai. The head screeched as its grip let go.

Kai lunged with Wave at the retreating neck as two of its prongs sunk into it.

Aiming his wand of magic missiles, Kildo sent three magical darts. They blasted into the hydra’s mass.

“Still hungry, I see?” Scomatch yelled as he cast. A chromatic orb leaving a trail of flames in its wake arched toward the hydra. Another head snapped up the spell. Light from inside traveled down its neck and exploded at the base. The severed, snake-like appendage flew and splashed into the water.

Three heads remained. Two slithered in the water. Each bit into a leg of Kai’s. Hauling the paladin into the air, the triton was forced into a painful split. His legs were parallel to the ground. The hydra’s two heads were playing tug-of-war with the paladin.

Yelling out in pain, Kai brought Wave thrusting down into the mouth holding his left leg, and then lunging into the head holding his right leg. Letting him go, the paladin fell and splashed into the water. The two wounded heads thrashed about in death throes. The last darted in striking with its razor-sharp teeth. Bracing Wave, the hydra impaled itself. The prongs going straight into its brain. Severing its head from the trident, the creature rose and fell backward, crashing into a wooden wreckage, spearing itself with several boards and collapsing into death.

“Scomatch, be burning that beast,” Kildo said, recalling stories of hydras and their regenerative properties that only fire can cure.

Scoffing, Scomatch said as a mote of fire formed in his hands, “I have to do all the work around here.”

Ensuring the hydra wouldn’t rise again, as its body burned, Guo Gan asked, “Silas, are any of these your ships?”

“No, me ship be a hammerhead class.”

“How did Shatterkeel get your ship? How did you get it underground?”

“My ship wasn’t underground. That crab man, Shatterkeel you said he was called, batted me over the side with his massive claw into the water. When I surfaced, I found myself here,” Silas said.

“Come with us if you want to live,” Kai said as he began to trek forward.

“Where are you going?” Silas asked.

“We be leaving this place through the portal that be bringing us here,” Kildo explained. “Ye be welcome to come with us.”

Retracing their steps back to the original stairway into the pool, the party made their way back up through the watery entrance to the blue portal. Still active and humming with energy, the party entered.

A blinding flash of light ignited across Kildo’s vision as the party materialized back in the large, square room of the Dark Council Chamber. In the center, a massive round table with seven unoccupied chairs. Around the circumference was stone with several portals. Traveling around clockwise, portals of brown, red, black, green, blue, purple, and…the white portal was gone.

With purpose, Kai walked across the room to the yellow portal leading to the Spiral and the former base of the Feathergale Society where the Sea Ghost was waiting.

“Kai, be holding a moment. The White Portal is missing,” Kildo said.

Without stopping, Kai replied, “Our crew is waiting and in desperate straights.”

Acknowledging Kai was right and the crew of the Sea Ghost was the most pressing manner, he followed the rest of the party through the yellow portal. Arriving on the sky island and using that portal to the top of the Spiral, a billow of smoke was seen in the distance. Rushing to the edge, out to sea was a burning ship engulfed in flames. From the outline, it was the Sea Ghost. She was sinking. Sailing away, from her was another vessel. It was made purely of fire.

Kai cursed under his breath, “Vanifer!”


Treasure

Minus one vessel – The Sea Ghost

Welcome to 11th Level!

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