Chapter Summaries

Xia Nan and Alton reached Breaking Waves Wharf, where Xia Nan observed how maritime Adventurers organized their work around ships and considered buying one of his own. They found the cargo ship Black Gull that they were meant to escort, and Xia Nan spotted Colin loading cargo nearby.

• Xia Nan recalled Alton's explanation that the Fate Coin could receive Tymora's blessing when the timing was right, though Alton only said, "Fortune favors the brave."
• Alton wandered off to inspect a street stall and then left when a street performer caught his attention.
• Xia Nan and Alton reached Breaking Waves Wharf, where Xia Nan studied the ships and learned more about the ship-based Adventurer teams of the Southern Islands.
• Xia Nan considered learning sailing and eventually ordering his own ship, but decided to rely on his companion's ship for now.
• Xia Nan and Alton located the cargo ship Black Gull, and Xia Nan recognized Colin among the sailors loading cargo.

Colin began working as an apprentice sailor aboard the Black Gull, where he reunited with Xia Nan and Alton before their voyage. Captain Gregory introduced them to the ship and its crew, then brought them to meet the other escort team, whose leader introduced himself as Nick.

• Colin left his uncle Paddy’s store and began hauling cargo as an apprentice sailor, hoping to experience life at sea.
• Xia Nan and Alton arrived at the Black Gull and met Colin and Captain Gregory.
• Gregory showed Xia Nan and Alton around the ship and explained its layout, crew, and preparations for departure.
• Gregory introduced the three adventurers already hired to escort the voyage: a human, a Half-Elf, and a Half-Orc.
• Nick introduced himself as captain of the Silver Claw Osprey team, while his Half-Orc teammate openly showed displeasure toward Xia Nan and Alton.

Xia Nan boarded the Black Gull with Alton and sensed hostility from the Silver Claw Osprey squad, whose members resented Hera for hiring extra guards after contracting them for the escort. Captain Gregory performed a departure ritual and ordered the ship to set sail.

• Xia Nan detected the squad's guarded hostility and privately assessed how he would fight Nick, Laida, and Guka if they attacked.
• Laida suddenly coughed and retched after sensing Xia Nan's brief killing intent, while Nick checked on her and Guka muttered insults at Xia Nan and Alton.
• Nick calmed Guka and revealed that the squad's resentment stemmed from Hera hiring Xia Nan and Alton shortly before departure, though he had abandoned plans to intimidate them after judging Xia Nan's strength.
• Xia Nan watched the squad from across the deck and decided that showing some strength could help prevent trouble during the mission.
• Captain Gregory cut the throat of a yellow-feathered chicken, cast its body into the sea, and shouted for the Black Gull to set sail.

Colin struggled through the grueling work aboard the Black Gull while Xia Nan watched Alton’s uncanny fishing luck and tried fishing himself. When a fast single-sail ship approached despite the Black Gull’s attempt to keep its distance, the crew prepared for battle and recognized the attackers as Pirates.

• Colin worked hard as an apprentice sailor, protected from the crew’s bullying because of his connection to Xia Nan.
• Xia Nan watched Alton repeatedly catch fish, including a rare glowing Silver-White Anglerfish, then tried fishing without success.
• A lookout spotted a single-sail speedboat approaching the Black Gull, and Captain Gregory ordered the crew to maneuver away and prepare for battle.
• The speedboat continued closing in, so Gregory ordered everyone to battle stations while Xia Nan drew his [Emberfall] Straight Sword.
• The approaching ship raised a black flag, and the crew identified its occupants as Pirates.

Oil Hand Bern pursued a cargo ship with his Flying Fish Oil Drum team, intending to plunder it, while Cao Luo sensed a terrifying presence among its crew and urged him to retreat. After a crossbow bolt struck their deck, Bern chose to attack and ordered his ship alongside the target.

• Bern’s team chased a heavily laden cargo ship, and he assessed its small crew as an easy target for plunder.
• Bern asked Cao Luo to examine the ship, and Cao Luo sensed five Professionals, including one whose presence appeared as a profound, frightening shadow.
• Cao Luo advised Bern to retreat because he could not understand the strength of the last Adventurer.
• Bern hesitated between caution and greed as his crew prepared to board the cargo ship.
• A crossbow bolt struck the deck near Bern, and he ordered his crew to raise the sails and bring their ship close.

The Flying Fish Oil Drum attacked the Black Gull, and Cao Luo used a gale barrier to protect the pirates as they boarded. Xia Nan struck from the Black Gull’s deck, killing Cao Luo and leaving Bern frozen in shock on the gangplank.

• Gregory ordered the Black Gull’s crew to fire arrows at the approaching pirate ship, and apprentice sailor Colin wounded one pirate.
• Cao Luo raised a gale barrier that weakened the arrows and let the Flying Fish Oil Drum close in without suffering serious casualties.
• Bern ordered the pirates to hook the ships together, then led the boarding charge with his curved saber.
• Night Mother’s Gaze briefly overwhelmed Bern as a wolf-like presence appeared on the Black Gull’s deck.
• Xia Nan tore through the pirates near the gangplank, severed Cao Luo’s head, and dropped it before Bern.

Xia Nan launched a sudden attack on the Pirate Ship, using [Tooth Hunt] to kill the Spellcaster Cao Luo and several other Professionals within seconds. He left the pirates’ assault force badly shaken, while the battle on the deck continued.

• Xia Nan assessed the Black Gull’s disadvantage against the stronger pirate crew and resolved to exploit his superior combat ability when the ships drew close.
• As the pirates boarded, Xia Nan charged across the deck and beheaded Cao Luo, while [Night Mother's Gaze] frightened many Sailors and disrupted their formation.
• Xia Nan killed a Wanderer who fired a crossbow at him, then used [Gravity Etching] to smash a Barbarian’s Great Shield and crush his head.
• Xia Nan sensed a Gnome Wanderer sneaking behind him, kicked him with [Heavy Tide], and beheaded him as he fell off balance.
• Within 4.67 seconds of killing Cao Luo, Xia Nan had killed three more Professionals, leaving the remaining pirates facing his overwhelming assault.

Xia Nan slaughtered the Pirate Ship’s Professionals, while Bern and the Silver Claw Osprey team fought across the boarding plank. The Black Gull’s music helped turn the battle against Bern, who was beheaded by Xia Nan’s Winter Wolf Phantom.

• Xia Nan used [Night Mother's Gaze] to break the pirates’ morale and killed Cao Luo and several other crew members.
• Laida shot at Bern as Guka and Nick engaged him on the boarding plank.
• Bern activated his hidden Combat Skill, Wave Mist Body, and fought back against the three Silver Claw Osprey Adventurers.
• Alton played his Lute, strengthening the Black Gull’s allies and helping them pin Bern in place.
• Xia Nan’s Winter Wolf Phantom appeared behind Bern and bit off his head.

Xia Nan and the Black Gull’s crew defeated the Flying Fish Oil Drum pirates, divided the spoils, and awarded Xia Nan the pirate ship and its valuable enchanted equipment. A sailor then discovered that the pirates’ destination matched theirs, leaving the crew to investigate the chart.

• Xia Nan killed Bern, leaving only the disarmed Wanderer alive for interrogation as the battle ended.
• The Black Gull’s crew defeated the remaining pirates, and the Wanderer revealed what he knew before Captain Gregory killed him.
• Xia Nan examined the spoils, including Bern’s Azure Wave Blade, Cao Luo’s Practice Staff, and the Flying Fish Oil Drum.
• Gregory and Nick offered Xia Nan the ship and enchanted equipment, and the crew agreed that he would also receive 100 Gold Coins while the Silver Claw Osprey squad split the remaining gold.
• Alton declined a share of the spoils except for one Gold Coin and urged Xia Nan to fish among the pirate corpses.
• A sailor brought Gregory a nautical chart and reported that the pirates appeared to be heading to the same destination as the Black Gull.

Xia Nan learned that Sheer Cliff Island was the destination of both the Black Gull and the Flying Fish Oil Drum pirates, and that an Adventurers Association commission linked the island to disappearances and monster tracks. After five days at sea, the Black Gull reached the island, with Xia Nan warning the crew to stay cautious and avoid leaving the village.

• Xia Nan discovered the pirates' chart and a D-rank commission about disappearances and monster footprints on Sheer Cliff Island, but told Gregory that the crew would not take on the mission.
• Xia Nan ordered Gregory to explain the danger to the crew and advised them to be careful and remain in the village once they arrived.
• During the following days at sea, Xia Nan struggled to catch fish while Colin grew distressed after killing and seeing people die in the battle with the pirates.
• Xia Nan encouraged Colin by handing him a fishing rod and offering him a chance to earn a bonus for a valuable catch.
• A horn sounded from the captain's quarters, and Xia Nan saw Sheer Cliff Island emerge through the morning fog.

Xia Nan and the Black Gull crew arrived at Sheer Cliff Village to deliver supplies and were warmly hosted by village chief Steven. While the crew relaxed, Xia Nan kept his focus on securing a chance to attend the Moon Tide Feast and revealed that the pirate ship beside the Black Gull was his spoils of war.

• Steven welcomed Gregory and the Black Gull crew at the dock, then invited them into Sheer Cliff Village while villagers checked the cargo.
• Steven showed the group around the village, and Xia Nan noticed a girl preparing for the Sea Rhythm Festival.
• Xia Nan considered his plan to attend the Moon Tide Feast and find Dodd, relying on Hera's introduction and his growing reputation among Barracuda Bay's Adventurers.
• Steven hosted the crew with the village's best food, and Alton played a sailor's ditty as the crew celebrated ashore.
• Steven privately asked Xia Nan whether the Sloop beside the Black Gull had been needed to transport extra cargo, and Xia Nan replied that it was his spoils of war.

Xia Nan learned that the Monster commission near Sheer Cliff Village had been accepted by the pirate crew he defeated, and he promised to relay the information to the Adventurers Association. While speaking with village chief Steven, Xia Nan discovered that Morton had once lived on the island and built a cabin on the northern cliffs, leaving Xia Nan eager to find it.

• Steven explained that Sheer Cliff Village’s residents depended on fishing and described the brutal attacks by an unseen Monster.
• Xia Nan told Steven that the pirate crew had taken the commission, and promised to report the situation so the association could repost it sooner.
• Steven described the island’s fishing grounds and mentioned a current visitor staying in Morton’s old cabin.
• Steven recounted how Morton had survived a shipwreck, stayed on the island, defended the village, and later disappeared from their lives.
• Xia Nan asked whether Morton had left anything behind, and Steven identified his cliffside cabin and warned that reaching it was dangerous.
• Xia Nan asked Steven to tell him where the cabin was.

Xia Nan reached Mr. Morton’s cliffside cabin and met a skilled fisherman who offered him a Thumnia Silver Barracuda. Meanwhile, Guka dragged Colin toward a woman’s house to curry favor with Xia Nan, but they were stopped by a blood stench and a strange chewing sound behind the shut door.

• Xia Nan carefully crossed the reefs and found the cabin where a hooded fisherman was fishing.
• The fisherman caught a Thumnia Silver Barracuda, then invited Xia Nan to try it.
• Colin reflected on the respect he received in Sheer Cliff Village and recognized that it came from his association with Xia Nan.
• Guka tried to ingratiate himself with Colin by feeding him steak, then hauled him out of the village toward a woman’s house.
• Guka dropped Colin outside a stone house when a bloody stench and strange chewing sounds came from within.

Xia Nan met Ellison at North Cliff and questioned him about the missing Lyle Molton, whose former home he had come to investigate. Ellison denied knowing Molton but pointed Xia Nan toward a dangerous hollow north of the island, leaving Xia Nan with a new lead and a warning about Murlocs.

• Ellison prepared a Thumnia Silver Barracuda, and Xia Nan cautiously ate the fish with him.
• Xia Nan asked Ellison directly whether he knew Lyle Molton, and Ellison denied knowing the name despite Xia Nan sensing he was lying.
• Ellison said others had already searched Molton's rebuilt wooden house and claimed its former owner would have taken anything valuable with him.
• Ellison told Xia Nan about a hollow near the northern end of Reef Mountain, roughly eighty feet below the cliff, where he had seen signs of human habitation.
• Ellison warned Xia Nan that Murlocs hunted in packs near North Cliff and were most dangerous in the water, and Xia Nan thanked him and invited him for a drink at the Three-Legged Sea Dog.

Colin and the Silver Claw Osprey pursued the Monster that had carried off Guka along Sheer Cliff Island’s coast, hoping to find him before it reached the sea. They discovered a reef covered in Murloc corpses killed in two distinct ways, and footsteps sounded nearby as they realized the killer might still be close.

• Colin learned that the Monster had taken the gravely wounded Guka after attacking them in a house near the village.
• Laida used [Blood-Seeking Scent] to track the Monster toward the shore while Nick and Alton accompanied her with Colin.
• Nick worried that the Monster might carry Guka into the water and hoped Xia Nan would return to help them.
• The group found more than a dozen mangled Murloc corpses, with some bearing beast bites and others clean cuts from sharp weapons.
• Alton, Nick, and Laida realized that the two groups of Murlocs had died at different times, suggesting a nearby threat, and footsteps sounded from a hollow beneath the reef.

Xia Nan fought through a group of Shahua Mermen while heading toward a cave that might contain traces of Morton. He met Nick, Alton, and Laida searching for the captured Guka, and the groups agreed to continue deeper together.

• Xia Nan killed the Shahua Mermen blocking the path to the reef cave and found other mermen corpses that appeared to have been killed by a beast.
• Xia Nan noticed that the mermen's killer might be the aquatic Monster involved in the Flying Fish Oil Drum Pirate Crew's commission.
• Xia Nan met Nick, Alton, and Laida, who had tracked the Monster after it abducted Guka from the village.
• Nick explained that Steven, Gregory, and others had gone to block the far side of North Cliff while they pursued Guka's trail.
• Xia Nan and Nick's group agreed to continue deeper because their searches for Guka and clues about Morton followed the same route.

Xia Nan and his companions found a Shahua Merman cave where Guka’s corpse was being used in a sacrifice, and Xia Nan struck first against the priest. The priest died and the gathered mermen panicked as Xia Nan continued attacking.

• Xia Nan’s party picked up Colin and followed Laida’s tracking Feat to a sea cave on Sheer Cliff Island.
• Xia Nan told Colin to hide near the cave while the four Professionals crossed the reefs and entered.
• The group found Shahua Merman corpses and traces of past human habitation as chanting led them to a cavern.
• Xia Nan saw Guka’s corpse on an altar, a Four-Armed Murloc Priest performing a ritual, and nearly twenty Shahua Mermen gathered below.
• Xia Nan rushed the priest, disrupted its spell with gravity magic, and decapitated it with his sword.
• The Shahua Mermen recoiled in terror as Xia Nan cut the priest’s body apart and attacked the gathered creatures.

Xia Nan’s group defeated the Shahua Mermen after he killed their priest, but his search for clues about Morton and the Key to the [Dreamweaver Corridor] found nothing. As Nick and Laida argued over Guka’s burial, a massive Monster burst from the pool and attacked them.

• Xia Nan killed the Shahua Merman Priest and fled across the cave, while Nick, Laida, and Alton fought the remaining mermen.
• The battle ended with Nick lightly wounded and Guka confirmed dead, leaving the Silver Claw Osprey without a viable adventurer team.
• Nick considered recruiting Xia Nan but dismissed the idea, while Xia Nan found old traces of human habitation and no clue to the Key to the [Dreamweaver Corridor].
• Xia Nan suspected the danger had not passed and warned Nick and Laida as a massive shadow leaped from the pool.
• The Monster bit off Laida’s lower body while she and Nick argued over whether to take Guka’s corpse to his homeland.

In the cave, a hidden Shark Beast ambushed the Silver Claw Osprey Squad, devouring Laida and blasting Nick into a rock wall before Xia Nan counterattacked. Xia Nan assessed the Monster’s stealth, speed, and tough hide as Alton began playing music to strengthen the party.

• Nick’s memories of fishing in a mountain pool ended as a Shark Beast burst from the water and bit Laida in half.
• The Shark Beast swallowed Laida’s lower body, then struck Nick and sent him crashing into a rock wall.
• Xia Nan attacked the Shark Beast with Wolf Howl, cutting its shoulder but failing to knock it off balance.
• Xia Nan judged the Shark Beast’s combat strength and defensive hide, deciding to save Gravity Etching for a likely vital strike.
• Alton played a demanding battle tune, and Xia Nan felt Burning Battle Intent surge through him.

Xia Nan and Alton fought the Shark Beast in the cavern, but the monster’s hidden water attack wiped out Nick and the Silver Claw Osprey squad. As the Shark Beast began healing, Xia Nan and Alton seized an opening to strike its brain, leaving the fight’s outcome hanging on the finishing blow.

• Xia Nan evaded the Shark Beast’s crushing punches and gradually wounded it while keeping his distance and searching for a way to prevent it from escaping into the pool.
• Alton’s music aggravated the Shark Beast and drew it toward him, giving Xia Nan a chance to slash its back with [Emberfall] and inflict a serious wound.
• Alton dodged the charging Shark Beast, and Nick attacked it while it was stunned, but the monster unleashed a torrent of water and killed him, wiping out the Silver Claw Osprey squad.
• The Shark Beast began healing with water flowing from its mouth, so Xia Nan and Alton attacked before it could recover; the monster struck Xia Nan and destroyed his [Purgatory Pulse] armor, while Alton pinned its feet with his blades.
• Alton’s restraint let Xia Nan thrust the [Green Pine] Wooden Sword into the Shark Beast’s eye and brain, where [Gravity Etching] erupted in a fiery blast.