Recaps

Lidona visited Flora after reaching the second step of Alser's Steps, while He Xi hid in Flora's room and bargained for a favor. Flora arranged for He Xi to team up with Lidona, but only if he defeated her during their challenge of the illusion realm; He Xi had not yet agreed.

• Lidona visited Flora and was startled to find her mother standing in the doorway with her clothes in disarray, while chaotic magic came from inside the room.
• Flora claimed she was testing a golem as He Xi secretly practiced magic inside, and she agreed to owe him a favor when Lidona approached the door.
• Lidona described the mist-filled second step of Alser's Steps, and Flora explained that the challenge allowed teams of three.
• Flora told Lidona she would find her a teammate, an apprentice of Aunt Fivik, and Lidona agreed to meet him.
• After Lidona left, Flora tricked He Xi, immobilized him, and captured a magical image of him with his eyes closed beside her bed.
• Flora offered to honor He Xi's request if he teamed up with Lidona and decisively defeated her during the illusion-realm exploration.

Fivik prepared He Xi and Bruce to travel to the Blackwater Swamp while teaching He Xi Misty Step. At Wanderer’s Haven, the skeleton returned to Aunt Jing Shui with a bizarre declaration of love, but she suspected a trap and summoned her allies.

• Fivik fed Bruce steak and told him that a quasit she had kept as a pet had likely been lost in a spatial rift.
• Fivik taught He Xi how to use Misty Step and ordered the Drow to bring the skeleton so they could depart for the swamp.
• Aunt Jing Shui tempted the mayor’s wife with a potion that would make her husband obedient, then heard a knock at the door.
• The skeleton knelt before Aunt Jing Shui and praised her true appearance, asking her to walk with him beneath the moonlight.
• Aunt Jing Shui suspected the skeleton was distracting her while the thief who stole her Heart of the Swamp was nearby, so she summoned Mud Teeth and Poison Toad.

Fivik and her companions lured Aunt Jing Shui into gathering two other hags, then attacked the coven at its meeting place. Fivik killed Aunt Sanae and countered another hag’s spell, leaving Trist and He Xi to fight the remaining hags.

• Fivik explained to He Xi how hag covens worked and why Aunt Jing Shui would summon allies, while the group waited nearby.
• Aunt Jing Shui disguised herself as a helpless young woman and planned to lure the intruders into a trap, while Aunt Sanae and Withered Vine Mod arrived to help.
• Aunt Sanae mistook the halfling for an easy target and began casting a spell, but Fivik killed her with a spatial attack.
• Fivik used Counterspell against another hag and urged Trist and He Xi to fight as the house erupted in magic and splintering wood.

He Xi and Trist fought Aunt Jing Shui and Withered Vine Mod while Fivik tested the hags by promising a place in her coven. He Xi survived Aunt Jing Shui’s immobilizing spell and poisoned mist, killed her, and asked Trist to let him finish the wounded Withered Vine Mod.

• Withered Vine Mod learned that Fivik’s promised carnival was a deadly test and attacked He Xi, hoping to earn a place in Fivik’s coven.
• He Xi used Detect Magic and Lightning Bolt to expose and injure Withered Vine Mod, while Aunt Jing Shui intervened with poisonous mist and illusions.
• Aunt Jing Shui and Withered Vine Mod switched appearances, allowing Aunt Jing Shui to immobilize He Xi and approach him through the poison mist.
• He Xi’s cloak consumed the poison, and he escaped Aunt Jing Shui’s grasp before using Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and Lightning Bolt to kill her.
• Withered Vine Mod, badly wounded by Trist, stopped fighting, and He Xi asked Trist to let him deliver the final blow.

After killing Withered Vine Mod, He Xi chose the Weird Magic (Illusion) trait and joined Fivik and Trist in sorting through the hags’ spoils. He Xi then revealed a hidden box containing a young woman, leaving Fivik suspiciously eyeing him.

• He Xi killed Withered Vine Mod with Earth Spike Technique, and Fivik began organizing the loot.
• He Xi chose Weird Magic (Illusion), gaining Wisdom and Will, while Fivik explained the value of Green Hag scalp and gave him two potions.
• Fivik gave Trist the Slayer's Sipping Longbow and told him to help protect He Xi.
• He Xi offered the sale proceeds to Fivik, increasing her Favorability toward him, and persuaded her to postpone making him a staff.
• He Xi opened a hidden transparent box and revealed a young woman inside, prompting Trist to leave and Fivik to question He Xi.

He Xi killed Aunt Jing Shui and took her potion, then sold Amy a supposed mind-awakening potion and advice on winning back her husband. He agreed to escort Amy to Trout Town while planning to seek powerful frogfolk with Fivik the next morning.

• Amy sobbed about her husband's neglect as He Xi appraised Aunt Jing Shui's potion and discovered it would permanently erode its target's will.
• He Xi refused to mediate Amy's marriage, then agreed to brew her a mild potion after she revealed she had only twelve Gold Shields.
• Jin Bi praised He Xi for killing the Hag and agreed to lead He Xi and Fivik to powerful frogfolk the next morning.
• He Xi gave Amy the potion, accepted her Gold Shields and sapphire ring, and advised her to act meekly after her husband drank it.
• He Xi offered to escort Amy to Trout Town, and Amy called him a good person.

He Xi returned to Trout Town with Amy and his companions, reunited with Old Nick, and enjoyed a meal at the tavern. Meanwhile, King Sticky Robit’s frogman court received word that humans were attacking, leaving the swamp ruler alarmed.

• Amy reached Trout Town and nearly invited He Xi to her home, but Bruce and Fivik’s intimidating looks made her leave.
• He Xi visited Old Nick’s tavern, learned why pufferfish braised in white sauce had become expensive, and accepted four portions on the house.
• He Xi let Bruce choose food as a reward, while Trist watched the dog eagerly anticipate the meal.
• King Sticky Robit rewarded frogmen for capturing humans and driving back lizardmen, believing his rule kept the world in order.
• Jelt rushed into the court and reported that humans were attacking, causing Robit to realize the news was not a reason to give a reward.

He Xi trained [Misty Step] by evading Frogmen in a swamp, while Fivik demonstrated how spatial magic could also be used to attack. After facing elite Frogman warriors, He Xi mastered [Misty Step] Lv.2 and gained Wisdom.

• Fivik made He Xi practice [Misty Step] by escaping ordinary Frogmen at increasingly close range without fighting back.
• Elite Frogman warriors arrived, and Fivik used [Thunder Step] to strike two of them with lightning.
• Fivik demonstrated [Steel Wind Slash], cutting down five Frogmen with rapid spatial movement and force-field slashes.
• Inspired by Fivik’s spells, He Xi resumed practicing against the remaining elite Frogmen.
• He Xi evaded an elite Frogman’s attack and mastered [Misty Step] Lv.2, gaining two Wisdom.

After Jelt’s elite guards failed to stop the humans, Fivik defeated King Sticky Robit’s frogfolk with a massive [Tidal Surge]. He Xi then offered the frogfolk a new ruler in exchange for defending the swamp and leaving nearby human towns alone, and the chapter ended as the chiefs reacted to his demand that someone kill Robit.

• King Sticky Robit waited for his guards to return, but Jelt came back alone and reported that the humans had defeated them with magic.
• Jelt led He Xi, Fivik, and their companions to Robit’s throne, where Robit prepared to attack them with a water spell.
• Fivik cast [Tidal Surge], flooding the shallows and scattering the frogfolk chiefs while Robit survived by anchoring himself in the mud.
• The frogfolk chiefs abandoned their praise of Robit and began proclaiming Fivik their true ruler.
• He Xi told the frogfolk that their new leader must defend the swamp from the lizardfolk and prevent attacks on nearby human towns, then ordered anyone who wanted the position to kill Robit.

Jin Bi defended Robit from the frogmen who wanted to replace him, persuading He Xi to let Robit keep leading them. After the humans departed, Robit rewarded Jin Bi with a title and spells, and Jin Bi volunteered to hide the kingdom’s treasure to protect it from future demands.

• Jelt and the other frogmen urged He Xi to kill Robit and choose a new ruler.
• Jin Bi stood between Robit and the traitors, arguing that Robit was needed to unite the frogmen against the lizardmen.
• He Xi asked Robit if he was willing to continue as king, and Robit accepted, promising that the Place of Great Noise would remain a defense against the lizardmen.
• Robit offered He Xi treasure from his stomach pouch, and He Xi warned him not to hide treasure there again before the humans vanished.
• Robit named Jin Bi Supreme Loyal Duke and promised to teach him powerful spells.
• Jin Bi asked to keep the kingdom’s treasure in hidden mud holes and promised to take the blame if the humans found it, moving Robit with his loyalty.

Tata worried about being driven out of the house and wondered whether becoming a professional could extend her lifespan. Inside, He Xi asked Fivik about the rare spell Tidal Surge before she left.

• Tata washed and hung the household’s clothes while worrying that she had no chance to get close to her Mistress.
• Trist groomed Bruce, who teased Tata about wanting to give her Mistress kittens, prompting her to flee in embarrassment.
• Tata overheard that Fivik was eighty years old and wondered how she might live that long while staying young.
• He Xi asked Fivik about Tidal Surge, and Fivik explained that few people knew the spell.

Hoxi studied Fivik’s explanation of a fourth-circle spell and worried that his trait slots were too limited, while Fivik urged him not to rush his studies. Before she teleported away, Hoxi hugged her and secretly bestowed the Extraordinary Lifespan tag, leaving him amused by the thought that she would be only eighteen in a century.

• Fivik explained how the fourth-circle Jade Water Orb could set up a Lightning Bolt attack, and Hoxi longed to become an intermediate mage.
• Hoxi reviewed his equipped traits and worried that his essential defenses and desired spells would exceed his available slots.
• Fivik advised Hoxi to study slowly, eat well, write to her from the dragon nest, and treat Zoya kindly before preparing to leave.
• Hoxi asked Fivik for a goodbye hug, and she agreed after he apologized for Bruce spreading her age.
• During the embrace, Hoxi spent 40 Drow Elf Parsing Points to give Fivik the Extraordinary Lifespan tag.
• Fivik blushed and teleported away, while Hoxi calculated that she would be eighteen by the measure of a thousand-year lifespan in a hundred years.

He Xi took the spoils from the hag hunt to Cross Auction House and arranged to consign them, earning its highest-tier customer status. After He Xi left, Cross recognized his connection to the Archmage and dismissed Moge’s suggestion to investigate him.

• He Xi asked Tata to pass the absent owl a message about proceeding with the dragon egg plan, then headed to Cross Auction House with Bruce.
• He Xi presented spell scrolls, equipment, potions, and fresh remains from three hags for appraisal.
• Cross offered to auction the items on He Xi’s behalf at a reduced five-percent handling fee, and He Xi accepted.
• Cross invited He Xi to attend the auction next Saturday and promised him a private room.
• After He Xi left, Moge suggested investigating him, but Cross scolded him and said he wanted to make He Xi remember the auction house.

He Xi returned to Alser's Steps, teamed up with senior students to explore the first and second tiers, and learned that a hidden cave might reveal how the second tier's curse worked. He then visited Flora to study ritual magic and asked her to teach him a simplified version of Leomund's Tiny Hut, while planning to keep the secret from Mao Mao Jiao.

• He Xi learned from Moni that students had stopped challenging Alser's Steps because a Two-Headed Ogre at White Heron Ferry had drained many teams of their credits.
• He Xi joined two third-year students for a challenge, then left after they reached White Heron Ferry without finding the ogre.
• He Xi teamed up with two higher-ranked senior students, defeated the Two-Headed Ogre at the cost of one teammate, and entered the second tier with the survivor, but they could not break its curse.
• Reese told He Xi that a senior student had found a hidden cave in the second tier where her mana recovered, suggesting that the curse was connected to the environment or its fog.
• He Xi visited Flora at Observer's Tower, identified her Longstrider spell, and asked to learn the simplified version of Leomund's Tiny Hut while concealing it from Mao Mao Jiao.

Flora taught He Xi how ritual spells worked and gave him the mana crystal needed to practice a revised Leomund's Tiny Hut. Meanwhile, Isla remained distracted at a Holy Sun Knight Academy gathering in Saint Vinica, where the knights prepared to compete in the Inter-Tier Assembly and Loris declared his oath to become justice's second Partner.

• Flora explained that ritual spells drew on ambient magic, warned He Xi to focus, and showed him her smaller version of Leomund's Tiny Hut.
• Flora gave He Xi a pure mana crystal after he insisted on paying for it, then teased him about accepting gifts from friends.
• He Xi reflected on the Penitent's Vigil bracelet Isla had given him and resolved to give her a sincere response when they met again.
• At Holy Sun Knight Academy, Grayson announced a mixed team would travel to Fernandez for the Inter-Tier Assembly and urged the students to defend their faith and win selection for the Hand of Radiance.
• Alicia asked Isla about joining a team for the illusion realm challenge, but Isla stayed distracted as Loris spoke about his battle against evil and vowed to become justice's second Partner.

He Xi mastered the Hairyfoot Hut Spell while practicing in the mage tower and received notes on Mind Spike from Flora before she left for Sail Harbor. He then sought help at the academy with upcoming classes and Alser’s Steps, and learned that the monk Reynard Yang had left the academy and could not be reached.

• He Xi practiced the Hairyfoot Hut Spell for two days, with Flora answering his questions and listening to his story about the frogmen.
• He Xi successfully cast the Hairyfoot Hut Spell, and Flora gave him the incantation and key points for Mind Spike before leaving for Sail Harbor.
• He Xi returned to Dormitory 303 and refused Lionel’s request for help with earning course credits, though he promised to help if another opportunity arose.
• He Xi asked Mirabelle to recommend him for Adeline’s Major Image class and to ask Lidona about joining his team for next month’s Alser’s Steps challenge.
• Mirabelle told He Xi that students and the academy had tried to contact Reynard Yang, but he had left the academy and the Temple of the Sufferer could not send a monk to teach.
• He Xi connected the Temple of the Sufferer to Grot and decided to ask him about it, while Mirabelle reminded him to learn Minor Image before attending Adeline’s class.

He Xi sent Bruce to buy a [Minor Image] Skill Scroll, then searched the Adventurers' Hall for Kazmir and learned that Ulag had been visiting each morning. Back home, Mrs. Royce arrived in distress and asked He Xi to find Alvin, who had vanished after the Watchers found his pipe near a murder scene.

• Bruce bragged to Lionel about his potential as a magic pet and borrowed 15 Gold Shields from him at He Xi's request.
• Bruce went to the general store to buy a [Minor Image] Skill Scroll and intimidated the Goblin clerk by invoking Flora's connection to his Mistress.
• He Xi asked a receptionist at the Adventurers' Hall about Kazmir and learned that Ulag usually came by around ten in the morning.
• Tata urged Trist to seek inspiration by going out at night, while He Xi stopped Tata from breathing fire in the kitchen for food.
• Mrs. Royce told He Xi that the Watchers had found Alvin's pipe near a murder scene and that Alvin was missing.

He Xi investigated Mr. Alvin’s disappearance and found possible links to the City Hall murders, an owl, and people wearing red cords. He and Trist headed to the Old Hall to pursue the lead, where they encountered Ulag trying to see the commission board.

• Mrs. Royce told He Xi that Alvin had vanished after City Hall was attacked, and He Xi refused her payment but agreed to ask around.
• Mrs. Royce recalled Alvin’s fascination with an owl and said he had once spoken to it at night, prompting He Xi and Trist to suspect it was connected to his disappearance.
• Mrs. Royce described strangely dressed people with red cords on their wrists who had appeared near City Hall, and He Xi connected them to Grot and the Church of the Sufferer.
• Trist agreed to accompany He Xi to investigate, while Tata begged to come along and was told to stay home with the Gnoll skeleton.
• The next day, He Xi, Bruce, and Trist went to the Old Hall and found Ulag angrily trying to see over the crowd at the commission board.

He Xi joined Ulag and traveled to the Church of the Sufferer in the Sea Cliff District to investigate a lead connected to the murders and disappearances in Fernandez. There, he learned Grot had been injured and met Bishop Corvus, who recognized him.

• Ulag greeted He Xi at the Adventurer Guild and told him that Grot was busy helping victims in the Sea Cliff District.
• He Xi read the bounty for Councilman Krund’s murder and newly posted commissions seeking missing councilors and private guards.
• He Xi agreed to accompany Ulag to the Sea Cliff District after explaining that he had heard the Church of the Sufferer was investigating the murders.
• He Xi, Ulag, and their companions reached the temple, where Nun Tessa told them that Grot had been injured and was resting.
• Bishop Corvus called He Xi into a tent and addressed him by name, increasing his favorability toward He Xi.

He Xi learned from Bishop Kolfus that a series of decapitation murders had begun two months earlier and that the temple had discovered the latest victim’s broken neck. After Kolfus revealed that he had not sent the Order of the Shattered Ones to investigate City Hall, he asked He Xi to stop the slaughter and offered him something that might interest a mage.

• Bishop Kolfus explained that Grot had praised He Xi and assured him that Grot was only resting from overwork.
• He Xi followed Kolfus through the crowded temple infirmary and saw Leila waiting for her injured mother, Maeve.
• Kolfus led He Xi and Ulag to a hidden underground tomb, where they found Gallagher’s corpse with a deep wound in his neck.
• Kolfus told He Xi that murders had started two months earlier, that the victims had their heads cut off, and that the Watchers had failed to act.
• He Xi said he had heard monks of the Order of the Shattered Ones had investigated City Hall, but Kolfus denied ordering them to do so.
• Kolfus begged He Xi to stop the murders and offered to show him something that might interest him as a mage.

He Xi received a notebook containing necromantic spells from Bishop Kolfus and quickly mastered Speak with Dead. Gallagher’s spirit revealed clues that pointed toward a red string, and Kolfus sent He Xi to investigate Mercy Monastery while giving him a booklet that hinted the burden-bearers could temporarily set aside their vows to stop suffering at its source.

• Kolfus gave He Xi a notebook of necromantic spells as a reward for helping Grot and asked him to keep its contents secret.
• He Xi learned Speak with Dead in minutes and used it on Gallagher’s corpse in the burial chamber.
• Gallagher’s spirit described his killer with the clues “Lime... dagger... red string” before fading away.
• Kolfus said he had questioned Gallagher before and directed He Xi to seek Abbot Damian Shaw at Mercy Monastery.
• Kolfus gave He Xi a booklet titled The Blood-Weeper’s Closed Eyes, which described burden-bearers temporarily loosening their red cords and acting beyond doctrine to stop suffering at its source.

He Xi waited outside the martial monk monastery and suspected its absent monks might be linked to the murders. A group of invisible Reapers ambushed him and his companions, and the chapter ended with Bruce and an unseen ally helping capture one attacker.

• He Xi read Bloodweeper's Closed Eyes and wondered whether the monastery's monks had taken leave to pursue those they considered sources of suffering.
• Bruce spotted a restless man near the monastery, who claimed he had been marked and reacted to He Xi mentioning Gallagher.
• He Xi recognized the smell of lime and realized the man was a killer just as he transformed and attacked with a dagger.
• Ulag intercepted the first dagger while He Xi and Trist fought off attacks from three invisible black-clad Reapers.
• He Xi learned that the Reapers' Murder Aura weakened his protection, then Bruce exposed one attacker and a crossbow bolt disarmed him.
• The captured attacker tried to vanish into the shadows, but a blinding white light flared before his eyes.

He Xi and his companions defeated a group of Nightblades and discovered that the assassins planned a sacrifice involving Damian Shaw and the City Hall councilors. He learned that chaos was due to begin the next day at Griffin Fortress, while Ulag mistook the name Malbolge for a pleasure house in Everbright District.

• He Xi trapped an approaching Reaper behind a wall of Earth Spikes, then killed him with Lightning Bolt while he attacked Ulag.
• He Xi used Speak with Dead on a killer, but the spirit's fanatical answer faded before he could question it further.
• Trist showed He Xi the assassins' weapons and a letter ordering the Nightblades to watch the City Hall councilors and locate Damian Shaw for a future sacrifice.
• He Xi questioned the dead and learned that the councilors were beneath the Inquisition, that the next chaos would begin on May twenty-second, and that the Reapers planned to strike Griffin Fortress.
• The Reaper's spirit named Malbolge as a place to find other Reapers, and Ulag identified it as a pleasure house in Everbright District.

He Xi planned to warn the Watchers about an imminent attack, but Captain Xifort dismissed his evidence and sent him away. A new Shadow Hand quest then directed him to retrieve a murder report from the fortress archives and deliver it to someone in the Dock District, possibly helping him find the monks and rescue the captives.

• He Xi decided to prioritize warning the Watchers at Griffin Fortress about the assassins’ planned attack before pursuing the captives or investigating Descent into Malbolge.
• He Xi, Ulag, and their companions ate seafood, and Ulag explained that he had quit the Watchers after being assigned to guard the dungeon instead of patrolling the docks.
• The group rode hippogriffs to Griffin Fortress, where Captain Xifort dismissed a woman searching for her missing daughter and then brushed off He Xi’s warning and parchment evidence.
• He Xi noticed a new Shadow Hand quest requiring him to obtain Investigator Evan’s murder report from the fortress archives and deliver it to someone with a red cord on their hand.
• He Xi suspected the recipient might be one of the monks and hoped finding them would help him locate the grandmaster and secure aid in rescuing the captives.

He Xi infiltrated Griffin Fortress to search its archives for information about Evan and the killings, discovering that Evan had warned of a Bhaal cult revival. As guards approached, He Xi found a report on Archmage Fivik Kvais’s whereabouts and was caught inside the archive room with files left out.

• Ulag drew the fortress guards’ attention by boasting about his new life and Bruce’s fire magic, giving He Xi a chance to slip inside.
• He Xi followed a guard through the fortress and located the archive room, then passed through its wall using magic.
• He Xi found files about the dock district and read Evan Creel’s rejected report linking the murders to the revival of the Bhaal cult.
• He Xi began searching for Evan’s early-May report and spotted a dossier titled “Report on the Whereabouts of Archmage Fivik Kvais.”
• Several people arrived and opened the archive door while He Xi’s borrowed reports remained scattered on the reading table.