Chapter Summaries

He Xi joined Healy Mero’s party to clear the aggressive frogman tribe in Blackwater Swamp, attracted by the chance to earn a share of the reward and fight many monsters. He prepared for the journey and planned to leave with the party the day after tomorrow.

• He Xi met Healy Mero, who invited him to join a team commission against the frogman tribe in Blackwater Swamp.
• He Xi agreed to join Healy’s temporary party, which included two priests, a warrior, and a rogue, and arranged to meet at the east gate the day after tomorrow.
• He Xi planned to leave food for Trist before departing and bought waterproof boots, a backpack, insect repellent, and antidotes for the swamp trip.
• He Xi kept his last two Silver Scales to buy fresh meat for Trist, intending to purchase his own travel rations after collecting payment.

He Xi and Bruce captured eight goblins using Bruce as bait and brought them to Trist, along with meat, vegetables, special sauce, and a book of cooking methods. Trist was stunned by the goblins’ arrival, and He Xi left him with supplies and a cookbook to help him prepare a meal.

• Gula and Glick tried to ambush Bruce, but He Xi knocked them out and added them to his goblin haul.
• He Xi and Bruce headed to Rose Town with eight goblins, discussing their payment and Bruce’s practice at insulting opponents.
• Trist waited in the basement, hungry and expecting He Xi to bring goblins for his meal.
• He Xi delivered the goblins to Trist, then supplied Cracked Hoof Bull meat, chickens, vegetables, Special Sauce, and a cookbook.

He Xi left Trist after warning him about his goblin offerings, and Trist performed a ritual to feed a goblin’s soul to his Sect Master. Later, as He Xi traveled with a caravan toward Rose Town, Greck and Logan disparaged him, unaware that he was secretly training Mage Hand.

• He Xi warned Trist to seek better food and received a Gold Shield from him.
• Trist sacrificed a bound goblin’s soul to the Lord of Rifts and Dimensions, briefly easing his hunger before his Sect Master complained about the offering.
• He Xi rode in a caravan with Healy, Hughes, Bruce, Greck, and Logan while traveling toward Rose Town.
• Greck repeatedly tried to speak with Healy, then resented her attention to He Xi and criticized him for staying inside the wagon.
• Logan joined Greck in mocking He Xi, while He Xi silently practiced controlling a floating cargo crate and advanced Mage Hand to Lv.3.

At the Gilded Horseshoe Inn, Logan encouraged Greck to distrust Galen and focus on Healy, while Healy prayed beside Hughes in the next room. He Xi spent the night alone in a secluded corner of the inn’s backyard.

• Greck asked Logan where he had found their party, and Logan said he had recruited them from the Oak Tavern notice board.
• Greck admitted he had taken the job after losing thirty Silver Scales and praised Healy’s appearance.
• Logan stoked Greck’s suspicions of Galen by comparing him to Hai En and mocking his dog.
• Healy prayed with an unfamiliar holy symbol while Hughes watched her with concern.
• He Xi paid to use a secluded corner of the inn’s backyard and sat alone under the moonlight.

He Xi practiced Magic Missile while a caravan traveling through the Gray Mist Forest was ambushed by six Gnolls. Greck and Healy fought to defend the caravan, but a Gnoll’s spear pierced Healy beneath her arm guard.

• He Xi practiced Magic Missile on falling firewood and continued focusing on improving his strength.
• Six Gnolls surrounded the caravan, terrifying its boss and guards.
• Greck charged a Gnoll while Healy ordered the caravan guards to hold formation and followed him into battle.
• A second Gnoll attacked Greck, but Healy broke its spear with her enchanted war hammer.
• The first Gnoll thrust at Healy while she was unable to defend herself, and its spear pierced her beneath her arm guard.

He Xi and the others joined the caravan’s defense as Healy proved herself a formidable fighter. The gnoll chieftain launched a sudden attack that nearly killed Greck, but Healy knocked its blade aside, and the gnolls surged forward, shouting for blood.

• Greck was wounded by a gnoll, while Healy broke another gnoll’s forearm with her glowing War Hammer.
• He Xi, Hughes, and Logan reached the front; Logan noticed He Xi’s wand topped with a shriveled hag’s head.
• The Level 22 gnoll chieftain charged and used an Earth Spike as a pivot to accelerate toward Greck.
• The chieftain knocked Greck’s greatsword away and slashed through his armor, but Healy struck its blade aside before it could kill him.
• The chieftain laughed as the gnolls shouted about eating fresh blood and invoked Yeenoghu.

He Xi and the others turned the fight against the gnolls, using magic, healing, and ambushes to protect the wounded Greck. Bruce joined the assault, while Greck reached Hughes for treatment as the battle continued.

• He Xi's precise Magic Missiles struck down a gnoll and gave Greck an opening to ask Healy for healing, but she said she had not learned the prayer.
• Hughes stabilized Greck's wound, then blessed Healy as she faced the gnoll leader and its surrounding fighters.
• The gnoll leader cut Healy's arm, but the wound quickly healed, while Logan ambushed and killed another gnoll.
• He Xi asked Hughes to bless Bruce, transferred Shadow Dodge to him, and sent him to attack the ordinary gnolls from the flanks.
• Bruce crippled a gnoll with a flaming paw strike and vanished into the shadows, while Greck hobbled over to Hughes for further treatment.

The Gnoll leader targeted Hughes, but He Xi struck it with an Earth Spike and forced it to alter its leap. The leader still killed a caravan guard with a brutal aerial slash, leaving the battle in progress.

• Hughes healed Greck while the fighters faced the Gnoll leader and the surviving Gnolls.
• The Gnoll leader cut Healy’s neck, but her wound quickly healed, and it ordered the other Gnolls to pin her down.
• The Gnoll leader leapt over the fighters toward Hughes, and He Xi warned him and cast an Earth Spike.
• The Gnoll leader twisted past the spike but took a gash across its back, then redirected its fall toward a caravan guard.
• The Gnoll leader split the guard’s shield and body with a sweeping strike, killing him.

He Xi and Greck worked together to keep the berserk gnoll chieftain away from the spellcasters while Logan hid in the mist. When Greck prepared to block its apparent finishing blow, the gnoll chieftain feinted and decapitated Logan as he attacked from behind.

• He Xi raised earth spikes to hinder the gnoll chieftain, while Greck charged in to draw its attacks away from Mr. Hughes.
• Mr. Hughes healed and strengthened Greck as He Xi's spikes slowed the chieftain, and Greck taunted it into pursuing him.
• He Xi impaled the chieftain's right hind leg when it leapt toward Greck, and Greck led it away while the others killed the remaining gnolls.
• Greck spotted Logan hiding in the mist and stopped to draw the chieftain's attention, giving Logan a chance to strike.
• The gnoll chieftain feinted past Greck's guard, spun around, and decapitated Logan with its polearm.

After Gork killed Logan and nearly defeated Greck, Healy, He Xi, Bruce, and a flaming creature drove the wounded gnoll chieftain into the forest. He Xi chased Gork, hoping to capture it as a controlled undead, while Greck was left stunned by his party’s strange abilities.

• Gork revealed that it had killed Logan, then overwhelmed Greck and knocked his greatsword away.
• Healy blocked Gork’s attack and coordinated with He Xi, whose Magic Missiles helped her strike the chieftain.
• Bruce and the flaming creature attacked Gork, forcing it to flee toward the forest as Greck tried to stop it.
• Gork disarmed Greck again and threw his greatsword aside before running deeper into the woods.
• He Xi charged after Gork with Bruce following, intending to capture the wounded chieftain as a controlled undead.

He Xi defeated the gnoll chieftain Gork and used necromancy to raise him as a level 25 skeleton. He Xi then told Bruce to have Slag possess the skeleton so Bruce could command it.

• He Xi struck Gork with his staff, then impaled him with Earth Spikes and finished him with a Magic Missile.
• He Xi chose to turn Gork into a skeleton, despite the risk of attempting the transformation on a level 22 target.
• He Xi used his mana potion to complete the transformation, raising Gork as a level 25 gnoll skeleton.
• He Xi tested the skeleton’s polearm skill by ordering it to pick up its weapon.
• Bruce asked for a turn controlling the skeleton, and He Xi set down a hand mirror so Slag could possess it.

He Xi returned to the caravan after defeating the monster, with Slag secretly following in the gnoll skeleton’s body. The survivors prepared to continue toward Trout Town, mourning their dead while acknowledging He Xi’s help.

• Slag’s soul entered the gnoll skeleton, and He Xi let Bruce help it adjust to its new body.
• He Xi used Shadow Dodge to hide Slag and instructed it to follow the group unseen.
• The surviving guards buried the dead while Priest Hughes finished healing Healy and Greck brooded over his earlier failure.
• He Xi returned and told the group the monster was dead, earning their relief and gratitude.
• The merchant promised the full contract payment, and Healy accepted while planning to pass Logan’s share to his family.

Trout Town struggled with the frogmen disrupting its busy fishing season, while local guide Hom and his companions discussed the dangerous bounty and rumors of a powerful swamp tribe. Old Nick stopped their conversation and warned that the trouble could drive away traders and adventurers, leaving the town’s future uncertain.

• Trout Town’s fishermen and merchants prepared for the seasonal redfish migration while frogmen trouble disrupted the harvest.
• Hom lost a card game and complained that the merchants’ guild had offered one hundred and fifty Gold Shields to deal with the frogmen.
• Hack described how the Giant Lizard Squad had lost three members after being ambushed in the swamp.
• Hom suspected the disturbance was connected to a large tribe at the swamp’s center, but Hack dismissed the idea and mentioned other adventurers’ failures.
• Old Nick cut off their discussion and warned that falling drink sales could drive away the caravans and adventurers the town depended on.

Healy and her adventuring party arrived in town to investigate the frogmen’s rampage and learned the commission had grown more dangerous. They decided to continue into the swamp and went to question an injured party about what lay deeper inside.

• Hom and Hack mocked the arriving adventurers, but the party’s dog set their hair on fire with two sparks.
• Healy presented the Rose Town commission to Old Nick and asked about the frogmen’s movements.
• Old Nick explained that the frogmen were more numerous than expected, raised the reward to 150 Gold Shields, and offered a bounty for their webbed feet.
• He Xi, Greck, and Hughes agreed with Healy to continue the commission despite Logan’s death and the increased danger.
• Old Nick warned the party about the swamp and told them that an adventurer from Stone Raven Town had returned seriously injured after investigating its depths.
• Healy and her companions decided to question the Stone Raven Town party, and Hom hurried after them.

Healy’s group met Hom Mudfoot, a local guide who offered to lead them through the dangerous eastern swamp. They hired him on a temporary basis, leaving their expedition’s departure undecided and with Hom warning them about the adventurers from Stone Raven Town.

• Hom caught up with Healy’s group and offered to guide them through the swamp in exchange for enough money to pay his debt.
• He Xi assessed Hom as level 10 and noted his apparent experience with boats and the swamp.
• Hom explained that he needed the money to save his boat from River Claw Loans and promised to help them find frogfolk activity.
• Healy consulted the group, then hired Hom as a temporary guide, with payment contingent on their safe return and Hom required to follow their instructions.
• Hom warned Healy’s group to avoid conflict with the adventurers from Stone Raven Town, and they headed to the Flipping Trout Inn.

The Stone Crow Marauders had spent five days recovering at the Flipping Trout after their expedition into Blackwater Swamp. When Healy and her group arrived to ask about the swamp, Fletcher boasted about his magic until Brendan burst in and demanded that he reveal the truth about its effects.

• Dorick complained to Brendan about being stuck in bed and admitted that his injury was only a small wound on his backside.
• Brendan warned Dorick that Fletcher might endanger the team again if no one confronted him about his magic.
• Healy and her companions knocked on Fletcher and Kane's door to ask about Blackwater Swamp and offer treatment.
• Fletcher welcomed Healy, claimed he had fought over a hundred frogmen, and described his team's retreat as a preparation for a counterattack.
• Brendan burst through the adjoining door and demanded that Fletcher tell Healy's group what his Wild Surge had actually caused.

He Xi negotiated an information-sharing arrangement with Kane of the Stone Crow Marauders, including limited healing from Hughes. Kane then described their discoveries across the eastern lake, and He Xi identified the mystery surrounding the frogmen’s caves.

• Kane invited Healy’s group into the room and asked what they could offer in exchange for his information.
• He Xi proposed that the groups share discoveries or pay each other an information fee from the job reward.
• Kane agreed to share information and requested healing for his teammates, and He Xi stipulated that Hughes would help only when he had enough magic left.
• Kane explained that his team had found three frogman caves east of the shallow lake, each holding more than five adults.
• He Xi inferred that the cave-dwelling frogmen might be separate from the frogmen near the trade road and said he had studied monster behavior.

He Xi revealed that his teacher was an unnamed Archmage, impressing Kane and startling the party. Fletcher then asked He Xi for guidance about the power he had awakened two months earlier and invited him to dinner, with his teammates agreeing.

• He Xi told Kane that his teacher was an unnamed Archmage, and Kane and the others reacted with surprise and newfound respect.
• Kane criticized Fletcher as an unreliable sorcerer, prompting Fletcher to come in and confront him.
• Fletcher asked He Xi about sorcerers and explained that he had awakened a strange, difficult-to-control power two months earlier.
• He Xi recognized that Fletcher's experience might be a Wild Surge and accepted Fletcher's invitation to dinner.
• Kane and Brendan approved Fletcher's plan to seek He Xi's guidance.

He Xi questioned Fletcher about his unusual magic and learned that Fletcher had first gained his powers without warning. Fletcher then recalled dreaming of fairies as a child, leaving He Xi with a possible clue to the source of his Wild Magic.

• Fletcher admired the waitresses at the restaurant, and He Xi noticed that the blonde waitress’s leather skirt had a freshly torn slit.
• The blonde waitress flirted with He Xi, but someone behind them told her not to interrupt their meal.
• He Xi and Fletcher discussed why Brendan and Dorick could not learn Fletcher’s spells, and He Xi suggested that magic might be an innate art.
• Fletcher said he had suddenly gained the ability to use magic as a child, despite having no magical talent in his family.
• He Xi asked Fletcher about fairies, and Fletcher remembered often dreaming of them while napping in a flower-filled valley near his home.

He Xi recognized that Fletcher’s childhood dreams were visits to the Feywild and concluded that Fletcher was a pixie in human form. After learning how Fletcher’s uncontrolled Wild Surge had injured his companions, He Xi offered guidance and arranged an extravagant meal for Bruce, leaving Fletcher to pay.

• He Xi connected Fletcher’s colorful dreams, childhood memories, and magic to repeated visits to the Feywild.
• He Xi explained Wild Surge and concluded that Fletcher was a pixie whose magic went out of control when he became emotional.
• Fletcher recounted how his Wild Surge had injured Dorick, a ranger, and the ranger’s falcon during a frogfolk encounter five days earlier.
• He Xi advised Fletcher to control his emotions and visit Rose Town for a more professional explanation, and Fletcher agreed.
• He Xi ordered an expensive meal and liquor for Bruce, while Fletcher rebuked the waitress for flirting with He Xi.