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Tide Washed Trouble

The only light on the docks comes from street lamps powered by magic as the shadow moon reigns the sky over Freakport in the Atlantyx archipelago of Kymera. Rain comes down in buckets as purple lightning strikes the sea far from shore as the night drags on. Freakport's boardwalk is almost deserted as the storm keeps most tourists away no matter how safe the managers of the various amusement piers claim they can keep their establishments of amusement.

Carousing and revelry in a subdued manner make themselves known in some of the bawdier portions where cheap inns and flophouses are in abundance to fleece sailors on leave of their hard earned pay. In an upper suite in the Tower Inn, a semi respectable establishment for well to do merchants and those sailors that can demand a high price for their services pay for their lodgings annually rather than the weekly to daily prices demanded of lesser temporary residents, a russet furred wolf-bear is sharpening his cutlasses near the balcony of his apartment overlooking the sea. He is dressed in black pants with a black shirt and black belt on a chair of iron reinforced charred driftwood and watches the storm wistfully.

He hangs his swords on a coat rack under a scarlet overcoat already hanging there and enveloping the stand as if it were a person wearing it as he grabs a trident that was leaning against the wall and walks out onto the balcony in the pouring rain. Below the lupursyn a team of fox-wolves struggle to get a palanquin to the docks. Who the folfs are carrying he cannot see as idly watches them carrying their passenger to a galleon flying the golden coin and scales flag of the Trader's Guild.

A dark furred bull-horse steps out in the finery of a lesser merchant prince and looks disdainfully at his bearers. Hesitantly he ascends the gangplank to the galleon where the bosun, a ram-goat looks askance of the boquine coming up who returns the shoap's glare with equal disdain. Walking up to help the shoap is a turtle with the head and tail of an alligator brandishing the captain's daughter with a look that tells the boquine that this gurtor means business.

The lupursyn hears a knock at his door and comes back in his room to investigate, carrying the trident with him without giving a thought to how it might look to receive someone thus armed. As it turns out his lady caller is a combination of ferret and raccoon dressed like a common sailor. Apparently the racket was expecting him to not be home as she was beginning to pick the lock on his door when he opens it and surprises her.

"Well, well, well," he says with a dangerous smirk, "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Master Kodyax!" she says in surprise, "You are in? I heard you had been invited to meet with Count Dutch this evening."

"I have no desire in hearing what that boquine functionary with delusions of grandeur has to offer me, Mary," Kodyax says with a dangerous smirk. "Besides, I think the blowhard is inspecting a galleon tonight."

"He's supposed to be with you or at a ball at the Lord Governor's palace," Mary grouses, "What boat is he inspecting?" Kodyax inclines his head to the balcony as a way of inviting her in and her curiosity gets the better of her but she is wary of his trident as she squints to see through the rain. "Looks like one of the ships of the line he is entitled to inspect as an officer of the Guild but it looks like the bosun and the cap'n ain't too pleased with him."

"You recognize the gurtor?" Kodyax asks simply.

"Aye, Captain Hitler," Mary responds with disdain, "One of the nastiest of his species but he gets things done even if he has to keelhaul a third of his seamen to keep the others in line."

"Ah," Kody says behind her with a dark smirk, "I know him by reputation only. I have yet to have the dubious pleasure of serving under him."

"And you don't want to, Kody," Mary assures him, "I learned that lesson the hard way."

"And what do I have do you or someone else wants?" Kodyax asks pointedly.

"Boss Zulu thinks you're holding out on him," Mary says matter-of-factly. "He told me to go through your stuff and give him an inventory."

"Sounds like I need the cestuses I keep around for special occasions and pay that gorangutilla a little visit," Kodyax grumbles.

"I'd advise taking your cutlasses instead," Mary cautions, "He recently recruited twin anacobra bodyguards."

"Mitch and Matt?" Kodyax asks and Mary gives him an incredulous look. "I sailed with those boys before. They should know better if I pay Zulu a visit."

"They hardly remember anything now, Kody," Mary warns, "Zulu partially pays them in drachensmoke. Their almost always high."

"Why am I not surprised?" Kodyax says as he rolls his eyes and sees a mixed gang of fox-cats and fox-skunks that look as if they seek to shanghai sailors into becoming someone's press ganged crew. "Looks like the funk and fax gang of red coats is on the prowl again. I wonder who they're recruiting for?"

"The Tirano Diablo is having trouble hiring a crew," Mary responds. "And I think that's the ship docked now that Count Dutch is looking over."

"And the faxes are in the coats of Trader Guild recruiters," Kodyax observes and Mary just laughs.

"And here comes Dutch now," Mary says as Count Dutch stomps out from the hold arguing with Hitler all the way. "Neither is an agreeable sort," Mary states. "What could they be arguing about?"

"Not sure, lass," Kodyax states as he spies another ship coming in. "I think I see the Red Gardener limping back to port."

"I wonder what monster it's bringing in for consumption?" Mary asks with great excitement. "You've gone out on that whaler once or twice."

"Aye, that I have," Kodyax admits with a nostalgic tone to his voice.

As Mary and Kodyax watch tentacles wrap around the Red Gardener and Kodyax grips his trident tightly. It's at this time a trio of iguana-Komodo dragon ninjas show drop from the roof and attack, each features a green tentacle eye on their front, back, upper arms and where the third eye is kind of supposed to be only on the hood of their outfit. They scream something about all pirates must die as they focus on Kodyax while Mary takes the opportunity to run while the yguodos attack the lupursyn.

Yguodo ninjas attacking him is just the icing on the cake as the Red Gardener, with her lyger Captain, a man Kodyax respects and has some affection for as Captain Squall was Kody's first skipper when he decided to switch from a life of piracy to trying his hand at whaling and Squall gave him the chance to prove himself, is torn asunder in the bay. Kodyax plunges the tines of his trident into the chest of one yguodo only to have the other two slice him with their ninja-tos. A noise above him gets his attention as a rabbit-cat lady alchemist in night black leather armor is mixing something that is glowing in a way that Kody knows is not good as he positions himself to jump clear when the kabbyx throws her bomb.

Kodyax jumps back and almost knocks over a lady fox-wolf as the funk sorceress is chanting and waving her arms around like she's trying to cast a spell. The bomb kills one ninja outright as the other is merely knocked to the ground below as the orange furred with clear jewels on her forehead, back of the neck, upper arms, backs of her hands, between her breasts, in her navel, small of the back, thighs and ankles of various sizes and shapes, purple hair and green eyes sorceress rushes past Kodyax and points a wand at the fleeing ninja to bark out a command word. Purple energy piranha surge out from the tip of the wand and plow into the yguodo and finish him off.

The pink furred kabbyx drops down onto the balcony and adjusts her blonde hair as she gives the funk a wink with her pastel blue eyes. Kodyax is leaning on his trident and giving the pair an expectant look. Both females smirk and wink at him in tandem which causes Kodyax to sigh and shake his head as the four foot kabbyx and her five foot folf companion cock their heads aside simultaneously.

"Alright, Buuma, Morganna, why are you two ladies of the evening here?" Kodyax asks.

"Do we need a reason to drop in on an old shipmate?" Morganna, the funk asks. "Or do I need to elaborate?" She walks in seductively as both of them are dressed like female pirates. "Don't tell me you've completely given up on your old life with us, my dear, dear sentinel ranger?"

"Lay it on thick, why doncha, Anna?" Buuma asks sarcastically. "I know I have some toys we can play with." Then she licks her muzzle in Kody's general direction. "But we do have other concerns and propositions for our favorite monster killer."

"Alright, assuming the two of you are even partially serious," Kodyax says as he gives Morgan's ass a good groping to which she moans and Buuma just rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "I'll let you set the table as it were and when I've seen all the cards I'll make my decision."

"Morgan, if you can take your mind out of your crotch for the moment," Buuma teases to which Morganna gives her a pouty face. "We did have business here besides one or both us riding his pole."

"Oh, very well," Morganna pouts but neither Kodyax nor Buuma believe the expression she gives them as they both know her too well. "Buuma and I had the good fortune of joining the crew of the Gold Hunter and one of the prizes we took was a galleon out of Avarisia."

'I don't know what's worse," Kodyax growls, "The fact that you signed up with Fouxe on one of that fax's damn fool quests or that you took a ship from the bankers."

"Oh, hush," Buuma says before given his sack a playful squeeze. "Shadow Dragon shinobi were taking it for a joy ride and something else, and that's part of the tale."

"Oh wonderful, the Kage-Lee clan has actual beef against pirates this time," Kodyax grumbles. "Did you leave any survivors?"

"Only those that dove into the sea when we attacked," Morganna coos. "Foux thought they were hijacking the ship for some dark quest and he wanted to find out what." Kodyax just gives them a look of disdain. "Oh, hush, they had a map to somewhere in the sea serpent Sargasso." She lays the map on a table in his suite detailing a graveyard of ships with one particular wreck circled in red ink."

"Not a very accurate map," Kodyax observes as he looks over the illustrated parchment, "I'd say it's twenty years old or more. The Sargasso claims at least ten ships every year if not more. Although I think I recognize the section."

"Then you can lead us to it?" Morganna says as she grinds her rear along Kody's leg and into his crotch.

"It's in Hullgnasher's territory," Kodyax warns, "He breaks boats for the fun of it."

"How well can he detect boats?" Buuma asks pointedly. "Does size matter?"

"In regard to his wake sense, it absolutely matters," Kodyax lectures, "Small boats don't displace water enough for him to notice. Big boats are all too obvious to him and he either demands tribute or destroys them outright without even making a paltry attempt at parley according to his mood. And that ranges from simply disagreeable to downright foul and psychotically murderous."

"Like Morganna, first thing in the morning," Buuma teases and almost gets slapped for it by the folf.

"You have no problem breaking fast on my cunt," Morganna challenges. "When we don't have a mark and there's at least one cock to suckle that is."

"Speaking of which," Buuma says playfully and they both give Kodyax bedroom eyes.

"I find anything missing in the morning," Kodyax warns, "I'll hunt you down. You know I can."

"Aye, you're too well versed in the life not to," Morganna pleads and rubs her treasure chest against his face. "But I know I need a good broadside shot in me at least. Besides, we have treasure hunt we want you to help us with."

"How many others will there be to split the booty?" Kodyax asks.

"None if we can help it," Buuma says honestly. "As you said we're going to have to take a small vessel if we want to avoid Hullgnasher and we are pirates after all. The bigger the share of the treasure the better."

Buuma sets up magical wards on the doors, the one leading to the hallway and the one to the balcony, as Morganna pulls Kodyax to the bedroom. Due to the fact that he is almost a full eight feet in height the bed he sleeps in is quite expansive. It will easily accommodate the three of them and sturdy enough for the activities they are planning.

Shark like humanoids with split crab claw like hands, eyes on stalks and tentacle neck beards clamber up and onto the boardwalk, each only wearing a kilt with tool belt and body harness, with murder in their eyes. They take serrated bladed katars from their belt and go off stalking for victims. Homeless folks are their first targets as the beggars won't be missed by the general populace save for the tax collectors that issue them license for a few copper coins every day so the Watch will turn a blind eye to their panhandling.

Beggars scream when the triangular saw bladed weapons slice into them with no mercy implied or in actuality given. Octarodons butcher their prey in the back alleys where the homeless sleep away from prying eyes and those that would do them harm. A few of the beggars try to take flight to the sewers only to find more of the aberrantly monstrous humanoids waiting for them down there where there screams of agony and terror will be heard by no one with an ounce of sympathy for their plight although the gory spectacle is witnessed by those that find such gruesome shows of depravity to be the height of perverse entertainment.

The octarodons drag the remains of their prey back into the water although a few they kept just barely alive so they could drown them before devouring them. One member of the Watch, a lyger patrolwoman named Tara, orange furred with the typical black stripes, green hair and tail puff as well as purple eyes, witnesses it but instead of charging in like some members of the Watch would do she hangs back and stalks them. In the morning she leaves the invasion force out of her report, more for fear of a reprimand than anything else as the Watch Sergeants are not selective for their imagination and the district commander is a tightly wound boquine that would rather send her to the brig for inventing wild stories than actually investigate the incursion, and goes to the Tower Inn to try and find one of the few people she knows will believe her in the form of a whaler and former pirate she knows named Kodyax.

She knocks on his door is both surprised and dismay when the notorious pirate sorceress Morganna answers instead of him looking like she got her pot filled with his cream. Tara doesn't contact Kodyax for that purpose usually but the fact that a pirate sorceress drained his sack does not bode well for her intentions as she can smell scrapple cooking in the kitchen. Morganna catches a glimpse of a black clad shoap assassin in the stairwell and pulls Tara in.

"Get your filthy pirate paws off of me!" Tara screams. "I came here to see Kody!"

"I'm sure you did, but not for the purposes we did," Morganna calls back. "And a shoap contract killer in the stairwell does not bode well."

"Someone was following me?" Tara asks when there is a knock at the door. "I'll get it."

"Good evening, officer Tara," the shoap in black leather says warmly, "I take it master Kodyax has company?"

"Inquisitor Delmar," Tara says with dread, "What brings you here?"

"You failed to report the octarodon invasion last night," Delmar states, "I am fairly certain this has something to do with Commander Krumpky's rather depressing deficit in imagination and understanding of such creatures. However, with Kodyax this almost certainly untrue. Am I accurate in this assumption?"

"That is perhaps the most charitable way of putting it," Tara admits freely. "If you are already aware of the situation..."

"You know as well as I do that the Watch is ill equipped to deal with them even if the Captain himself could be made aware of the gravity of the situation," Delmar says in a chilly tone of voice one that causes both Tara and Morganna to shiver unconsciously.

"What do you want, Delmar," Kodyax growls as he walks out of the bedroom completely naked but armed with his trident which gives both females in the room cause for alarm as even in his naked state, the fact that he is armed and the mere fact that he is a lupursyn that knows all too well how to use his weapon to its maximum efficiency means the potential for bloodshed is all too real even if Delmar shows no outward change in demeanor or stance as a smirk registers on his muzzle.

"I was principally following, Officer Tara here," Delmar says honestly with a tone of mirth in his voice which betrays his nervousness as he knows damn well that he is in danger of losing his life if he doesn't play his cards just right. "The tide washed in some visitors last night. Ones the city could rather do without that both I and Tara witnessed in different capacities."

"Octarodons, Kody," Tara says in response to the withering gaze she receives from the wolf-bear in response to the inquisitor's diatribe. "They arose from the sea onto the board walk and captured some of the city's homeless."

"It doesn't take a detective to figure out what probably happen to them," Kodyax growls. "Damn Children of Dagon are a deadly nuisance. But somehow I doubt you reported them to your commander, Tara, the Watch is not known for its imagination and tends to punish those they see as being too creative in their reports no matter factual a fantastical event may be." He then turns to Delmar and conjectures: "And what about you? Did you drop a body somewhere only to have one of those monstrosities take it as a handout and abscond with the corpse back to the sea so it could savor its good fortune in peace?"

"How very droll," Delmar conjectures with a disappointed sigh, "Do you really think that little of me?" Kody, Anna and Tara all give him a sarcastic nod as one. "I can neither confirm nor deny your...accusation but what I can say is that Tara wisely skulked about unseen by the abominations and thus unmolested which is the main reason we are having this conversation in its present form."

"Now for the query that has been prancing about willy-nilly in plain view unacknowledged but we are all plainly aware of it." Kodyax says with a dark tone of voice. "What is to be done about the matter? I hunt monstrosities for a living. The skills of slaughter learned from a life as a marauder put to better use." Morganna at first pouts in a somewhat mocking manner before she smirks fiendishly but says nothing. "I hate aberrations most of all but there is no bounty on these things. Even if I were to slaughter them as I am wont to do, what compensation should I receive?" Tara loosens her bodice a little in a way that is most obvious to Kody. "You're paying that price regardless, little lyger lass, but at least I know you're on board with it. But then again I want to know that I won't be arrested and charged with something if I start dredging bodies out of the water."

"I know a few fishmongers that wouldn't mind some exotic meat and wouldn't ask too many questions," Delmar offers with a self-satisfied smirk. "The nobles do like a change of fare from time to time and something new and exciting to feast upon," He then quirks an eye ridge at Kodyax. "They are edible are they not?"

"Very much so," Kodyax states definitively. "They have a strangely appealing taste combining shark and crab with a hint of calamari."

"You cooked one?" Tara asks fearfully.

"Yeah," Kodyax returns simply. "I was stranded on Sea Devil Island with nothing else to eat and a veritable army of the things out to murder and devour me. So I did to them what they would done to me. And the crew of the Blue Harvest."

"The report just says they were killed and eaten by sea monsters," Delmar says in an accusational tone of voice. "But technically octarodons are sea monsters. I take it you were impressed not to make a report that would cause a panic?"

"You could say that." Kodyax returns affably. "The public report is what you read apparently, Delmar. I made a second, more detailed account with the Sea Guard.

"An organization to which I do not have easy access to their records." Delmar admits with a shrug of his shoulders. "But the Sea Guard is in league with the Druid Council," He takes a moment to spit in disgust and gets the butt of Kody's trident across his own muzzle in response. "What was...oh, wait, you're a ranger and thus part of the Druid Council. Your admission to the Sea Guard was little more than a formality wasn't it?"

"In some ways," Kodyax admits. "There has never been a conflict between the two and the fact I am part of both. Mainly because I am not the only one."

"As I understand it," Tara conjectures, "The Sea Guard is little more than a hunting lodge or series of the same for sea based rangers to exchange information."

"That's the gist of the reason the organization exists, yes," Kodyax says with a nod. "It's a kind of mutual support group recording everything that is out there, not just monsters, for future generations and if something comes up that we have a record for, a Sea Guard can request a copy of the information for his or her reference."

"Would special training be provided if needed to take down a marauding monster at sea?" Tara asks and Kodyax gives her a firm nod. "Is membership exclusive to rangers?"

"Not exclusive," Kodyax states. "It's just easier for a ranger can get in. Mainly since we actually go out of our way to find and take down monsters and most other adventurer types are content to let the monsters come to them."

"Accurate information that is," Tara says with a smirk. "I know the local chapter here sells access to their records. Unless you are a Sea Guard that is."

"Yeah, I am going to be looking into this a bit after I visit the lodge," Kodyax promises. "If nothing else I can sell the meat to local fishmongers."

"I think I can arrange a privately civic bounty," Delmar states. "The nobles get rather nervous when it looks like there are monsters running around loose that aren't under their control. As long as they take the poor it's all fine and dandy. But we do have some bleeding hearts even if some of them prefer to keep their concerns for those beneath strictly a secret affair."

"I still need to check in," Kodyax states. "Officially I should be looking for work soon. I can still afford to be picky but that won't last long."

"Sounds like I need to arrange something." Delmar states and then leaves. "You should have something to occupy you in town. I know you are not above doing bounty hunter when the offer is applying your lethal talents to monsters."

"I don't trust him," Morganna growls as she watches the assassin slip out the front door to do his business.

"You're not the only one," Tara agrees. "I may not approve of pirates but at least with pirates you know what to expect. Noble laphooves like him are too unpredictable."

"He has an agenda to be sure," Kodyax chimes in with a smirk as he strokes the underside of his muzzle in thought. "I know he's not trustworthy, but I am curious as to how far he's willing to go with this matter."

Delmar goes down the stairs and enters the sewers where strange rats with decidedly human faces and hands await him. The shoap assassin gives one of them a note and after reading it they go on their way. The assassin continues through the sewers until he gets to a door in the wall and gives a secret knock to be admitted within the domicile of an alchemist.

A portly clockwork human receives Delmar and leads him further inside through rooms and corridors in which grinding gears are the floors, the walls and the ceiling. It looks as if Delmar stepped through the door to another reality and to a degree he has, a fact that drifts through his mind, not for the first time and certainly not the last as he navigates the maze of causeways on his way to the room he came here to enter. The chamber that constitutes his destination features a short semi-circular wall made entirely of brains in jars that sustain the pinkish gray matter within as well as empower them to a small degree.

"Greetings, Delmar," A voice in the shoap's head that sounds like all the brains speaking as one greets him as he approaches. "We, the Brain Trust, take your appearance before us to mean you have found a suitable hunter for the monstrosities that tried to invade our sanctum, the Clock Tower?"

"That I have, my masters," Delmar states. "Although you may not appreciate him."

"You approached Kodyax didn't you?" The Brain Trusts asks with some disdain to which Delmar merely nods in a shameful manner. "He can be a bit overzealous it is true, but his skills are renowned far and wide for good reason."

"I took the liberty of placing a bounty of sorts on the heads of the things involved." Delmar offers.

"That should distract him for a bit," The Brain Trust says in a snarky manner. "Monitor his progress. Neither the Sea Guard nor especially the Druid Council should ever learn of our existence."

"Yes, my masters," Delmar says sleazily as he bows out.

Clockwork automatons with a decidedly human like form march forth and take a few of the brains in jars from the wall and house them in their chest cavities before walking off and out of the room. They march in a line to a cargo elevator a short distance from the chamber the jars were housed and as one the trio that decided they wanted to go for a stroll in Freakport are transported to street level where they emerge onto the ground floor of a stone clock tower in the center of town that features articulated puppets that put on a show on the hour above and below the huge clock face on a stage of wooden scaffolding that surrounds the top of the tower. Nobody in town knows who maintains the tower but most enjoy the performances but they suppose the weird androids are somehow connected in some fashion.

Each automaton stands eight feet tall and gives the brain in a jar housed within a panoramic view of its surrounding. They are armed with a small cannon that fires an iron baseball from the palms of their hands at anyone that dares try to molest so the people generally give the "bronze ogres" as they are called a wide berth when they go walking. All in all they smell of gunpowder, oil and formaldehyde which combines to make them somewhat unpleasant to be around although the bronze ogres have articulated jaws to carry on a conversation when such a thing is necessary with a booming tinny voice that sounds strange to those who hear it.

One of the bronze ogres makes its way to the boardwalk and from there to the Sea Guard Lodge ahead of Kodyax and prints out an advertisement from its rear end to post on the jobs board before it walks out to the covered pier the lodge maintains as a potential dining area closer to land transitioning to a communal fishing area further out to sea and converts itself to a table with its own head as the centerpiece. It steals a chair from the dining area so that a person can sit at the table and converse with the head. It specifically wants to talk to Kodyax but it will interview anyone that answers its ad.

Kodyax arrives about an hour after the robot, only a few people like Delmar knows the thing is not a construct of some stripe and the Brain Trust prefers to keep up this illusion, does and a bored yguodo waves to him as she wags her tail listlessly, half dozing at her post. She idly inquires about his comings and goings both to be social and because the lupursyn usually has something amusing and/or informative to share as far as his exploits go. The sentinel sees the newest posting and glowers at it:

Adventurers Wanted

Civic minded citizens of Freakport who wish to be anonymous are hiring adventurers skilled in monster slaying for a hunt. A bronze ogre representative has been dispatched to dispense details. It shall be in attendance from noon till dusk until sufficient arrangements have been acquired.

The note is just vague enough to have come about from his conversation from Delmar, but Kodyax finds it suspect none the less. He takes a quick look at the dining area and sees the head of a bronze ogre at a table and shrugs his shoulders. Kodyax walks over to the head and finds a bronze ogre sized bronze table with the head as its centerpiece and gets a weird feeling as he sits in the empty chair before it as a gurtor in a shark leather smock with matching gloves and boots while smoking a stogie looks askance at him.

"That table was a proper bronze ogre an hour ago," the gurtor warns. "Be careful, Kody."

"What's the concern, Tesla?" Kodyax asks. "You're not honestly concerned for me are you?"

"Yes and no," Tesla admits with a smirk. "If I'm going to take the title of top hunter from you, I want to do it the right way."

"Master Kodyax," The Bronze Ogre head states in dull monotone. "I sincerely hope you are interested in our little offer."

"You posted the notice?" Kodyax asks although he suspects he already knows the answer as Tesla gives him a weird look. "Somebody sent metal boy here to recruit adventurers for a wild hunt."

"How many adventurers do you need?" Tesla asks as he pulls up a chair next to Kodyax.

"We were not especially looking to assemble a team," the head states and looks semi-thoughtful while doing it, "But if multiple adventurers wish to join the quest, so be it. Our agent Delmar made us aware that the octarodons are active again."

"When did this start?" Tesla asks with a growl.

"Last night apparently," Kodyax returns. "I know you have an axe to grind against them."

"I do love how you can understate things so completely, Kody," Tesla says with a dark grin. "They ripped apart my great grandparents' shell like it was paper."

"We are offering ten platinum admirals per corpse," the head proclaims. "The bodies are to be delivered to the clock tower."

"How intact?" Tesla asks. "The bombs I make sometimes don't quite allow me to get all the pieces."

The head on the table blinks its eyes a few times before announcing: "We keep forgetting that the Sea Guard is open to more than rangers. You are an alchemist?" To this inquiry Tesla just nods. "This could be an interesting combination. I trust you both can find the octarodons on your own?"

Kodyax and Tesla both nod at this question which satisfy the head as the table reconfigures itself into a bronze ogre. Tesla follows Kodyax to Tara's tenement in place that looks unsafe to tarry even in broad daylight as a gang of five anacobras eye the lupursyn and the gurtor hungrily. However, when Tesla pulls out a firecracker and lights it with his cigar before tossing it at them the snakes scatter readily enough.

When Kodyax knocks at her door, Tara is asleep but with enough pounding, the lyger opens up readily enough and while initially annoyed, her face brightens when she sees Kodyax only to darken again when she sees Tesla behind him as much of the Watch considers most alchemists to be quite crazy and Tesla only perpetuates the mad scientist vibe that those of his profession gives off. Inviting only Kody in would be rude and an invitation to disaster besides so while uncomfortable with having him around, she lets the gurtor in along with the lupursyn. The fact she isn't dressed to receive visitors as it's only when they sit down to discuss what they came to interview her about that she realizes she what she isn't wearing, but since one of the two males is someone that she wants between her legs anyway she decides to have some fun.

"So what can I do for you boys?" Tara asks with a lusty smirk as she directs her attention mainly to Kodyax.

"Delmar works quick, Tara," Kodyax says with a smirk as does his best to keep his gaze where it should, a proposition made harder by how Tara situates herself in the chair. "Did you see the octarodons come out of the water? And where did you see them dive back into the bay?"

"I believe you told Kodyax you were stalking the things," Tesla says as he does his best not squirm in his seat as a naked lyger is not something he is comfortable with being in this close proximity. "The bronze ogre we talked to offered a nice bounty on the things and I for one would like to get to work as soon as possible."

"I was on patrol on wall street when I heard a cry in the alley," Tara relates and stretches her legs in such a way as to put her crotch on full display. "Beggars camp out in forgotten cul-de-sacs near the wall separating the outer and inner cities after hours for something resembling privacy. The Watch is supposed to keep them out of there but unless the higher ups remember to have that little provision of our duties enforced, it's usually more trouble than it's worth to roust them and they are usually mostly peaceful in there so we turn a blind eye to the unlawful use." Only Kodyax gives a response and he just nods as he does his best not to react to how lewd she is acting which causes her to lick her muzzle lips with a kind of anticipation, "So I go back to see what is going on, young nobles sometimes like to test out their fencing skills on live targets, homeless killed are not looked upon as a crime according to city law and the kill count I hear is something of a status among their kind, but it could have also been a fight among the beggars that I might have needed to step in and settle or a thief or a thug plying their trade which I am always happy to foil." Both Kody and Tesla nod and smile sagely at this. "And it is my habit to check on such noises carefully lest I get into trouble. What I found was a pair of octarodons butchering some faxes. I'm not trained to go up against those things and I was also fairly certain that if I tried to get involved, we would not be having this conversation right now. So instead I kept an eye on my surroundings and made sure I shadowed them and not the other way around."

"Where did you see them go back into the sea?" Kodyax asks.

"Yeah," Tara states and gives Kody a wink. "You've disembarked from that pier more times than not. Usually to board the Red Gardener."

"Kraken Oil's refinery pier?" Tesla asks to which Tara just nods in a serious manner as she has no interest in the gurtor as she has eyes only for Kodyax.

"You're right," Kodyax states as he gives her a nod and then looks over at Tesla. "I think Tara deserves a bit of a reward for her cooperation, Tesla, meet me outside please?"

Tesla gives Kodyax a hard look and then realizes what he meant and gets very embarrassed very quickly as the idea that Tara's show and tell performance throughout the whole of the interview was just for Kody's benefit. Once outside an amalgamation of orangutan and gorilla flanked by a pair of anaconda-cobra hybrids approaches with dark countenances on their faces. The gurtor lights a pipe and leans against the side of the steps and lets Boss Zulu and his bodyguards come at him.

"Yo, Tesla!" Zulu yells with Mitch and Matt in tow not saying a word. "Is he inside?"

"He who, Zulu?" Tesla asks non-chalantly.

"Don't gimme dat, gurtor!" Zulu asks. "I heard Kodyax was in town, flush with cash. Sucker owes me!"

"He's busy with Tara at the moment," Tesla says as the anacobras poke their elbows in each other's ribs and hiss conspiratorially.

Zulu smiles and takes a seat on a bench nearby and takes out a flintlock pistol as he waits. Morganna walks up to talk to Kody as well; today her body fur is sea green with eyes of vermillion and hair of imperial purple with all the crystals of her body glowing a dark shade of aquamarine with the ones on her head, back, hands and ankles taking the shape of a scalloped sea shell; the crystals on her navel, upper arms, thighs and between her breast taking the shape of a compass rose. Lengths of chain wrap around her arms attached to small anchors that dangle to her sides.

Mitch and Matt recognize her instantly and draw shark tooth katars in defense of their master. Zulu only notices a strange and pretty folf in pirate attire approaching and is about to order his bodyguards to stand down when she starts to rush forward in a dance like fashion. Morganna smiles as she knows the distraction of the dance will allow her to get close as everyone just watches.

What Zulu is unaware of is that he is the reason, Morganna is between ships right now as his assassins collected a debt he thought he was owed in the blood of her former captain. The truth of the matter is the Zulu was actually paid when he signed the death note that consigned her captain and many of his crew to feed the sharks near Jawbone Isle, just south of the Skull where Freakport is situated. Now it is her turn to sign a death note, with the blood of the gangster Zulu as the ink.

She chants the words of a spell as she dances towards them, which causes the crackle of electricity to snake around and through the chains and anchors which then twirl around her to create and even more mesmerizing effect. Mitch and Matt are merely scratched by the electricity paralyzes them both into inaction as she lays into Zulu with full fury. Zulu realizes too late that he has become a target of the same casual murder game he has played and inflicted upon so many others.

Kodyax emerges from the tenement building with a smile on his face as he idly witnesses the carnage of Aurora brutally murdering Zulu while Mitch and Matt just stand by unable to do anything with the frustration of the situation plain on their faces. For his part, Kody just does not care about what is happening one way or another. In fact if anything he is just enjoying the show as Zulu is only here to try and extort money from him so if he dies, then whatever perceived debt Kody owed, dies with him.

Blood, guts and fur fly freely as the anchors do their deadly dance and cart away flesh from bone effortlessly. Zulu yells "Why are you doing this?" to which Aurora yells back "For the Dark Treasurer and her crew!" This gets Kody's attention as he draws a cutlass and thunders: "Did you order an assassination of the captain and crew of the Dark Treasurer?"

"Yes!" Zulu cries out. "They owed me money! I wanted to make an example out of them!"

"Well," Kodyax says as he charges in and rips open Zulu's belly with his cutlass. "Now you're the one being made an example out of!"

"Why?!" Zulu asks as he grabs his belly to try and prevent his intestines from escaping. "You left that life!"

"I did," Kodyax states as Zulu collapses to the dirt floor of the road. "But the Dark Treasurer is where I cut my teeth as an adventurer. I served as a marine on that ship for five years. I may not walk the path of a pirate anymore but I have no regrets on where I came from. Die, Zulu, die as you have always lived: a coward!"

"I didn't need the help you know," Aurora growls and then kisses Kody's cheek. "But I thank you none the less."

"You're quite welcome," Kodyax says and gives her a passionate kiss.

Dark tentacles that seem to have stars swirling around the inky blackness of its skin reach out from a manhole they themselves opened up to grab the dying corpse of Zulu and drag it into the sewers. Life has mostly left the husk of a man that suffered the ignominy of being killed by those he considered beneath him during most of his existence but some semblance of the soul still shows in his eyes which plead with the pirates for salvation from whatever soul sucking monstrosity has designs on his corpse. Sympathy he wants as his spirit will never find peace this way, but in the souls of those gathered around him, two mercenaries loyal only to the goods he gives him in return for their muscle, an alchemist whom he insulted time and times again, a pirate magic user whose shipmates he mistakenly had slaughtered to a sausage his own pride and a ranger from whom he wanted to try and extort money from for a debt he never actually incurred, actually sympathy is in short supply.

In fact Kodyax is more interested in the tentacles dragging him down than in saving the corpse for a proper burial he never intended him to receive. Kodyax picks up the pistol Zulu dropped and with proper aim shoots off one tentacle just to see what kind spurts forth. Acidic black blood spurts out which fills everyone with disgust for different reasons.

Aurora is a little sickened by the thing as just looking at it does something to her mind that she is uncomfortable with sharing with anyone as she feels the sensation. Tesla takes out a notepad and scribbles some observations upon it as the anacobra brothers would freak out if they weren't still paralyzed. Kodyax has a more extreme reaction but he is conflicted both out of disrespect for the corpse being dragged and sheer ravenous hatred for the thing itself; only the fact that rushing in to try and kill it would probably be suicide at this point stays his hand for now.

Mitch and Matt come out of their stupor just as the feet of the gorangutilla gangster disappear into the sewers below. They put away their weapons and stare in disbelief as Kodyax actually follows the body to get a better look at whatever the thing was. Aurora and Tesla combine to drag him away as a gurtor, a lyger, a funk and a boquine officer of the watch come running up with muskets at the ready.

"Mitch and Matt," the boquine growls in a cockney accent, "I might have known I'd find you two ne'er-do-wells

down here. Where's yer boss?"

"Officer Corrigan!" Mitch says with a slight tone of embarrassment to his voice, "Fancy meeting you here. Zulu is..."

"Dead," Matt says with a blank expression on his face. "You just missed the monster that dragged him into the sewers."

"I'm not chasing a bloody gangster down there," Corrigan snarls and then looks over at Kodyax. "You there, ranger, track the bloody fool down!"

"Oh I intend to do some tracking," Kodyax promises. "But not to find Zulu, the bugger is dead to me already."

"Well," Corrigan says with a wry smirk, "I suppose killing the monster would be good too. Ah, well, we can always say we found nothing here. Can't we boys?"

Corrigan's subordinates just nod and smile as all four of them turn around and march back the way they came. Aurora leans against Kodyax heavily with a smile on her face as Tesla just rolls his eyes and the anacobra twins smirk lustily. Kodyax heads off towards the Kraken Oil refinery pier, which just so happens to be in the direction that Corrigan waltzed off to, with Tesla, Mitch and Matt in tow for their own reasons.

Tesla is following because he is on the case with Kodyax as a matter of course and for all intents and purposes, he just assumes that the lupursyn is the leader of their band of adventurers since he has most of the expertise in what they need to find the monsters they have been hired to kill and deal with any other associated monsters that may be in league with them. Aurora literally has nothing better to do than follow Kodyax around like a lost puppy and her desire to be with him informs a lot of her other decisions. Mitch and Matt are tagging along because they are unemployed again and more than likely following Kodyax will get them paid one way or another.

Ogre Watch platforms, which is to say a pair of twenty foot tall firing stations where a musketeer and an engineer who keeps the steam engine up and running and helps direct the iron legs of the beast keep moving are situated to keep an eye on things, on patrol almost step on members of this impromptu team of adventurers as they make their way to their destination. Tesla is especially at risk as the vehicles fascinate him no end and usually either Mitch or Matt or both have to give him a good shove to keep him moving. Kodyax just sighs and shakes his head at the things as he tries to avoid areas where the ogre watch is active as a matter of course.

A part of Kodyax would love to try and trip one of the walkers but he also knows he'd get into a lot of trouble if he did so. Suppressing his darker nature is second nature at this point as things get more restrictive on a whaler than on a pirate ship. Aurora on the hand is nearly always contemplating mischief which is why when she is with Kodyax, he keeps her on a short leash.

They all arrive at the refinement pier more or less in one piece and once they arrive another pair of anacobras with bayonet fixed muskets in ultramarine coats guard the entrance of the pier from the boardwalk. Both of them recognize Kodyax on sight and salute him as he walks past, to Tesla they give a respectful nod and to their brother anacobras they give a heart handshake while they pretend not to see Aurora as she is on Kody's arm as she walks through. The waters around the pier with its dark and foreboding factory like refinery is black and uninviting.

Within the steel walls of the refinery a megalodon or dire shark is hung from the ceiling by industrial sized meat hooks ready to processed with the multi-armed terror that is a kraken already in process of being refined into its saleable components before its body decays into worthlessness. The smell is awful as one might imagine as Kodyax and company wander around. Mary soon finds them, dressed in the uniform of a naval officer with the crimson kraken emblem of the company displayed on her sleeves near her shoulder.

Shoap workers toil endless to process the carcass as the waters churn as unwanted pieces drop into the bay out of sight and out of mind. Large fins circle the butchering cage which affords the workers a measure of security even as tentacles snake their way up through the open hole below that allows refuse to dumped directly into the sea. Kodyax looks down in disgust as Mary addresses them.

"Hi, Kodyax," Mary states and gives him a kiss which draws an angry glance from Aurora. "What brings you over this way?"

"Octarodons," Kodyax says simply as a matter of fact as he sees one begin to climb up as the shoaps below are oblivious to the danger and he takes out his trident. "And it seems the tip was entirely too accurate."

"Kody!" Mary and Aurora scream as one as Kodyax vaults himself over the railing and freerunning his way down to the butchery cage as three more join the first in coming up the mesh walls.

"Good eye," Tesla remarks as he pops a potion and slides under the railing to float down like a feather using the time to mix together an explosive concoction to toss at the enemy.

"Octarodons, brother," Matt says to Mitch as they both sigh and draw their katars.

"Maybe there's a bounty?" Mitch says hopefully as they descend to the platform acrobatically as three more octarodons clamber up the wall.

"It's an epidemic!" Mary screams.

"No," Aurora giggles as she starts to climb down the ladder, "You know as well as I do this is par for the course with Kody, Mary."

"Rarely a dull week with him in port of course." Mary states and returns the giggle Aurora started.

Tesla tosses his bomb at a cluster of climbers and blows them to kingdom come with a self-satisfied smirk on his muzzle. Unfortunately that is not the end of them by a long shot. As soon as Aurora descends the shoaps scramble up the ladder in fear for their lives.

Kodyax stabs at an octarodon with his trident only to have the humanoid beast snap the weapon in no less than four places as it unfolds an extra set of arms before slams its claws into him and throws him back violently against the metal mesh wall at the other side of the cage. He slides down slowly to the floor of the cage leaving a blood trail in the wake of where his body once was. As he sits down dazed on the floor the monster taunts him.

"So falls the mighty warrior the wave lords uplift to oppose almighty Dagon!"

"Get up, sentinel!" A voice in Kody's head commands. "You are not beaten yet."

"My trident;" Kodyax croaks in protest as he tries to respond to a voice only he can hear. "A cutlass..."

"Who do you think is talking to you!" The voice thunders.

"Oh, great, Krumpky's prediction has come true," Kodyax gripes. "I've finally gone mad."

"Not, mad," the voice says in a mocking tone. "You claimed me under weird circumstance. Both your cutlasses are part of the same consciousness. Remember how you claimed us?"

"I claimed you at random," Kodyax protests. "I took you as my shares from a prize."

"We made sure you noticed us," The voice prompts. "You never did have the materials that made us identified did you?"

"Not really," Kodyax admits. "Why?"

"The blades were made from the fangs of a sea serpent," The voice explains. "The hilts are two halves of the same undine pearl of power. And the leather of the hilts was made from the dried tongue of that same sea serpent."

"Swords crafted from the remains of a dragon of the sea?" Kodyax asks.

"Exactly!" The voice thunders. "You are a sentinel ranger of the sea guard raised by pirates. There can be no more perfect wielder of the Sea Serpent's Fangs than you."

Kodyax rises as the four armed octarodon approaches menacingly, drawing his cutlasses as he does so. In the near light the glisten like twin fangs from the mouth of a sea serpent, those dragons of the sea that still exist when the dragons of the land have been hunted into extinction. The octarodon stops its advance to blink its crab like eyes before drawing back in fear.

All of the other players have entered the cage as Kodyax slices out with both cutlasses to sever two of the octarodon's claws. Tesla throws a bomb that hits an octarodon right in the chest before exploding and creating a gaping hole with it connected. Mitch and Matt prefer to double team a single octarodon as Aurora begins a deadly dance twirling her anchors around herself for her own protection.

The octarodon who destroyed Kodyax's trident is something of a leader of the group gathered here and it seems to be giving telepathic orders to the others which become more desperate as Kodyax keeps pressing his advantage. Initially the octarodons thought they would be able to just carry the day themselves and drag these heroes beneath the waves to feast on their souls but they failed to take into account the fighting spirit of those individuals who have a vendetta against their kind in general and them in particular. As the fight starts to look even more bleak for the octarodons they get help from a monster not even Kodyax has seen before.

When it surfaces it looks like a shark of titanic proportions with glowing red eyes like it could be undead or the evil spawn of some sea god. After it surfaces a ring of tentacles, around the head of the creature, what appears to be eight in total, make themselves known as they wrap around the walls of the cage and starts to pull. Exactly what it is, Kodyax has no idea but he does a double stab at his playmate and makes a letter "X" on its abdomen which forces it to kneel and use what limbs it has to try and keeps its innards inside its body while the lupursyn dives under the waves to deal with the new threat.

Kicking with his legs, Kodyax moves like a torpedo straight for the thing and finds that he doesn't really need to hold his breath, a fact that both surprises and emboldens him. It takes half a minute to reach the thing which is enough time for the thing to partially crush one of the poles supporting the cage itself in its entirety. He is able to carve twin lines on its belly for a foot of its twenty foot long body before the thing has to disengage two of its arms from its task to deal with his assault.

The magic of the cutlasses allows Kodyax to maneuver underwater as freely as he does on land, more so in that underwater it's as if he is flying. One tentacle slams into him and knocks him off the underside of the beast but he slices back in a counter attack that severs the tip as a matter of course. It takes three more off the assault on the cage to deal with him.

Even with four tentacles attacking him at once Kodyax can dodge and fight as he would on land, and if he were actually in a wuxia movie. He spins around in the water and slashes all four tentacles almost as once which causes the thing to turn around and try to bite him. Kodyax swims to the side and slices at its gill slits and it swims away as fast as it can.

Kodyax wonders to himself what the heck he just fought and a name comes into his head unbidden: sharkraken. In the water he blinks in disbelief and a mermaid, a fully human like female torso with a green fish tail, swims by and waves at him seductively. She beckons him to follow and like a fool he does.

She leads him to a sea cave where they can surface and talk. Kodyax sheathes his swords as a sign that he is not threatened by her and she smiles as she recognizes him as a sea guard. She has a reason for approaching him.

"Greetings, Sea Guard, my name is Coral," the mermaid says. "Thank you for driving off the sharkraken. It ate three of my sisters."

"You are welcome, Coral," Kodyax says. "I am Kodyax."

"Kodyax!" Coral says excitedly. "I have heard of you. You serve the Druid Council. Where is your trident?"

"A four armed octarodon destroyed before the sharkraken surfaced." Kodyax answers honestly.

"How long have you had the sea serpent fang blades with the power pearl guard?" Coral asks.

"Quite some time now actually," Kodyax admits. "I acquired them from a prize ship as my shares of the plunder. One of them anyway. Come to think of it, some folks took exception that both swords became one share for me, but the ship's druid said they were a set and thus one share. She also said the blades chose me. Didn't really understand that at the time."

"Sea serpent fang blades often contain a shard of the soul of the dragon they are constructed from," Coral explains with a smile. "On a level mortals cannot understand the blades do choose their wielders. Especially in the case of twin blades like yours; they don't like to be separated."

"Can the weapons speak to their wielders?" Kodyax asks.

"That is one of the first abilities they reveal when they awaken," Coral states, "And if you are asking I can probably assume that yours did speak to you?"

"Aye, with one voice," Kodyax states. "The voice claimed that both swords were constructed from teeth of the same mouth."

"Not surprising," Coral says with a nod. "If the swords are from the body parts of the same sea serpent it would have one voice. "

"What can you tell me of the sharkraken?" Kodyax asks. "I have never encountered a beast such as it until today."

"Be thankful of that, Kodyax," Coral warns sternly. "Dagon's children are rare and powerful. At least his more powerful children are. Lesser children however can be all too common a monster to encounter. Like the octarodons that plague the surface in the twin names of Father Dagon and Mother Hydra."

"They have patron deities?" Kodyax asks incredulously.

"Yes, Lord Kodyax," Coral coos as she moves closer to him. "But they are but shadows of another, a darker entity of whom I dare not speak." She gropes his groin and smiles at him. "But for now, please allow me to know you better."

Kodyax is reluctant at first but he senses no malice coming from her and the druid that trained him as a sentinel ranger taught him that most mermaids are lusty but ultimately in love with mortality. He drops his pants and allows her to service him. Once she is done she escorts him to the surface and blows him a kiss before she departs back beneath the waves to go on her merry way.