Quote Originally Posted by 5a Violista View Post
The mermaid says 'okay'.
She still doubts that she's going to have to confront another unknowable monster some time in the future, but...
Actually, thinking about it,
Anchor literally fought two of them within 24 hours, within walking distance of each other. In fact, within swimming distance of each other, too.


The ritual performance ends without incident. The paladin lets the priestesses know it all was fine. Most of them go swim back to the outpost to rest from their extremely long week and let their friends (and, after sending a message, their family) that they're okay, and to update the ritual records and have discussions on how this impacts their beliefs and interpretations of their scriptures.

"Yeah, me too," Zophiel says. He puts his hands on the ground and leans back on them. "I mean, there were some things I was able to piece together. Like, okay, a long time ago several people - probably most of them weren't mermaids or mermen - sealed away some...thing. Or person. It definitely involved a sacrifice, and presumably for a while, there were yearly sacrifices until eventually they stopped. I had really hoped to find out whether the thing that was sealed away was a vengeful god of the mermaids, or just some horrible monster that was devastating the local area. Could have been both, even."
He sighs.
"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter." Thinking about the goddess he has sealed within him, as well as all of the false histories he was told over all his life, he sees some parallels in it. "Over enough time, the actual history of what happened is probably lost anyway, and in the end it doesn't really matter: God or monster, the people being hurt don't care about the distinction. Seal it away long enough, and eventually there's no difference anyway."

He stares at the river a bit longer.
He sighs again.
Then, he stands.
"If we've made enemies with the black market in this town, we can't stay here for the night. If you can handle another all-nighter, we can get to the Dancing Fox Inn by noon. If you need sleep...well...I could carry you."
Then, he has a realization.
"Or we could take that mime's motorcycle, if it's still around." Should be a lot faster.
So you too, mermaid, could swim your way into an unknowable monster situation. You could do it tonight.
This is a terrible idea do not attempt it.


"It seems like it may be, I mean, the thing that was out here, it seemed to match the sealing. Like it was the sacrifice, forgotten, lashing out."
"But the water-thing was there on the river too. Maybe the fog, and the song, were just the seal stretching to contain it?"
"Or maybe none of that."
Anchor looks down at the water of the river going by.
"It matters to the god or monster, right? After all this time, we don't know why they were sealed away in the first place. I mean, we saved people by this river from being killed or worse, but the mermaids have to keep this up forever. And what originally happened, you know, it matters. It does." Someday, the paladin and the reason for his ritual changes will also be forgotten by a new generation of merpriestesses. There's a lesson here.
She starts gathering up the rest of her magical gear that was thrown from the table during the first confrontation, before looking up at the path towards the town.
Did the drivers take their carts with them when they fled the scene?
"I could use a rest, but...let's go look for a motorcycle." With a sigh, she starts walking.