===== Chapter 6 =====

Moving On

When we finally got back to Saltmarsh, we arrived in the afternoon and wanted to report back to Eliander. We left our horses in the stable and headed to the constabulary to see him. There was a guard outside the building, and we asked if Eliander was in. Unfortunately, he wasn't, so we headed over to Octavious' house to see if he was there. We got some odd looks from the townsfolk as Meepo was in our group and continued to follow closely along with us. I kept an eye on him to make sure he didn't get into any trouble.

We arrived at the manor and knocked on the door before being greeted by one of the house servants. They told us that Eliander was home and led us inside, taking us to his study. When we met with him, we told him all about our adventure into the Dreadwood. He was surprised at how much we had to go through to take care of a seemingly miniscule problem. He thanked us for solving the issue and gave us 300gp with a bonus 200gp, meaning we each got 166gp. He also said he'd been busy as well and had talked with the Council, setting up a meeting with them tomorrow. They wanted to talk with us, and Eliander urged all of us to be there.

Since we were there, Eliander told us to have some dinner that his servants had prepared for us then freshen up. Some hot food sounded good, so I ushered Meepo out of the room and led him into the dining room. We all sat around the table in the dining room and ate together. Meepo was a handful as he had absolutely no table manners, but I did my best to keep him under control. Perhaps he was more than I bargained for, but he was kind of cute, like my own, little sentient lizard pet.

After dinner, the servants prepared baths for each of us and helped us clean up. I stayed with Meepo to make sure he took a bath and got washed properly. While the servants were cleaning him up, other servants took his clothes to get them washed. The servants tasked with cleaning Meepo struggled to scrub him as he was rowdy and uncooperative, splashing around all over the place in the tub. To get him to calm down, Octavious gave him some alcohol to mellow out with. After taking a few hearty gulps from the bottle Octavious had given him, Meepo finally settled down, and the servants were able to finish cleaning him up. I thanked Octavious, and he went to take a bath of his own.

When the servants were done washing Meepo, I dried him up using a towel then dressed him in his freshly cleaned clothes. I then carried him in my arms and brought him to one of the open rooms to sleep. He was out like a rock by then, so when the servants brought me to an available room, I tucked him into bed. I had one of the servants fetch me an empty bucket and placed it by his bedside, just in case. Once he was taken care of, I went to take my own bath.

The servants led me to the bath they'd prepared for me and tended to my every need. Once I stripped down and removed all my clothes, a servant took them to get cleaned while another scrubbed my body as I sat in the tub. It was quite relaxing, and it was a nice way to finish off the day. After I was fully clean, I thanked the servants and got dressed.

I went back to Meepo's room to check on him and he was still doing fine. There was a chair in the corner of the room, so I decided to sit there and watch over Meepo as he slept. I wanted to make sure he didn't throw up and choke or something. I got comfy in the chair and after a bit, I fell asleep.

#

The next morning, I woke up in the same chair. It wasn't the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements, but at least it was warm and safe. I got up and went over to Meepo who was still asleep. He seemed to be fine, so I decided to get some food before he woke up. I was about to leave the room when I heard him stir and begin to wake up on his own. I sighed and went over to him to see how he was doing.

Meepo groaned out loud and said his head hurt, holding it with his little hand. I guessed he wasn't too accustomed to alcohol and had a hangover. I went over to him and patted his forehead, but he just covered himself in the sheets and remained in bed. Just then, Octavious came by to see if we wanted to get some breakfast downstairs. I told him Meepo wasn't feeling well, and Octavious came over to see what was up. He took out his flask and gave Meepo another sip of alcohol. Immediately after swallowing the bit of the drink, Meepo vomited into the bucket beside his bed. I just shook my head and told Octavious I'd be right behind him for breakfast. After Octavious left the room, I cleaned Meepo up, wiping his mouth with a clean towel that was nearby.

Seeing as how Meepo wasn't going to move on his own, I wrapped him up in the clean sheets and carried him in a swaddle. With Meepo in my arms, I made my way downstairs and joined the others in the dining room for some breakfast. The manor's servants had prepared a small feast for us, and the smells of all the delicious foods made my mouth salivate.

Just as I was about to set Meepo down on a chair at the table, there was an explosion from across the room. I turned just in time to shield Meepo in my arms as I took most of the force, which wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, the blast overturned the table and chairs and completely ruined all the food that was prepared for us. I looked over to see Eliander with a book in his hands and Destan right in front of him.

Octavious and I hurried over to see what was going on, and we learned that Eliander was taking a look at one of Destan's books. Destan had found a book in the ruins and gave it to Eliander to translate. Little did he know, the book was trapped with a rune, and when Eliander tried to read it, it triggered and exploded. Thankfully, no one was seriously harmed, but breakfast was ruined.

Since it was almost time for the meeting, we had to forgo breakfast for now. I picked up some scraps of food from the floor and wrapped it in a piece of cloth, saving it for later when Meepo woke back up. I was sure he wouldn't mind it having been on the floor. I followed the others as they headed on over to the town hall to meet with the Council.

During the walk over, Meepo woke up and he was still feeling a bit under the weather. I took out some of the food I saved for him and fed him little by little. He munched on the food as I continued to carry him in my arms. He looked so serene and comfortable.

When we arrived at the town hall building, we saw that gallows had been recently erected, and there with two bodies with nooses around their necks. Sanbalet, the leader of the smugglers at the mansion, and the paralyzed female smuggler were hanging there, having been executed for their crimes by the City Watch. Seeing them there gave me some relief that the City Watch was still doing their job.

We moved passed the gallows and entered the town hall, being escorted by a couple of guards who were standing by there. They led us to the Council chambers, and we were brought before the Council. The Council was made up of five people that had significant influence within Saltmarsh. In addition to Eliander, there was an elderly human woman named Eda Oweland, a human man named Gellan Primewater, a dwarf woman named Manistrad Copperlocks, and a younger human man named Anders Solmor. The five of us (Oceanus, Octavious, Destan, Meepo, and myself) stood in the middle of the room in front of their table and listened to what they had to say.

The Council wanted us to investigate a potential problem that was brewing in the south of Saltmarsh near the Dunwater River. There was an enclave of lizardfolk that were gathering weapons and acting suspicious. The Council wanted us to figure out their intentions and make sure they weren't getting ready to attack Saltmarsh. In exchange for the information, the Council was willing to pay us 700gp. Listening in on things, I was beginning to get concerned that I was skirting the limitations of my jurisdiction as a member of the OSF's Scout Regiment. I wasn't supposed to be hunting beasts and threats to the general public, not get involved in political matters. I had already done more than enough for Saltmarsh during my time back, so I figured I should leave before I got any more involved.

After leaving the Council chambers, I confronted the group and told them I wouldn't be joining them on their journey. I explained my reasoning to them and they were understanding. Octavious was a bit bummed that I was leaving so soon after being away for so long, but I told him I'd return again someday. I looked down to Meepo who was walking on his own two feet. I gave him the option of coming with me or staying with the group. Since he was a short-sighted thinker and was munching on some of the food from Octavious' house, he chose to stay with him and the others. I was a bit hurt, but I just nodded and said farewell. Octavious reassured me he'd make him part of the crew and look after him. I smiled and thanked him for that, wishing him luck with his ship and future endeavors. After saying goodbye to everyone, I gave my horse to Oceanus and headed back home.

Once I was home, I emptied my bags of whatever I didn't want to bring with me, like the sack of caltrops and the furs I had. I left them in my room then went to say goodbye to my father before leaving Saltmarsh. I had a job to do and I'd most certainly be back in Saltmarsh again someday.