The Baronet swam at the octopus's body to assist the Captain, but in a few blows the Captain skilfully connected and drove his harpoon into the horror's body. Its tentacles slumped as it failed to eject an ink cloud and began to die, hastened by further stabs from the Captain, while the Baronet freed poor Ciddar from its tentacle. And soon you were back on deck, joined by Bar'ran who heaved a greenish body onto the deck: the foul-faced, tusked, but lithely figured remains of a nereid, or ocean nymph: but an ugly, corrupt (polished?) one, which he had chased down and defeated. Soon enough she turned to ooze and flowed away, but the ship's Captain did not stick around long enough; he muttered about disturbing his ritual and then slammed the door of his cabin shut behind him. As the current carried you onward toward the next stomach, you raced to recover from your many wounds– the Baronet had been injured, too, and Ciddar was clinging to consciousness, but soon brought round by very capable bandaging from Lord Shaven. Captain Ahappi realized he'd been “polished” again – his reflexes sped up as energy surged through him after felling the octopus.
You passed into the gut-tunnel leading to the next chamber and had to pull out the hooked oars to drag the ship through. The third stomach was less debris-strewn than the last, but was filled with small but numerous and menacing predatory fish: sharks, barracuda and more. It didn't take long before you found what else lurked there- a chill wind, then a foul clammy stench assailed you, and then five ghastly mermen slinked through air, water or even the ship's hull itself to attack! These wraiths had a stealthy cunning and left some dreadfully black necrotic wounds on your bodies when their chill grasp or spectral weapons connected. And some of your weapons were not magical enough to harm them, but the Captain's Stinging Spear, the Baronet's Blade of Menekeyil, and Ciddar's Tear of St Tutrys cut them down soon enough, aided by deft usage of a circle-of-flame sorcery by Boamund. But again you were grievously wounded, and although Ahappi had cast magics on you to bring sorcerous healing, they were slow-acting and yet the Churner was driven ever onwards by the currents, deeper into the gut of the Vomiter. Again Ahappi noted that he had been polished, and this time it was clear to all of you: his fingers had become webbed, as had his toes. Now he seemed less man than fish or marine reptile… a monster-killer that was truly a sea monster!
The final stomach was clean of fish or flotsam, but filled with the booming sound of the heart of the giant eel, which Boamund spotted on the stomach wall off the port side of the boat. Bar'ran emerged again from his cabin, coruscating with horrible magicks of the depths, and his voice thundered over that of the eel's heart: you must bring the boat over to the stomach's wall, use the pole-knife to cut an opening, and he'd know what to do. But as he spoke, you all glimpsed a nightmare coming for the Churner, looping coil after sinuous coil stealthily across the stomach-sea's surface, and scintillating with shining scarlet scales. It was a huge sea monster, and its great eyes gleamed with anticipation of polishing… you off!
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