Axl hurls the last bait crate into the surf. The water blooms with scent, and dark fins slice in from every direction.
The skiff rocks hard as sharks hammer the hull below. The Skiffman goes white with fear, clutching the gunwale and losing his footing.
Axl
The bait is drawing every shark in the cove.
A guttural growl rolls from Axl’s chest, low and feral, vibrating through the boat. She locks eyes with the poacher, a warning sharper than any blade.
The Skiffman
No, wait, I am done, I swear!
Axl springs upward, fingers catching the overhanging limbs. In one smooth motion, she vanishes into the jungle canopy above the beach.
Sydney
He is running scared. Look at the deck.
Sydney circles overhead as the skiff lists in the churning water. Near the split cargo, a carved marker lies half-wet in the wreckage, proof the poachers are marking the island for more than one raid.
✓ Quest Accepted
Retrieve the crate remnants
“Axl moves to the nesting area on the beach. She affectionately stroke the shell of Azul. The largest of Turtles nesting on the beach”
Axl slips along the beach edge to the nesting hollow, leaving the surf and snapping hull behind her. Azul lies warm in the sand, and the turtle gives a slow, contented blink as her shell is stroked.
Sydney
See? Even with sharks below, she still finds the calm spots.
Out on the water, the skiff lurches again, but here the only sound is waves, gull wings, and Azul’s steady breathing.
“Axl explains recent events to Azul and implores him to retrieve any remnants of the crate he can”
SUCCESS (Superb Animal Handling, rolled +2)
Axl
Axl keeps her voice low, telling Azul the skiff carried bait and the shark attack shook the boat hard. She asks him to fetch any crate pieces or markers washed into the water.
Azul
The turtle lifts his head a little, then settles as if listening through the sand.
Sydney
He is a good listener for someone with such a hard shell.
Azul’s foreflippers press into the sand, then he slides forward with surprising ease, turning toward the shallows.
Axl
The tide line is carrying debris back and forth.
He noses through the foam, hooks a pale splinter against the beach, and drags it back with the carved marker’s broken edge caught beside it.
Sydney
There, Axl. The sea is giving some of it back.
Azul pauses at Axl’s feet, the remnant held against his shell, waiting for her to take it.
Quest Complete
Retrieve the crate remnants
+ New Item Acquired
Crate remnants