"Side Effects May Include"

"Side Effects May Include" is the fifth episode of The Shrouded Isles (arc). The group meet Kier and agree to help him get to a water spiritfolk so that they can get to where the sea monster nests and kill it.
== Plot Synopsis ==
Gregor and Markus regain consciousness as spirits. They see three ink monsters that seem to be searching for something in the forest and also a bell. Upon revival, the monsters immediately turn around. 
Markus dispatches one with a powerful Eldritch Blast. Gregor, assuming the stance of the Leaping Lizard, slashes another of the creatures, but without Ashe's magic, his glaive is ineffective. He retreats.
Suddenly, the two hear an explosion. As the ground rumbles, trees fall down, smashing the ink monsters. A man jumps out from the forest and dramatically introduces himself as 'Kier Fiore, the strongest human in the world!'. Gregor voices his doubt of this and Kier asks if the two are human, taking notes in his 'human schematic' while examining them. He also injects Markus with something while shaking his hand. 
Kier says he can't call himself the strongest human anymore, since he now knows more humans than just himself. He gets to keep 'smartest human in the world', at least. Markus asks about the injection and is told that it was supposed to cure his 'long, disgusting hair', 'horns' and 'stomach infection'. He obviously takes offense to the first statement, but assures Kier that the horns are fine.
They talk for a while and find out Kier is the inventor living near the spiritfolk village, also informing him that it wasn't his potion that managed to keep him alive. Markus believes they'll be rewarded for killing the sea monster by the spiritfolk; upon mentioning this to Kier, he tells them he doesn't get along with pretty much anyone on the island. 
Markus says they're still waiting for Ashe to arrive, and he asks Kier if there's a way to get back to the original island. Kier says that creating another set of matter transporters (=cannons) would take too long and that to get to where the sea monster dwells, they'd need about twelve of them. He goes on to say he was going to try employing the help of a water spiritfolk and asks for Markus' aid in this, since he's not human. He also gives Markus a volatile device, which he pockets.
Kier leads the two along a beach, asking questions about humans and what's normal for them. Suddenly, Ashe is teleported next to them. She's covered in cuts and bruises. Kier inspects her briefly before having his hands slapped away. Ashe begins wrapping her wounds in bandages and tells Gregor and Markus that she had Dont teleport her. 
After some more talking, Markus telepathically gives Ashe the memory of Kier talking about the water spiritfolk. She isn't pleased by him messing with her mind and stomps away, following Kier. 
== Trivia ==
* In the credits screen, the name of the device that Kier gives Markus is revealed to be 'Mysterious Device 574b, "Scream Ender" '.
== Quotes ==
* Gregor: I cartwheel after him.
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* Kier: "Hm, 90% skin, 10% fluff. Exactly like myself!"
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* Kier: "So, I'd assume you're following the human impulse to go kill that thing, as am I."
* Gregor: "Yeah!"
* Markus: "Well, we're following the even more human impulse to go kill that thing and get a spectacular reward from it."
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* Markus: "How'd that happen?"
* Ashe: coughing "Ugh- fucking- pigbat is how it happened!"
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* Ashe: "So, who is this other guy, is this the wildman we're looking for?"
* Gregor: "Yeah! He's totally wild, it's great!"
Category:The Shrouded Isles episodes