Summons

About a week after the Graverunners defeated Diva and scattered slightly, they all regrouped back at the Sanctuary of Eldath to hang out together and relax a bit. They deserved it. People were whispering about them everywhere they went, speculating about the heroes who saved the city -- and apparently, the world -- but on a relatively isolated beach outside of the Sanctuary, there were only a few people around to do that.

Goro creepily followed them around, glaring and eavesdropping, fully clothed on the beach like some sort of lunatic.

Meanwhile, Sugar and Larkin went swimming like normal people might do at a beach, and began to notice something suspicious going on out in the water. Sugar cast Water Breathing and dropped down under the surface to try to get a better look, causing Goro to go on high alert and run after her with his Ring of Waterwalking, and while she explained that she was perfectly safe and he continued treading water awkwardly, Sugar took another look out into the ocean and realized something:

She recognized the type of ocean currents she was seeing. There was a giant octopus coming inland.

Hurriedly, she informed the others of the danger, and they all made it back to shore just as the massive sea beast broke through the surface, its mantle protected by the remains of wrecked ships and chunks of coral. Out of the corner of his eye, Roddy spotted Hansel sit up with a start and stare at the beast in a panic, and Mishka quickly teleporting him away, leaving Larkin, Sugar, Goro, and Roddy to face it on their own.

Larkin cleverly aimed for its eyes with her crossbow, and the other three used spells to attack and disorient the creature, leaving it only feebly attempting to swipe at Sugar. At the same time, Goro noticed one of the few ships moored out in the bay breaking off from the others and coming towards the beach.

It turned abruptly as it came closer, broadsiding the octopus and letting loose a couple of cannonballs that destroyed its makeshift armor, and when the ship was close enough, the gang could see a tall, pink, white-haired tiefling woman standing between the cannons. She stepped off the ship, disappearing in an obscuring mist, and reappeared on top of the octopus to deliver a final killing blow with a sword that resembled a sunbeam.

Then she vanished again, appeared in front of Sugar, and said, "Hey. Nixie. Mom wants you."

This was Sugar's oldest sister, Kelpie, and she was completely unimpressed by the gang's questions and objections, giving them nothing. Sugar was clearly unhappy, but willing to go along with her, asking only for a few moments to say her goodbyes. Goro took Sugar aside and tried to talk her into running away with him, or simply ignoring her mother's summons, but she was adamant that her mother would find them, no matter where she went -- and that she was a dangerous woman whose bad side they didn't want to be on.

(Meanwhile, Roddy attempted and failed to be stealthy and eavesdrop on them, and Larkin looted the corpse of the octopus while Kelpie looked on with detached amusement.)

Finally, Sugar had enough of Goro's cajoling. Goro charged ahead of her and made to grab Kelpie and attempted to threaten her, and she shoved him away, not taking it. The two traded some words, which upset Sugar enough that she sternly reminded Goro that she'd told him to stop this -- that she didn't want him to meet her mother -- and walked over to join her sister after asking the gang to say goodbye to Mishka and Hansel for her.

Kelpie looked vaguely proud of her, put an arm around her, and the two vanished in a mist and reappeared on Kelpie's ship, which soon pulled away and disappeared.

Goro tried to contact Sugar with his clamshell mirror, and had a tantrum when she wouldn't speak to him, throwing the mirror into the sand and storming off. About that time Mishka and Hansel returned and found out what had happened, and Mishka completely convincingly told the gang that it was fine, it would all be fine.

But Nixie, unfortunately, was still gone.