Headed by a Snake

After an exquisitely-prepared, yet humble meal of exotic raw fish, Tycondrius and Krysaos bid farewell to Oracle Atlantea. Leaving the temple of the Lake Goddess, they met with their armed escort and informed them of their intent to leave the city.

Their travel was quick enough... but after so many bells had passed, word of two humans having sullied the waters of the Amphitrite Reef Tribe had seemed to spread.

As they swam along the waterways, both Tycon and Krysaos were subject to... the civilian population of the city. They directed jeers and insults towards them in Aquan. Children pelted them with sharp shells, pointing in disgust or running in fear.

"I can't f*cking believe this," Krysaos grumbled under his breath.

"That we are treated so poorly, considering what we've done in their favor, is incredible, I agree," Tycon sighed.

"Hey, Mina," Krysaos whispered, "Say something, will ya?"

Mina, the purple-haired mermaid, swam alongside the Captain, keeping her head down and her eyes dark. In Tycon's absence, it seemed that Krysaos had managed to convince her to join his crew.

"They do not know of your achievements." The reticent girl offered meekly... "They only know that you are human."

Similar to how the sahuagin at the city's entrance were unfamiliar with the weapon spirit, the presence of a mermaid in their company did little or nothing to mitigate the crowd's obvious hatred.

...It may have even catalyzed it.

The Captain bade her swim between himself and Tycon to reduce the likelihood of her being struck by projectiles.

"This is bull shite," Krysaos seethed. "We're not even human."

"The belief that we are is enough," Tycon explained in an even tone. "Humans are not well-liked in many more places besides this one."

"We saved their gods-damned tribe from like... a thousand pirates, LT," Krysaos groaned. "And this is supposed to be thanks?"

"Let it go, Brother-Captain," Tycon shook his head as the guards continued to watch them-- waiting for an excuse to fire their weapons. "This is not the time, nor the place to speak freely."

"This sucks, Tycon," Krysaos spoke through clenched teeth. "This really f*cking sucks. F*ck all that shite I said about wanting to bang mermaid chicks-- I just wanted to be the good guy, for once. Do something good, y'know?"

Regardless of whether or not Krysaos' goal was physical pleasure, Tycon could not deny that the Captain's decision in attacking the Black Crow pirates had no small amount of good will.

Krysaos shook his head, "It sucks being a good guy, LT. Now I know why they're so gods-damned rare..."

Once Tycon was certain Krysaos would not act rashly, he focused on swimming while keeping vigilant for any harmful projectiles thrown his way.

Silence reigned for the remainder of the trip to the city's cavernous exit... and few words were exchanged until Tycon, Krysaos, Mina, and the squad of Coral Boys had safely boarded the Neptune's Revenge.

Tycon removed the formation-protected Lone Shadowdark from his storage ring, spilling out the crumpled body onto the deck. As the seal would naturally and quickly decay without the temple's rich water mana, Krysaos bid the crew to confine the human-elf to a bed, below deck, until the time he awoke.

The levitating mermaid, Mina, claimed a different private cabin as her own, locking herself in to... brood or whatever mermaids do.

Afterward, Tycon met with the Captain in his private quarters, where he conversed for a spell with both him and Hades.

Helping others is a natural human instinct.

At base, there is a great selfishness to it.

In helping a powerful ally, the debt would be repaid by the allied party lending their power.

The same is true for at all levels of society.

A king may entreat another nation for assistance or condition their whelplings as the next subsequent ruler.

Similarly, a baker may seek to befriend the farmer that supplies them wheat flour. A thief would be dissuaded from stealing from said baker, if he or she knew they were friends with an Officer from the militia.

The only difference between the king and the peasant was... the scale.

A man amasses power to protect his family. The family grows into a tribe.

A tribe seeks a safe place to live... fresh water... weapons and clothing to protect themselves from the elements.

So many tribes develop into a city... into a nation.

The king seeks to protect or solidify his reign... to continue living the life he has become accustomed to.

Somewhere along that line, the concept changed... especially where humans were concerned.

The children-- the subsequent generations, they are taught... pride in one's family... in one's home.

To one's sovereign.

'The tribe has sheltered you, raised you, cultivated you. You owe the tribe your service... and there is... honor in that.'

It was simpler to brainwash the young to seek honor than to tell them that the various nations have developed out of greed.

But still... it falls to each single man... to that same selfishness.

A man fights to protect themselves... to protect those they care for... to live as comfortably as they can manage.

In theory, fighting on behalf of the Amphitrite Reef tribe should have yielded some sort of... reward.

Treasure or monetary gain from such work would have been reasonable.

The tribe's favor would be invaluable. The seafolk and their military force would be an excellent ally.

Gratitude... was to be expected.

Captain Krysaos of the Neptune's Revenge received none of these.

His frustration was warranted.

They retrieved Mister Lone, his artifacts, and a stolen rapier. However, none of them granted by the tribe itself, but by a single Oracle who merely wished for less blood to be shed by sentient beings.

...and to warn against a prophesied return of an Elven King.

The same could be achieved had the crew taken them by force or guile... without having needed to spend the effort and resources to defeat the Black Crow pirates in full.

Even Tycon sampling the Oracle's body-- he could have easily overpowered the woman and taken her, had he wished. Failing that, he could have seduced her... or even negotiated for intercourse in exchange for accepting her quest, whether or not he chose to complete it.

Most all these thoughts, save for those concerning Atlantea, he shared with Krysaos and Hades, both.