Location: The Surface
on the road just outside of Silverymoon, a large group of apprentice wizards suddenly ambush Party
- their spells keep missing, and it's immediately clear that the apprentices are all teenagers
- Skjorn offers to show them how it's done, then accidentally has a wild magic surge and casts Grease
- he at least looks cool while doing it, and he pretends that's what he intended to do all along
- the teens are in awe, even as they slip and fall on the grease
the apprentices mention a Master Pringles, who had told them they weren't ready for battle but they wanted to prove him wrong
- Skjorn happens to remember Master Pringles as a professor at a local wizarding school, though Skjorn didn't learn under him
- the apprentices ask Party if they're here for the exam; the senior class is supposed to fight a group of adventurers, and the apprentices mistook Party as that group
Party chats with the students a bit longer, wishing them luck and telling them to be safe
- the youngest kid asks if the drow are Skjorn's servants
- Skjorn corrects her, saying they're his boyfriends
- another kid says, "I wish my mom let me have 2 boyfriends"
for the next few days, Shoor won't stop complaining, saying his feet hurt (despite not walking at all) and that the road is too bumpy for the carriages
- Skjorn suggests stopping at a nearby hot springs to relax, and everyone agrees they could use a break
at the hot springs, Party meets another patron, recognizing him as the legendary hero Gigacrash
- while most of the Surface-dwellers are starstruck, Mylz happens to be friendly with him; they've worked together before
- Gigacrash says that friends of Mylz are friends of his, and tells everyone to call him Juan
while relaxing in the pools, Mylz and Juan catch up a bit and share adventure stories while the rest of Party listens with great interest
- suddenly, Zaz feels himself sucked underwater, where he is trapped inside a clear gelatinous cube
- Mylz reaches in, receiving acid damage as she pulls him out before he drowns
- Mylz, Skjorn, and Zaz kill the gelatinous cube while the others rush inside
while the NPCs enter the changing room to get dressed and retrieve their weapons, Dibrael stops to warn the owner of the business
- the owner notes that Dibrael is alone and unarmed, and thanks him for bravely alerting her to the situation
- she pats Dibrael on the shoulder, creating a connection that allows her to steal some of his memories
- a part of her body starts to melt and separate, morphing into a perfect copy of Dibrael
- this reveals that the owner is actually an oblex, a type of ooze monster that steals the likeness of other people to lure them to their doom
- this reveals that the owner is actually an oblex, a type of ooze monster that steals the likeness of other people to lure them to their doom
when the NPCs emerge from the changing room, Dibrael doesn't recognize Derendil
- having been through this before, Ront starts to ask where Dibrael got his sword from - but Dibrael can't remember, and Dibrael 2 answers correctly
- Dibrael quickly catches on, telling the monster that "if you're taking my memories, then I'm sorry for you"
- the rest of Party arrives, and Mylz demands to see Dibrael's wings; both Dibraels are able to display them normally
- Dibrael 2 pleads not to be attacked, saying Ront can back him up as he answered the question correctly
Shoor suggests they just attack both of them and see which one bleeds
- Skjorn supports this and Shoor pulls out a dagger he stole from the changing room
- Zaz shouts, "NO WHO GAVE HIM THAT"
- Dibrael hesitantly but willingly offers his hand, already confirming to Shoor that he's the right one, but Shoor cuts him just for good measure
- Dibrael thanks him, because he's Dibrael, and Shoor declares him the real one
everyone begins to fight the oblex
- Juan doesn't enjoy attacking the likeness of a friend (this statement makes Dibrael's day) and he's not going to forgive the monster for this
- after the battle, Juan fully heals Dibrael and says cheerfully, "well that sure was a relaxing day at the spa!"
Skjorn whips around on Shoor and stars scolding him for how he treated Dibrael
- Shoor hides the dagger and defends himself, "I was gentle, I avoided major arteries"
- Skjorn relents, pointing out that Shoor could have killed Dibrael but chose not to, and even fought alongside them for the first time
- Dibrael thanks Shoor again; Shoor is uncomfortable
Dibrael finally goes to the changing room to retrieve his things, and Jorlan quietly follows after to offer him support
Juan decides there's no reason not to get back in the water now that everything's dead, and he hops back in
- Party decides they've had enough and exchanges goodbyes with him
- Juan gives Dibrael a piece of paper with a bunch of numbers on it; he says, "Here's my number, call if you need anything!"
- Dibrael doesn't know what this means
- Skjorn does; he tries to explain, but Dibrael just gets more confused - what is a "phone?"
- Juan gives Dibrael a piece of paper with a bunch of numbers on it; he says, "Here's my number, call if you need anything!"