Agatha cornered me and, as she is wont to do, babbled on for several minutes about how unhelpful I was in the combat against Glamdrel. I decided I was getting tired of listening to her whiny voice and so decided that it was time to reveal to her and Agryk my true self.

This had quite the effect I expected, and she immediately stoped criticizing me and understood the implications of being around an Illithid.

Naturally, this means I am going to have to be more careful when I am indisposed, however for now, Agatha and Agryk both respect, if not fear, my powers, and so I should have little problem now convincing them to do what must be done. They do not yet realize it, but they are now my pawns.

We returned to Scuttle Cove to attempt to find Agatha's airship and leave the island, only to find the town under seige by Grovil's forces. This of course made it an opportune time to pillage and steal magic items.

Although we wasted a bit more time than necessary wading through street rabble, I did manage to find a magical repeating crossbow, which came in quite useful. It didn't take us long before we turned a corner and came across Thalia, one of Grovil's lieutenants. She didn't take too kindly to our presence and set her undead against us. She, however, fell immediately to a mind blast, and Agatha and Agryk held off the undead while I consumed her brain.

After that, it didn't take us long before we then ran into Glamdrel and a reanimation of T'Shim. The ensuing combat was short, and sweet. Agatha and Agryk laid T'Shim to waste relatively quickly. Perhaps catching a glimpse of the future, I stepped aside after Glamdrel moved towards me, forgoing a risky attempt to extract his brain. This proved wise, since he then called another blade barrier. Fortunately, I was just out of its reach.

Not having much else with a reasonable chance of success against Glamdrel, I aimed my crossbow through the blade barrier at his head, and for a moment, time and space seemed to come to a standstill. There was a moment of absolute clarity. I could see a gap in the barrier approaching as the blades slowly shifted, preparing to open just wide enough to allow a bolt through. I carefully aimed the weapon, and at the exact right moment, pulled the trigger.

The blades disappeared, and Glamdrel fell to the ground, instantly killed by an arrow that pierced his skull.

Ah, the sweet taste of victory, though Glamdrel's brain was not quite as delicious as I was hoping. The fear of the inevitable surging through a helpless one about to die proves to be most delicious, and Glamdrel lacked that, having died from an arrow, and not helpless in my hands.

Oh well. There will be even more chances to savor brain in the future. I'm sure Grovil will make a fine treat one day as payment for his inability to control his underlings.