A Rather Dreadful Throne Beneath the Sea | Jan Teschner

Underwater City Lematoa – After dealing with that rather unpleasant business of severing the magical surveillance network in Tripoint and sorting out King Valili’s stationed forces, the party turned their attention north. Their goal: to intercept the Nalua king before he could launch his long-anticipated war on the surface world - which sounded like a bit of a bother, frankly. With currents far too strong for the Flux Engine alone, the ship’s rather overworked rowing interns returned to action, grumbling quite audibly in rhythm with the waves.
Days later, the water began to glow with clarity, though it remained a rather chilly sort of grey. Coral spires and underwater mountain ranges stretched beneath the surface like a second continent. It was clear now: they were sailing above a massive, hidden metropolis, which was quite something, even if it was all a bit damp.

A Suspicious Welcome
Fearing the anchor might snag or break in the reefs below - which would have been a total disaster - the party politely requested Marina to keep the ship hovering in place while they descended. Merlin, Tallyana, and Ainz chewed down the last of their water-breathing algae and popped overboard. Though clearly not quite up to much after their previous celebrations, Selah and Mad Matt insisted on joining – if only to observe from the rear, like a proper queue.
The city streets were entirely deserted. Coral archways and smooth stone roads hinted at ancient craftsmanship, but the people had vanished from public view, leaving the place feeling rather eerie. From behind coloured-glass windows, curious eyes peeked out. It was quite obvious that the citizens had been warned of some rather uninvited guests.

Hospitality, More or Less
Not one to miss an opportunity for a bit of civilised diplomacy, Merlin approached a nearby home. He knocked quite politely, though his knock triggered hushed panic behind the door. After a rather long wait - one hates to be rude, but it was getting a bit tiresome - a terrified resident cracked it open. Merlin, undeterred and offering a sincere apology for the intrusion, offered five gold coins in exchange for food. Language barriers muddled things quickly, but pantomimes and some sweets seemed to help. He gestured “fish” and handed over some Haribó. The host – still looking quite unsure – offered him a bowl of bubbling fish stew, brewed on a small underwater stove. Merlin briefly questioned the physics of underwater cooking - as it seemed rather impractical - before happily devouring it, offering a courteous bow before returning to the party.

The Palace and the Seeing Stone
The royal palace dominated the city’s skyline, a cathedral-sized structure crowned with shells and towers. Its gates were open, yet no guards stood watch, which was a bit suspicious, really. Inside, coral mosaics lined the halls. Tiyana scanned for magical residue, but Ainz stepped forward with a confident wave, analysing footprints and magical threads with meticulous precision. He noted that the left staircase had been used 94 times recently, while the right had seen 96. In an attempt to keep things orderly, he and Tiyana ascended the left stairs to balance the residual energy. Merlin, being somewhat impatient, vaulted directly to the upper landing.
At the door, a large circular rune was carved into the ground – the counterpart of the communication device they had damaged in Tripoint. Ainz recognised the design immediately: an advanced scrying circle, likely used to stay in contact with the southern observation post. Tempted to disrupt or activate it, the group ultimately chose to show some restraint - one mustn't make a scene. Instead, they turned to the door, which opened quite easily with a single, polite push from Merlin.

The King’s Lament
The final chamber was vast and quiet, much like a library on a rainy afternoon. Fish glided between floating lanterns, and at the far end, a throne rested atop a coral platform. There stood King Valili, tall and commanding, with azure skin and a long trident whose centre prong extended like a spear. His voice, though calm, carried the weight of centuries.
He accused the party of all sorts of unpleasantness in Manamea and Camborne’s Rest, slaughtering his scientists, and leaving no survivors in Tripoint - which was quite a heavy accusation to drop without so much as a "pardon me." He recalled the Great War, 500 years past, when the surface world forced the Nalua beneath the sea. There, they discovered the Flux Crystals, which sustained their lives – but not their peace. Valili had long prepared his revenge.
Before he could finish his rather dramatic tirade, Ainz attempted to charm the king. Valili sensed the spell, snarled in fury, and hurled his trident. The fight began, and it was a bit of a kerfuffle.

The Battle for the Deep
The trident slammed into the ground, but the adventurers dodged away just in time. Valili summoned the power of the Flux, slowing the flow of time around the room. Every movement from the party became sluggish and laboured - much like waiting in a queue for a delayed bus. Merlin charged forward and closed the distance but was quickly, and rather nastily, impaled by Valili’s weapon. Tiyana, undeterred, cast a barrage of Magic Missiles from afar.
Ainz summoned a spectral dragon made of acidic water – its form unstable in the currents. The team dubbed it Draco Malformed. It slithered through the water toward the throne.
Merlin danced around Valili to stay out of Draco’s way, but Valili mocked him for abandoning the others. He leapt off the platform toward Tiyana, braving a storm of conjured icicles. She narrowly dodged and vanished with a quick Invisibility spell, reappearing at a safer angle to launch spells from cover.
Angered by the king's taunts, Merlin leapt down after him but failed to land his strike. Valili summoned a pressurised pillar of water that nearly crushed Merlin into the coral below. Gritting his teeth, Merlin stood through the pain, though it was clearly quite uncomfortable.
Ainz directed Draco Malformed to attack, sending acidic claws and poisonous breath toward the king. Merlin stabbed Valili’s shoulder twice, drawing blood and staggering him. From invisibility, Tiyana delivered the final volley of Magic Missiles. Valili collapsed.
In his last breath, he begged the adventurers to spare his people – ordinary Nalua citizens who had nothing to do with his rather extreme crusade.

The Star Devourer Revealed
Before the party could offer a polite response, a dark flash erupted from the throne room entrance. Nalzagoth, the Star Devourer, tore free from Mad Matt’s body. Matt, left hollow and quite shocked by the whole ordeal, collapsed as the entity floated into the chamber. It mocked Matt’s weakness, which was rather unkind, then turned to Valili, praising his ambition. Without any hesitation whatsoever, Nalzagoth entered Valili’s wounded body.
A storm of black stars consumed the throne. Merlin, still holding Valili, felt pain surge through his arms. With great effort, he hurled the king away. Valili's body didn’t fall into the depths below; instead, it rose above their heads.
Out of the blackness emerged a titanic new form: Valili reborn as a Great Water Dragon, with glowing eyes and coiling waves swirling around him - a rather overwhelming sight, to say the least.

As if things couldn't get any more inconvenient, the coral beneath their feet began to crack.