No delay here, says the last of the notes. I will be watching for your boat, please leave the name of it at - and then a location in the port town Ellie planned to depart from that would do perfectly well for leaving notes.

How lovely.

Eventually, it's time for Ellie to return home. She makes sure to end up in a port city and books passage back.

Maeverine is so pleased to have Ellie back! She enjoyed her reports of her peers' weaknesses.

(And one of Tisvetaia's birds does circles above the ocean, well out of Maeverine's sensing range. She watches the boat from far, far above, not even a speck in the sky to the sailors and acolyte below. She modified it for speed, she'll be there on time.)

Ellie is happy to be back too, Maeverine, thank you.

(Where is a good spot to ambush those two acolytes...?)

Somewhat appropriately, Maeverine's temple. They all are expected to sleep there, Ellie included. Would Ellie like to poison them, or blow them up?

That's a good question. What did Tisvet say about the effects of the poisons she provided?

There are two types, both of them pretty quick and merciful. One goes into food and will make them feel tired before they pass quietly in their sleep, and the other can transfer by being put into the bloodstream (stabbing is the recommended method, though Tisvet also provided a sneaky pointy ring as well) and will cause them to have heart attacks within the hour.

No point in drawing too much attention. Ellie wears the ring and pricks both acolytes over dinner.

Gosh. Those sure are some heart attacks they have.

Maeverine is appalled and shocked and demands that Ellie investigate!

She is on the case. Her medical knowledge is mostly focused around how to cause pain efficiently, but she will do her best. And she'll look for Clues in the area. Any Clues to be found?

Well, Ellie could certainly invent a few, if she's not interested in forking over the actual clues. Would she like to?

She's mostly just trying to kill time until Tisvet brings the salt in.

This evidence that she just found suggests it was poison. It'd probably have to have been delivered by someone close. Have any of the priests here been acting suspiciously?

Maeverine will sure find the ones that have been! Here are all of the priests, lined up in front of Ellie. Maeverine expects her to torture the appropriate information out of them!

Ellie will stall as much as she can without being suspicious.

Anytime you want to show up, Tisvet, that would be great.

Here she is!

She makes her entrance by crashing, high speed, into a deserted section of the coast. It is pretty fiery and noticeable.

"The little bitch," growls Maeverine. "Ellie, whatever she's trying I need you to go and stop it -"

"I'm on my way."

And off she goes, at high speed.

There is a bit of Tisvetaia, on the beach! Her bit of domain is dark and smoldering and rapidly cooling as Maeverine grumpily rains on it.

As soon as Ellie shows up, rock salt starts appearing at the edges in easy grab-bags for Ellie to snatch and carry off to spread.

Ellie takes the first one and quickly spreads it around the area where Tisvet landed, creating a safe zone. Then she starts making a path back towards the temple.

"My apologies Maeverine, but I don't think I can stop this."

"Wh-" begins the storm goddess. She attempts to fry Ellie with the traditional lightning bolt, but the lightning dissipates before getting anywhere near Ellie. "What are you doing. Stop!"

"No." The path continues to lengthen.

"Have you solved the mystery of what happened to the others yet?"

"You - you betrayed me," whispers the goddess. "You won't get away with it, my priests will kill you -"

"Your priests are no match for a trained acolyte and you know it."

"I," she begins, and then stops. "Have contingencies you couldn't even dream of, give up now and your death will be quick."