The episode opens on Bloth's ship with ominous music as lightning flashes overhead. Bloth is gloating that he has the First Treasure of Rule, and congratulates Tula by saying, "You succeeded against Ren where my finest men failed." She tells him to stop complimenting her as Teron, Bloth's ecomancer-slave, cries out that Dark Water is coming. He's looking at the entrance to the harbor, where he "sees" Dark Water. The lookout reports that there isn't any, and Teron realizes that it's only a vision. Bloth, still holding a squirming Konk by the--uh--tatters (not quite a collar) of his shirt, orders Teron to keep quiet until the last possible moment, turning back to Tula.
"I believe you were about to give me the compass, my dear," he declares, a smile on his face.
In an patronizing tone, Tula replies, "No, Bloth, you were going to give me my gold."
Scene switches to the sewerways, where Ren and Niddler are standing in a tunnel next to the pit above which Bloth and Tula are standing, surrounded by pirates. Niddler declares with disgust that Tula's been a traitor and thief all along, but Ren refuses to believe it.
Meanwhile, Tula is negotiating with Bloth. "The treasure and compass for one thousand pieces of gold." She holds out her hand. "I'll take, ah, nuggets or drabulin bars."
Niddler says that since Tula's from Andorus, they should never have trusted her, and Ren says they have to stop her just as they hear a roar behind them. Spinning, the Constrictus rears its head, and Ren and Niddler jump into the murky water at the bottom of the pit below. Standing, they hear Bloth offer eighty-five pieces of gold, and Tula agreeing.
Commercial break.
Tula turns and walks off, saying that Bloth's compass is not far away. Bloth, thinking out loud, muses, "Selling out her friends for game--now that's my kind of woman." Konk, seeing Bloth is in a good mood, starts groveling once more, asking to be released, and Bloth releases him--into the pit. Mantus remarks that his bet on Konk (1000 gold nuggets from the previous episode) still stands, sending the pirates into a betting frenzy.
Meanwhile, below, Ren yanks Konk out of the muck he landed headfirst in. After wiping it off his face, Konk gasps at the sight of Ren and Niddler, saying they can't be there because they're dead. Niddler says everybody's been telling them that, just as they hear the Constrictus roar again. It's halfway out the tunnel Ren and Niddler'd been standing in, and it pulls itself out, landing with a huge splash. Above, Mantus's gold-keeper says that Konk's really in trouble--the Constrictus is making three times the racket as the last time Konk fell in.
In the pit, Konk's jumped on the Constrictus's back and is biting it. Ren grabs him off and throws him down a side tunnel that Niddler'd already crawled down, and he follows them both as the Constrictus tries to squeeze its way through there too. They come out into a huge chamber, where Konk gloats that there isn't a Constrictus in the 20 Seas that's a match for him. But then comes the roar again, and they start running as they see the Constrictus wriggling its way out of that tunnel as well. It lunges after them and scratches Ren's arm, making him stagger weakly as he tries to get away. Niddler comes back with a bone, swinging it at the Constrictus to keep it away. Ren tells Niddler to keep away, looking up--and seeing the wooden frame of a half-built ship suspended above the Constrictus. He runs for the lever, kicking it and sending the frame crashing down on the Constrictus. The huge clamp holding the ship also falls, landing on the Constrictus's back. Ren and Niddler start turning the crank, calling for Konk to help them; with some bravado he agrees. The clamp tightens and as they turn the crank, the Constrictus is pulled into the air. Ren refastens the lever as he and Niddler see Konk taking a side crawlspace out. They run after him, Ren staggering just before he reaches the crawlspace. On the other side, Konk climbs a bone ladder to get to a hole leading to the upper deck. Niddler, reaching the bottom of the ladder, says that Konk won't get away from them so easily. He turns, hearing no answer, and sees Ren's lying inside the crawlspace, his scratch a bright pink. Ren moans that he feel cold.
Konk, meanwhile, is gloating that he'll get a warship of his own when he brings Ren to Bloth, and pulls himself halfway out the hole--but he gets stuck. The pirates, meanwhile, notice that the pit's grown silent, and become gleeful that they've won the bet. Konk is crying out for the pirates to free him, and Ren tells Niddler to quickly shut Konk up. Niddler flies up and bites Konk's butt. Konk lets out a yelp and jumps out of the hole, running off. Ren tries crawling the rest of the way out of the crawlspace, and Niddler takes his shoulders, worriedly asking him what he should do.
Meanwhile, Mantus steps up to the pit and yells Konk's name. A pirate comments, "He can't hear ya from inside the Constrictus' gut." The crowd breaks into laughter and turns back to the pit just as Konk reaches Mantus' side and tells him to tell Bloth he's found Ren. Mantus just grins gleefully and goes to his treasure chest. Some of the other pirates confront Konk, snarling that he's betrayed them, and tackle him.
The rest are dejectedly lining up and giving Mantus their gold. He gives the gold to his treasure-keeper, who asks him, "How you know Konk would beat Constrictus, master?"
Mantus, smirking, replies, "Once the beast had a taste of Konk, why would he want another bite?"
In the Kramadorm (prison area), Avagon is speaking to the prisoners gathered around her just as they hear a voice cry for help from under the platform. A man standing behind Avagon goes and pulls up the trapdoor, and Niddler with it, who tells Avagon that Ren's below and he's been wounded. She drags the boy out, who's mumbling, "What's wrong with the water-? Storm clouds in the water!" and sees the wound on his arm, recognizing it and ordering for a dream, (?) a little lavendar-colored animal, to be brought out. Ren's deliriously muttering, "Clouds--dirty (turning?) water black, all around me--" and writhing. Avagon and another prisoner hold him still as the dream is brought and put on his arm to remove the Constrictus poison as he gasps, "The--dark--water!"
At the same time, Teron is turning the globe in his tiny chamber, murmuring about the Dark Water coming and Mer dying. Bloth barges into the room, ordering Teron to calm the seas. Teron says he's quickening Mer's death, and Bloth tells him that he can heal the ocean once Bloth has all Thirteen Treasures of Rule. Dragging Teron outside, he tells him to calm the seas or Teron's soil from Andorus is going overboard. Teron says that he will die if Bloth does that, and the pirate orders him to do as he says. Teron finally does, sending the waves away from the Maelstrom--which starts to pull out of the harbor--and past the docked Wraith.
Below decks, Ioz and Zoolie are stirring from unconsciousness. Zoolie asks if Tula does that to all new people (she'd pulled a gas gun on them and fired it in the previous episode). Ioz doesn't answer--he's looking around, and then goes into a rage. "The first Treasure and Compass--" He grabs the table they'd fallen on on and hurls it across the chamber in a fury. "She stole them! By the blood of Ren, I swear I'll make Tula pay for this!"
They run up the stairs to the main deck, and Zoolie asks Ioz where he thinks they can find her. He's looking at the Maelstrom with a viewglass and sees her there. He also sees Zoolie pull out a weapon.
"A dragon-bow!" Ioz exclaims.
"Oh, that's not all," Zoolie assures him. "I come with the package, too."
Ioz yanks it away from him. "Stow it, Zoolie--I won't have you risking your life for me!"
Zoolie snorts. "Huh--who cares about you?" He pulls out a sword, examining the blade. "I'm going after Mantus! He still owes me a gold piece from an old debt." They jump off the ship and onto the dock, Ioz muttering that it's a silly excuse.
Ren's fast asleep, but suddenly he tightens his hand around the Second Treasure, his face twisting into a grimace as he experiences a very powerful vision. There's a swirl of water around a dark center, and suddenly from the water appears the face of King Primus, his father, who tells him that now it isn't just Octopon that's in danger from the Dark Water, but all of Mer as well. Primus recites part of the rune-rhyme Alomar showed him in the first episode, accompanied by a vision of the Thirteen Treasures swirling and becoming the planet Mer, which is engulfed by Dark Water that transforms into Bloth holding the planet in victory over his head. Bloth informs Ren that he'll fail and Bloth will control the Dark Water.
Ren wakes up as Bloth's cackling fades, and Niddler leans toward him, telling him his fever's broken. Ren sits up, thanking Niddler for staying with him, and asking him what's happened. Niddler tells him Avagon saved his life, as they hear her voice announcing escape through the sewers since the Constrictus is gone. She is back on the platform, addressing the prisoners.
"Why risk our lives for a single Treasure and Compass?" one demands gruffly, and the prisoners all shout their agreement.
Avagon tells them they have no choice, and Ren interrupts. "No!" he exclaims. "This is my fight alone. You've all suffered enough. Escape while you can!" He staggers back a step and Niddler supports him.
"That's very noble of you, Ren," Avagon replies quietly, "but you'll need more than just the blind courage of youth to succeed against Bloth." She jumps off the platform and directly addresses the other prisoners. "As for you--" she begins, jabbing a finger at them. "Escape from here today and you may be safe. But there will come a tomorrow when Bloth has all Thirteen Treasures of Rule, and no place will be safe. Our very planet might be destroyed!" With that, she turns from them and walks toward the entrance to the sewers where Niddler is helping Ren in. She places a hand on the boy's shoulder and whispers, "Always the Quest." They all jump into the water and wade a distance when they hear a murmur of noise behind them. Ren asks if it's another Constrictus, but they see it's the rest of the prisoners, who all repeat in unison, "Always the Quest."
Bloth is pacing around his quarters, musing that the Compass will be his soon. He pulls back a chair from his table to sit down, and sees a dead mouse under it. He blinks, surprised, just as Tula knocks on the door. Not knowing what else to do with the mouse, he shoves it away with his shoe to give Tula a good impression of himself and goes to open the door for her.
"I am honored to have you grace my quarters," he informs her as she strides in.
She merely chuckles. "Compliment me with gold, Bloth," she replies.
"Ah, yes, we said forty pieces, didn't we?"
Tula puts her dagger on the table and holds her hand out expectantly. "Ah, eighty-five."
Bloth hits himself on the head. "Of course! How forgetful of me." He pulls out two bags of gold and places them on the table. Tula casts them a sidelong glance, looking back at Bloth, and then at the gold. She takes them with one hand and pulls out the Compass with the other, giving it to Bloth, who puts it on and picks up his sword, examining the blade as Tula warily watches him. "I have a further proposition, Tula. I may soon grow tired of Mantus and will need a new commander. Join me."
Tula snatches up her dagger and circles around with it pointed at him, backing toward the door. "First things first--I want to total up my compliments."
"Do I detect a hint of distrust in your voice?" Bloth asks her as she steps out and shuts the door. He sheathes his sword and says to the viewer, his voice and expression becoming flirtatious, "I like that in a woman."
Across the ship, Ren and Niddler open a trapdoor to the main deck. Ren breathes in the "sweet" salty air, and Niddler laments not going with Avagon and the others, since they're raiding the galleys. Ren shushes Niddler and pulls him out onto the deck next to him. They hide behind some barrels as Tula walks by furtively and Niddler discovers pickled fish within the barrels. Tula reaches Teron's door and softly calls his name. He tells her to go away, not recognizing her, but sits up, the "roots" of his legs retreating from the Andorus soil into his flesh again. (He called it feeding.)
Sitting up, he recognizes Tula in surprise. "Teron, I've been sent to rescue you," she informs him tensely. "Since your capture Andorus has suffered much decay."
"Escape is futile," he replies softly, getting up and walking to the door to talk to her. "I can't leave my--"
"But I must free you!" she cries. "As an ecomance healer you are my island's only hope!" He touches her forehead with the palm of his hand, hoping to appease some of the pain in her face.
Commercial break.
"For weeks I've mourned for Andorus because it has been destroyed by the Dark Water," Teron admits sadly.
Tula's eyes fly open. "No," she gasps. "After all that I've done--the friends I've injured--I've betrayed Ren and Ioz for nothing!"
"I have heard of this Ren," Teron admits. "Bloth curses him daily."
"Together we sought the Thirteen Treasures of Rule," Tula replies, subdued.
Teron's taken aback. "Foolish girl, it is not me you need--it is this boy! I, a lonely ecomancer, can only slow the sickness of our planet. But with the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, the whole of Mer can be saved from the slow death of Dark Water!" His voice drops. "Hurry--it is approaching!"
Ren, listening to everything, realizes the meaning of his dream, that he has to save all of Mer and not just Octopon--but Niddler's headfirst in a bucket of fish. He falls in, knocking it over with a crash and throwing fish all over them. Tula spins, pulls out her dagger, and goes to investigate, finding them.
"Ren!" she exclaims, surprised.
"Uh, surprise..." he greets her sheepishly.
"You're alive!" she breathes, hugging him and helping him to his feet.
"True," he admits with a grin, "although I may not smell like it." She leads him to Teron's cell with Niddler in tow chewing on some fish. She introduces him and pulls a stray fish from his hair.
The boy tries to force the door open, and Teron tells him to be quiet or the pirates will find out. Ren argues that they have to save him, and says that fighting will break out very soon and he needs to get the Compass and Treasure from Bloth. Tula remarks, "You know, I have an easier way to get to him!" She pauses, her smile fading. "If I can stomach it..."
Bloth's lookout sees the Dark Water, calling it out, but a couple of pirates have already found a patch much close to the Maelstrom. They say it's a bad omen and Bloth's a fool to go that way, but don't get a chance to say anything else, because a pair of hands reach up and toss them overboard. It's Ioz and Zoolie, who exchange a grin.
Mantus enters Bloth's quarters, urgently telling him Dark Water has been seen. Bloth is looking at a map and laughs at Mantus's fear, telling him that the Treasure can keep them safe, and once he has all Thirteen he can control all of the Dark Water. Suddenly they are immersed by a barrage of arrows, pinning Mantus to the floor and Bloth to the table. They aren't hurt--their clothes took the brunt of the damage. The shooter is Ioz, using Zoolie's dragon-bow. He walks over, standing over Bloth, and tells him to hand over the Treasure. Bloth says that when he gets Ioz, the latter's going to curse his father for keeping him alive. Bloth swings his fist at Ioz's feet (he's standing on the table), knocking him off the table and to the floor. Bloth gets up and plants his foot on Ioz's chest, telling him to start thinking about his father.
Mantus gets up, a little sore, and hears a fight outside; he goes to investigate. It's Zoolie, swordfighting a couple of guys and making fun of them. He knocks one away, throws the apple he's eating at two others, and kicks one aside before Mantus comes outside, pulling an arrow out of his sleeve and a sword out of its sheath. Zoolie mentions the gold piece, and they start dueling, Mantus asking him to try and get it. He knocks away Zoolie, who lands next to Mantus' treasure-keeper. Mantus gloats that Zoolie could never beat him; Zoolie agrees and calls it even as he grabs Mantus's treasure chest full of gold and its keeper (actually, because he's chained to it, he gets dragged along) and jumps overboard. While swimming away, Zoolie calls back (very gleefully): "Oh! And another thing, Mantus! I cheated to win that bet!" Mantus, enraged, starts beating his sword against the ship's railing.
Ioz is tied to a post, Bloth in front of him and pirates all around. Bloth tells Ioz to enjoy the view--the razorbeaks fly and feed at nightfall. Ren, Avagon, and Niddler are watching from a hiding-place with the other prisoners. Ren suggests that Niddler not join in their plan, and Niddler sharply insists that he's going to get some of the glory. Avagon reminds them they only have a few minutes for Tula's plan to work. Just then, footfalls are heard and Bloth turns, only to see Tula walking toward him, asking him about the commander's job she offered. Ioz snarls that she's a traitor, and with his great strength, pulls the post out of the deck floor--it's still tied to his back--and swings it at Tula. She ducks and Ioz hits Bloth instead. Ren mutters that it's bad timing, and Avagon gives the signal. The prisoners burst onto deck in an all-out revolt.
Ioz and Tula are in a personal duel--the former is too busy trying to smash the latter's face in with the post. He finally breaks through the ropes binding him and tosses the post aside, advancing toward her menacingly, calling her a traitor and "dartha eel." Ren stops him from hurting her just by appearing, and he completely forgets about Tula as he picks Ren up around the waist the way a father would pick up a son. :o) Ren promises he'll explain later, and Tula reminds them they have a fight to fight.
Bloth's just starting to recover the blow Ioz dealt him, and he sits up--but not for long. Niddler bites through a rope holding another post in place, and it swings down and crashes into Bloth, swinging him away with it. At the same time, Tula runs into Teron's room, grabs a sack, and starts shoving the Andorus soil into it with her dagger, but is stopped by a pirate attacking her. On another part of the ship, Mantus is attacking Avagon, and throws her overboard. She grabs on to the side of the ship, and Ren sees her fall and jumps over the side, dodging a death-blow, to save her and pull her away from the Dark Water below. He scrambles onto the deck before Avagon can and has his legs kicked out from under him by Bloth himself.
"Ren--alive?" he gasps, horrified. "This--curse on my heart has been aboard the Maelstrom, and I didn't know about it-!" Avagon's head appears over the side railing as well, and Bloth turns his fury on her. "And you! I should have gotten rid of you years ago!" He grabs her arm and holds her over the side of the ship.
"With my last breath," she snarls, lashing out at him as best as she can, "I strike at your black heart!"
Ren grabs his sword and flings it at a catapult with a fire-bomb loaded onto it. It launches the projectile, which hits Bloth's back and sets the back of his shirt afire. He yells out and lets go of Avagon, who goes tumbling into the Dark Water below. Ren scrambles to the edge to see her as Bloth grabs a barrel of water and dumps it over himself with a curse. Avagon is sinking, fast, but she calls out, "Always the Quest!" to Ren. The boy calls out her name in vain, but it's too late for her.
"It's over, boy," Bloth growls. "With the Compass and Treasures I will wipe your kind from my world!" Ren, avenging the deaths of Primus and Avagon, lunges toward Bloth, viciously punching him across the face at the moment the Dark Water grabs the side of the Maelstrom, tipping it. Bloth, who's holding Ren in the air and out of punching reach, drops the Treasure and Compass and stumbles off the side of the ship and into the Dark Water with the prince. Tula sees them go and falls as the ship tips, dodging a knife-swing and scrambling to her feet, sprinting for the edge and grabbing the Treasure and Compass before they go over as well. She looks over the edge and is horrified to see Bloth and Ren struggling in the Dark Water. Ioz runs over and grabs Tula's arm, pulling her toward the other side of the ship where there is no Dark Water and telling her they can't save Ren.
Meanwhile, Ren is pulled farther and farther in, but Bloth's men have thrown him a rope and are pulling him out of the Dark Water. The Wraith sails toward the patch of Dark Water, Zoolie bringing it as close as he can. Ioz reaches toward Ren, who is holding the Second Treasure (he obtained it in the 3rd episode) out and calling for Ioz to save it, but they miss each other. Then Ren hears Teron calling him from the Maelstrom and telling him to put the Treasure into the Dark Water. Ren, after a second's hesitation, does so. The Dark Water starts to bubble and hiss and become purple-colored foam, and Ren gets pulled under. The Dark Water all around the Maelstrom is behaving the same way. Nearby, Zoolie, Tula, and Ioz are all watching anxiously for Ren to surface, Ioz muttering worriedly that it's too late.
There's a splash and Ren does surface, right next to the Wraith. He climbs aboard with Ioz's help, catching his breath, and ordering them back to the Maelstrom so they can get the Treasure and Compass.
"Are these--" Tula begins, holding the Compass.
"--What you're talking about?" Ioz finishes, holding the First Treasure.
Ren's first expression is one of complete surprise and happiness. Then he hears Bloth cursing him, and his second is of annoyance. They all scramble to maneuver the Wraith away from the Maelstrom and the Dark Water, and Ioz calls for Zoolie's help.
"Sorry Ioz," Zoolie casually apologizes, "but I've got what I came for. Besides, I have a gaming-house to keep out of debt." He's climbing into a lifeboat with Mantus's treasure and its keeper and sets it aloft. "Good fortune to you all!" he shouts after them.
Bloth is raging for a hurricane, tidal wave, or anything to stop Ren. Then he orders for Teron to be brought before him. Niddler is telling Teron that he'd better keep his promise, and Teron promises he will. Niddler picks Teron up and flies off just as the pirates start to advance toward them. They fly toward the Wraith--and then suddenly veer off in another direction entirely.
"Where does that gada monkey-bird think he's going?" Tula exclaims as Ren waves to them.
"Ren," Ioz says, "if we are to outrun Bloth, we must set our course now!"
Ren looks down at his compass, and a beam of bright blue-white light points straight ahead. He lifts his head and looks confidently in the light's direction. "There," he declares. "Toward the rising moons."
Tula sees the dark clouds and the lightning arcing across the horizon. "But there's a storm on that course," she objects nervously.
Ioz lifts his hand to his eyes, looking at the horizon as well. "And if I were a betting man," he adds, "I'd say that's Dark Water on that horizon."
Ren clenches his fist. "So be it," he replies to both of them and to neither at the same time. He looks to the horizon, a new intensity in his expression and voice, and raises his fist in the air as lightning cracks overhead. "For the Thirteen Treasures of Rule and for Mer, my destiny alone is to conquer that Dark Water."
Tula puts her hand on his shoulder. "Not alone, Ren," she says.
Ioz clasps Ren's other shoulder. "It is now our destiny too."
A bright blue aura of what seems to be pure energy forms around them, sending an arc up to the sky. Lightning strikes the arc, and the clouds surprisingly clear ahead of them as they continue their quest.