Thomas quickly checked his Mutation List, seeing that under each available mutation to him was a massive list. His eyes grew wide as he read possible mutations for the Fanged Eel Teeth. Larger fangs, more vicious fangs, fangs that stuck out more to bite things that were further away, ect. There were hundreds of possible mutations. Checking the price for each one, Thomas could see that each mutation cost a minimum of 10 points. There were some that were 30 or more Muta points! Continuing to scroll down the list, one mutation caught his eye;
Hollow Fangs: The fangs have grown hollow, slightly decreasing Toughness as they have become more fragile. However, the hollowness allows liquids to be transported through the fangs. This includes a pushing motion, as well as a suction effect. 10 Muta Points
'So, does that mean I can use the venom WITHOUT having the spines??' Thomas was esactic. The biggest reason on why he hunted the Leonfish in the first place was so he could get the venom, only to find out that he needed the spines, which would lower his agility. He's a fish damnit! One of the well known things about smaller fish is that they're fast! But now he doesn't have to worry about that. `If I can get this mutation, along with the venom, I'll only have to bite once and my prey will be completely paralyzed!' Thomas was giddy with joy. Settling down right where he was, he chose the mutation advancement for his fangs. Once again, pain racked across his body. He could feel his teeth hollowing out, the top of his jaw modifying to allow for new paths. It was simply excruciating.
After the final spasm of pain left, Thomas was left panting on the ground. 'Why does that hurt so FUCKING much?' Every time he had mutated so far it was so painful he wanted to black out, but couldn't. He felt like he was being forced to stay awake during this time, tossing back and forth around. His only solace was that he knew that the pain would eventually end. Shaking himself off from the floor, Thomas inspected his new set of chompers. They seemed to be slightly thinner than they were before, but only a little. He couldn't see them, but he knew at the end of each fang was a tiny hole, which would allow his venom to enter his prey. 'It said my Toughness would go down, right?' He pulled up the status screen;
Race: Silver Baitish (Minnow)
Level: 4
Health: 11/12
Skills: Swim (Level Max)
Mutations: Hollow Fangs, Toughened Scales
Strength: 4
Agility: 8
Fortitude: 2
Toughness: 3
Will: 15
Intelligence: 25
'Hm, a one point deduction? That's not terrible.' Satisfied with his new fangs, Thomas prepared himself for the pain of his next mutation, the Leonfish Venom. He was also happy to see that his health had finally gone back up a few points.
Error! Unable to purchase Leonfish Venom Mutation! Reason: Non-sufficient amount of Muta Points.
'Oh. Right.' Having just spent 10 Muta points on the Hollow Fangs, Thomas didn't even have one left to get the venom. 'Guess I'll have to go hunting again.'
Returning to his old friends the Brine Shrimp, Thomas tore through them, eating until he was stuffed, and netting himself another 4 Muta points. Not wanting to stay out in the open for any longer than he had too, Thomas feld back to his coral cave, ready to mutate. Once he reached it, he prepared for the pain and purchased the Leonfish Venom. To his delight, the restriction requirement for the mutation was gone, his new Hollow Teeth taking over the function of spines.
The pain he felt this mutation was the worst so far. He felt his entire head slowly changing, venom glands in the back of his head beginning to form. Once the crippling pain was over, Thomas lay panting on the ground, exhausted but extremely happy with his purchase. In the far back of his throat, he could feel a new gland, brimming with his new venom. Focusing for a moment, he was able to flex the muscles around the gland, pushing venom up through special veins inside his head, until he could see venom pumping out of his teeth, a slight haze in the otherwise clear water. However, soon his gland was empty and the venom stopped flowing into the water. He mentally frowned at how soon the gland emptied, but beggars can't be choosers. He immediately wanted to test his new venom out, so Thomas swam out of his cave, looking for the nearest fish he could sink his fangs into. Or, at least he tried too. To his shock, he found he couldn't move! He struggled to move his body, barely able to keep his gills moving so he could breathe. 'Did.. did just poison myself?? How?' Casting his eye over his frozen body, Thomas could see a tiny gap in his scales, right where the Leonfish had hit him with its spines. It barely qualified as an injury, but it was apparently open enough for his own venom to get into it. He was fuming with anger and embarrassment. 'I'm probably the only fish in the whole goddamn ocean that paralyzed itself with its own goddamn venom..' Despite his body being frozen, Thomas' mind was completely free, so he decided to browse various menus in his mental book, especially the Skills page. 'I have a whole 6 stat points to be spent, and 2 Skill points!' Thomas was looking forward to cashing in his points. First, he looked at his status;
Race: Silver Baitish (Minnow)
Level: 4
Health: 11/12
Skills: Swim (Level Max)
Mutations: Hollow Fangs, Toughened Scales, Leonfish Venom
Strength: 4
Agility: 8
Fortitude: 2
Toughness: 3
Will: 15
Intelligence: 25
'Hmm. Agility is always good, so lets round that off at 10.' Immediately, two of Thomas' six points vanished, raising his agility to 10. 'Ok, what else? My fortitude is really low, let's raise that by 2 points.' With only two points, Thomas looked at what else he should put the points into. Not wanting to go all into one stat, and leave the others lacking, he put one point into Toughness and the last one into Strength. Immediately, he could feel a little bit stronger, most notably in his tail. It felt powerful. His status now looked like this:
Race: Silver Baitish (Minnow)
Level: 4
Health: 11/16
Skills: Swim (Level Max)
Mutations: Hollow Fangs, Toughened Scales, Leonfish Venom
Strength: 5
Agility: 10
Fortitude: 4
Toughness: 4
Will: 15
Intelligence: 25
Satisfied with the emerging balance between his stats, Thomas turned his eyes to his Skills page