Night had fallen quite sometime ago, and Isomara regretted all of his life decisions as he ran full sprint away from a swarm of bees. Moments before, Isomara had scanned them with his appraisal and upon seeing that they were level sixteen he told his pup bro that they were going to sneak around them. After toeing for a few moments the oaf sniffed a peculiar looking plant causing it to spit at him, making him sneeze, and the swarm of bee's descended on the easy prey. Now they were sprinting for their lives through the forest, not caring about what else they might encounter, since it was better than the immediate danger on their asses.
Isomara rounded around a tree as he tried to shake the bee's off his trail, his mana already down to five having been using dash this whole time. Suddenly Isomara's paws couldn't find purchase on ground anymore before he plummeted into darkness. Isomara yowled as he fell, panicking as he tried to slow his momentum on the thinning walls as they closed in around him. But his paws slipped off the walls as though they were gelled in something. The smell of beeswax filling his sensitive nose. After a few moments the stuff disappeared allowing Isomara's claws to start scoring marks in the wall as he slowed his decent before coming to a full stop before he flew out of the tunnel as it opened up above a giant lake that sparkled in the underground dome that housed it. Isomara couldn't help but stare at the beautiful sight before him, the stalactites dripping rainbow colored droplets, that shone even from this distance, into the lake causing little ripples all over it's surface.
Isomara felt the air leave his body as a small body hit him from behind which made him lose his hold on the wall, falling once more. Isomara could do nothing but hope the lake below him wasn't too shallow since the lakeside was meters away from where he was going to submerge. Isomara wasn't a praying man but at that moment he closed his eyes and just prayed before being submerged in ice cold water, shocking his brain for a moment. He was alive! Suddenly Isomara felt a kick to the side of his face, the surprise caused him to exhale all his remaining air. Isomara struggled as he kicked his way toward the surface following his bubbles, glad all his past years of "practicing" doggy paddle were finally paying off.
Isomara's head broke the surface, immediately sending air through his burning lungs as he inhaled replenishing his vital life source. Even if he did have life points Isomara was sure that drowning would still kill him. He looked down, searching for what had almost drowned him, when he saw a mat of black fur still struggling down below. "You've gotta be kidding me" Isomara moaned before diving back under the water. He began kicking toward his brother, but the current and his lack of swimming expertise was too much, making him practically swim in place watching as his brother drowned in front of him.
Isomara began to kick with everything he had as he pushed through the burn in his little legs, when a screen popped up before him. Swimming Level 2. Suddenly Isomara felt as though he could read the currents better as he kicked in a more compact manner, causing him to shoot forward more than he had in the past couple of seconds. Propelling himself through the water he finally reached his brother, but he had stopped moving a moment before Isomara had reached him.
Grabbing the fluffy scruff of the pup, Isomara began to swim back toward the shore. Luckily the current was on their side and speed along the process because Isomara wasn't sure how much longer his legs were gonna hold out. His feet finally meeting sand, Isomara tripped, the current pushing the two brothers the rest of the way to safety before pulling away. Isomara stumbled through his pain to his still unmoving brother, flashes of news reports of his families passing flashed before his eyes.
Isomara refused to lose anyone again, especially when they were right in front of him. He pulled himself up as he nudged the pup onto his back. "I'm not sure if this works the same way for dogs but its worth a shot." Isomara reassured himself as he tried to calm down. He raised his paws and brought it down as hard as he could on his brothers chest hoping that one shot would be enough with his current strength. A spout of water erupted out of his brothers nose as it was propelled out of his lungs, spraying Isomara directly in the face. But Isomara wasn't thinking about that for his brother had opened his eyes, bewildered at the stalactites above him.
Isomara couldn't help but be amused as he watched his brother catch one of the water droplets in his mouth after proclaiming "Mothers milk!" Before passing out again, sound asleep, snoring loudly into the still air. Isomara looked around "Where are we bro?" Not realizing he had said it out loud, looking out over the lake, things flying in the distance could be seen diving beneath the waves before coming out with a giant fish, recognizable at this distance. Are those giant koi? Isomara thought, surprised to see something that somewhat resembled something from his old life. That was until the koi spit out a fire ball, missing it's captor, sending it straight toward Isomara's position, arcing high over the lake narrowly missing the cave top. Fuuuuu- Isomara thought as he scrambled trying to find cover, the blast narrowly missed him, flinging him forward so that his head got resubmerged in the lake.
Isomara pulled his head out of the lake his ears still ringing from the explosion. Coughing water out of his mouth as his head spun. Forcing himself to look behind him, despite the kink in his neck, checking to see if his brother was still okay after that fireball. Luckily it seemed that the fireball had blown up several meters away from his sleeping brother. Although the blast must have woken him up since the pup was looking at him, the back of his neck standing up in some gnarly bed head, his head turned in confusion. The explosion must have affected his hearing as well for he started to yelp out louder than usual, blasting Isomara's head with his voice "What was that damaged brother?" Before he looked around with an amazing expression on his face before yelping more "This doesn't look like a forest." Isomara started barking in laughter.
The voice suddenly barked out in Isomara's head, this time with a more urgent tone mixed in the yell. "Brother behind you!" Isomara turned back to the ocean and saw three koi fish staring him and his brother down as though they had just found supper. Isomara watched as the koi fish, in unison, opened their mouths billowing with fire as they shaped into balls.
"What is with these fish knowing fire attacks it makes no sense?!" Suddenly a monotone voice filled his head, lacking any defining traits aside from its flatness.
"Magical fire can burn even in water, making it a viable option some fish species evolve to have. They must first have eaten a fire stone that is found in abundance at the bottom of this lake." Isomara was so surprised he almost didn't active his dash skill in time, barely moving fast enough to dodge the fire. Although he didn't escape completely, being flung into a pile of rocks a few meters to the right of where he had been before. Hitting the ground hard before slamming into a boulder, Isomara pulled himself up hastily despite the world spinning and the pain in his right shoulder.
You have a voice, system? Isomara thought out as though talking to the heavens.
"Yes." It replied.
"Where am I?" Isomara asked hoping to finally get answers before his death came knocking on his door in the form of fireballs. Unless he was crazy.
"A cave." The voice replied. Isomara couldn't help but sarcastically chuckle. Of course he would get such a generic system helper Isomara thought sourly.
"And what world is this cave on?" He asked began to panic having heard splashing starting to approach his area.
"Altear." Alright well at least he got his answer, although he had started to expect it when fire breathing fish came into question. He was on a different world. Suddenly a thought came to mind, before the voice gave a lot of info based on an open ended question about monsters. Maybe his system was more of a monsterology based system. The noises getting louder Isomara preparing for his death. Oh well it was a nice run, at least he knew if he died he'd always reincarnate into another world. The voice suddenly spoke out again, "Due to your recent reincarnation if you die your spirit will dissolve into nothing if you die before the rebirth period."
"Just had to rub salt in my wounds one last time before I die huh? Couldn't just leave me with false hope you cruel system?" Isomara asked on the verge of tears now, memories of his life flashing before his eyes. His brother at a little league baseball game, his sister in a spelling bee, his parents laughing, Kiora reaching her hand out in their middle school classroom, smiling as though everything would be alright. Isomara saw something in the corner of his vision hurtling out of the bushes toward him before making contact. Isomara had fully embraced his death seeing how it was unavoidable, being flung through the air once more before painfully slamming into another rock, face first.
Isomara stared at the stars flying above him, surprised that he could still see the sky after dissolving. Suddenly yips filled the air before a voice rang in his head once more "Brother are you okay? I saw you get flung over here so I came to check if you were more damaged." The pup said as he sprinted toward Isomara once more, jumping on him, "I thought you were dead before you got good food."
Isomara couldn't help but laugh as the puppy licked him in his excitement of being still alive, his health lingering at 1. "So did I bro. Trust me so did I." His breath turned shaky as he sensed danger coming near once more. "I have a plan on the food front bro." A gleam lit in Isomara's eyes, "And it just so happens to come with a second helping of revenge." He rolled out from under his bro's paws and immediately told him his plan, "So I need you to trust me since this is a big risk to take, but I need you to distract those fish from earlier."
The little puppies eyes lit up so fast responding "Are we going to eat those fishes?" Saliva already pooling out of the pups mouth.
"Yeah..." Isomara said, slowly taking a step away from the fountain. "You distract them for as long as you can and I'll come up from behind."
The pup nodded "Got it. If I distract well that means we get fishes. I won't let you down brotherrrrr" he called as he started running toward the beach before he was finished speaking. Rolling his eyes Isomara looked out toward the lake to check if the diversion was working. Sure enough three fish were splashing around as they dashed forward trying to get the black puppy that kept running toward the lakeside before hoping away last minute. Can't be wasting time Isomara thought as he made his way around the hill of sand that was a couple meters away from the rocks, hoping that they didn't see him.
Stealthily toeing back toward the lake bed a notification popped up in front Isomara once again, almost causing him to yelp in surprise. Barely catching the sound in his throat he read the pop-up: Sneaking level 2. Feeling lighter on his toes as he was crouched Isomara reached the lake faster and quieter than he would have before. Damn you can really feel the change, its almost feels a little addicting Isomara thought before plunging back into the cold crystalline lake. Isomara started to swim toward the fish, hoping that it would work he concentrated as he thought "Can these fish breathe on land?" For a moment Isomara was disappointed, before the monotone rung through his head once more.
"No, only fish with the a first stage wind or second stage earth evolution can breathe on land." Isomara noted that the voice definitely gave more information when it came to monsters. Isomara smirked, it was definitely helpful, and it gave him the information he had hoped it would. Swimming as hard as he could after reading: Swimming level 3, STR +1. Isomara had no time to feel happy at the plus one to strength that he had just got having finally reached his target, just as he began to feel short on air. This plan all depended on the fish using fireball one more time, but Isomara could do nothing but watch in panic as the fish repeatedly dashed toward the riverbank without stopping.
Thinking out appraisal Isomara hoped it would work not sure if he would have the time to go the long way through the status screen. Fortunately for Isomara the screen popped up:
Name- N/A
Level- 15
Race- Fire Koi
HP- 40/40
MP- 0/10
Strength- 10
Agility- 20
Stamina- 20
Spirit- 5
Intelligence- 20
:Warning: Skills Include:
-Fireball (30 dmg, 4 dmg splash)
- Headbutt (2 dmg)
-Dash
Isomara hastily closed the tab bringing up his own stats, his eyes started to bulge due to the lack of air. So much for being OP, if he didn't drown then he was going to be devoured by the koi since they weren't going to stop to cast a fireball if they were a one and done fish rag Isomara thought angrily.
Darkness passed over Isomara, terror flooding him, thinking it was another fish, before relief flooded through him as he watched one of the flying things from before came down and swooped up one of the fish. Getting a better look now it looked more like a stony pterodactyl as it flew away. The koi stopped in their charge as they began charging fireballs to save their friend. Revitalized with hope and seeing a chance to live Isomara used the last of his strength to push off of the lake bed, kicking with all his might using his level 3 swimming to gain momentum upward, before colliding with one of the koi in the midsection. The fish was flung into the air causing it to sore onto the beach struggling to get back to the ocean. The remaining koi looked around for the culprit only to notice a furry behind swimming full force back to land chasing it for revenge.
Gulping in air like there was no better thing in the world Isomara kicked toward the shore not wanting to waste a moment and get killed by something as stupid as a fish headbutt. Sand touched beneath his paws tickling them before they made complete purchase on the bank below him. Isomara quickly propelled himself out of the water just as, he could swear, he felt the bubbles of the last fish on his tail. Looking back he saw the terrifying sight of a giant fish with its huge mouth wide open as it was getting ready to swallow him whole. This was it, I was gonna die fish food. Isomara thought, depressed.
Isomara felt his jaw drop as he watched a black bullet pelt into the koi, sending it flying into the pile of rocks he had been thrown in earlier, struggling for air as it flopped around. Isomara turned to his brother to give him a wolfish smile before passing out on the ground as a screen popped up with the text: Level Up, filled his vision before it turned black.