Waking up with a jolt, Cormac looked at his hands. His skin was not scaly and there was no membrane between his fingers. Looking at his toes, he saw there was no membrane their either. He had dreamt that his transformation had gone further… causing him to resemble a descendant of a union between human and merrow-maiden. Sighing, Cormac looked up to the surface only to find it getting farther away.
Confused, Cormac looked over the side and saw that Tuspehstah was swimming down to the seafloor. She was a stingray, even a giant one, and that meant she would be burying herself beneath the sand to sleep.
Shaking Melusine awake, Cormac watched as Melusine lifted her head drowsily and asked: "C-Cormac? What's—"
Finding themselves covered in sand, the two Children of the Storm burst out, with Melusine coughing the stuff out of her mouth. With a matter-of-fact tone, Cormac uttered: "Guess we are waiting here until Tuspehstah wakes up." Noticing the giant barb sticking out of the sand, he then added: "And we know how to find her if we decide look around."
"Look!" Following Melusine's finger, Cormac noticed what appeared to be a settlement in the distance. Swimming towards it, the two redheads saw that it was built around a sunken ship, one much larger than the one they had initially taken shelter in the night before.
As they approached the settlement, Cormac asked an inhabitant: "What is the name of this place?"
The inhabitant in question resembled a human skeleton with seaweed-like bioluminescent green snakes for hair, beard included, green teeth, pig-like eyes, a red nose, a tail between their legs and stubby fin-like arms. Looking them over, the inhabitant uttered: "Children of the Storm, huh? Nice to have you around. This is Surface-Dweller's Crypt."
Looking the inhabitant over, Melusine inquired: "If you don't mind me asking, sir, what are you? Are you a merman?"
"A Pacifican merman." Answered the inhabitant, scratching his chin as he spoke. "Of course, I presume you've met a Pacifican mermaid if you're asking if I'm a merman. Let me guess, was it Urefenkebos?"
"It was." Cormac answered.
Sighing, the merman looked to the seafloor for a moment. Once more looking at the two Children of the Storm, he uttered: "I'm sorry. She and her ilk make the rest of us look bad."
"What exactly are Pacifican Mer people?" inquired Cormac, before adding: "Besides the obvious."
To the best of his ability, the merman explained the origins of his people. Long ago the mages of Pacifica had gone to the surface to abduct humans in order to turn them into underwater soldiers to fight against their enemies beneath the waves, much to the displeasure of the Profound Ones serving in Pacifica's military. Eventually, the Mer people that the mages had created were dismissed and allowed to roam the Deep under the threat of a military mutiny by the Profound Ones who refused to fight alongside them.
Upon being asked about Surface-Dweller's Crypt, the merman explained its origins as well. It had once been a major trade center for those who cherished the animals of the Deep and farmed the flora and shellfish of the abrupt eminences. It was big and affluent and though it did not belong to a major trade route, the inhabitants of the eminences, would come to Surface-Dweller's Crypts to send their goods to Pacifica and other countries. Then the attack came and Surface-Dweller's Crypt was now little more than a cracked exoskeleton, a boring derelict where drifters could rest for a couple of nights before continuing on their merry way.
"Personally…" began the merman. "I am on my way to the citadel of… Oh, some monarch of the Deep, someone wanting their domain to be the Pacifica of the Atlantic. There are many such monarchs here… He's… Some sort of Mer. I think. I'm just waiting here for a caravan to arrive headed that way. Where are you two headed?"
"Pacifica." Melusine answered. "Cormac here is related to Ronemun."
Giving a small chuckle, the merman said: "With how the Profound Ones are, I can't say I doubt it, I can only wonder how close given how long he's been around… Well, be on your way, kids. Take a look around."
Swim into Surface-Dweller's Crypt they did and they found little of interest. It was just as the merman had said, a boring derelict. The two redheads would have been better off looking elsewhere when it came to the surrounding area. Cormac and Melusine were about to make their way from the settlement when the former found a hand upon his shoulder.
Turning, Cormac saw a green-skinned humanoid with fin-like hair upon his head. Clad in a pair of black trousers with a golden necklace and pair of bracelets and a sword hanging at his side, the individual was a muscular fellow, somewhat, and Cormac could only wonder what he possibly could have wanted, his eyes filled with uncertainty while Melusine covered her mouth with her right hand while her eyes widened in fear.
"I see you have a brand there, young man." Said the individual. "Would you like to spar to pass the time?"
Hearing Melusine sigh in relief, Cormac said to the man: "I haven't gotten much of a chance to use it, sir, nor do I think I would be that good of a match."
"Let me teach you then! It will give us something to pass the time!"
"We do have a lot of time to spare until Tuspehstah wakes up, Cormac." Melusine whispered into his ear. "And it could be helpful."
Nodding in agreement, Cormac looked the man in the eye and said: "Sure. My name is Cormac Egan and this is Melusine Johns."
"Ah, your girlfriend…" commented the man, rubbing his chin as he spoke. Cormac could not help but blush while Melusine gave a small smile and looked to the side. "Well, with you two travelling together, you definitely need brand lessons, my boy. You aren't just going to be defending yourself, you will be defending her as well."
"Your point is well-made, sir." Stated Cormac. "Do you have an appellation?"
Smiling, the man drew back and drew his brand as he said: "I am Uit and today, Young Cormac, I am your mentor."
The rest of the day was spent with Cormac learning the way of the brand. Uit was a harsh but fair mentor, teaching Cormac where to aim for a crippling or fatal blow, even identifying which spot could result in a slow or quick death. Uit even taught Cormac to be pragmatic in combat, going so far as to sucker punch, kick and reversing the grip to beat one's opponent with their own brand. This was not at all what Cormac or even Melusine, who had been observing, had been expecting from brand training.
More than a little exhausted, Cormac asked his mentor: "Is this all to know about using a brand?"
Chuckling, Uit answered: "I have one more move for you."