"Wait a minute, now that I think about it, how am I still alive?"
Realising that fact I touched myself up and down and around right before I realized another crucial factor.
One so crucial that I'm surprised I even forgot it in the first place.
"How the hell am I breathing?"
Feeling the distinct pressure of water pressing down on my body from all around like some sort of shackles placed onto my body, the fact that I was still mostly human wasn't lost on me as I instinctively took in a deep breath.
Then I choked on water.
"Hurhgh"
Spitting out the salt water I just unwittingly just took into my own lungs I hurriedly took in a series of hurried breaths through an organ that I didn't even know I had.
'Like since when the hell did I gain gills???'
Feeling my choked neck and rubbing my fingers across the ribbed gills on the side of my neck, I recalled how the gills led directly into the mouth of fish and felt a chill crawl up the base of my spine.
And despite the curiousity plaguing my body, I very much wouldn't like to explore the body horror that was involved in this.
'...But should I just try to stick my fin- NO BAD THOUGHTS, STOP IT!!!'
Hurriedly stopping myself from doing some self harm, I turned around and looked at my surroundings before realizing I should probably focus on the semi human being standing(?) in front of me.
So throwing away the thought of finding out what my surroundings were like I stared at the woman in front of me.
She was startlingly beautiful if I had to say so myself and the exotic features she had definitely added to the painting.
If on my old planet I'm pretty sure she would've done well on the celebrity scene.
'Now that I think about it, why the hell is everyone on this planet so damn aesthetically pleasing?'
Thinking about that fact the woman in front of me opened her mouth.
"Now tell me outsider, why are you here in our sacred lands?"
"...I'm sorry what now?"
Blinking dumbly, I tried to think of how I entered said sacred lands.
It came as a blank.
'I mean, last I remember a tentacle the thickness of a horse was chasing after me and then black.'
And perhaps seeing my confusion, the mer person in front of me just shook their head as if knowing my dilemma.
"...You Mainlanders and you're short lives, how strange it is for you to already forget after a single generation."
'Well exccuuuuse me, last I recall my respawns are rather random.'
'I didn't even ask to spawn on an island filled with all by lonesome with nothing to talk to me besides my own thoughts of very dark things.'
'Very dark things...'
'Good god I am depressing'
Jokingly thinking about myself the mermaid lady burst into a spiel of words regarding the place that I was currently in.
"Anyways, since you do not know of our sacred lands then I guess you shall have the blessing of us telling it to you."
'Kinda rude but okay.'
Following after the woman with ease, I kicked against the water and twirled through the water while listening to her and observing my surroundings.
"Many generations ago our sea clan had the duty of finding an ancient site and were tasked with the duty of guarding an ancient relic of a past hero who once had gone off to slay the beast of the sky."
Swimming through the stone stone marked path, the pillars of stone topped. by glowing bulbs lit up the way as I maneuvered through the stone coral maze the woman continued as I marveled at the surroundings.
"Due to the nature of our mission our once nomadic clan had no choice but to stay in one place to guard the treasure."
Glimpses of red flashed through my vision as the blue sea coral and yellow sponges mixed together in harmony.
It was honestly surprising how a diverse ecosystem of coral could thrive in the caves.
"We met several setbacks at first due to the unfamiliarity of settling down in the chaotic times but we persevered."
Scales shining on her backside, the tail swished and swashed in the water all the while fish curiously stared at me from beyond the confines of the coral.
"Others, who were attracted by our goal also appeared over time and helped us build the place you shall soon see."
A bright light at the front of the cave we were currently briefly blinded my eyes.
"And the result is the city that you shall soon see."
Gesturing at me she waved me to the entrance and proudly looked at the city.
"This is our sacred lands"
Waving her hand I stood at the edge of a cliff drop and stared at the surrounding area in abject awe.
Lit up by a series of luminescent bulbs that floated peacefully in the ocean currents, it appeared as if the sea itself wasn't deep underwater and was instead hanging up in the sky in space.
Backdrop of deep sea black covering the rest of the lights and making them appear as numerous as the stars in the sky, the land below the night sky wasn't any less beautiful.
And the city set below it wasn't any less beautiful.
Carved out of blue earth, the city seamlessly merged with aquatic life as kelp forests swayed in the currents and glowed with the light of sea lanterns.
"This... is Atlantis"
"Holy...hell"
Staring in awe at the green prismarine city built by the hands of the merpeople (That's what I'm calling them now) I could vaguely see a few mer children in the distance play with stone sticks which quickly sunk down all the while they chased after them.
It was honestly incredibly peaceful.
"And you are set to be its next sacrifice." What she said next however made that illusion of peace just break into a series of shards though.
"Holy- say what now?"
She gave me a strange look.
"Did the mainlanders even forget this? All outsiders who are unconnected to us and are not bless by the Deep one are to be sacrificed in his name."
"I would think that the humans would record this since it involved your army."
"...Well Damn, and I thought you guys were nice since you just said you were tasked with protecting a treasure and all."
"That is a common misconception, but due to an earlier mistake where we saved a human and was met with human greed we must eradicate you."
"...That is fair."
Raising my hands above my head in surrender I hurriedly kicked against the water and surged upwards which to my dismay was met with fierce resistance.
---
Staring at the gigantic hermit crab which had brought me all the way here in these incredibly restrictive cuffs I kicked the ground and landed back first onto the algae laid out on the ground.
Lying in the prison cell while facing the ceiling I shifted my body to stare at the only one other cellmate right next to me.
*Glug glug glug
Downing a deep swig of some unknown wine from this world, the bearded man wiped his beard then scratched his neck.
"So kid, why are you in here?"
"...Because of trespassing?"
"Heh, that's really funny"
Snorting the man took another swig of his drink before looking at me.
"If it was just trespassing then you should've been able to run away, weakling."
"If you're so capable to call me a weakling then why are you in here with me? In shackles no less."
Thrusting my bound up body in a series of chains to the bearded man's face, his face scrunched up as the irony of the situation that he only had shackles around his limbs wasn't lost on him.
"..."
'And I guess he's not going to talk to me anymore.'
Seeing as the man was now drinking his sorrows away with the interdimensional pocket jacket of his that was able to manifest bottles of wine no matter where, something in my mind clicked.
"Wait a minute, how the hell do you even have wine here?! Didn't they take everything from you to?!"
Staring at me arrogantly as if actually finding something that he could hold one over me he spoke confidently.
"Heh, you can't even fathom to guess where I got this beauty from, had to risk blood and bone for this baby, and it's really worth the price since it can hold so much wine in it!"
"Then do you have anything to get us out of here?! Because I really don't want to be sacrificed to some sort of unknown God!"
"..."
"...Please don't tell me that there's only wine in there."
"..." His face turned away in shame as he took another swig of wine.
"God damnit."
+++
Tree