"Let's make a move, Fin, stay close now boy. I'm not the best swimmer, so the back entrance will have to work for now!" Rain commands his companion, urging him for them to get to safety.
"What is happening now!" Rain mutters irritatedly. His eyes lock with a set of screens manifest themselves out of the ocean waters before him.
*You have been blessed with the Marine System*
[Status for Rain Nanami]
[Status]
[Transformation has allowed for access to Racial Lines]
[Level 0-0/200EXP]
[Race: Infant Merman]
[HP 15/ The overall energy sustaining the lifeforce in your vessel]
[Strength 5/ The overall strength of your aquatic body]
[Agility 10/ Maneuverability in the water and dodging capabilities]
[Magic 10/ The overall magic your body can house from the sea]
[Instinct 20/ Hunter's instinct and combat compatibility as well as survivability]
[Charm 10/ Your ability to charm and influence people as well as intimidate them with your presence.]
[Luck 5/ The sea's blessing on you and the positive influence it has on your overall existence.]
"What is a Marine system? I've been blessed by the sea!? I thought that was just a hallucination!" His yellow eyes struggle to accept what they are seeing.
"I'm an Infant Merman? I guess because I just became one?" Rain says. struggling to comprehend the shocking revelation before him.
"Still these are pretty good stats off the back! Normally you have to grind!" Rain exclaims getting happily distracted from the terrifying new world around him.
"That instinct stat is going to be useful at least." Rain sighs, thinking about the use it might have in bailing him out.
"This is just like the Rpgs i've been playing, though I've never had a game put me at level 0 odd." He says, struggling to think of a game with a level 0 mechanic.
*The sea has given you and your loyal companion its blessing, accommodating it to your comprehension.* The fractaled memory replays in his mind shining some light on his situation.
"So it's a game screen? Well I guess I can work with this." Rain sighs.
"Alright shoo for now, i've gotta get out of here before i gawk at this all day!" Rain says waving his webbed hands at the screens.
"That actually worked?" His mind questions despite the lack of sense to this situation.
"You know what, whatever. Now's not the time." He scoffs struggling to swim around and get his bearings from the looming fear. .
"Come on boy, I don't want either of us to be fish food today" Rain calls out to his friend.
Swimming as best as he can through the decaying house, the two of them find their way to the back entrance of the garage. The door is barely on its hinges, cracks let the trickling sunlight leak through to their view of freedom.
"Come on, Fin we have to get moving." Rain mutters under his breath. Trying to remain hidden from the creature.
They both begin to swim through their destroyed neighbourhood, trying to remain out of the creatures' looming vision. Its predatory eyes scan the decayed estate with hunger. It searches for any sort of food available flesh or not.
"Come on boy keep going." Rain urges his puppy along. Seeing Fin struggling to grasp and understand his new body.
"That's it!" He loudly whispers trying to remain out of earshot of the gigantic creature.
"Keep going!" Rain says, continuing to urge his pup to swim, as he makes his way past one of the ruined houses. Unfortunately not noticing the rebar jutting out of the collapsed house.
"Tha—- SHIT!" Rain struggles as his leg gets cut by a piece of rebar sticking out from the house. Blood begins to cloud the waters around them. Deep crimson trails behind the two as they continue to swim.
"You okay bud? You didn't get hurt at all did you?" Rain checks his friend over first and foremost.
"Good let's get moving!" He roars out with urgency.
"AAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" The leviathans maw opens wide to the scent of blood dispersing in the waters. Its muscular frame rips through the waters with ease seeking to chew through the fresh chum in the water.
"HOLY SHIT!" Rain shouts out in shock and primordial terror.
"SWIM BOY SWIM!" He yells out full of desperation urging fin to swim harder.
"NO NO NO NO NO NO!" Rain's desperation reaches its boiling point. Until he snaps with boiling anger.
"It doesn't matter if you fish or man! GET YOUR TEETH AWAY FROM MY FRIEND!" Rain screams out, crystal clear through the turbulent waters.
[Quest Activated-Survive at all costs]
[Reward- 100 EXP]
His yellow eyes sear with bloodlust starting wide without hesitation. As his teeth brandish themselves before their prey. Instead of lunging out at the massive creature he lies in wait, digging his nail deeper into HIS wound spraying more blood into the water enticing the beast on him.
"AWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHH" The leviathan screams out once more piercing all the ears in the vicinity. Surging through the waters with ease, its maw opens wide, ready to crunch through scales, flesh and bone.
"The bigger they are the more openings!" Rain mutters out full of venom.
As the leviathan is about to crunch down on Rain. A deep subconscious exhale of his lungs, followed by a chilling glare at the creature with hardly a shred of fear, only the same white hot anger.
[Charm activated/ Your opponent is intimidated]
The creature flinches for a moment, before lunging back out towards Rain. only to be shocked by the gouging sensation of sharp pain in the side of its torso.
[Your instinct has been activated]
Rain's razor sharp teeth tear through the leviathans scales despite how dense they are. Continuing his brutal assault he rips deeper into the leviathan. Tearing out a thick chunk of flesh with his teeth into the open waters. Before burrowing his nails into the same wound.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRR".The leviathan screechs out in agony before flicking its massive body into Rain.
The leviathan continues to roar out in agony destroying the remnants of Rain's house in his outrage. Rain's eyes see the destruction of his home, quivering for but a moment before turning resolute and ready for what's to come.
His body gets sent carringing through the deep waters with barely any direction. Until a decaying window breaks his plummet. Sending his face into someone else's skull. Sending them both into disorientation.
"That hurt! Damn that creature!" Rain says, rubbing over his head, before checking over his surroundings once more. Noticing he's in his neighbours house.
"Hey what the hell is your problem, crashing in on someone's scavenge sight like that. I should kill you where you float!" The person he ended up crashing into yells with annoyance.
"Wait, you're the idiot that was fighting with the Leviathan." The girl says with awe and confusion moving the stray tentacles in her hair.
"Of course I did, I refuse to leave my friend behind!" Rain says seeing Fin swim close up next to him giving him kisses.
"Huh, You're a different breed to most." The girl says figuratively and literally.
'He actually fought it and with the scent of his mouth, he must've landed a decent strike at that. Not many Merman stand and fight those leviathans.' Her thoughts stream by.
'Hell be a useful asset for us. How do I entice him to our side?' Her thoughts immediately flick to allying with this odd merman.
"Wait a minute did you say scavenge site?" Rain asks in confusion looking around his home.
"Duh, were you just born a minute ago" She says brushing her blue and orange spotted tentacles out of her eyes.
"This is one of the prime spots for sunken goods and I had already claimed dibs so why the hell are you?" She says, pressing her finger into Rain's chest.
"You know how hard it was to rent this spot for a few hours, the amount of Shells i had to scrape together for this!" She yells out getting more and more infuriated with Rain.
"Wait, you're scavenging my neighbourhood?" Rain asks in shock, realising just how dystopian things have gotten.
"What do you mean by your neighbourhood!? It's a free game to anyone with the shells to rent it!" She screams, offended by the mere comment.
"No, that's not what I mean. This was my neighbourhood, I lived here. This was my home!" Rain says holding up his hands gesturing his innocence.
"Wait. Don't tell me you're one of the flood initiates!" She says as her demeanour shifts to one of intrigue and familiarity
"Were kinda uncommon in these parts so it's good to see another mer of some kind.That explains why you were so clueless you probably been living the last five years." She says with getting more and more comfortable with Rain.
"Wait, what do you mean five years!? There's no way it's been that long!" Rain stumbles in shock and awe. Realising that the decay and moss of his neighbourhood is all the evidence he needs to confirm.
"Sorry to say kid but it's the truth." She says, wrapping a webbed finger around one of her tentacle strands.
"You should count yourself lucky you weren't food during your transformation like some of the others. Some can wake up in minutes, others years. Doesn't always mean their body will be left untouched." She says demonstrating a crunch with her beak like mouth.
"Some flood that was! More of a damn apocalypse" Rain yells out, in disgust and awe over the events unfolding before him.
"Yeah well we got to live in this new world. Let me tell you it's completely different to the advanced tech of the past. For starters something you might want to pick up on fast." She says, beginning to splay her webbed finger summoning an odd force out of the waters themselves.
"Is this" She says full of pride, letting loose a ripple of sound on their frequency throughout the waters
"WHAT THE HELL." Rain growls, the piercing sound reaching his inner eardrum.
"It's Magic kid. The flood brought more than just water" She says deactivating her magic with ease.
"How am I meant to just learn that?" Rain struggles to comprehend what he just witnessed so much of his normal reality has been completely shattered and brushed away for a new one.
"Some figure it out on their own. Some learn from others." She says with a side glance hinting at something more.
"I see where this is going, you want me to join you." Rain says piecing together what this octopus girl is proposing.
"Bingo! Not only did you stand a chance against that leviathan but you know this place like the back of your hand. So you'll be able to find way more sunken treasures of the past. Making my shells way more worth their while"
"On one condition!" Rain retorts, putting a webbed finger up.
"Sure, humour me." She says ready for whatever curveballs he decides to throw.
"We're equal partners, no scheming. I'll have your back if you have mine. You've seen what I can do anyway. Deal." Rain says with a warm smile extending a webbed hand of partnership.
"Alright sure kid. This will be the start of a new partnership. The name is Serena, I run one of the more popular scavenging areas. We tend to rake in a lot of shells." Serena proudly says, gloating about her status.
"You keep mentioning Shells, what even are they?" Rain questions struggling to understand the weird lingo.
"Damn looks like this partnership, will require me educating you too. They're the main form of currency now, well underwater at least." Serena smiles wide showing off a coloured chiselled shell.