‘The drink. The healing effect, it’s not what you think it is. Also, my apologies for it tasting like rain piss. At least this way when you reach a city, you’ll be used to it’s...unique flavour. Blessed the Drowned Ones who gift us with their presence and their love for their candidates and followers in this world of water and life.’ said Chas.

Carissa respected his honestly, the drink was surely one of the worst that she’d had in her life. The taste was as though someone had taken a bottle of alcohol and then filtered it through their own urine in a makeshift water distillation machine, drank it, urinated it back into the machine and then drank it again.

‘Rain piss. The taste is apt.,’ said Carissa. Regardless of the flavour, the drink had worked wonders on her mind and body. Both were equally refreshed as though she’d had a long hot shower, full body massage and then a good night’s sleep.

His eyes still closed and his arms folded Mike called out as he sat in his chair. His legs folded over and his head slumped forward.

‘Carissa. Do me a favour, when you get offered real Rain Piss don’t drink it. In fact, if the person offers you a drink of it, even a single glass then I want you to kick them in the balls and then get away from them as soon as possible. And if it’s a woman then kick them in the ovaries. And if they’re in between then just smash the bottle or glass in their face and run. Trust me on this one. You'll thank me for it.’ said Mike.

‘MIKE!’ shouted out Chas. As he turned towards the other man while mimicking a hand sliding across his own throat.

‘What? Not a spoiler. Don’t you remember what happened to us when we tried some? That was some adventure back then, the four of us were pretty stupid and then Ronnie...well it’s past history now. I think it’s the best piece of advice you can give any new candidate. Refuse the Rain Piss quest. Or mission. No idea if the gods are still forcing it on new players but it’s worth remembering.’ said Mike as he kept his eyes closed and his posture unmoving. A piece of wood rose up from his chair and formed a bridge under his chin as he slumped forward even further, caught from falling forward by the wood.

Carissa turned to Chas as she noticed his scaled robe had shifted to what she would have classified as shark denticle skin or an approximation of it.

Copying his actions she folded her own hands together in an attempt at a prayer and bowed forward, remaining seated, as she closed her own eyes.

‘Thank you blessed priest.’ said Carissa.

‘I told you she identified your class. Guess the Ocean Gateway System is open to you again. It should be restricted inside this place according to our lovely creator. Do you have anything you want to say to Sherry? We can try and pass on a message while we’re still descending, might as well make the use of the time that we have left.’ said Mike.

Now that her body and mind had been refreshed, Carissa cast her eyes around the dome surrounding them. The rounded ceilings were high enough above her head but once she paid attention to the opaque walls, she was certain that there was a degree of flexing.

The materials of the walls and ceilings made tiny inward and outward movements. A motion of movement was under her feet but far more noticeable when she paid attention to it sitting in her chair.

‘Questions and answers. I’m not strong enough to fight either of you but what’s this about. We fight, get fed, rest and then get taken to a place to dive beneath the surface of the ocean. We are beneath the surface, aren’t we?’ said Carissa.

Mike held up a hand to stop Chas from answering.

‘My turn Chas. You might think that we delay for a good reason and distract and talk and talk all this nonsense but did you ever think that we’re trying to protect you? After all, the drowned ocean gods hate cheaters. We could give you answers and you’d soon be dead. Either from the pressure or we’d be forced to take action. However!’ said Mike as he held up a finger and the wooden bridge beneath his chin receded back into the chair.

‘We can give you some answers. For one, the t-word is technology. To make it clear, it’s not encouraged here. There is a certain individual who is a mighty big fan of it and due to his unique position on this mostly flooded planet can get away with it. My advice is you shut up and put thoughts of building yourself a fleet capable of wiping out sea leviathans out of your mind. Yes, we are underwater. I’d tell you the speed that we’re travelling at but the fact is I don’t know. I’m not in control of this vessel right now. Nobody mortal is. At least not when we go beneath the surface.’ said Mike.

Over the course of the conversation on the side, Chas had managed to drink his way through several bottles but when he’d offered it to Mike been refused. Carissa recognised the signs of drunkenness when she saw them. Her own parents had drunk, but mostly in moderation. Liam and her had never been that interested in the relaxing benefits of alcohol.

‘...Youse. Always lying Mike. Blessed gods of the puddle. You’re a cow-coward. Tell her the truth Mike. She’d go-going to die. They always do. Ronnie, she...she. You. Fault. Mostly...I think...I..I... think I’ve drunk too much. Im'ma sleep over there. Good cul-luck Carissa...blessed...Irma sleep there.’ said Chas.

Mike moved before Carissa even noticed, his body moving with unusually fast speed. No human she knew of could react that fast, not even with body enhancing drugs or technology.

Close yes, but he moved before she had even blinked. He caught hold of Chas before the robed man fell out of his wooden chair and hoisted him up over a shoulder before carrying him over to the boxes and laying him down with relative ease.

Mike spoke to Carissa as he was putting a cloth under the head of the Chas as he began to snore.

‘We’re not human. I believe you’d call us enhanced ones. You were once, before you came to this place. I don’t know why you made the choice but you can regain all that strength and energy that once filled you. I’ve seen how you move, how you react. I’m far stronger, tougher, faster than you think I am. It’s in my bloodstream. Inside the waters of my body. Chas is right. I am weak, but I’m not a coward. I just want to protect what’s left of my party.’ said Mike.

Once he had settled Chas and adjusted the man’s blue robe with care, he took a seat opposite Carissa and took hold of one of the boxes lying next to the centre table and ripped off the wooden lid with his bare hands before casually tossing it to the side.

‘I could break you with a single hand. Most of your bones with one single hit. Possibly your spine although I imagine that your skin or internals have been reinforced somewhat. Nanotechnology which got disabled on your arrival but the after effects are still there. Judging from the look on your face I reckon I’m right. No other reason the water bag filled gods got so angry at you. They consider it cheating. Naughty, naughty.’ said Mike with a sad smile.

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Holding the box between two open palms on each side he slammed them shut and the wooden nearly exploded apart as cooked fish heads flew through the air. Before Carissa could respond, Mike snatched a dozen of them and placed them on the table.

‘And I’m weak in comparison to a lot of others. The demi-gods for one. You could call me a higher-middle grade class. One day, if you live, you’ll be able to crush me too. Physical strength isn’t always the best choice in this place but we all have our own part to play. Tell you what, you do me a favour and I’ll try and explain our present situation a little better. And no, I’m not trying to threaten you in terms of violence. I told you once that you’re not my type and it’s not because I prefer men. I was grown in a lab and prefer those of my own kind. Do we have a deal, Carissa?’ said Mike.

Given that her present situation was stuck inside a floating bubble, descending below the surface and she was alone with a man who had destroyed a wooden crate with his hands easily while the other more reasonable one had drunk himself into unconsciousness Carissa had little choice.

She stopped for a moment before considering her response.

‘And if I say you can go and drown yourself. What would you say to that?’ said Carissa.

Carissa didn’t know what reaction she had been expecting but a bright smile wasn’t one of them. Neither was the fact that Mike was clapping his hands in loud applause, uncaring of Chas snoring away on the floor near the boxes.

‘Yes. YES!’ Mike cheered.

‘We have ourselves a serious one here. I’ve pulled that exact same trick with the wooden boxes hundreds of times and only rarely do I get the response I want. I’ll tell you where we’re heading. The ocean gods like to choose their own candidates ahead of time, the whole bunch of them are in a competition after all to elevate a mortal into their own unique group. A god. They want to turn one of us into a god like them. One with affinity with water. All we’re doing in the tutorial and up on the surface is trying to give every new candidate a little preparation while not spoiling the entertainment of the gods.’ said Mike.

‘Entertainment. We’re here to amuse so-called ocean gods. All of this game and pain and confusion is for their personal entertainment. Are they watching you right now? Are they watching me?’ asked Carissa spreading her arms out wide. The fabric of her grey suit stretched accordingly to her movements.

‘Since you were rescued by Sherry yes. And if you drowned upon arrival of this world then you just become another. Wait. I’m not allowed to say that. You die. Basically, you die. I’m going to let you find out that detail for yourself. Heh. Number one tip, don’t die. I had friends once who died and... well they carried on after a fashion. Veronica for one, her case was a little different though. We got lucky. The other poor bastards...you’ll find out for yourself. The gods are watching us descend, as they’re likely watching ten thousand others or more in their own makeshift tutorial areas also descend to the first real choice that you can partially control.’ said Mike.

‘I see...if they can see us then why aren’t I being attacked again or why weren’t you attacked when you mentioned nanotechnology?’ asked Carissa.

Her hand took several of the cooked fish heads on the table and she took a deep bite out of one, partially to fill her stomach but also to give the gods a show of how little she cared for their observing.

‘Ah. Yeah, I made that mistake once too when I was new to this place. My trainer had finished her own tutorial, they had the Ocean Gateway System regulate everything and it was organised. Not this mess we find ourselves in. You see Carissa, the ocean gods know full well what technology does and how it works. They are gods. They chose this planet and covered it in water, but when you’re a god it works a little bit differently. There’s still a massive amount available on this planet but they chose to deactivate it. Aside from one but he’s a special case and I would prefer not to discuss him under so many watchful eyes. Also, he’s kind of a prick who... well likes cold revenge. You’d like him.’ said Mike finishing with a wink.

Carissa was munching her way through the cooked fish heads and took a random unopened bottle that had fallen off the table before pulling off the top and taking a drink. When she proffered the bottle to Mike he had just pointed at the sleeping, snoring Chas and shook his head.

‘And we’re going to meet the gods?’ said Carissa. She times her talking with her mouth full of the wine and cooked fish head so the spluttered-out food and drink with the last word.

Distasteful times called for distasteful measures in her own mind.

‘Avatars of them. Most of them. The ones who can be bothered, I mean they’re all watching but unless you’re lucky and nobody chooses you then you get to meet a god who agrees to give you a portion of power in exchange for being their chosen representative. Not much choice there but you’ve already made the mermaid goddess angry so being unaffiliated could be your best bet. Less power and resources but more relative freedom.’ said Mike.

Taking more bites and stuffing her mouth with more wine in preparation for spitting out food as she spoke Carissa nodded her head when her mouth as well in agreement.

‘Burn you and dry out the ocean gods.’ said Carissa as she waved out the bottle in front of her and stood up on her feet in front of her chair.

‘That’ll do it. The Shark God would be proud to call you his champion, maybe the jellyfish one but I don’t think you have a preference for tentacles. Not if you wanted to keep your own appearance humanoid.’ said Mike.

As he finished speaking the floor and walls shook as Carissa stumbled and grabbed onto the edge of the chair to keep herself upright. The sudden jolting had shocked her but Mike was fully prepared and barely budged in his seat aside from a quick glance to make sure that Chas hadn’t rolled over.

‘Arrived then. I agree with you in spirit though, you’d think all-powerful gods of the seas would rise from the oceans to impress us but this is the way they prefer it. We need to visit one of their unified ocean temples, handcrafted and decorated with all the gold, jewels and sea related imagery they could imagine. It is a good sight though, always impressive the first time. Here we go, the first step is to get changed. All of us. Prepare to be beautified beyond your dreams Carissa and show off that figure of yours.’ said Mike.

‘Some of us’ he said, slapping his stomach ‘Don’t have the same looks but we can look decent enough. Chas has it easy, his robe will change according to the will of the gods as soon as we can both wake him up.’ said Mike.

Carrisa turned her attention to the walls of the dome around them but it still remained opaque.

‘You were going to show me the Temple of the Ocean gods as we descended?’ she asked.

‘I was, but I’m pretty tired of them showing off all the time. This way you get to look good and feel good when you see the real thing. We’ve got a little bit of time before the outside dome begins to break down so we better get tidying up a little. I’m sure there’s a broom and spare bags in one of the boxes. You go and slap Chas awake out of his sleep and I’ll get to cleaning this mess. Fair is fair.’ said Mike.

‘I don’t have an issue with domestic cleaning and I can take care of my own messes.’ said Carissa.

Mike nodded as he stepped over to the boxes and with a wave of his hand made all three chairs and the table meld back into the wooden floor, leaving behind broken wooden fragments, empty bottles and a number of fish heads lying around.

‘I’m sure. But the gods are barely watching and I’d be in some deep trouble if I asked a new player candidate to clean up the mess I made. Besides, the next part is going to be fun. Less talking and more action. Remember how I tested your combat ability on the surface?’ said Mike.

Carissa frowned in response at the question. She had moved over to Chas but he continued snoring despite her shaking.

‘The gods want those who are both mentally and physically strong. Hold yourself in a few fights and... I’ll just get to tidying up. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise. Found it!’ said Mike as he flourished a rough looking wooden broom and a handful of large empty bags made of a similar material to the robe Chas was wearing.

Sighing inwardly, Carissa took to her task of trying to wake up the sleeping priest while she began to mentally prepare herself for her next challenge.