“Congratulations! Your party has cleared Merfolk Catacombs: Level One.”

Bing!

“Clemiticus has reached level 15.”

“Melly has reached level 14.”

“Your party has been awarded with a treasure chest rank: Uncommon.” Fairy beamed at its master like a parent fawning over their child.

Clemiticus did a little dance and Melly rolled her eyes.

“Wait, how many levels is this place?” Melly asked the fairy.

The azure announcer scratched its head and spoke, “I’m fairly sure it’s three. Three players for three levels.”

“Makes sense,” Thea pipped in.

“Stop talking boring details and hand over the loot!” Clemiticus eagerly ordered.

The trio’s eyes sparkled as they anticipated the magical prize. Fairy smiled and clicked its fingers. Suddenly a giant treasure chest materialised in mid-air with a pop then bounced on the floor. Melly could just make out an inner yellow glow through the crack in the opening.

“May I?” asked Clemiticus to the girls. He could barely contain his excitement. Melly knew all too well Clemiticus obsession with loot.

Thea nodded enthusiastically.

Clemiticus approached the chest, then an odd ringing noise froze him in place.

“What was that?” asked Melly.

Thea and Clemiticus shared looks. “Music?” they chorused.

Clemiticus steeled himself and moved closer to the chest as the sound became notes, and the notes became a song. The music became crescendo with bells as Clemiticus moved closer. The song shared the swashbuckler’s excitement at that moment. All the while, the yellow glow of the chest became brighter and brighter.

With a hearty yank, Clemiticus tore open the chest.

Dun dun dun DAAAH!

Floating in the air was their new treasure.

“Nice!” Clemiticus cheered, then looked at Melly. “It’s all yours.”

Understanding hit her as she realised what the floating object was. She felt her jaw slacken.

“Melly, take it,” whispered Thea.

Clemiticus stood out of the way and gestured that it was ok.

Melly slowly walked forwards and clasped her fingers around the wooden handle.

Bing!

Fairy sang, “Melly has obtained the item: Mermaids Short Bow of Agility. Rarity: Rare.”

“Melly has obtained the item: Mermaid arrows, times twenty-five. Rarity: Uncommon.”

“Nice work!” Thea cheered.

“Grats Melly!” Clemiticus added.

Melly stared down at the fancy new weapon and felt herself smile. She always wanted a bow, ever since she was small.

She pulled on the bowstring and felt its weight. The wood strained but felt sturdy and perfectly balanced. With a whoosh, she let loose the string, which flicked back into place with a snap.

“Oh yeah,” commented Clemiticus. “Level two time. Want to test your new baby out?”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Melly nodded with a cheerful grin.

The trio moved into a curved and slippery stairwell that continued further underground. When they made it to the next level, they were met with another long hallway. This time, there was no moss, instead there were rows of mermaid statues holding magical, glowing torches.

“Ooh spooky,” commented Thea.

A blue and green light flashed.

“Clemiticus has entered the Merfolk Catacombs: Level Two.”

“Melly has entered the Merfolk Catacombs: Level Two.”

“Thea has entered a danger zone. Thea has entered the Merfolk Catacombs: Level Two. Warning: PVE and PVP have been toggled on. If you wish to enter game mode: Combat. Restart the game and play in combat mode.”

“Yeah, yeah buddy we know,” said Clemiticus. “Give it a rest.”

Midori glared murderously back at the swashbuckler while Fairy nodded, agreeing with its master.

The two fairies vanished, as the trio moved down the long corridor. The stone floor had disappeared under a thin blanket of sand, and the mermaid statues seemed to watch the party's every move.

“Pause a sec,” instructed Clemiticus. The three stopped as he searched the corridor. “Can you two make out what that thing is over there?” He was pointing down the hallway towards a dark shape.

Melly squinted her eyes and shook her head.

“Can’t sorry,” replied Thea.

Clemiticus studied the figure. “Let’s see how close we can get before it notices us.”

Melly understood. Somehow, she was getting uncomfortable used to the Clemiticus play book. The two girls shared a look, then carefully followed the pirate a dozen feet. Their new foe then finally came into view.

“Ooh!” Clemiticus said excitedly. “It’s the undead.”

Melly’s eyebrows shot up. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Indeed, the new threat standing before them was a moving skeleton. This one, however, didn’t look fully human. Its lower half was undoubtedly a fish's tail.

“Mermaid skeleton?” Thea asked.

“Must be,” replied Clemiticus.

“How is it still standing?”

Melly was about to ask the same question when the mermaid shifted its weight and bounced on its tail. Its lower half was easily supporting its bony frame.

“So weird,” commented Melly.

Clemiticus nodded, then grinned. “Do you know what this means?”

The girls looked at him quizzically.

“It’s practise time,” he spoke cheerfully. “We are far out of its aggro range and skelly’s have really poor eyesight.”

“What does that mean?” Melly questioned.

“You can level your archery as much as you want.” Clemiticus instructed. “Take as many shots as you wish. And when you’re out of arrows, we’ll kill it and fetch your ammo.”

“You can’t be serious?” Melly said incredulously.

Thea beamed, clearly excited.

When no response came, Melly shrugged, and held her bow at the ready. She knocked her first arrow, griped the string then aimed down the shaft. Her foe was a good distance away, so she aimed slightly higher, then loosened her grip. The string let loose, and the arrow soared down the corridor, clearly missing the skeleton by more than a few feet.

Bing!

Fairy’s voice rang out, “Melly has learned the ability: Archery Beginner Level One.”

“Grats,” Thea and Clemiticus said together.

They all looked down the corridor and carefully watched the skeleton. It hadn’t noticed a thing.

“I don’t think it will attack until you actually hit it.” Clemiticus mused. “Nice, keep shooting.”

Melly let out a sigh and loosed another arrow. It missed again.

Fairy’s voice rang out once more, “Melly has gained skill experience: Archery.”

“Getting closer,” Thea said encouragingly. “Keep going!

*************

Derrick swallowed the rest of his lunch and strode past a sign that read:

Top secret project!

Keep out!

The dwarf was more than a little eager to get back to work. The day before, he’d been invited by Nuecus to what called the ‘mega top secret plan B’. It was the Thaumaturges’ failsafe in case Clemiticus’ little excursion didn’t yield the optimal results.

Derrick looked up and spotted the old man perched on the top of scaffolding. Working throughout the night, Nuecus was extremely determined to reach the next land. Even after sustaining a few minor injuries and bruises, he refused to stop and soldiered on with the task. The determined and disgruntled worker was still muttering under his breath.

“Damn bloody Curse. I’ll give you a lovely spell. Ya damn old pretty hag,” Nuecus grumbled.

Derrick took a moment to reveal at their current progress, grinning with pride. His Tinkering expertise had pushed the project much further than what they thought possible.

“Wrench!” Nuecus yelled.

“Here!” responded Rupert who ran waving the tool over his head. He climbed the scaffold as Nuecus tossed a hammer over his shoulder among the unsuspecting workers below.

Clang.

The wrench missed Rupert by an inch.

“The curse is getting to him,” Derrick said under his breath. At least their top-secret plan had made progress. It wouldn’t be long before they could deploy their magnificent construction.

Derrick couldn’t wait.

“Damn pretty boy! Not this shoddy wrench!” Nuecus yelled. “The happy magic wrench, That one that glows like crap!”

Rupert looked around in a panic.

“Where’s that blasted bird when you need help?”

Derrick wondered that too. Dog the whale was currently sleeping by the door on a waterproof cushion, however the parrot's bird tree had been emptied for almost the whole day.

Rupert ran towards the tool bench and quickly rummaged through the objects that had been unceremoniously discarded there.

“Magic wrench, magic wrench.”

Derrick let out a sigh. Poor lad, he thought to himself. The dwarf then looked back up at the Thaumaturge and noticed an object protruding from his back pocket. Nuecus pulled out the magic wrench. Turned a metallic clasp, then replaced it back into the folds of his clothes.

“I can’t find it, sir!” Rupert gasped.

Nuecus shouted down, “Keep looking lad!”