Bone multiplier, electro nerve splitter, and soul grabber were some intense names, first of all, but they didn’t just sound terrifying, they were terrifying! These three magical powers had a necromantic undertone to them, and all things necromancy were frowned upon, even within this world of brute slaughter, and invasive magic, it was shunned. Necromancy tipped the bucket for most, apparently, as plenty of people and or creatures drew the line there regarding how brutal magic should be. Their reasons were purely ethical!
Timothy, however, wasn't as ethical. Even with an upgraded brain to his advantage, things like ethics, sympathy, and empathy eluded him. He was far smarter than the average fish now, which shouldn’t make him evasive of such decent principles, and yet he was! Perhaps he was so unethical because he was smarter? It was paradoxical.
Tim was more experienced in worldly matters, as he had explored the seas, the lands, and the sky too, and this was a part of what made him cruel. Within his journeys, he flirted with death several times, so overall, he came to the conclusion that this world was very violent, and very dangerous! There was nothing ethical about being burned alive by an enemy, for example, it was horrendous, and yet not unheard of. This served his point!
He shouldn’t be the only ethical, or overly-ethical creature within this world of horrifying brutality, it didn’t make any sense. So, if these pre-necromantic powers offered any sort of an advantage to him whatsoever, he’d use them proudly, without batting an eyelid, even! A frantic explorer such as himself needed any advantages that he could get, regardless of how little they were, or how evil they seemed, so he wasn’t planning to get bound to any little laws regarding decency!
There was no debating on that matter, his mind was made up. However, he was far away from buying all of these interesting, magical powers, because they cost fifteen-hundred points each, they were very expensive! He would need to kill several big creatures in order to buy all of these available purchase options, that was the main way.
Anyway, since Tim couldn’t buy all of them, he chose to buy just one of them. Specifically, he chose to buy the one that seemed the least problematic; The electro nerve splitter!
The system had described this power as something that could help him paralyze a weaker target, quite easily. Paralyzation sounded like a decent way to avoid some unnecessary, potentially dangerous battles, so he went with that. It seemed very useful.
“I’m buying that one system. Give me the nerve splitter.” He requested, through a thought.
Tim was still eating, so he had a moment to spare when it came to upgrades. Besides, this was the last upgrade that he’d be able to buy for a while, so he could spare a few minutes to buy and implement it.
The system approved his request right away, and a few seconds later, he noticed that the implementation process was pretty painless, he didn’t feel a thing! A few bolts of electricity frolicked around his fins, but that was nothing to worry about, he was all safe and dandy!
The system then announced, [Your purchase has been successfully implemented into your body, and it cost you 1,500 system points in exchange. A total of 733 points remain in your sum, so I’d say you’re not that far away from buying another upgrade and or power. Try to kill something big, that'll help.]
“Hmm… I’ll try.” He waffled, through a mouthful of meat.
“Careful with your nerve splitter magic, there.” Skendus suddenly intervened, he seemed excited for the worse. “I still don’t understand how that voice in your head is giving you powers, but since it is, you better use your powers wisely. If anyone sees you splitting nerves, even the nastiest of creatures will gather together to hunt you down, they'd consider it a noble deed. Hell, they’d try to kill me too, so try to keep your spooky powers hidden, please.”
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Tim didn’t know how to accept such advice, but at the very least, he was happy that his friend wasn’t too nosy. He was really helpful instead, which was something rare to expect out of a friend, under any circumstances.
It was also really helpful that he wasn’t nosy, because Tim didn’t want to explain the whole concept of a system to anyone! It was a hassle to do so, if not dangerous even, and that was why he was glad that no one was asking him questions about the system.
He just nodded along to Skendus’ advice, and promised to stay out of any unnecessary trouble, because come to think of it, the last thing he needed was for bands of evil fish to start hunting him down. It would be gravely unlucky, so he decided that he wasn’t to use this new ability unless he really had to! This was for the best.
Anyway, Tim ate most of that carcass eventually, and then they were on the move again. The two friends wanted to swim to the reef, because that was where the magic happens, or best said, that was where the anti-magic happened! They were to explore the anti-mana pools, and hopefully, they were to do anything that would help other, innocent fish.
…
A coral reef, in a way, was a hotspot for all things dramatic! Tim knew that first hand, because he had reincarnated right into the vicinity of a reef, that’s where his journey started, and that’s where he was to return to inevitably. He was returning to the reef today, because of explorative reasons, and also because it truly felt like home!
In a way, he urged to reclaim his home. The pools of anti-mana were also located there, which hence, spoke a thing or two about the overall drama that the said reef bore. Things were a mess there right now, but this volume of drama wasn’t all that the reef had to offer, surely not, especially since those pools were only a recent event. Their imprint on the place wasn’t as strong, and this was why he wasn't too scared of those pools, he was ready to take his home back!
Tim had to take his original home back, because as for now, he didn’t have anywhere else to go! The deep, dark sea wasn’t as comfortable either, he hated it there, so it wasn’t much of an option for him to live out there, in the deeper areas. He wouldn't be able to survive out there, not for long at least, as the open, cold waters were not a place for the weak!
Since he didn’t want to live in the empty, desolate parts of the reef either, then his path for the day was carved out. Apart from their exploratory purposes, he was either to get his home back, or die trying!
Anyway, the two friends then swam towards the north-side of the reef, because that was where a certain lair was. They wanted to get to the new lair of the blistering mana sect, which contained ten members only due to recent, sad events. The sect was both small and isolated, it was less than optimal, but today it was to serve a purpose. Skendus wanted to get some information out of them!
“I doubt that anything changed there, man.” Tim expressed, as they swam together, and then he further added. “Though it feels longer, a lot longer for fuck’s sake… II’ve only been gone for a day, hell, less than a day. It’s dusk now, I left in the morning, I think? So yeah, I doubt that anything new happened.”
The concept of time was confusing once in a while, but the fact of the matter remained, he hadn’t been gone for long. They were about to reach the layer soon as well, it only was fifty meters away right now, yet Tim felt really weird and queasy about returning home! This new lair wasn't as fancy, but it felt a bit like home nonetheless.
Tim felt as if he had been gone for an eternity, and almost expected to run into a bunch of full-grown kids of his, as if he was a soldier who returned from a whole decade of war, which was a really weird feeling. This feeling couldn’t steer any further from the truth, especially since he was a young virgin himself, but his mind went through such weird thoughts nonetheless.
Skendus snapped him out of it, as he followed along. “When things are going wrong, a day can mean a lot, kid. Let’s ask your friends what they know, we’ll rest a little bit too, and then we’re going to see the anti-mana pools.”
That plan sounded good enough, so Tim didn’t protest against it, it would be aimless to protest it. The anti-mana was what got them to jump into the sea to begin with, so it was ideal to proceed strategically.
Anyway, as they got closer to the lair, Tim saw a fish that he’d rather not see. The fish was flat, like a pancake, so it had to be a stingray, there was no debating that part. Most of the stingrays that he knew were dead, though, so from all accounts, this had to be Ortana near the lair! She was a less than honest stingray!
“Well well well…” Tim muttered to himself.