With all that was happening, I had to sit and mope a bit. Collect my thoughts. I was sitting at a crossroads and I had no idea what path to take.
What should I do about the mermaid war games? The slow death march of the two groups that ground each other and themselves to nothingness. Should I act? Should I sit and wait? Should I go murder hobo again? What about the major stakeholders in this game? The sons of Meheia, Goddess of the Ocean, Sailors and Storms, a cruel and cold mistress that hides in her depths the bounty of the sea but also a hundred different deaths? Leviathan the sea dragon and Kraken the monstrous squid were two kids playing with toy soldiers made of flesh. Their toys were breaking. Starving.
I had no idea what sparked this conflict. The few people that deigned to talk to me gave conflicting stories. About food, about territory, about a bloody vendetta. I trusted none of these explanations. The reef had more than enough space for the handful thousand mermaids to live and prosper in their own side of the current convergence without ever seeing one another.
But the raids and skirmishes continued. The net loss was greater than the profits. For every five bushels of kelp stolen, for every three lobsters or fish taken from the mouths of the other group, two were lost because the combatants had to heal and waste energy fighting. With both sides conducting raids of opportunity and the amount of food gained and lost coming converging to zero over a large enough amount of time, it was stupid.
They would be starving less if they just stayed on their side and ate their food. But the first to stop the punitive raids will suffer a momentary loss. The fear of suffering that one loss was what kept the fight going.
Such was my reasoning. The mermaids would fight, either for food or to avenge their sisters. With the number of deaths on each side, every mermaid on each side lost some family members to the spears of the other tribe. A fight for food was a hit-and-run raid. They traded some blows but the side that started to lose gave up quickly before the wounds became fatal, most of the time. Well-fed mermaids would still go to war, not to raid but to kill. So I didn't solve the food problem.
Nenandil gave each mermaid a full meal only once every week. She was accosted daily by hopeful, begging mermaids clamoring for more. But the fairy and I had an agreement to not do it. One meal a week was not enough to solve the problem but alleviated it. If we fed and nursed the dolphin-mermaids to a healthy state, they would wipe out the fish-mermaids. And I had a hunch that despite the unproven accusations of cannibalism, they were just like us.
Somewhere in the warm side of the reef, there was a sunken ship full of barnacles with a squid avatar inside its cargo hold. The squid was eating more than its fill and doing nothing but ushering the mermaids to attack the other side. I hadn't heard it but the rhetoric and arguments were the same.
So I didn't give out the food. I have tons of it. After all, I spent two years traveling Auvanini from north to south, looting money from the slavers, and dumping it at the local market. While I kept some currency from each raid, I also stored a king's bounty worth of food, tools, furniture, trade goods, the local specialty whichever that was, and other knick-knacks.
And denying food wasn't the only way I wasn't helping my tribe. Lakerta was a Crystal Lamia with the Light subtype. She could stretch her tail to impressive six meters of length, and make every inch of it glow as bright as daylight. For no cost at all. I could illuminate four or six gardens easily to grow kelp in at no effort than standing still. I had Plant magic, elven magic, and light magic to boot. Even with my MP pool being less than a hundredth of what it once was, I could still feed fifteen hundred mermaids on my own. But what would they do if they had enough food? Vengeance.
I hid my abilities. I let fifteen hundred mermaids starve. I didn't do anything. Because I was a coward and didn't want to be found out. Because I knew that if I revealed myself, the Herald would do something and I would lose my everyday life with my mother.
And my reasoning went in circles, trapped in an eternal what-if chain of questions. What if I reveal myself? What if I grew food? What if I murdered the herald? What if I went there and killed the other side by myself? What if I killed the other herald? I didn't know the answer to any of these.
We settled for only scraps every week. To the starving mermaids, it was a bounty. A feast. Some said that if we had more than three hours of sunlight each day, things would be better. I handed Wyxnos the God-heart core, but Galbarar didn't increase the sunlight hours. I don't know if the core made its way to the Sun god. I can't even be sure Wyxnos actually talked to him. Maybe he took the bloody thing to himself.
I felt powerless, and it wasn't because of my nerfed Attribute values. Powerless because I couldn't see a path to a good resolution that didn't cause a bloodbath. Powerless because I was still a child and wasn't even supposed to have a System yet. Powerless because I felt as if my mother was a hostage. I still gave her my food. She was the strongest mermaid in the whole tribe. And they envied her. It was a matter of time before another ambush happened. I swam next to her, always wary of nearby sentients.
That paranoia and the fear of losing my mother was another reason I was reticent in allowing unrestricted access to the cornucopia of my {Infinite Item Box}. There were more. I didn't feel welcome in my own home reef.
There was the way I was treated. Once again I was a pariah. My condition meant I couldn't play as rough as the few other mermaid children, which avoided me. And the more physical games were a problem when I could get bruised just from swimming too fast. I regenerated health at an astonishing rate even though it was reduced by a factor of ten but I still got hurt. I bled too easily. The blisters were painful even with my {Pain Resistance} Skill topped off.
I was also an outcast because of my appearance. I wasn't any movie mermaid princess. No. My skin had a dry and cracked appearance even underwater. I didn't have functional fingers. My hair was sparse and coarse. The {Fox-Kin Disguise Kit} stayed only over my tail, leaving my real hair exposed. I couldn't sprout a healthy mane from one day to another. Not yet. If I had the age to have System access, I could fake it and say I got a Perk for that. Mermaids had tons of cosmetic perks to enhance their chances of attracting a male. Lamias did too but I ignored them back then. Lakerta didn't need any boosts. I was gorgeous.
During this time I also pondered about my identity. Was I the same person, or someone else with the memories of dead people? I had no idea. What I knew was that souls were real, at least in this world. My soul returned to a new body. So that aspect was the same. But if I were to put all my incarnations side-by-side, could I tell they were the same people?
Apricot was cunning and objective. She wouldn't hesitate for weeks to think of a solution to my problems. She would already have figured it out and would probably barge in and murder someone. Probably the Herald. If that didn't solve anything, she would murder someone else. Alloralla was easygoing and silly. I still cringe when I think she turned Sariandi's coronation into a broadway musical.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Lily was timid and careful. She was an introspective person that liked to spend time alone. She didn't live long enough to fully mature, though. Rosewise was an airhead but also nurturing and sensible. She would try to mediate between both tribes.
Lakerta... Lakerta was a superhero. I rode a power high like I was on cocaine. Terrible analogy. Silverstreak... I don't know what Silverstreak would do. She had the second shortest life and that was because the shortest was the amoeba when I spent all my life trying to read a hundred-word note. Amidst all these lives and others like back on Earth or the Great White One, I was lost.
Who was Arista? What special things could she bring to the table? I didn't know. I didn't even decide on my Perks. And not because I forgot like the absent-minded Rosewise didn't bother to pick a Class. Because I couldn't decide. The indecision paralyzed me and the world kept spinning. I was too afraid of making the wrong choice that I chose something clearly not good. Stagnation. Mom told me she always knew I was tailing her. After Nenandil was revealed, she didn't want to leave me alone, fearing what the mermaids would do if she wasn't around. We swam together now as we went around the farms checking for trouble.
I set {Erode Curse} to grind down the {Random Disability} curse but it progressed at a snail's pace. Not even 0.1% progress per month. I had my wellspring in stealth mode and that nerfed the absorption too much Add two other factors, the starving mermaids weren't good MP factories and, the nerf in my Attributes also meant a big nerf in my Wellspring radius. It was no longer measured in kilometers. The easy mode had ended. Welcome to nightmare mode, act one. The lowered Attributes also affected everything, including my detection range. It's important later on.
I was confused, sad, and gloomy, and did little to hide my feelings. The people next to me could tell it easily. Both Nenandil and mom were very concerned about me.
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I guess I was about to have an intervention. It was daytime and the ocean was alive. It was the best time to farm so everyone involved in food production was at the kelp and crustacean farms. As we swam further away from our usual patrol path around the farms, it became obvious. Neither my mom nor the fairy were talking. Finally, we stopped at the edge of the coral reef next to the open sea. The seabed did a sharp drop and I remembered a story about a colorful fish going out there on a dare only to be captured by a diving dentist.
"Arista, we need to talk," mom said. Behind her, Nenandil nodded.
"About what?" I asked sheepishly.
"Ever since that fight months ago you are acting in a strange way. You made a new friend, we got more food, why are you so down?"
"I've known Nenandil for centuries, mom. I need to tell you one big secret..." I wavered. I felt something was amiss but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"I'm listening. You can tell me anything, daughter!" She cooed.
"I'm level twenty-nine after fighting these..." Distracted by my mopey feelings, I forgot to ping my detection abilities. Only when I had visual contact was that I sensed them. "Fishes!"
We were surrounded by more than thirty fish-mermaids. I fired a quick barrage of {Appraise} at them, all in the first rank, averaging fifty-something. A couple in the sixties and that's it.
"Halt!" One of the lead fish-women shouted.
Her voice seemed to grate on my ears. The dolphin-mermaids spoke on a very high pitch, almost inaudible for human ears. These mermaids' voices sounded like... primitive grunts. I might have one of the key pieces of the reasons for the rivalry. I bet they think our voices are annoying squeals.
The fish-mermaids had their caudal fins in the vertical position while we had ours horizontally. They also had two pelvic, two anal, and one dorsal fins. Their caudal mobility seemed restricted in the front and back range of motion while being more nimble sideways. With that many delicate appendages and the shape of their tails, the image of a mermaid sitting on rocks was even less possible. Their tails had colorful patterns, some resembling actual fish. There was even one clownfish-tailed mermaid at the back. Another point of contention. They were too colorful and showy, while I could imagine them thinking our tails were too drab and monotone.
> [Deep-Sea Raider]
>
> Level 65 fish-mermaid female.
>
> Strength ~40
>
> Dexterity ~30
>
> Endurance ~30
>
> HP ~650,000
>
> Afflicted with Severe Starvation: All resource pools halved. -10 to all Attributes.
>
> WARNING: This creature is one rank above yours. It takes reduced damage from your attacks.
It seems that the "Loki Patch" also changed combat rules. Before I could decide whether to strike or not, Mom pulled me closer to her, bruising my shoulder as she pulled. She didn't even pull that hard.
"My, my. How are you doing, sister Eathelin?" the [Deep-Sea Raider] mocked.
"What do you want, Medaya?" Mom asked.
"We are here on a peace mission. We want Lady Nenandil to come with us."
Another thing I suspected since the attack. The two sides have spies and communicate very often. How else would they coordinate a joint ambush or learn about Nenandil?
Mom was level fifty-nine. While I knew she could take Medaya in a one-on-one fight, I doubt she would have the chance. I tensed up to fight and Mom squeezed me.
"Don't," she whispered. "I know you have a hidden strength, and we are going to talk about it later. They aren't here for a fight. Let me talk to them."
I swallowed a sob. Every fiber of my being and the people I was in previous lives were screaming at me to murder them, starting with this sassy Medaya [Raider]. I didn't. I was scared.
"I have no interest in anything to do with you," Nenandil replied. "You'd do well to go away."
Medaya clicked her tongue and shook her head, "We cannot do that. Our Lord Kraken has invited you and your companions for a visit. We cannot go back empty-handed."
I cast {Water Breathing} on mom, just to make sure she wouldn't need to surface and breathe soon. But visiting the Kraken's Herald? Were we supposed to come back from that? I knew I could shift my hands into a jaguar's paws and claw them if I needed it. I had the fighting expertise of a dozen lifetimes. Why was I so scared?
Mom squeezed me harder as she sensed me trembling. It hurt as my skin blistered.
"Let my daughter go, and Lady Nenandil and I will go with you. She's a child. There's no need to involve her," Mom negotiated.
I swallowed another sob. My eyes stung.
"Let the girl go," Medaya said. "I won't harm her."
Mom pushed me. I didn't move. "Go, Arista. Go and tell the Herald what happened here."
I flipped my tail once, moving just half a meter forward. I looked behind. Mom had a stoic, determined smile. One that didn't quite reach her eyes. Nenandil gave me a pair of thumbs up.
I started to swim away when Medaya cackled. "I won't harm her. I never said anything about my sisters. We can't let Leviathan know we got the fairy. Kill her!"
I felt a tingle from {Lucky Spotter}. It wasn't enough to know where the attack came from.
> You were struck by Harpoon. You lost 411,232 HP. Mana Shield burned 127,232 MP. (Base 67 (+14 Master Harpoon) x1.8 Strength (40) x3.8 Skill (level 70) x3.8 Backstab (level 70) x2 Master Backstab x4 Death Blow x4 Critical x2 Harpoon Specialization x3 Dolphin Slayer x1.5 Weak Skin). [1,212,683 damage]
>
> HP pool emptied. Eldritch Body triggered. Halving damage. Applying to MP. MP pool empty. Using {SP Substitution}. 86,345 MP spent. SP pool empty.
>
> You have 250,764 points of over-damage. Searching for alternatives. Applying Healing abilities.
>
> Accelerated Regeneration healed you for 82,246 HP. You lost 82,246 HP. You have 168,518 points of over-damage.
>
> Second Wind healed you for 21,123 HP. You lost 21,123 HP. You have 147,395 points of over-damage.
>
> Unassigned damage surpassed the negative HP threshold. Applying unspent Perks.
>
> You gained the Perk: Indomitable II (rare). Multiply the negative HP threshold for dying by 100.
>
> Unassigned damage surpassed the negative HP threshold. Applying unspent Perks.
>
> You gained the Perk: Indomitable III (rare). Multiply the negative HP threshold for dying by 1,000.
>
> You have -147,395 HP.
>
> You are afflicted with Stunning Ambush. You are stunned for 2 (x0.65) seconds.
>
> You are bleeding for (...)
>
> You are dying. Endurance check passed.
>
> Activating Cyst Hibernation.