With my evolution complete, I'd received a huge power-up... along with an almost tangible timer ticking down to my doom. Sure, the abilities I received were powerful, at least they sounded like that, but Usurper Scourge also meant I wouldn't be spared from the consequences of them.
It sounds like whatever this Herald is, it's supposed to lead some sort of invasion onto land, that's what Rousing Presence is for. Unfortunately, since I usurped this power what its rightful holder, those very same invaders will not only attack land-dwellers, but me too. And I can't even defect to the side of the land-dwellers because they'll hate me for bringing this whole invasion to them in the first place.
It's really a lose-lose situation for me.
Well, there's maybe just a teeny-weenie chance for me to make it out alive from this chance. It's highly unlikely, but maybe if I can level up enough before my timer runs out, I'll be able to fight off anyone that comes after me.
A quick test of Caller of the Depths assures me it may just be possible. As soon as I activate the magic ability and point it at a random fish nearby, a dark cloud coalesces around it. A few seconds later, it dissipates, leaving behind just a cloud of blood and the crushed remains of said fish.
Yes, this may just work.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
----------------------------------------------------------
It didn't take me long to reach level five and select a path. I had more options, unlike with my metamorphosis, but only one of them was really something interesting. It wasn't even really a choice.
The Path only provided me with an initial Perk that reduced the cost of magic based on the pressure around me. Nothing too grand, especially since I hadn't even experienced any issues regarding running out of magic fuel.
Other than that, it just provided some extra stats, just like my previous Path, and more Perk choices at regular intervals. Not that I'd even have a chance to take advantage of those. Again.
Perhaps I'd just gotten extremely unlucky, perhaps the creatures I was supposed to herald were already on their way, called by the sea cucumber. Either way, it turns out I wouldn't get any more time to prepare for the invasion.
The first sign that anything was happening was the sunrise. Not an actual sunrise, those happened above the water and didn't have much of an impact on the ocean floor. No, it was a sunrise beneath the waves. A source of light as bright as the sun somehow illuminated the whole ocean floor for miles in all directions.
It took me a while to adjust to the brightness, but when I did I saw the source. An enormous angler-fish, at least a dozen meters in size, was slowly ascending from beyond the reef. One of my new abilities, I'm not sure which, helpfully informed me it was a Nefarious Angler-fish. And it was many levels higher than me. Too many.
What happened next shouldn't have come as a surprise.
As soon as it spotted me, it locked on and swam right at me. I didn't have much time to react before it swallowed me whole, and this life as a starfish came to an end.