Day 5

Ouch... ow...

Something is poking me... oh its the twins. Their statues I mean, not the real thing. They wouldn't be able to get through the door.

Isn't it a little tight in here?

Great, just great... I out-grew my home. I only just upgraded it too!

Muttering I open the door and stretch in the open water.

Hey, I'm a different color now! The stripes are gone, just solid blue-green with a single line of deep blue running down each tentacle. There were messages that popped up too when I fell asleep yesterday... what were they again?

Ability: Hydrokinesis learned~

Ability: Aquatic Sorcery learned~

Passive Ability: Water Resistance (Moderate) gained~

Ice Resistance (Lesser) rank up to Ice Resistance (Moderate)~

Passive ability: Aquatic Language (Lesser) learned~

You're suddenly being helpful again, help function?

“...”

I look around but nothing much out of the ordinary is going on; fish swimming around the reef, a bloated crab and a glowing green fairy/cyclops thing arguing... and I understand them... weird.

“Hey, watcha looking at, Legs?!” The green thing asks aggressively. “Mind your own business!”

I try to whiplash the tiny green thing into next week for the attitude, it is basically an underwater fly to me... all that happens is tiny, tiny green pieces scatter like dust. Oops. Don't know my own strength at the moment.

The crab laughs with chuckling sound... until he realizes

A. He is a crab.

B. I am a very hungry squid.

C. I don't particularly understand him through the accent.

And

D. I don't really have any reservations about eating him.

He yells something about hiring me, patties, a bobbing sponge and pants but I don't really care that much. Damn evolution, this makes eating very uncomfortable when you can understand your food enough it can beg. He is a bit crusty but the taste is delicious. I also gained a penny... which brings some relativistic questions to mind. It seems to be from home... how did it get here and why did a crab carry around a coin?

Questions for the ages.

Eh, the coin is of no use to me anyway... I toss it.

Heads. Nice, things are looking up.

I spend the next hour or so testing my new skill and checking whether magic is indeed tied to evolution... which it apparently is.

Hydrokinesis is for want of a better word: cool.

Can you imagine the convenience for a human to be able to shape the air at will?

Water is both my air and primarily my ground too. I can do things like cause changes in currents, small vortexes, gravity like effects on water creatures by literally causing the water around them to stop or change direction. Yes, I now have a tractor beam folks (disclaimer: not a beam).

I can even do a smaller scale version of the vacuum bubble attack of the Mantis Shrimp.

As for magic... it scares me.

The weakest spell I learned: Hurricane Tide...

The strongest... Permafrost Eviscerate... it is apparently an area attack too...

Yeah, I think I'll wait until I have a suitable target... it sounds like I'll wash away an island... or worse... if I'm reckless.

“Um... hello?”

Oh great, even the coral can talk. I wonder if this skill has a way to respond.

“...yes?” Holy crap I can talk... only to sea creatures... why does that suddenly hurt my psyche a little?

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“Sir, are you the one that has been making it colder of late around here?”

“I guess so.”

“Would it be terribly rude for us to ask you to leave?”

“The area, I assume?”

“If you would be so kind...”

“I could just wipe you out or ignore you...”

“It is a problem that we cannot ignore any longer, if you choose to stay you kill all of us anyway...”

“How do you mean?”

“Our algae is dying from the temperature shift, they provide most of our food. I know it is a lot to ask but could you spare us a slow death at least?”

Tsundere Mode activated~

“I... I... I'll do it, but it isn't that I like you, idiot... my house is just too cramped now.” Hey! Damn you notice writer! You're clearly screwing with me!

“Oh gracious Sir, we give you humble thanks for your mercy.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever...” I mumble embarrassed. You win this round notice writer, but we will meet again and next time... next time... mwahahaha!!!!

No, I'll probably lose. Damn it, why is one of the intrinsic forces of this universe picking on me?

Hey, there's the siren.

“Good to see you again, Yumi.”

She looked at me crookedly and stays back a little cautiously. “Is that you Mr Squid?” She replied in finger twitches.

Hey, just because I'm twelve foot long, have a different color pattern and am now talking doesn't mean I'm a stranger... at least not in this world apparently.

Girlish Mode activated~

“Do you like it?” I ask twirling my mantle to show off my colors. “Does it suit me? Does it match the color of my eyes?” I abruptly snap out of this one too and shake my right arm at the sky. Damn you! You'll pay for this one day!

She laughs. She laughs till it hurts her side and it causes her to tear up.

“Just leave me to my shame...” I sulk.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh...” She smiles brightly. “So you evolved? Another unique variant?”

“No, just a unique.”

“Oh, that is marvellous...”

“What are you driving at?”

“Well I was coming to warn you the shark is dead, but if you're really strong maybe you should take over the area. I like the idea of someone as... kind as you taking over instead.”

Ah. She thinks I can be manipulated.

“It is a sure thing.” She replies to my thoughts.

I really have to learn how to lie...

“Aww... that will take all the fun out of teasing you.”

“Well anyway, I'm off for now house hunting and hunting hunting. I'll let you know where I end up...”

“Don't worry about it, I know where you are.”

She does? How? Are you stalking me as well as the twins?

“No silly, the water temperature always drops a bit when you're near... and it seems to have gotten stronger too. Good thing I'm cold blooded.”

Oh. I guess that would be obvious...

As I turn to jet off she stops me with a few more words.

“Oh and before I forget... yes, the color matches your eyes and adds a sparkle...that...suits you... so well... Bwahaahaahahahaha...” She falls to the sand and rolls around before pointing at me. “... like a... haha... princess...ahaha... oh I'm dying... hahaha...”

I leave her to die in peace.

Now where, oh where shall I go?

What we have learned from this chapter:

The message writer and help function are separate entities, with different personalities...

The old message writer may have been replaced with someone new and mischievous...

Some how anachronous (out of place and time) objects and creatures arrive in this world...

Coral are polite.