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The Creator, Atlantis, The Kalenic Sea

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Are you sure? It's going to take a while to make something like this...

Am Sure. You promised!

I did promise, and I will be able to make it. Alright then. Just be aware that I haven't done anything like this before.

... can do it...

... I'll, uh... just get on with it then.

I pulled away from Instinct's core with a weird feeling. I was so used to feeling disdain, annoyance, and even hate from Instincts that anything else seemed foreign. It had confidence that I'd be able to deliver, however grudgingly the assurance had been given.

Fucking weird, but at least it was moving on from mindless rage.

The good thing was that Instincts had gotten the idea from something I'd thought about doing back when we shared a core. That meant I already had an idea of what I needed to do. The bad thing was that to make Instincts the body it wanted, I'd need to develop several novel enchantments. Might as well work on them separately and then integrate them later.

And I might as well kill two birds with one stone here since I'd been wondering how to spice up the underwater part of the Eleventh for a while. I picked out a pod of resident Orca who'd made their home around the colder waters to the 'north' of the floor and sent the clever animals' matriarch a mental question, asking if they would be willing to become more, along with a mental image of their future selves. There was a moment of silence before I received enthusiastic agreement.

Now, there was a reason I'd decided to use whales and not any old fish; the fact that whales are mammals. It made morphing their front halves into a more humanoid form a lot easier. That's right, I was making whale mermaids. Merpeople? Are they still mermaids if they're not technically half-fish? Ah, whatever.

Whale-people! The bottom half of an orca whale, in its iconic black and white glory. The upper half resembled a human, scaled up proportionately to the tail. I didn't give them hair since it'd only cause drag. I modified their mottled white and black skin to display unique patterns for each whale. It'd work like a fingerprint. Now, while male Orcas are bigger, which I made sure to continue with my... whale-maids...? They didn't need much more intelligence; they were already incredibly social and clever animals, but I kicked them over the line to sapience.

Like most whales, Orcas are matrilineal. This means that once they were all changed and milling about, exploring their new bodies and awareness of their surroundings, I reached out to the matriarch of the orca pod. I'd figured out what I would call them as I did so and adjusted the name appropriately.

I hereby dub you Metis, Queen of the Oceanids.

"Odd name," she responded mentally, marveling at her hands and wriggling her fingers. "Not that I'm complaining, mind, just get the sense it's got some meaning behind it. Well, you got a place for us to live big guy? I don't think we will be satisfied with our current hunting grounds."

You are... remarkably more astute and aware than previous creatures I've raised to recognize their personhood.

"Not really a surprise," Metis snorted as she cast her eyes, like pools of black tar, over her pod. "I've seen almost eighty winters; you don't survive that long without being smart. Thanks for the push over the line and de-aging, by the way. I was probably only a year or two off getting a Core on my own before we came through that glowing ring, and it would have only been a couple more weeks in here. The Currents are guarded by fierce monsters in the open ocean, so there aren't many ways for the average Orca to find enough mana."

That's quite interesting, and I do, in fact, have a place you can live. It'll take a bit on my end to adjust the proportions to monsters of your size, but I should be done by the time you arrive. I sent a mental image of the underwater city to her. I felt her mental hum as she examined the image, then nodded.

"It'll do. Well, what are you waiting for? Hop to it!" Metis 'ordered.' I could feel the playfulness in her mental voice and marked it down as an old woman having a spot of fun rather than her actually thinking she could order me about.

I left her with the mental impression of a smirk and got to work.

Since the underwater city, henceforth dubbed Thonis since Atlantis was already taken, was unoccupied apart from some fish, coral, and other small marine life, it was simple to adjust the buildings and their proportions to comfortably house my new 'Children.' Metis was remarkably independent, and to be honest, it was always nice having another monster who would treat me like a person.

After they arrived, I reached out to Metis again. I have an idea for an enchantment to let you shift between this Oceanid form, your old whale form, and a more... humanoid form. Let me be clear: I will test the concept on a few lesser monsters first, but I thought it would be better to know if you wanted that before I started.

"Sounds incredible, honestly," she responded. "There a catch, apart from having to defend the dungeon?"

No catch. It's an idea I've been sitting on for a while and wanted to try out."

"Alright then, once you've finished your tests, I'd be willing to try it out."

You? Not one of your pod?

"Of course." I didn't ask why. I could feel the resolve in her mind. She was old and well used to shielding and guiding her pod from danger. She'd never volunteer one of her own for something new or dangerous.

I'll get back to you when I'm ready.

I left Metis and the pod of Oceanids to explore their new homes. Right. Time to follow up on my promise to Wave. I was going to be making more Wyverns, most likely starring with some Wyvern-kin living on the islands in the clouds. I peeked into his cave to see if he was home, and you know what, he's busy. I'm gonna go do anything else.

Guess we'll find out if they're compatible or not soon. What to do, what to do... Oh! The Cliche-Isid-Haythem raid group is on the eighth! I could take a break.

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The Bridge, The First Peak, The Dungeon

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Haythem stared out at the rope bridge. A decent gale ran through the gap between the mountain peaks, and the bridge swayed and shifted with it. It had nothing on the blizzard that'd enveloped the peaks the previous day, but thankfully, they'd found a cave to wait out the storm.

"You couldn't pay me enough to cross this thing," Duncan eventually stated, and Haythem turned to look at him. Everyone seemed to concur, given the looks on their faces. "Besides the fact that it's a trap, it looks fragile. We'd have to go across one, maybe two at a time. The trap could trigger when we're halfway across or if some of us reach the other side, splitting the raid."

Stolen story; please report.

"I agree," Paetor backed him up, pointing over the gap. "Look there, on the other side; a thin path on the cliff runs down to that glacier. Logic dictates there must be a way for us to get down there too, but we've already explored every point on this side of the gap, and there's nothing."

"There has to be a path... perhaps we can't see it unless we look back at the cliff, potentially from the bridge itself," Jerrad finished, frowning and rubbing his beard. The man crossed his arms, though the thick pink Chromatic Tiger Fur and Capriccio Wool parka he was wearing marred his imposing demeanor slightly. "The bridge is definitely going to drop, so whoever goes out there will need to be fast enough to catch themselves on the planks or run back if the break is slow."

"I'll do it," Haythem volunteered, stepping towards the bridge without hesitation. No one said anything, and given he wasn't looking at them anymore, he couldn't tell if they were sharing looks or glances. If he was honest with himself, he didn't care if they were.

"The dungeon has saturated the whole bridge with mana, as it always does. Incredibly wasteful, but effective at stymieing me," Isid said, breaking the silence. "I can't tell where the triggers for the trap are, so prepare to drop and grab the planks. Whenever you're ready, Haythem."

Haythem took a deep breath and started walking. The wind howled, blowing the bridge around... but it wasn't as bad as he'd expected. It swayed and shifted under his feet, but it swayed predictably, and the ropes were attached securely.

He was still suspended who-knows-how-high over what looked like a gaping chasm that led directly to the hells, but he could push on.

Then it happened. A straining, twisting noise. The snapping of rope. The feeling of the ropes Haythem held shifting in place. Haythem quickly turned and examined the cliff, looking for the path. And he found it; it was evident from this angle, and it led right... to the bridge. Under the bridge. That's why they couldn't find it! Haythem dived forward, grabbing the planks and clinging with everything he had. As he closed his eyes, the bridge snapped.

Freefall.

It felt like he was floating for a moment, then the bridge started arcing. Turning his head and wrenching his eyes open against the howling winds, he saw the bridge had broken from the far end, with only the support posts remaining. The whole bridge fell, and it was all he could do to hold on.

Then he hit the cliff. He held on.

The planks creaked and groaned, rope twisted and strained.

He held on.

Only when it felt like he was still did he open his eyes again and risk a glance down. Yup, it still looked like the Void's gaping maw had come to swallow him whole.

"You alive down there, Haythem?" a voice called, and he looked up. It was Bertram, his head poking over the edge.

"Yeah," Haythem called back. "I found the path! You guys need to climb down the bridge!"

"Really?" Bertram responded, sounding incredulous.

"Oh Yeah! Godsdamned dungeon made it so you have to trigger the trap to reach it!"

"That fucking sucks."

"You're telling me! Just get down here."

As Haythem climbed up the ladder to reach the path, the rest of the party descended, one by one. They weren't sure how stable the bridge was, after all. Haythem could imagine a secondary trap that would detach the bridge entirely if too many people were on it. Given what they knew of the dungeon, perhaps something like that did exist, but as part of that 'hardmode' thing.

Whatever. It wasn't important at the moment.

Bertram was the first to reach him, swinging slightly to make the distance between the bridge and the ledge. He dusted his hands off, looking at the overhang above as he approached Haythem.

"Thought you were gone for a second there," Bertram began, putting a hand on Haythem's shoulder. They locked eyes. Haythem saw the concern in his eyes. "Don't know what I would've done if I lost you." The too went unmentioned, but they both knew it was there. Haythem took a deep breath. He felt... better, actually.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I think I got it out of my system," he claimed, eyes flicking over to where Jerrad was just reaching the path.

"What'd you do? Drop it in the Void?" Bertram teased, but Haythem could see the relief in his eyes.

He turned to look at the sheer drop past the cliff's edge. "Maybe."

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The Capital City, The Capital Duchy Theona

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Tamesou Akio's attention was drawn in a dozen directions as he and his party walked through one of the city's many markets in the morning light. Hawkers cried out prices, calling them deals and attempting to draw in customers. Farmers unloaded crates from carts while their kids haggled behind the stalls. Small carved statues, shell and bead jewelry, and a dozen other cottage industries were represented, none of the same craft set up near another, but all definitely competing for customers.

This is what he'd imagined when he thought of an Isekai adventure. The only thing missing were the elves and beast races, but Akio supposed you couldn't have everything. As his sensei had advised them before leaving the tavern that morning, cities like this, especially their markets, were rife with thieves and pickpockets. They were to keep their eyes open at all times and be aware of their purses and possessions. Heliat and Jinasa would step in if one of them were robbed, but as with every other lesson the Guard-Captain had taught him, they were thrown in the deep end.

This was their second day in the city. The first had mostly been spent in the guild, getting paid for their job and looking at if any were close to their route eastward. They might be able to do a few quests on the board, and Akio was excited to get out there. Now, on the morning of their second and final day in the capital, they were heading to the 'noble' district.

After a walk through a couple of markets and preventing three small, dirty kids from taking his coin purse, they made their way over the river. The two bridges that connected the western and eastern districts were a contrast in design. The north bridge was resplendent, built in the same white stone as everything else, with a wide thoroughfare for four carriages and carts to pass over in a line. The southern bridge was visibly older, built of wood, and less well-maintained. They crossed the north bridge.

The eastern 'noble' district was even more impressive and upper-class looking than he'd thought. Statues, busts, and intricate metalwork decorated every wall, with pillars holding up some roofs. Distracted by the view, Akio wasn't looking where he was going as he approached a corner and felt a bump on his chest. He blinked and looked down at the figure sprawled out on the ground. Long, silky blond hair spilled from the figure's hood, and from the way the fabric of the cloak rested against her hips, it was definitely a girl. Did she bump into him? He barely felt a thing.

Akio reached down, offering her a hand up. "Hey, sorry about that. Wasn't looking where I was going."

The girl was hesitant, but after glancing behind him to the rest of the group, she took his hand and pulled herself up. Akio wasn't wearing his armor at the moment and wondered at the softness of her hands. Definitely a noble. No one who trained or worked had hands like that. She was about as tall as him, so around his age, then.

"Thank you," The girl said quickly, with a quick head turn and glance around the corner she'd come from. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be going."

Akio followed her gaze, leaning forward to get a quick look around the corner. Three grown men in fancy-looking armor were jogging down the road towards them, slowing down as they passed groups of people walking past. A runaway or thief, then? Akio shared a glance with Sophie and Bruce, eyes flicking to the girl and splaying out three fingers. The two glanced at each other, then at Heliat and Jinasa. Their teachers shrugged. They were letting them choose. Akio made the decision.

"Quickly, stand with Sophie. She'll hide you," Akio asked. The girl blinked at him. Her crystal blue eyes studied him wary, but after another glance behind her, Akio could see the moment she decided to trust them. She stepped forward, and Sophie wrapped her arms around the girl. Together, they stepped into the darkest shadow of the building beside them and faded from sight. Invisibility while within shadows, another fantastic bit of magic Akio was envious of. He had little practice with magic; Heliat focused more on training him in melee combat.

When the three men in armor passed the group of guilders, their eyes scanned each of their faces briefly. Upon noticing the platinum and gold guild badges pinned to their chests, the three presumed noble-house guards averted their eyes and quickly moved on.

Once they'd gone around another corner and passed from view, Sophie and the girl faded back into view, her arms falling back to her sides.

"Thank you," the girl smiled more timidly than before. "They probably would have caught me again If you hadn't helped."

"So what'd you do?" Bruce asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Commit any crimes? Steal something?"

The girl snorted softly. "No. The only crime I've committed is existing." She shut her mouth abruptly and narrowed her eyes at the Australian boy. "Again, thank you, but I should be on my way. That might have thrown them off my trail, but If I don't get out of the city by tonight, they'll have caught me again."

"Well, we just so happen to be heading east this afternoon," Akio offered, the girl's eyes flicking back to him. "You could come with us?"

"Your minders okay with you making that decision?" From how she said minders, it was an insult, at least to her.

"I have no problem helping a maiden in need," Akio's sensei answered. "Those men looked to be the shady sort, to my eyes, and I feel I have a well-developed sense of character. You're welcome to join us." Jinasa nodded at Heliat's words.

There was a long moment, and the girl lowered her hood. She really was a noble, with delicate features like that. "Call me Elize. When do we leave?"

That was how they added a new member to their little party, left the city before dinner, and were out of sight of the capital by nightfall.

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