Level unlocked: Apprentice worker ant.

The ants of Theanore the nymph and Marinus the merman have gained a new level because of their diligence while working. As such, they all can enjoy a boost to their stamina by 15 points.

Achievement gained: Hive mind.

The worker ants have progressed through the orders of their Queen and King. As such, both Theanore the nymph and Marinus the merman receive a one-time boost of a hundred mana to do with as they please.

Both Theanore and Marinus shared a look at this unexpected development. They hadn’t even known that the ants could have their levels, much less that they could benefit from them.

“Do you think that the Fatty Slowpokes and the murder muffins could level up too?” Asked Theanore, and Marinus whistled at Hiss, which was lying near the pool.

“Hiss, jump into the pool,” he said and Hiss showed him her behind, whipping her tail in a couple of quick successions.

“With how lazy they are, I am beginning to doubt it,” said Marinus, clearly having given up on the idea. But Theanore knew just what to do. She rushed to the catnip and took a leaf from one of the bushes.

Returning to the pool area, she threw the leaf into the water and pointed at it.

“Hiss, get the leaf!”

Hiss half got up and wiggled her behind left to right. Then she pounced into the water and got the leaf between her fangs.

Level gained: Beast tamer.

Theanore the nymph has gotten Hiss the murder muffin to perform a trick. As such, she gets the skill “Better understanding.” It is a skill that provides Theanore the nymph with the ability to read the emotions of her animal companions when she concentrates.

Theanore furrowed her eyebrows and focused on Hiss. She could feel a hint of amusement, coupled with greed and confusion.

“System, can Mari do the same?” Asked the nymph.

Marinus the merman has to unlock the skill himself. But be warned. While you can unlock unlimited levels and skills because of your dungeon core status, he can unlock only one skill and can go up to level 50.

“Oh, I have to be careful, then,” said Marinus. He could already read the emotions of sea creatures, and Theanore could translate the emotions of all the rest. He felt it would be better not to waste his one skill on something that could be worked around.

“System, what sort of skills can I unlock?” Asked Marinus.

The skills are as follows:

Beast tamer;

Storm caller;

Watery refuge;

Quick tail;

Siren;

Changeling.

Well, this was not helpful at all. Marinus was as confused as Theanore.

“System, can you tell us what each skill does?” Asked Theanore.

Storm caller:

You are a calamity of untold proportions. Blessed by the Demon of the Eternal Lightning and the Sea God, you can cause storms as long as you have the mana for it. Perfect for wrecking ships and drowning their crew.

Theanore looked pale and Marinus coughed. Before he had met Theanore, he would have jumped at this skill. It would have been a boon to any merfolk colony, and he would have been accepted gladly by his brethren. But now he had the duty to be good and to be worthy of Theanore’s hand.

“I won’t be choosing this one. Next one, system,” said Marinus, and Theanore send him a grateful look.

Watery refuge:

You are a merman and so at home in the sea. But with watery refuge, you can share said home with land creatures. They can breathe underwater as long as you have the skill activated. The skill costs 10 mana per hour.

This was a good skill. Marinus could already see himself giving Theanore a tour of the outside underwater caves. But he couldn’t rush it. He needed to learn about the rest of the skills too.

“System, it is a good skill, but I want to learn about the rest first.”

Quick tail:

You are as fast as lightning. You can swim fifty meters in a second, but that comes with a price. Furthermore, you will age faster.

“Oh, no!” Said Theanore and Marinus agreed. As a merman, he could live up to 300 years. If he aged faster, he might not live long enough to see 50.

“I think I know what a siren does, system. But tell me anyway.”

Siren:

You are an artist at heart. You can sing a sailor to your position from meters away. Your singing can both doom and save those who hear it. It can drown and heal. A siren is both feared and revered because of this.

To be able to heal Theanore if she got injured was tempting, but it was still mostly an attack skill. Marinus could attack like he was now. He didn’t need to resort to trickery.

“And the last?” Asked Marinus, almost ready to pick the watery refuge skill.

Changeling:

You are part human. Why not become a full-time human? For 5 mana per hour, you can turn into a human, and you can mingle with others of the kind. Perfect for spy work or if you have a human sweetheart.

By absorbing a lot of gold and pearls these past days, Marinus had a pool of 300 mana to work with. That meant he had 60 hours among the humans before he needed to hide. That was almost three days!

He could have the same form as Theanore. He could go where she went! Furthermore, he could share more with her. Maybe they could even sleep curled up together, like the murder muffins?

With a dreamy smile, Marinus made his decision.

“System, I peek Changeling,” he said, and then he received red words in front of him.

Warning:

Skill selected without the prerequisites for it to be achieved first. For the skill changeling, a merman has to stay out of the water and breathe through his nose the whole while. One must go through the discomfort of having his tail dry up. Of the pain of having his gills beg for water. It is a painful business, becoming a human.

“Well, ok then,” said Marinus, and he braced himself on the edge of the pool. Then, with one quick motion, he got out of the water and rolled on the cool, wet, stone.

“Mari, no! It will hurt too much,” said Theanore as she tried to push the merman back in the water, but he was too heavy.

“System, how long do I need to stay outside the water?” Asked Marinus. He brushed away Theanore’s tears with his thumb and smiled reassuringly at her.

For as long as your mana permits you to be human once the skill is unlocked.

Three days, thought to himself Marinus with dread. He had heard of beached whales who couldn’t survive that long. But for Theanore, he would try. If he felt he was going to die, he would immediately go back to the pool. He could stand not being able to follow his little nymph into the human world. He couldn’t bear to leave her.