Aligory

I've been thinking a lot recently about the style I'm going to have as an author. I did a lot of research into the different styles people have: Good stuff that comes out every two or three days but takes a while to plan, long stuff that only comes out every month but is absolutely incredible every time, short stuff that comes out every day but is so rubbish it makes me scream at my screen. I've been trying to think about the kind of books I want to write and in the end I just can't accept the mediocre quality I'm putting out now. So the schedule is going to change and I'm going to be making quite a few changes to arc 2(Current arc).

To start with, the entire arc is going to be edited.(Which means no new chapters until that's finished, though I might write some short stories that you can find in the comments every now and again.) I'm going to release that editing as I go because I've already released it and I don't want to make you wait for chapters forever then suddenly come back to discover a completely new book.

After this specific arc however I'm not going to start releasing an arc until I can consider it finished which means arc 3 is going to be a while. I considered just uploading the drafts as I go and then editing it while it's published like this time. The opposite was also an option, just not editing at all but the latter just wouldn't satisfy me as a creator and as a reader I would not have preferred the former so I won't be doing that.

As such this'll be the last chapter for a while and won't remain cannon for very long nor will it be published again afterwards so you could consider it a draft I shared in the early days if you prefer. Anyway, don't worry I won't stop writing during this time and I intend this book to be approximately three volumes(Each volume with three arcs and we are currently on arc 2 of the first volume so that should give you an idea of the length) and I won't stop writing it until that's done. I did consider just writing something else for a bit honestly but I feel like not finishing it now would mean not doing so at all and I just can't stand unfinished projects.

It'll be a while but don't worry I'll still respond to comments and I'll be writing a few short stories, poems, diary entries and the like in the comments so have a look for those. In the meantime thanks for the support, you know I mean it and enjoy the exclusive peak at later story events I guess.

 

Zilla lead onwards as Lilith continued to chase or follow but she would occasionally become intrigued by a shadow darting across the ocean bed or a colourful shape near a rock outcropping. They were not terribly far from shore so the type of creatures they could find would be limited.

Crabs, lobsters and shrimp were fairly commonplace with the more interesting specimens being those such as flatfish(plaice and the like) as well as the occasional cod, ray or seahorse. Cod were simply edible but the rays, seahorses and flatfish each had a biology that Lilith had wanted to investigate in person, though she observed the cod regardless.

The one she had found was fairly large and if she remembered correctly, referred to as the Atlantic cod. The creature was slightly longer than both of her hands combined. What she did not understand is why the creature developed the barbel on it’s chin.

As she understood barbels were used as a form of location using taste. The creature in question uses the barbel to taste the nearby water and searches for both prey and predator. It is both a defence mechanism and a hunting aid. Lilith however is fairly certain that she read somewhere they were most commonly seen on creatures living in low-light conditions as a replacement for their sight.

While underwater at night is probably dark, she cannot imagine being this close to the coast meaning that they are not struck by the sun at least slightly. That brings to mind an idea she wishes to try but decides otherwise for the moment.

While the mundane changes have made her wonder for some time and she is yet to find an answer, the system related changes are far more apparent. The best example would perhaps be the lobsters and crabs on the ocean floor. The former could be best described as monstrously large and less of a scavenger, more of a battering ram.

No longer do they hide in caves and scavenge the ocean floor for molluscs or dead fellow crustaceans. When a lobster walks into an area, the rest run and only the swift escape. Even the slower predators or camouflaged flatfish are crunched in half by pincers each the size of Lilith’s leg.

The large armoured crustaceans could likely no longer fit in the caves they had found for themselves and so they became roaming predators. The few blows on their carapace they take do not so much as leave a scratch, even from the pincers of nearby crabs. Lilith wondered if their chitin would be used to make a water-resistant armour in the future for the time when the marine-folks branch out into underwater combat.

Of course they were not alone in their changes. It almost seemed as though lobsters were physical specialists while crabs were magical. Currents of water and pincers of ice crashed against the shell of the lobster and they did more than simply bounce off.

Some left scratches, others dents but it was clear that they were not as ineffective as simply clawing at the creature had been. That was until the lobster suddenly started to sink into the sand beneath it. Lilith looked closer intrigued by the display and discovered that the lobster was sinking into the ground because of it’s weight rather than by choice and a certain crab was holding onto it as it goes.

The crab with gravity magic was a fascinating phenomenon but there were many more wonders in the sea that she could investigate once she had a swift and stealthy familiar. Perhaps several. Regardless crabs and lobsters possessed neither of those traits.

Now that she thought about it she had not discussed the matter of a familiar with Zilla but it mattered not. The girl had reacted to the wings with curiosity rather than hostility. Fangs are a tad more aggressive but she could not believe it would provoke a reaction that growing a pair of wings did not. If she could find a school of tuna on the trip or perhaps something a tad more rare would be in order.

She continues to follow Zilla as they swim further and further out into the deep ocean. It is fascinating to witness the change, especially with absolute night vision. She can constantly see the depths beneath her no matter the distance or darkness. It is a researcher’s dream.

She would occasionally find a species of particular interest on the ocean floor and investigate with Zilla following closely behind her. It brought forth a form of nostalgia for her. Though this time Zilla was the one peeking over her shoulder as she learns about the creatures of the depths. Sometimes however Zilla would not be able to see what she was looking at and only tilt her head. Her dark vision was not perfect.

They both spend some time exploring the ocean as Zilla shows her the wonderous ecosystems of the deep ocean. Large sharks that look as though they could swallow a person whole called basking sharks.

The deepest depths of the ocean abyss however are the most interesting where creatures such as the pelican eel rip tears in space and appear behind their prey before swallowing them whole.Those such as anglers and phantom jellyfish are also fascinating. Both for their biological properties such as bioluminescence and for their system boons such as the use of light magic lasers that make depths of the ocean seem similar to a concert or space-battle from ancient legends.

Lilith did not forget her original goal here however. The first of her acquisitions is a creature known as a wahoo fish in the warmer waters. Not the most intimidating of names. Despite that it managed to easily outpace Zilla and would have taken a bite out of her had Lilith not gotten in the way first.

She had not hesitated for a moment to throw herself in front of the fish with a rather nasty jaw and that was somewhat concerning. Granted her new sense of invincibility was most efficient in this case. Hesitating would have likely meant Zilla was hurt and allowing damage to a fellow researcher and amiable individual when it could have been prevented without any inconvenience would have been unacceptable.

Just as unacceptable however was a willingly self-sacrificial tendency as she knew from experience that those must be removed post-haste lest it become natural and influence her own mentality. Particularly now that she was immortal. The reason she could not convince herself to change this was because it was also the most efficient method to capture the aggressor.

Unfortunately for the creature it is only a few metres long and not terribly strong so Lilith’s magic and a sufficient application of physical force was enough to make the bite of her arm the last it had as a living being before she plunged her fangs into the creature. As expected Zilla was concerned more for her safety than for the fact that she just created a dessicated fish that swims around with noticeably more black scales.

Watching the bite of her arm disintegrate into ash made the girl stare at where it had once been and absent-mindedly chew on one of her fins for a significant amount of time. To snap her out of this Lilith waved the arm in front of her.

Her wide eyes took in the healed limb and she looked to Lilith then let out a squeak backed by a low humming sound. A sort of keening specific to dolphins that Lilith was unfortunately unable to translate or replicate. Given this lack of understanding Lilith simply brings her hand slowly toward her friend’s side, waiting a moment before actually running her finger across the smooth grey skin and presenting the now uninjured limb for her to inspect.

Zilla does not wait a moment in her inspection grabbing her arm and pausing for a moment before slowly running a fin across the limb for the tactile sensation. She immediately lets go following and starts making her keening noise again though at the limb this time.

Once finished with what Lilith can only describe as an odd form of inspection she finally lets the limb drop and Zilla turns to her still slightly tense but relaxes a little more when Lilith stops brushing across her skin. It was calming to focus on the specific motions while examining to keep her thoughts on track but now that it is all she can focus on it had become more uncomfortable than calming.

The oddly named fish had swum off by this point on Lilith’s direction so it was not around in case Zilla had an outburst or became irate enough that it’s transformation went unnoticed. Thus the exploration proceeds apace without looking for the creature.

Which leads her to the second acquisition. She had originally thought she might find a school of tuna to turn for they were known for their speed and numbers but Zilla had decided they needed to climb back near the surface for some reason and she had spotted a type of fish just as good if not better in smaller but much better numbers. Atlantic sailfish.

Large fanning dorsal fins and the comically long point at the end of it’s mouth made the creature seem almost a spear in the water ready to skewer fish with their rather impressive speed. However Zilla’s notes suggested that this creature in reality used it more as a tool for stunning than murder.

They do however appear to hunt the more streamlined fishes in front of her most of which she can identify as the like of mackerel and anchovies though she occasionally does not even get a glance due to their speed as they plow through the schools like all you can eat buffets. They appear to work in small groups and she decides to get several of her own though the problem of catching them takes quite some effort to solve.

Her magic slows them down but they are so fast to begin with that the difference is utterly pointless in comparison to her rather unsuited wings propelling her along. Thankfully however she doesn’t need to be able to slow them down if she knows exactly where they are going to be.

She watched and waited until they came closer to the ocean bed while releasing her magic on the creature. It will no longer be a surprise but regardless the sudden change will help. She remains in areas heavily populated by crustaceans because the comment about stunning them requires that the creatures hunt them at some point.

She makes certain she is out of sight before activating Camilla’s ability and waits for a time ready to pounce once they approach the crustaceans near her. After all the waiting however they do so quickly.

They zip towards her at a rather impressive speed but she is still ready. She was taught like a pulled bowstring and shot out immediately, biting down before the prey even arrived but unable to stop it’s momentum the sailfish swam straight into her waiting fangs. The dry remains swam away following as Lilith moved to another spot and readied herself.

Such was the routine that she spent considerable time repeating to acquire the 5 sailfish that swam in the area. Such was the end of her familiar adventures. She let the creatures mill around as their instinctual brains demanded.

As soon as they reached the surface however Zilla immediately swam towards the wooden extension they had jumped into the water from. Lilith was not exactly pleased to leave so early. Despite that if Zilla was attempting to leave then she would not persuade her otherwise and she simply accepted the number of familiars and exploration as the status quo for now.