They were going to be stuck in Thalis?

  Seeing their confused looks, the ape waved a hand dismissively. “[Well, I’m exaggerating a bit there. You won’t be physically stuck. But it will be seriously dangerous for you out there. Every eight to nine months, the energies carried in the pillars flare up. Significantly. And that makes the wildlife go wild. Monsters that have left the pillars return to them. Beings that have been asleep in the depth of the ocean for years and decades stir and go out to hunt. If you think the sea’s dangerous now, you’d be shocked at how bad it will get then. At the time of the flare-ups the danger triples. Quadruples, even. You won’t be able to go five or six minutes in any direction without finding a B-rank looking for blood.

  Henry and his companions had been constantly camouflaged and wary while traveling before they’d gotten to Thalis, and they’d had too many close calls to count. And that was the safe season?

  The ape continued, looking up at the canopy above and at the many gem-lights hanging above the walkways.

  “[So it’ll be your call. You said you wanted to leave the Pillar and find humans before. I know you’ve met them here, but if you’re still intent on visiting the outside world, you might want to decide whether you’ll head out right after the tournament or not.]”

  “[I want to see the flares,]” said Maurice, rubbing his pincers together while Henry thought of what he wanted to do.

  He wasn’t sure at this point; he was having fun here, and most importantly, he was learning. He was getting better. But he didn’t want to overstay his welcome, either. Already, he noticed that some of the ‘nobles’ weren’t taking very well to be ruled by a non-human, so Henry didn’t want to stoke that fire, even if it was none of his problem. If it was even a problem, actually. He was sure Zerathstra could just round them up and drop them in the closest city if they got too annoying.

  “[At least there’s still time to think,]” he said after a moment. He began working a body for himself so he could go with Maruice later, but the ape wasn’t done.

  “[Oh, and you might have less time than expected after the tournament. Through the years and the decades, I noticed the time between flare-ups is growing shorter. So while I said you’ve got a month to make it out, it might be a few days short or even as little as a week. If you’d rather stay, you could wait with us and help defend Thalis. I’ll be taking care of the big threats, and everyone else takes care of B-ranks and lowers. It’s a good time to earn some levels and put training into practice. No pressure though, you’re free to walk your own path.]”

  The ape ran his hand through the water once more, then hopped up to his feet. “Check in with Arisia for your skill-potion whenever you feel like it. My advice; don’t rush the selection. Work on your foundation first, then see if there’s something you need. Laters!”

  With a hop, the ape flew up, landed vertically on a trunk, then hopped once more and disappeared through the canopy.

  Henry finished up creating his fake body, then took a moment to slowly and methodically push a thin, focused rod of mana through his chest and down his arm, burning a channel all the way down to his palm while repairing the small tears left within. He was getting better at that process, though it would still take time until he could flawlessly cast skills without destroying the body summoned by Mimicry.

  But he was learning.

  From his stomach, he created a dozen holes out of which mana would flow when he projected the skill-nexus out, which should allow some skill usage without wrecking his body.

  With that done, he climbed out of the pool, and cursed when he remembered what he’d forgotten.

  “[What?]”

  “[Gimme a second.]”

  Henry closed his eyes and pictured the construct in his stomach that would house the skills he’d activate. He pushed it out with a practiced manner, felt it slip through the magical shell he was wearing like a hand through mud, and when it was out, he activated Maw.

  Henry had theorized that Maw, much like all of his remaining skills, worked in mostly the same manner. In Maw of the Trickster’s case, it was limited to his mouth, but then the skill became usable through his arms. It had limitations, compared to his other skills, but those limitations didn’t take into account his new technique.

  With the skill-nexus outside of his fake body, the skill activated, but nothing popped out. Not yet. But it was a success. He felt the connection to the skill, and with a thought, three golden apples fell out of thin air, right into Henry’s extended hands.

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  Nice.

  He eyed the apples for a second, then handed them to Maurice who happily put them in his own storage. With that done, the crab peered up at him.

  “[What are we doing? Do you want to stay after the tournament?]”

  Henry looked down at the crab and shrugged. “We’ll see. I’m not in a rush to make a decision, and in any case, we’ve got a lot of work to do before we get to that point. So how about we go talk to some people and eat a bit before we get back to work?”

  “[Okay!]”

  The crab scuttled ahead, sharp legs almost blurring as he sped toward the more populated layers.

  Henry shook his head and walked after his companion. At least he’d make sure the crab wasn’t completely ripped off.

  ***

  The little hour of socializing ended up being interesting. Maurice closed on a deal with a merchant for two barrels of kraken roe in exchange for the three Ambercrip apples, and Henry learned that there was in fact trade with the outside world. Specifically, with a few big human cities, and a couple of merfolk settlements. To the crab’s luck, the merchant promised an update and potential delivery within the month as he was leaving first thing in the morning.

  It was impressive. The merchant was a B-rank, sure, but the sea seemed really dangerous, even for B-ranks. The man said he had an escort of warriors, and Zerathstra watched over them until they were out of the Current, but still. Impressive nonetheless.

  “[That was fun],” said Maurice from his seat up on Ethan’s head. “[We should talk to people more.]”

  “[Sure. You’re free to do so, you know. I can only do it so much, to be honest. It gets exhausting after a while. Especially when it’s a big crowd like that.]”

  The two walked in silence, slowly making their way down the path they had come through days ago. It was nighttime, but neither of them were affected much by the dark, and in case, it never really got that dark in the Current. Everything was always bathed in the familiar golden hue of the odd magic.

  Henry realized he missed sleeping in the dark. Like, shut down the light, close the door, and get a good night’s sleep kind of dark.

  I could do that, actually. I have a guest home.

  Henry had been sleeping in the water out of habit and he wasn’t planning on being around for at least a couple of days, but next time, he would sleep indoors.

  I remember missing sleeping in a bed when I was hiding in small caves. I can’t believe I had a bed a couple of yards away and haven’t laid down in it, he thought, then he poked the crab atop of his head.

  “[Are you ready to be back underwater, Maurice?]”

  “[Yes! I like the food up here, but I miss meat.]”

  Henry paused. “[You could have just asked. I’ve got plenty.]”

  The crab waved his arms and tapped Henry on the head.“[No, it’s not the same. It’s tastier underwater. I don’t know why.]”

  “[We’ll get the chance to eat something, then. I’ve got enough homework and training to work through, but we need some levels. We need some actions and some tokens.]”

  “[Yeah! Excitement and adventure! Oh, I want to fight my own C-ranks, though. And maybe a B-rank when I’m ready.]”

  The crab hadn’t said anything about training since his loss earlier in the day, but Henry knew it was still bothering him, so he wasn’t going to get in his companion’s way. “[You got it. We’ll head to the seabed and I’ll spread some clones, then we can set up in a spot and hunt to our heart’s content.]”

  Finally, they arrived at the little ledge near the water, and for a second both watched the water as the small waves washed over the logs and traps set up by the fishers of Thalis.

  It has been close to two weeks since they’d been down here, and Henry was surprised at the excitement he was feeling in his chest. As soon as Henry put him down, Maurice ran toward the edge and peered down at the water, scuttling left and right. He was clearly excited to jump down, so Henry saw no need to delay the plunge further. He took a few steps and leapt into the water, dissolving the fake body as he did.

  “[Wait for me!]”

  There was a small splash behind him, and Henry pumped his arms and swam toward the crab as his body began to swell.

  It was time to really stretch his limbs.

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