Undersea Reincarnation - [Octopus Monster Evolution LitRPG]

From a few tables away, Henry had kept an eye on the chaotic mixing competition while Velistraine, Zerathstra, and Arisia sat around and chatted about mundane matters as they downed one drink after the other under the eyes of the curious locals. It was an enjoyable evening, and for the first time in a while, Henry just… let loose.

He showed them sights from his world. Images of places and cities he had seen, either in person or in pictures, and as he went from one to the next, he wondered what was going on back over there. Did something magical happen? Was his disappearance just a blip? Clearly, that turtle had arrived in that world by magic, and it had left, which meant either magic had always been present, or that it was only recently introduced.

It was an interesting question to explore eventually, but for now, he just enjoyed the impressed looks his drinking companions were showing. He showed them the sprawling cities with their sky-scrapers, the pyramids, the giant metal ships and submarines, but what had interested the captain the most had been the music, and interestingly, Henry had had a lot less difficulty than he expected to recreate some of the songs he'd spent hours listening to what felt like years ago.

Unsurprisingly, the captain had really enjoyed the theme of a popular pirate-themed series of movies from back home, though to be fair, most musics he'd played had gotten some head-nods and foot-taps out of her

Over a soft soundtrack one might hear in a lounge, the conversation about his old home continued and evolved. It started with what kind of cuisines and liquors Henry had tried and how they were. How they were made. Then the discussion shifted to what would happen if magic was introduced in Earth's culture, which then circled back to food, right as a platter full of appetizers was procured by Zerathstra. He'd disappeared for a few seconds before reappearing with a platter in hand, and as Henry and eyed the arrayed appetizers, Velistraine squealed and jumped in. They were small slices of bread that had been dipped in a spicy sauce before being covered with a smoky, thick spread of peppers, garlic, and onions, all topped with flaked fish.

It was delicious.

As they ate and drank, Henry tuned them out for a short moment and listened to Ash and Maurice's talk about A-ranks. It wasn't news to him, really. Becoming an A-rank himself was not a hope or a dream. It was very much a target. It was one of the steps toward his goal of figuring out what was going on in this world and how he found himself within it. Still, he was pretty happy to see how well they were getting along.

Watching his friend squabble with someone who felt more his age was enjoyable, especially if he and Maurice ended up spending some more time with Velistraine and her crew. While they hadn't really talked about it much considering the looming threat of the wave, Henry assumed they were going to travel a bit together to get their hands on the mysterious orbs. With one of the locations known, the trajectory was set.

It wouldn't be for the long term, and it might not happen soon, but it was a possibility, and it was nice to know the crab could make a friend out of most people he met.

Just in case I get myself into a dumb situation, Henry thought. He wasn't much worried for himself, though seeing Maurice with his new friends, he felt a pang of guilt about putting him in so much danger, but he reminded himself that while Maurice was young, he was no child. The crab could grasp the gravity of most situations just as well as he did. But it was still hard to balance the part of him that wanted to keep his companion safe against the part that respected Maurice's will.

Also, I'll have to check what Rocky and Stormsong want to do in case we end up leaving…

Henry's musings were cut-off as Zerathstra groaned and got himself up to his feet. "Alright, let's get this done," he said, glancing up at a particularly low branch. There was a pulse of mana, and Zerathstra's posture straightened. His eyes grew sharper, and in a heartbeat, the effects of the liquor he'd allowed to affect him instantly dissolved away.

I can probably do that, thought Henry, glancing down at the cup in his hand, before he threw it down his gullet. The liquid went down his throat toward a little pouch that faced his real mouth, and he drank it all up and sighed.

He was sure he could flush the buzz out of his system if he wanted to, but he wouldn't and just for that thought, he resolved to drink some more.

Zerathstra clapped his hands together, and the sharp sounds immediately made the crowd quiet down. "People of Thalis, guests," called out the ape. The A-rank looked around, a serene look on face for a couple of seconds before he grinned. "Well, let's keep it short so we can get back to the party, right? Enjoy your time! Laugh, drink, and feast, because we have work to do. Any day now, the wave will begin in earnest. Some of us will spend days without sleep, but once it will pass—like all the waves before it—we'll have another one of these parties! So!" the ape exclaimed as he raised his cup. "Eat! Drink! And have fun!"

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A roar filled the space as everyone cheered back, and as the clamor mellowed down, Maurice popped into existence right in front of him, a pink, quartz-made cup in his hand.

"Henry! I made you a drink. Rocky made the cup. Try it!"

Henry chuckled and took the cup cheering before he tried the crab's recipe and he had to admit, it wasn't bad at all.

***

The party continued deep in the night, and while Henry sensed some apprehension from the attendees, he also felt an equal amount of optimism, reinvigorated by their leader's confidence and by the presence of an increasingly drunk Velistraine. Through the night, Zerathstra had disappeared a couple of times to chase away some monsters, giving the Treeguards an opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves and soon enough, everyone had gone to sleep.

In the night, it happened.

Henry's eyes had shot open at the same time as Maurice and Rocky, instantly thinking they were under attack, but no offense or skill came at them. The alarms of Thalis did not ring, but after the initial shock had faded, they all knew it was here, and Rocky had confirmed it, having lived through at least one of the phenomenons that he remembered.

The wave had officially begun.

It was, in a way, as if there had been a dam blocking the energies over the last few days. Some of it still leaked through, increasing the levels of ambient energies every day, and as of a couple of minutes ago, the dam broke.

It was nearly a physical thing. The difference was as stark as swimming into the Current for the first time ever. It set Henry's nerves on edge. All of a sudden, it was as if there were heavy, dark, clouds hovering above all of them. They weren't crackling. They weren't rumbling. And they weren't raining.

They were just there. Still. Breathing down their necks while waiting for a spark to unleash the thunderstorm of the century.

It had been difficult to go back to sleep with that heavy air about them, but he did manage a couple of extra hours of rest before wind began buffeting the trees and canopies of Thalis, somehow managing to make the gigantic trees move.

Then the alarm rang, instantly followed by Zerathstra's voice as it ran through the trees to everyone who could hear him.

"Every non-fighter to the inner shelters. All B-ranks with range capabilities to the upper platforms."

Zerathstra's voice was clipped, unlike his usual tone, and Henry knew it was time to earn his keep. He wasn't B-rank just yet, and he didn't have the best ranged attack himself, but he was ready to get some levels and some practice with Echoing Arm.

Henry had shed his human appearance and as the made his way up, Maurice firmly nestled around one especially tough limb—which Henry had created by using two limbs and by significantly increasing the density of the muscles, the two had been quietly floating their way up to the platform when the first strident call reached their ears.

Then they saw them. Dozens. Hundreds of them. Swarming in the sky. White and gray wingspans as small as a school bus and as large as three, with the largest of them sporting nearly a two-hundred feet wingspan.

The giant bird dove at the miniscule form of the ape, accelerating dangerously as it screeched before it flapped its gray wings and two giant barely visible arcs sliced down and cut through one of the canopies like a hotknife through foam.

[Windscythe King (?) - ?]

Henry watched as the giant bird flapped its wing and easily dodged the flying red dots that tore through the air, aimed at its throat. Velistraine fell back down, and while Henry would love to watch more, he couldn't help with that fight—though he had to keep a vigilant eye on it—and instead, he focused on the smaller gulls he could do something about. Especially considering their numbers.

"[We deal with the ones swooping on the Treeguard first, Maurice. Then we focus on the ones helping the A-rank.]"

"[On it!]"

Henry scanned his surroundings and quickly found his first target.

[Stormgull (B) - Level 33]

Henry whipped out an arm, channeling a burst of mana into it and watched as the first salvo flew at the closest bird.