Chapter Fifteen - Slug Beach Town, Part 4

“Here.” she extends her arm offering me my next meal. An electric blue eel in which my human mind is ringing all sorts of bells and alarms. The color screams poison, the texture is all slimy again like the slug, and I can’t even imagine the taste. Would it be like biting a plugged in wire, and would my body react to a cartoonish extent showing off my skeleton?

I sigh thinking I’m probably going to be fine. This body is much tougher than my last, but the human mind is a powerful obstructer. I walk over and thank her for the meal. There is a slight tingle when I grab the eel and I notice a puncture wound relieving me that it is already dead. I don’t think I can eat something that is alive again like the slug.

Down the hatch.

I decide to bite into it and I’m instantly reminded of boba bubbles. Those tapioca pearls that I would get every time I went to a tea shop. There is nothing fishy or electric in its taste and I chew and swallow the entire eel.

[Ocean Eel Tail Acquired]

Neat. Even though the eel appeared to just be one long head and body, I guess it does have a tail. And hopefully like the ocean slug, this tail should provide something new apart from just the tail aesthetic. I scroll through my virtual wheel and select the new tail.

[Ocean Eel Tail Equipped]

I feel a surge building up in my body. As my tail finishes transforming it gains more slime and a darker shade of blue. Sparks of a darker shade of blue form behind me as I can feel a raw and new form of power build up inside of me, or my tail at least. Like my other tails, it still feels like an extension of my body, and I can freely wave it around. It functions exactly like an aquatic tail as it is seemingly swimming instead of dropping down to the force of gravity. Speaking of gravity, if I were to eat Aquastar, would I get gravity magic? But then again, my other fish meal did not grant me a tail, there must be some sort of criteria to gain tails for my magic. I tap my tail into the sand and the light effects dissipate into the ground. I walk over to the sea and feel my body instinctively hold the charge.

“I can control the electric output.” I told Seiko.

Seiko nods, “That’s good. You already know how to fight well, all that’s really missing is implementing these new tails to your fighting style.”

“I agree. A lot. This is so cool! I never imagined that my magic would have such amazing attributes.” I geek out.

I tap my tail at the incoming wave sending out low voltage electricity into the water. The electric bolts jump and ride the waves mixing both blues of water and electricity. The electricity spreads out in a ten meter semicircle creating an electric field. The generated field is mapped out and the information returns to my tail followed to my brain. Is this like echolocation but with electricity? Does something of that caliber exist?

The information relayed back to me appears in my head. Similar to my virtual tail selector, but like a different browser tab. I have a 3D model of the beach below the waves ten or so meters ahead of me. I can see sea shells, plankton, slugs, sea weed, and crabs. I can see when some creatures enter and exit the perimeter and enter my monitored area. I dive in to catch something which might have a tail. Mouth first I bite my prey and munch on my new uncooked, craggy meal. This strange starfish should give me an extraordinary tail. It takes a good half-minute to break through its rough skin and savor the salty-wet chicken-like meat. It’s not even good.

I resurface showing Seiko my new find with a gleeful smile.

“That doesn’t have a tail.” She shouts back, arms crossed.

“Oh bummer.”

At the very least, I’ve discovered I have abilities with my tails. Aside from my martial arts, I can implement my tail abilities into other scenarios. My electrolocation adds in a scouting role which is beneficial towards exploration.

“Come. Let’s spar again.” Seiko returns her rifle to the sun-guarded area.

“I talked a bit with Aquastar and Clover.” I said exiting the water. The seawater slides off my skin almost comically as I feel 90% dried up. My hair is still wet, so I can still feel a bit cool as the sun still beams down on us.

“Talk about what?” Seiko asks. She assumes a defensive fighting position.

I raise my fists, building up my adrenaline to move faster than Seiko. I let my tail charge up a dormant current that I can flip the switch to activate.

“Mostly about you. I hope I can be beneficial to this whole floor climbing thing. I’m just a beginner and a newcomer to this world.”

I kick off and see Seiko also copy my movements. The wet sand flies off from our sprints and our fists connect. I start to divert from the mirror movements and attempt to sweep Seiko, but she raises her foot and combos it with a knee to my chest. With my already extended hand I grab the back of her head as she is already in my grabbing range and use my other arm to deliver a punch. She spins out of the way loosening my grip but I follow her with a roundhouse kick finally landing a hit on her.

Seiko does not let that stop her as she leads in with another knee strike as I hop backwards to dodge and block the other kicks that follow her initial strike. I wait for an opening as she finishes delivering a fourth kick for me to do a spinning kick and unleash the electrical charge from my tail.

Seiko blocks the attack and wraps her cloak around my tail spinning back into the ground. The sweat rolls down and clings into my skin. The salty taste differs from the sea water a few feet to my left. That was a good fight though. But I can’t help feeling powerless. Incapable of doing the one thing I trained a good amount of time on Earth. Kickboxing is just so damn cool. Tears unsurprisingly formed.

“As I’ve said before,” Seiko extended her hand to me, “You have a fighting spirit.”

My confidence wasn’t truly shattered before, but her words definitely reinforced it. I am capable and adaptable. I moved to a new country not knowing the language and I am eager to teach and learn new things whenever possible. I take her hand as she pulls me up.

The sunset dims the sky as the next part of our training will soon begin. New types of ocean creatures will be swimming in these waters and it's my job to find those with tails. I crack my neck and knuckles and ready myself for this new night adventure.

Seiko follows me creating new types of bullets.

“These are illumination shells. Once I fire them, they will light the area for a good amount of time. Explore those areas first.”

“Roger!” I salute towards her, generating some confusion in her expression.

The high tide crashes down near our feet and as it retreats, both of us follow it into the endless barrage of waves. The seawater is colder upon touch and I dive headfirst into the ocean. I feel the waves vibrate without any of my tails active. I keep swimming into the dark horizon waiting to see where Seiko will first fire the illumination round. I turn around mid-swim and see her stopped. She never entered the water but is facing the town. The vibrations in the ocean get more violent as it almost dissipates the waves and creates new waves from the unnatural vibrations.

[Shark Tail Equipped]

I swam with more ease towards the sand and approached Seiko, her expression already shifted to fear. A dim hum fills the air as a colossal floating object appears in the distance. It shone like the night sky. Its exterior was literally a night sky composed of bright, glinting stars. The dawn purple-red sky above gave me more indication that this was not the real sky falling down. The gigantic night sky pushed its way through the jungle of trees and I could make a better shape of it. It’s a tower. A rectangular tower similar to a high-rise building made of night-sky. Its highest point consisted of battlements and guard rails making it distinctively a medieval-like tower.

“The Tower of Stars” Seiko mumbled.

She shook, completely dropping her gun. She started to breathe heavily as the tower kept moving in the direction of the town and ourselves.

There was commotion in the town too. The tavern folk had begun to make some noise and a siren-like sound started blaring. The Tower of Stars did not stop its approach or show any signs of hostility, but its presence overall rattled me, most likely rubbing into me from Seiko’s fear. As I already said, there was no hostility or danger that I sensed from it, but everyone else around me reacted with an urgent sense of flight.

A swift laser swept through the town. Then a series of giant explosions. Followed by rumbles, shocks, and a heavy air flow pushing Seiko and I into the ocean.