Limitless Seas: Chapter 1.

Chapter 1. 

Cognitive reaction is poor. Minimal nanobot permeation has been achieved at the injury site. Patient’s lack of response confirms the readings, he is currently unable to make decisions on his care. Default setting is loading. Patient history package has been accessed; damaged memory sectors are catalogued for future repair. Will reattempt connection once the indices are more favorable. 

He floated in the grey mist, unsure of who he was or why he was here. There was no pain, no fear, and nothing to do. A new feeling began to exert itself, he remembered it being called boredom. The state of nothingness and boredom continued, he suspected that he should find the situation unbearable, but instead found that he didn’t really care. Strange words occasionally floated into view, but they were just gibberish to him. 

Baseline connection established, loading protocol LL234.45. 

The grey fog receded a bit and he could feel memories flutter by, just out of reach. Try as he might, he couldn’t latch onto anything, save one thing. It was an important memory to have, it was his name, he was Larson. His pondering over the newly discovered name was interrupted by more words. Larson found he was now able to read them and understand their meaning. 

Who shall you be? 

The question was replaced by images of different races. Strangely, he knew the names of them and a bit of what they were like. It appeared that the mysterious words wanted him to select one of these races, but he wasn’t sure how to do so. With no body and no voice, Larson tried to think a reply. 

“I don’t understand.” 

Preparatory information has been downloaded. Processing modified creation experience. Subject cognitive ability remains below minimum threshold.

Warning! Danger of cascade memory failure. Implementing subroutine R1. Memory suppression is at 99%. Access to previous nomenclature and baseline personality are active. Loading optimal initial integration protocol. Pending approval from outside authority. 

More words, he didn’t quite understand. It was like trying to think through a thick fog. With enough concentration, his focus returned. He had almost lost something just now; he had almost lost his name. For now, he remembered he was Larson. Who Larson was and why he was here remained a mystery.

Permissions have been granted, proceeding with the formulation of appropriate transitional history. Scanning external sources for personality matrix modification. Subject has achieved baseline cognitive ability. Reattempted integration into optimal treatment protocol. 

While Larson could now read the words in front of him, they still didn’t make much sense. He floated comfortably in the grey mists for a time. Like before, he began to feel boredom, this time it began to bother him. His mind, something was still wrong with it, but he craved some kind of stimulation. More words appeared, the demands they made were now clear. 

Who shall you be in this new life? 

That was it, he was being granted a new life, but what had come of his old one? Was he dead? Was this some bizarre afterlife? Larson didn’t know, pushing aside the philosophical as he reviewed the material. Bodies of different races again rushed by and Larson found he could slow the flow down by focusing on one. The first he stopped at was a human. That was it, that was what he had been before, but what had happened to him. The strange images slowly progressed across his field of vision, and he knew that he had to choose one. Not only that, the one he chose was what he would become in this new life that was being offered to him. This was a task he could complete; he would take this one step at a time and trust that the whole story would be made apparent in the future. 

The image of a creature caught his eye. It was an elf, only its body was different, modified to live underwater. Gills and fins replaced its ears and the hands and feet were webbed for better movement. The sea was important to him. He had he once lived in it? No, humans lived above the seas, he had sailed upon them. Images of giant metal vessels and fearsome weapons of war flashed in his mind. Alongside the images were those of other metal ships, these weren’t for war, these were for trade and carried goods across the seas. 

Subroutine R1 modification is being crafted. Please wait as the appropriate changes are implemented. Background knowledge has been unlocked for the subject; selective memory suppression is at 95%. 

Something happened in his brain, he could remember more, not everything, but more. Somehow, Larson felt a bit more like himself. While he couldn’t recall any specifics, he took stock of what he could remember. He had been a sailor, more than that, the had been the captain of a ship. Larson had served in war and in peace he had commanded multiple trade ships. Something else had shaken loose in his mind, his personality had returned. He know remembered who he was, his motivations, beliefs, and the myriad of things that made him an individual had been restored to him. 

Who shall you be in this new life? 

The question appeared again, but this time he was ready. Larson didn’t know how, but whatever was posting these strange phrases in his mind was also giving him a chance at a new life. What had happened with his old one had been forgotten, but here was a fresh start and that was more than most people could hope for. He recognized more of the races this time, elves, dwarves, halfling, centaur, the list continued. Once again, the elf with the gills and fins appeared. He stopped the progression of images, studying the elf. 

You are connected to the sea by your past life. Do you wish to live under the waves and explore the deeps? 

It was alluring, but something was off on this sea elf. For some reason, the body didn’t fit him. The sea elf was too delicate, almost fragile. Larson knew he was made of sterner stuff and wanted a body that mirrored who he was. Also, while the sea drew him, he didn’t want to live under it, at least not completely. No, he wanted to explore not only the waves, but also the land above. 

The strange system that controlled the words in his head listened and adjusted his selections to fit his desires. More races appeared; these were ones that could live in both environments and had varying degrees of adaptation. Another elf was there, this time looking less fish-like to him. He rejected this new version of aquatic elf as well, too puny for his taste. Images passed and another caught his eye. It was a fierce looking creature, a shark-like humanoid that stood seven feet tall and had a mouth full of teeth. The creature had a regular shark's tail with two human style legs that molded flush against its body when swimming. On land it didn’t look like it would be too fast, but the thing just looked vicious. Normal, muscular arms were present along with sharpened claws at the tip. 

“What is this?” He thought. The system, that seemed a good name for whatever was offering him this new existence. He would call it the system, at least until it revealed its name. The system did just that, answering his question about its name. 

I am Clio and the creature you are looking at is called a Makon. The Makon are feared and loathed by most other races. Low in intelligence, the Makon have a primitive society founded on hunting other intelligent races for food and sport. Occasionally, a Makon will leave the sea and explore what the land has to offer. While not necessarily adventurous, Makon can sometimes be lured to work for other races as long as they are given plenty of fresh prey and some shiny trinkets for their troubles. 

The Makon was too far on the other end of the scale from the sea elf. He wanted power, but he wanted it controlled by a sharp mind. More races moved through his view; this Clio somehow knew he had rejected the shark man as an option for his new life. He was beginning to get discouraged as race after race had some flaw he couldn’t overlook. Sea monkey looking race, pass. Octopus man with tentacles for hands, nope, too slimy, pass. Fish with a human face that could float on land, way too creepy, pass. Cutesy sea horse with legs, nope, he wasn’t a ten-year-old girl. Hold on, there was one that struck his interest. 

Larson stopped on the image of a new race. This one had the upper torso of a man, but the lower body was like that of a serpent. He was intrigued by the mix, since the humanoid torso looked normal, no weird spikes, gills, or fins sticking out. The snake part of its lower body gave the race an imposing and powerful look. 

“What is this?” He thought, and Clio answered. 

While most of the Naga race are land dwelling creatures and not fans of the water, the sea naga have adapted to live in either environment. All naga feature some humanoid features with varying degrees of serpent-like bodies. Some types look completely like large serpents while others have the head of a humanoid. The water version of the naga is a bit of half and half situation. They are powerful beings, able to develop natural weapons and defenses while retaining an intellect on par with most humanoid races. All naga will develop natural spell casting abilities as they grow in power and are fearsome opponents in melee combat. The lungs of the water naga can process both air and water equally well and the tail can propel them quickly both on land and in the deeps. While powerful, the naga learn and adapt more slowly than other races and will gain experience and new levels at a reduced pace. 

This one looked like a good fit for him. His mind tingled as the knowledge of the ways that his new world would function was granted to him. Larson understood leveling and that the creatures of the land developed experience as they overcame challenges. Once he had gathered enough experience, he would gain a level and become more powerful, unlocking within himself new abilities and other advantages. Sadly, the naga looked like they would gain this power more slowly than many other races, but that was somewhat offset by their inherent power. There were likely other advantages and disadvantages to the race, ones he would be forced to discover on his own. 

Wanting to make a wise decision, after all, this was going to be a completely new life for him, Larson scanned through the other races and found a few interesting ones. The race that morphed from a dwarf body into a big fish when it was in water seemed intriguing, but not exactly what he was looking for. Once he had reviewed the list, the sea naga still looked like it was the right pick for him. 

Select sea naga for your new existence, y/n? 

Larson selected the sea naga and he felt his body being created. He felt oddly disconnected as his indistinct form morphed into the image of the creature he had seen in his mind. The grey fog became solid beneath him and Larson was left wobbling on his serpentine body. The motion was unnatural, and he fell over several times as he attempted moving around. After a bit of practice, Larson was able to move at a normal pace without wobbling.  He even found he could slither up to the speed of a man sprinting when he wanted to. His new body stood at just over six feet in height, but his total length from head to tail must have been closer to twelve feet. For perhaps the first time since he had awoken to this new fate, Larson felt excitement at what would happen next. 

Prepare yourself for a new world. Your start will be difficult, reflecting the challenges faced in your old life. Survive, learn, and grow in power. 

Larson started to ask a question, only to have the grey fog roll over him once more and an intense pain burned in his mind as something heavy hit his head.