Surrounded by a pod of the gray, car-sized black-spotted dolphins, Henry didn’t dare move as he waited for his natural predator’s response to his announcement. Would they believe he hadn’t been born as a kraken? Would that matter to them?

  Either way, I need to be ready to run, he thought as he sensed a few magic flares up emanating from some thing. They might be communicating somehow, but he couldn’t sense much of their moods from where he stood. Eying the largest of them, Henry activated his Identify and felt his stomach clench.

  [Spotted Dolphin (C) - ?]

  The highest level couldn’t even be approximated by his skill, but when he tried again on the others, he got something more usable.

  [Spotted Dolphin (C) - Lvl ??]

  [Spotted Dolphin (C) - Lvl ?]

  [Spotted Dolphin (C) - Lvl ??]

  [Spotted Dolphin (C) - ?]

  Okay. They’re C-ranks. Still dangerous, but not a death sentence, Henry thought, but before he could speak up again and put an end to the uncomfortable staring contest, Maurice broke the silence by lifting a claw. “[Hello! I’m Maurice. Are you new friends?]”

  Henry watched as all of the dolphins suddenly focused on Maurice. A couple of clicks emanated out of some of them, but Henry couldn’t pick up any meaning from these–which have meant they were either reflexive or well practised signals.

  Either way, Henry was tense. These dolphins were not weak. Their leader was the strongest, and it was high enough C-Rank that he couldn’t even tell its approximate level. It might even be on the cusp of B-rank. As for its four companions, they ranged between low to mid-C-rank.

  Henry wasn’t sure he was ready for this fight. He couldn’t sense anything from them telepathically. He felt their presence, but not their mood and when he tried to discreetly ask Maurice about it, the crab confirmed his suspicion.

  “[Nothing. They feel blank. Either they have no feelings or they can hide them.]”

  One of the dolphins–not the leader–swam closer, head tilting left and right as it examined Maurice’s shell. Henry tightened his grip and readied himself to send the crab into his Maw.

  “I like the shell colors. It would make a great gift. Once I get the crab out,” it said, filling the space with squeaks and clicks, and Henry put his mental trigger on Inkjet. He was ready to fill the space with burning ink and make a break for it.

  “It’s unusual for D-Rank kraken to speak. But I guess it’s not impossible,” said another.

  “What does it mean it wasn’t born as a kraken?”

  “What if it’s lying?”

  “Quiet,” clicked the leader, and all four dolphins went still. The largest dolphin eyed him carefully, and while it didn’t move closer, it still loomed. “[Odd. Very odd. You will not be harmed, so you can relax. For now, at the least. Do you mind clarifying what you meant?]”

  Henry’s stomach twisted as the voice reached into his mind, and he immediately pushed aside any idea of subterfuge or lies. He couldn’t risk antagonizing these creatures if they had a way to sense his thoughts like the Bahamut whales had been able to. With that in mind, Henry went on an abbreviated summary of the last… couple of months? Maybe three? It was hard to keep track of time underwater. Still, he mentioned waking up as small octopus, omitted the role of the turtle in this–he didn’t want the dolphins to want Maurice’s shell even more–made sure to mention the Bahamut whales, mentioned his scuffles with krakens, and even switched his identification so they could see his class.

  The dolphins must have all identified him then, as a lot of them started clicking excitedly.

  “How?!”

  “A kraken that preys on other krakens?”

  “Ugh… those whales? They’re so pompous… but I guess they’re not bad.”

  Another click sounded from the leader and the chatter immediately died down.

  “There seems to be truth to your words. But why should we care? You and that crab aren’t so unique we’d need to skip an easy meal.”

  “Easy!”

  “Only D-Ranks.”

  “Pretty gift!”

  Henry slowly exhaled, and a glowing, green scale pattern appeared along his skin as he stretched his limbs, one of which quickly morphed into the memorized shape of a spiked bone-flail. “[I’m going to need to use electricity, Maurice.]”

  The crab–as often–emanated anxiety and excitement in equal measures as he clicked his pincers. “[That’s okay. I’ve got the resistance for it.]”

  Henry and Maurice readied themselves as they stared down at the five dolphins. Waiting for them to make the first move. Waiting.

  Then a click sounded out of the leader–making Henry coil his arms in anticipation–and all five dolphins began merrily clicking as they swam around.

  “It fell for it!”

  The dolphins continued to laugh at the duo–Henry assumed–for a few more seconds before the leader swam lower, looming a little closer, and Henry watched, bemused, as the mood shifted and this time, when the leader spoke, it used its clicks.

  “We were only joking. Come with us. Come see our home,” said the leader.

  Henry stared back at the dolphins for a beat, and a discomfort wormed its way into his gut. He didn’t know if he believed them and so, his mind frantically went through the options arrayed in front of him while the rest continued to chatter.

  “Yes! Come see our home! And where did you find that shell? Do you have any more?”

  “Pretty shell!”

  “Tells about the krakens! What happened to eggs? We like those!”

  Henry tuned them out and pulled in his Octominds to help him think.

  Option one; I go with them, and we’re at their mercy. We can then try and sneak away?

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  Option two: I refuse, they get offended, and they get hostile. We’re in trouble.

  Option three: I refuse, and they’re fine with it.

  Maybe it was his paranoia speaking, but the dolphins just turning away and leaving felt unlikely, and if they then insisted on him coming along, it’d be with a more unpleasant context than just accepting their invitation right away. Henry didn’t want to antagonize them. But he believed he could stealth his way away from their home in case things got awkward. After all, they didn’t know all of his capabilities…

  I don’t like this, he thought. He didn’t feel very confident following a pod of dolphins to a second location. He may have had a minuscule chance against these five here, but frankly? He might not even make it, and then he’d be dragged to their home anyway.

  Better play nice and just slip away when their guard is low.

  Henry focused on the leader–the only one who wasn’t bounding around the waters—and decided to share a little bit of his wariness. Just to make his decision a little more believable. “[Will we be safe?]”

  The leader came closer, making Henry’s arms clench, and it spoke directly to his mind. “[Yes, you will be guests. Just be aware that some might be alarmed at first. Some… might try to provoke you. Just let us know. In any case, you don’t have to come. We can part ways here and now.]”

  Henry eyed the dolphin, a little surprised at the latter part. Was that a genuine offer? Or was he completely mis-reading them?

  Am I being too paranoid?

  The dolphins turned and began swimming away, with one of them stopping to wait for the duo, to see if they were coming around, and Henry noticed as a few of them were throwing furtive glances back.

  I’m not sure if I’m misreading things, or if they’re creeping me out.

  Henry and Maurice shared a look, and Henry asked his companion, hoping the crab might have picked up on something he hadn’t noticed. “[What do you think?]”

  “[They seem friendly! And I’m curious. I want to see their city.]”

  Henry looked down at the crab as he rubbed his pincers, then back at the dolphins.

  Were they just pranksters, or was there something off about them? Was he being… too cautious?

  I guess I’ll go along with this. Just in case they’re planning something nefarious if we say no. I’d rather leave when they’re not watching us.

  And if it turned out he was just being paranoid, then they could enjoy a little hospitality before being on their way. Plus, if they had really wanted to hurt Henry and Maurice, they had enough individuals here to do so.

  Unless they like playing with their food, he thought. Shaking his head, Henry took a deep breath and resolved to keep an eye out and prepare to leave at the drop of a hat.

  “[Alright. Let’s check it out, then,]” he told the crab, and as they swam after the dolphins, he quickly explained what he was planning to Maurice. That he didn’t know if he trusted them that much, and that they’d be slinking away as soon as the dolphins weren’t looking, unless they became absolutely sure there weren’t any funny business going on.

  Maurice had taken that in stride, and Henry was pretty sure the prospect of infiltrating a dangerous territory was exciting to the little gremlin.

  Still, he hoped he was wrong, and if that was the case, then this was a great opportunity to learn a few new things. After all, this was the first group of intelligent beings he’d met since the whales.

  He might have some of his questions answered.

  ***

  Henry followed the dolphins quietly–as instructed–with Maurice tightly held in one of his arms. They swam low around the current, never really crossing through, and soon enough they reached a rocky area.

  The dolphins swam further from the golden light then, until they reached a flat rocky space where the leader dove into one of the crevices below.

  Henry’s eyes widened for a moment, until he realized what had happened.

  A cave?

  Excitement bloomed in his heart as Henry slowly followed the closest dolphin. The cave was more of a dug-out tunnel that slowly snaked its way downward, connecting to more tunnels and naturally formed crevices. This must have been the home of some digging species, Henry thought as he took in the maze of rocks and glowing algae, and as he eyed its many corners and twists and turns, he knew he could easily disappear within it, especially if he reduced his size and hid Maurice away.

  That made him feel a little safer.

  A few seconds later, the pod and the duo exited into a wide open chamber brimming with dolphins and golden familiar light, and Henry’s breath caught.

  They were in the Great current.

  Henry couldn’t help but tune out the view ahead for a second. Being in the Current felt… like leveling. Like buying stat points and receiving them. There was something almost electric about the water. As if it was full of potential, waiting to be tapped.

  And within seconds, something happened that confirmed his impressions and made Henry’s eyes widen. He’d gotten another level, which just showed up and added itself to the couple of levels he’d earned on their trip toward the Current.

  Krakenbane Wanderer (D) - Level 52 achieved!

  …

  Krakenbane Wanderer (D) - Level 54 achieved!

  3x stat point awarded.

  “[Henry. Henry I just levelled. What’s happening?]”

  Both Henry and Maurice had stopped following the dolphins as they swam away from the entrance. Henry distractedly lifted Maurice to eye level, and one of the dolphins turned to them curiously, clicking up a storm.

  “You haven’t been in the Current before? It’s something, isn't it? You two will be C-Rank in no time! Anyway, come on. Let’s go meet the others.”

  Henry slowly followed. “[I guess this is why the whales said they didn’t need to hunt. That the Current fed them.]”

  “[It explains how everything is so strong here…]” said Maurice in response as he marvelled at his surroundings.

  The cave was brightly lit, with many room-like spaces dug into the walls. Quite a few were decorated with seashells. Some only had plants around, while a handful had miscellaneous bones and teeth. Whether those had been salvaged or won in battle, Henry didn’t know. But whenever they passed one of the homes, dolphins would poke out and stare at the strange visitor. Some younger dolphins began chasing, clicking and squeaking when they noticed Maurice’s brillant shell.

  Henry noticed that he could sense the young one’s emotions–even though some of them were slightly higher level than he was. Which made him think that the powerful individuals had an innate sort of telepathic barrier… or something like it. Maybe it was more of a stealth thing?

  He could ask. When there was less of a crowd around.

  By now, it seems like most dolphins–nearly a hundred or so–had stopped doing whatever it was they’d been busy with to come stare. Finally, from one of the larger homes came a specimen that immediately made Henry tense.

  [Spotted Dolphin (?) - ?]

  “[That means B-Rank, right?]” whispered Maurice.

  “[Yup. Be polite.]”

  The dolphin was the largest Henry had seen so far. At least twice as large as the average cave resident. Its spots seemed to shift and dance as it ponderously swam out. Its mere presence reminded Henry of that odd feeling he’d gotten from the Trickster when it tried to intimidate him. It felt heavy, and it seemed to draw everyone’s attention toward the large creature while making everything else in the environment fall away.

  It was as if the world had stopped what it had been doing and waited on this individual to take action.

  Henry hadn’t even realized he’d been holding his breath when the B-Rank dolphin finally spoke in that clicking tongue of theirs. “Ah… a meal.”

  There was a silent beat as the words echoed in the giant cave, before all the dolphins burst out laughing.

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