Somewhere (?) in the pond, behind a root and a hard place~

The area is clear, and I'm perfectly hidden.

Since it's relatively safe for now, let's make plans for the most pressing issues. Because if I don't make some reasonable goals, I'm sure I will be all over the place in less time than it take to say it, and a near-death situation will occur again... This time I might not be so lucky.

First, I need to find a shelter in a safe zone with a steady food source nearby. I've got a bad feeling where I am now, it's too open. I need to move out quickly.

Second, find a way to heal my tail. Or to have the "skill" to do that, but it would bring me to try doing things like negotiating with the Blue square, so I will limit myself to healing me the "normal way" first.

Third, find how the fuck the other tadpole don't get swept away when sleeping.

This is basically everything I can think of for now... Hmmm... I can stay hidden here pretty well for a little longer, so the first goal can wait a moment. Let's try observing the others tadpole for the time being, it can be helpful to see what they do usually. And also, it's the less dangerous and taxing thing to do, so it's all right with the second goal.

And frankly, I'm quite tired so I would like to take a nap before moving ! I don't know if I will need to stay awake for a long time after this, so it's the wisest decision, right ? It's absolutely not motivated by the fact I'm now a tiny frog larvae, barely a day old, have been trapped in a dark place for I-don't-know-how-much-time, escaped death just one hour ago, and want to laze around, at least a little, right ?!

Right.

I carefully poke my head out and try to locate a "family member" doing... Tadpole things. And after some time, one of them come close enough of my position to let me observe it.

For a while, the little guy move aimlessly, going back and forth from the bottom of the pond to the surface. Perhaps he is playing ? I can't say for sure, it's hard to read the face expressions of our kind... Well, let's say it's like that. After having played to his heart content, he goes to a plant not too far from mine, and for approximately another ten minutes eat a chunk of a leaf here. So far, he did not show me anything very useful... Before moving to the stem of the plant, and sticking itself vertically to it.

Haaa, that's what I wanted to know. He's not swimming anymore, but he's not moving from his position. I need to figure out how he did it !

I look caaarefully in every direction : right, left, top, bottom... Thanks for a 3D environment where danger can come from everywhere... Before slowly, silently, going to him. My tail still hurt, but it's bearable now, so I can move mostly unhindered. It take me only a dozen seconds or so to reach him.

My sibling is already sleeping without a care in the world, glued as he is to the plant. This guy won't stay alive for long if he keeps doing that in the open... Well, not my problem for now, I need to stay alive first before helping others.

I start to turn around him to figure out the trick, but at the same time to see if there's anything useful to know about us. I seriously doubt it, but with the game setting magic, we can perhaps shoot water jet from our nostrils or something like that ?

Yeah, kidding. I know we don't have nostrils yet !

At first glance, except the external gills, it's a normal tadpole, all right. Nothing special about it : spongy, semi-transparent black skin, and divers stuff I can see behind... I'm lucky the shard didn't pierce me outside the tail, who seem to be mainly made of muscle. I don't think I would have survived for long with a damaged organ.

Approaching more closely, I can see something behind his mouth. Look like two suction cup ? It seems it's the reason why he can held himself in place. Beside that, nothing notifiable or out of the ordinary, I think.

And now, since I know what I came for, I can quickly go back to my hideout to test it !

...

Ten minutes after safely being back, I'm still trying to know how to do it.

I've run on a problem really fast...

Seriously...

Where the heck is the damn muscle I need to move ?!?

Gnnnn, it's like trying to discover if you have fingers behind your chin ! What muscle do I need to use ? Gnnn, gnnn, holy shit, I still have human habits, for fuck sake ! I still manage with body parts I can relate, but Gnnnnn don't throw new limbs at me or whatever, I don't know where to start !

Like that, ten minutes of unsuccessful attempts where i cringe myself in almost every way, except the right one of course. My patience run thin. So I use the only method who never proved me wrong against any delicate problems, in my past life : brute force.

And I slam myself hard, stomach first, on the rock.

You have been hurt. HP -1

Too hard, perhaps.

But at least, it worked, I'm now sticking to the rock like a pro !

I would like to congratulate myself further, but with this problem out of the way... You will excuse me, I'm exhausted. The lost HP was the last nail in the coffin of my stamina for today. I can sense myself falling into sleep abnormally fast again, and I don't have the will or the envy to resist further. *Yawn* Perhaps I became weak to sleep because I didn't have the need for so long... ? I... We'll see tomorrow... Good niiight...

I wake up in a dazed state. Since I don't have others means to know how much time passed, I use "status".

Status : injured (normal) (one day old) Name : [no name yet] EXP : 31 % Level : 1 Specie : Tadpole stade 1 (common frog specie)

HP : 4 ( +3 HP regen/h)

MP : 5 ( ??? )

Sta : 2 ( ??? )

Titles : [Ancient soul] [swimming in the Nether] [Against everything, i still persist] [Tadpole]

Strength

Stamina

Dexterity

Speed

Intelligence

Charisma

Soul

Magic

1

2

1

1

50

2

550

5

Skills Tiny 1 - - Growing 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 max HP until treatment - - - - - Special skills : Innate swimming*, Soul pouch*, Immuable* Equipment :

Ha, I slept quite a bit of time... Bluey finally updated itself with my HP regeneration now, huh ? But it didn't update the rest...

"I need to do it myself again, even if I showed you the method... ? You're useless... Well, I just need to find a way to use MP right ? But, can I use magic for starters ? If it's like the suction cup experiment, I fear it will be hard..."

"And come to think of it too, I didn't check what exactly the "sta" thing was doing ?"

Answer : [Sta] represent your vigor left until rest is needed. Depending on the energy used by activites, it can go down more or less quickly. If [Sta] go down to 0 and is ignored for a certain time, penalties will occurs.

The [Sta] depends directly of the [Stamina] stat.

"Haaaaa, I'm sorry Blue, you're not totally useless after all ! So it explain why I'm tired so quickly ! I have only 2 sta. It's quite low."

I will have to check this today, it will be helpful to have more endurance if I need to go far away. I need to find out how boost this stamina stat ! Perhaps with training ? Mmmmh, for now, let's close all of these pop-ups and go eat someth-GZBRTGKMHAAAAAAAAA !##@!!

When I closed all the pop-up, I was greeted by the sight of a damn snail face just in front of me !! This fucker drooled itself to my place when I was checking my status !! My gosh, I almost died from a heart attack !!

I collect myself, panting, meanwhile this asshole still observe me with his two eye-tenna at almost zero distance.

I shoo him away with my tail, and he start crawling in the direction of one of my plant's leaf at a slow pace. It will be a valuable lesson for me : dont check the status if you're not sure the zone is clear !

I check my surrounding and go to another leaf from my brother's plant. Don't want to see the snail's face again.

On the way, I check my sibling who is still sleeping in the same place. Great, no danger for now !

I reach my goal and quickly start eating. The leaf is unpalatable like all the others before, but beggars can't be choosers, right ?

I silently eat it while asking myself if I will be able to eat others things soon or not. I don't remember much about frog biology... Mmmmh... It eat dead meat too, no ?

While nibbling, something silently fell on my head.

I looked at what it was.

It was a tadpole tail.

For just a second, time freezed.

...

I didn't bother to check what happened after that, I just knew I needed to start swimming away like a madman. Pure fright is an excellent motivator, ya know.