Please Note: Statements between % something in italics % are game system messages.

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The sea is a lonely place. The chances that you just jump in anywhere in the middle of it and expect to find a fish or any living thing for that matter is like one in billions, if not more. Most of it is just deep water.

Hanging a few feet below, wearing a constricting dive helmet which had a smallish roundish glass to look out of and a pipe with his supply of air, waiting for something to happen, was Raka. Beneath the waves, it was quiet. Silent except for the feeling of water which permeated through his skin. His hands and feet kept pushing him down as his natural buoyancy pushed him up.

It is a myth that people don't float. Rather it is more difficult to stay submerged. Without his heavy dive helmet, Raka wouldn't have managed to stay underwater for long before he got completely tired of moving his hands and feet. As such the weight helped him stay submerged, floating just a few feet below the surface.

And it was very lonely. Raka tried to move the helmet around so as to peer outside of the small window and look around. But everywhere was the same. Water. The sea floor was too deep to be visible. His surroundings had nothing, significant or otherwise. No creatures of the sea intervened. It was just him and the time which were moving.

Sunlight filtered in illuminating his surroundings. Sometimes, it would dampen as a cloud would pass overhead. Looking up, a wavy picture of the sky and the bottom of a boat were visible. Floating there, Raka had a lot of time to think.

'Hmm..this dive helmet is interesting.' He examined it feeling all around with his hands. 'From what I can feel, this is the type which keeps the water from flooding in by having a constant pressure of air on top. So if Guran ever stopped pumping in air, I would drown.' He was surprised by how he could simply analyse his deathly situation. Something thick, which felt like rubber, was pressing down on his neck, providing that constricting feeling. It was tight but not so much as to suffocate him. 'So this is what is stopping the water from simply rushing in but I don't think this is designed to operate in much depth. What do the fishermen use it for?'

Even that got boring after a while. 'How long do I have to wait?' Raka seriously considered heading up and talking to Guran. But he decided to wait a little more. Underwater, he could not really tell how much time had passed. He thought it was an hour but it may have been only minutes. There is this saying, time passes slow when you are bored. Atleast, there was still daylight. "Oh...come on...Mr. God...Miss Goddess, could you hurry up a little..."

Raka waited and waited. And then he felt it. It was a strange sensation. But he definitely felt water getting thicker. 'Am I losing my mind?' But if he could think then he can't be going crazy just yet.

He tried moving his hands and feet. 'Yep...it feels different. This feels like...jelly!' Water had thickened and it made moving difficult. Ideally, he should have sunk into whatever it was. But the solid feeling water was actually stopping him in place. And gradually the water kept getting thicker.

'Oh shit...' Realizing the danger, Raka struggled to get back up, but the thick water simply wrapped around him and he froze in place. No, not like chilled frozen. Rather like a statue, stuck in place. It kinda reminded him of that certain ill-natured magic, Bind. Except done with water. He was stuck making a weird pose.

Thankfully, his view had not been affected. 'This better not be a joke!'

And then he waited again. Hung there in a weird pose. Whoever was doing this, was certainly in no hurry. "Maybe the God has a sense of humour..." Atleast inside the helmet, he could move his head. And then things started happening.

It started getting darker. Like the sun was setting. Slowly darkness spread all around till he was in pitch black darkness. And then, it became so dark, Raka did not know if his eyes were open or closed. 'What the hell!' Even the feel of water had faded, as his mind had got used to it.

Raka felt like he was unconscious. And then out popped a huge green eye in his view.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Every bit of hair on his body rose, every goose he had bumped, every organ inside jumped out of his mouth. But the huge green eye still stared back at him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Have you ever jumped into a pool and found a great white shark saying hello. Or maybe that creepy tree outside suddenly having a corpse hung from it. Taking a train and finding a ghost on the next seat. Whatever you may have gone through, it was nothing compared to getting stared at by a huge green eye in a pitch black sea.

Raka took deep breaths trying to calm himself down but it was no use. He was having the scare of his life right now and he couldn't move a finger. He did the next best thing...he screamed his lungs out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Some minutes of screaming later, he calmed down. All the while this huge ass green eye never stopped staring. Not even blinked.

When his brain finally caught up with this situation, he started noticing other details. The green eye was not really green. A green hue was coming out, all around the eye, making the eye seem green. Raka couldn't see what it was part of though. All he could see outside the glass was the eye. 'I am not dead...yet!'

He stared back at the eye. And it stared right back. What an impasse.

And then he felt it. His hands could move. But his feet were still stuck. 'Exactly what am I supposed to do?' Raka had never felt this out of sorts.

Raka moved his hands and tried to touch, whatever was around. He felt something hard and smooth. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. And as he did, the thingy moved back. As it did, some more body parts came into view, all giving out a strange green hue. He still couldn't make out what that part of body, was part of. Whatever this thing was, it was humongous.

And yet, it simply turned it's eye and stared. 'Really now...' At the end of his wits, Raka remembered something. 'Maybe this thing is magical, so it must be intelligent....can I communicate...'

"Hello, how do you do?" Raka started. He waited to see if the creature would respond. But it did nothing. 'Now what?' In absolute confusion, Raka tried waving his arms. 'Still no reaction. Do tell me what you want..'

Raka racked his brains trying to remember everything he could do. 'Sing?'

"Ring a ring a roses...a pocket full of poses..husha and husha and all fall down..."

Nothing happened.

'Should I do some magic?' Raka decided it couldn't hurt to try. Well it could, but the risks were worth it. Not that he had any other option left.

Raka closed his eyes and entered his colorful world. And then there was light. From being stuck in the pitch black darkness, he was suddenly bathed in colorful light. This time the colors moved like continuous waves not staying still for a second. 'Holy...how am I supposed to focus like this..' The sea was an ever moving place.

Thankfully, the colors close to his body were slow enough. He focused on the colors near his hand and transformed water. Afraid of casting any attack magic, he simply waved his hand. The water magic cut through the surrounding jelly like water, in various lines illuminated by the green hue. But the creature just kept staring.

'Now what?' This was like getting stuck between a rock and a hard place.

They simply stared at each other for a few more minutes. Raka hoped that it would get bored and leave but it never shifted it's attention and kept staring right back.

"That is creepy, you know." Raka said out loud not expecting any reply back.

Then suddenly he had a brainflash! 'Could it understand magic language?' From what Raka knew, magic language was an ancient language spoken by the ancestors of the various races. Over the many years, the sounds of magic language had vanished. Now, it existed not as a spoken but a written language only. Even then, it was a language of magic, whose words made magic possible. But hadn't Guran said something like magic existed before our ancestors. 'Is it possible?' All he could do was try.

Raka transformed some water magic and using his hands, he wrote the symbols for water.

The creature finally started moving. And suddenly the darkness lifted. Where it was dark, sunlight came pouring down from above. And it revealed a sight far more terrifying.

Fear is not something which could be measured and hence there were no limitations in place. There is fear enough to kill.

The thing which flashed in front of Raka's eyes was green. A mountain had come down in the form of a sea creature. Forget the end, he could not even see the whole of it's beginning. He had to move his neck, left and right, just to see it's front. There were claws. Big as a couple of warships. And there were two. 'Alright I am going to die now...'

This was a Sea God. You do not fight a God. You pray to it. Pray that it lets you live. For not in a million years could a mouse ever hope to defeat a mountain. If it surfaced, it could become an island by itself. It was like the Great Barrier Reef upped and moved. This thing could eat a hundred ships and not even burp.

And it was swift. It's tremendous times humongous times huge (tremendous X humongous X huge) body turned around and swam away. Within minutes, Raka could not see it anymore. He did not even realize that his hands and feet could move now. He simply kept staring in that direction.

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The journey back was a silent affair. Too many thoughts whirled around in Raka's head. Guran also left him alone. He knew it was a life changing experience.

So it was for Raka too. Almost suddenly, this world had taken a whole new meaning. Sea Gods were terrifying. And huge. And most of all, masters of magic.

All the things which he had not noticed when he was pissing in his pants, came into focus now. 'How far can that thing do magic? It should be like a few kilometres atleast, judging by it's speed...' Even then, Raka was sure that he had not seen it's maximum capability.

'And that size...' Raka still shivered when he remembered that big green eye. It was the stuff of nightmares. He doubted he would ever forget that. And then he shivered again. Traumatic was one word for it.

In the end, he wasn't even able to see what kind of creature it was. 'It seemed like a big green lobster...' He guessed.

Back on the island, Guran invited him to his home. As Raka sat on the chair, Guran placed a goblet in front.

"Drink this," he said.

Raka took a big gulp of this dark golden colored liquid.

"Ugh...." It was barka. Amazingly good for shaken nerves. Extremely bad on the tongue. A wave of warmth washed over him and he gradually stopped shaking.

"So that was the Sea God, eh..haha.." Raka finally said.

"Yes. Ruler of the seas. All beings of the sea are within his domain. And if he doesn't like you, well..." Guran shrugged.

"What is he though?" Raka asked.

"I don't know. He is ancient. This God was around before my grandfather's grandfather. Rumours say that they are the masters of water magic. Rumours also say that we learned magic from them. Too many stories, too many legends. No one knows the truth. Not even us, fishermen. But all those who travel the seas know, never to disrespect the Sea Gods." Guran replied.

"Sea Gods? There are more than one?" Raka was shocked.

"There are many. Each of them rules over a portion of the seas. Sea Gods are extremely territorial. All the seas in the world are divided into their territories. The more powerful they are, the larger their domain. They don't care much about lower beings but will not allow any other Gods to enter their domain." Guran said.

"Then why do they kill humans who want to become fishermen? We are not Sea Gods?" Raka asked.

"Why do you think? They claim all beings in their territory as their own. When we fish, we take from them. Moreover, humans are not sea creatures. We live on land. They cannot rule over us. So, they consider us as invaders." Guran replied sarcastically.

"Hahaha...what a reason. But then why do let some of us live?" Raka was really curious now.

Guran simply shrugged in reply.

"Say Guran, what was it like with you? I wrote on the water using magic language? Do you think they understand magic language?"

"Maybe. I don't know. In my case, I simply prayed." Guran sighed.

Raka was disappointed. He really thought that thing could understand magic language. Maybe that's why it let the fishermen live. But the Sea Gods were far more mysterious, it seemed.

"Um..you said they are territorial? How big is this God's territory?" Raka asked.

"All the sea between the four human islands." Guran replied. Raka was shocked.

"Do you still want to be a fisherman?" Guran asked softly. "Let me remind you, that fishing itself is dangerous, even without the Sea God."

Raka was about to reply but he stopped. He suddenly remembered that huge green eye again. His breath grew heavy as that nightmare played in his mind.

"Is it ok if I take some time to think about it?" Raka asked.

"Take as much time as you need." Guran nodded.

Raka walked out on the streets and logged out.

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Swamy sighed as he came out of the game capsule. He walked to the loo and pissed. Afterwards he washed his hands and face in the cool water. Then he walked to the window and watched the hustle and bustle of a busy city.

"Haah....this is what I needed. A dose of reality. What am I scared of...it's just a game." Swamy made up his mind and walked back to the capsule.

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Not much time had passed in the game, when Raka knocked on Guran's door again.

"Have you decided?" Guran simply asked.

"Yes. I have." Raka replied.

Guran looked in Raka's eyes. It was not flinching like it was before. He smiled.

"Follow me then." And Guran started leading Raka towards one of the houses.

At the end of the row of houses, Guran stopped in front of one. It was a similar cabin made simplistically with wood. Next to it was a huge yard. The yard looked like some kind of storage for all kinds of wood pieces, splinters and other kind of stuff. But it didn't look newly made. Most of it was broken off. 'Maybe they keep the waste construction material here, probably for reuse...' Raka guessed. He seriously hoped this was not what his future ship would be made of.

"This is one of the houses which were destroyed by a storm years ago. A dear friend of mine lost his life that day coming back from the sea. Perhaps it was symbolic that his house was torn down by a storm the same day." Guran said as he pointed to the yard.

"Many years have passed since then and not one became a fisherman before you. Some did try though." Guran added.

"It is a fisherman's only legacy. To leave behind his memories, his house, to the next fisherman. Wishing them well, he prays for them in death. For not even his families have that right." Saying that Guran closed his eyes in front of the wreckage.

Only then Raka realized the value of the few houses in this village. Their own families cannot live in them after they die as the right to live in this village belongs only to the fisherman. If their children became fishermen then they could continue living in the house. But if they don't, they will have to vacate it for another. Each house becomes a fragile living symbol of the past. And this wreckage represented a symbol which was lost.

"I know Goddess's children don't really need houses. But as a fisherman I would like you to honor our legacy. Build a house here, your own, which will then pass on to others." Guran said.

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Fisherman's Legacy

A fisherman lives a fragile existence. Each day could result in his death. Still, he has chosen to be one who lives off the mercy of the sea. Living a simple life, fishermen do not own many riches and their dwellings are also not their own. But they do their best and this feeling is passed on through their houses, to the next fisherman. Guran wants you to build your own house which will be passed on to others, as fishermen.

Difficulty: E

Reward: Temporary ownership of the house will be given. Intimacy increases with the villagers.

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'Build a house?' Raka did not know how to build a house. But it couldn't be too hard, could it? After all he did give that virtual reality exam before.

"I will try my best to build a wonderful house." Raka accepted.

"If you could give me some materials..." Raka asked Guran. Guran nodded to the woods behind the wreckage.

"The Queen allows us the entire woods behind. You can find the wood you want or pay others to bring the wood for you. We fishermen help each other in that way. A lot of us are good with woodworking, metalworking and other stuff." Guran said.

"Ah that reminds me. Raka, fishermen build their own boats. Ofcourse, everyone will help. But not for free. If you cannot pay them, the Crown will pay them for you but then you will be indebted. You will have to pay it back either in coins or in terms of service." Guran added.

"I didn't understand?" Raka was confused.

"If you cannot pay the money, you will have to work here for a certain number of years before your debt is considered settled. But most of us are here to stay so it doesn't matter much. You want to leave though, so it would be better if you did most of the work yourself and earned enough gold to pay back whatever debt you incur. Fortunately for you, the materials you bring from the woods is your own."

"Ah. But I have never built a boat before. I think I will need a lot of help." Raka became sad. Years of service? That sounded very bad.

"Hmm...do not lose hope just yet. First, let's determine how much help you need. Let's take the building of this house as a test of your abilities. Also you can come everyday to help me fish. You can learn and I can pay you depending on how you fare. But all the fish you catch on my boat, remains mine." Guran offered.

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You have been offered a job. Guran hires you to work on his ship as his helper.

The pay will vary depending on work quality.

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"I accept." Raka agreed. 'Maybe the fish would cost more than what he pays, but my goal is not to simply become a fisherman anyway.' Raka also wanted to learn sailing and other related skills, which could not simply be bought with money. 'First is this house...'

Raka sifted through the wreckage not touching any stuff, just looking around to get a feel for what kind of materials were usable. Folded nails, broken timber, lots of wooden strips like things and some other stuff he didn't recognize.