Lower District

Following Bill, I swam through the grand entrance of the edifice, our movements sending undulating ripples through the water. The inner structure of the building was vastly different from the Captain's quarters. The wide, open spaces were occupied by an assortment of unfamiliar equipment arranged in no discernible order. Tools of various shapes and sizes hung from the ceiling, their silhouettes casting eerie shadows in the dim light. Counters were cluttered with odd-looking devices, while stacks of scrolls and parchment littered every available surface. My eyes widened as I took in the strange spectacle, trying to draw parallels with the hospitals I was familiar with, but finding none.

Bill's voice echoed around the room, "Yo! Got another one from Captain for you all!" His call caught the attention of the workers inside. I saw heads turn in our direction, the luminescent eyes of the merrows flashing with curiosity. They left their tasks and swam over to us, their eyes scrutinizing my seemingly healthy exterior.

"What's wrong with this one? He seems fine." One of them questioned, his tone carrying a hint of skepticism. His attire was markedly different from ours. He wore a robe, light and flowing, that billowed with each movement he made in the water. It offered no protection in terms of combat, suggesting these merrows played no role on the battlefield.

"Captain suspects he has unknowingly fallen under an enemy attack," Bill answered, his tone casual as if he was discussing mundane events rather than a possible memory wipe. His ease with the situation suggested familiarity, hinting at previous visits to this place. "Since a few hours ago, he seems to have lost all his memory, besides his name and occupation. We were hoping you could try and figure something out."

Throughout the exchange, I stood still by Bill's side, my mind racing with thoughts but my mouth unable to form coherent sentences. My eyes darted around, taking in the scene but also betraying my nervousness. I was a fish out of water, pun intended, trapped in a body I had no memory of and a world I had no understanding of. As a result, my actions made me appear bewildered and distant, likely reinforcing the image of a memory loss victim. Hopefully, this would work in my favor and help keep my secret safe.

"Well, let's have him lay down and see if there's anything we can find out," the medic responded nonchalantly, punctuating his sentence with a languid yawn. He bore a striking resemblance to the unflappable medics back in reality, never seeming rushed, even when dealing with potential emergencies.

With a fluid motion, he led us to a strange structure that bore semblance to a bubble. It was made of a more translucent variety of water, appearing as a delicate film separating the inside from the outside. I followed his instruction and entered it, experiencing an unusual sensation akin to lying on water in zero gravity.

My body floated suspended, and I marveled at how I could control my position and movements. I realized these bubbles likely served as the equivalent of beds in the merrows' world. Did they even require sleep in the traditional sense? I made a mental note to question Bill about it later.

My initial discomfort gradually ebbed away, replaced by an unexpected sense of peace and relaxation. It was as if I was lying on an imagined waterbed, my body gently cradled by the liquid.

"Alright, I'll run a quick spell to see if it might be anything physical, don't get your hopes up, I'm nearly certain you'll have to head to the priests," the medic announced, lifting his arm and pointing it towards me. His eyelids fluttered closed for a moment, and I deduced he must be silently invoking a spell. As if validating my conjecture, a white light began to emanate from his hand, bathing me in its ethereal glow.

Yet, I felt no change, not even the power of suggestion seemed to induce any physical sensation. I simply continued floating in my serene bubble, watching the medic with a tinge of skepticism. The ethereal glow faded not long after it appeared the medic seemingly expected as much as he did not even react to it.

"As I thought, he's fine. There's not much more we could do here. Did the Captain allow you to take him into the city?" the medic inquired, directing his gaze at Bill. He motioned me to exit the bubble, his hand making a swift, beckoning gesture. I obliged, masking my disappointment with a placid expression.

"Yeah, if you could send someone to report to him for us that nothing was found and I'll head on over there," Bill responded. With that, he turned and began to swim towards the exit, leaving the medic and his peculiar medical equipment behind. I followed suit, close on his tail, ready to go visit the so-called priests

"Sure," the medic replied nonchalantly, signaling an individual nearby who appeared to serve in a role similar to an assistant or a nurse. He whispered a few instructions, then swam back to his station. The assistant nodded and swam after us, likely tasked with delivering the update to the Captain's quarters.

As I swam behind Bill, I contemplated the question that had been nagging at the back of my mind since our encounter in the Captain's quarters.

"Bill, what exactly is a priest…? Are they akin to medics?" I asked, my imagination painting images of RPG-style healers.

"In a way, yes. Priests here are blessed by the Goddess Brigid. They harness her holy power to heal, but the use of this divine energy is expensive and takes considerable time to replenish. Hence, it's employed only in dire circumstances. You qualify as a dire case as you may hold crucial knowledge about a novel enemy attack method, yet you don't remember," Bill elaborated, surprising me with the depth of his response.

My assumptions had not been far off the mark. They worshipped their Goddess, who in turn granted them divine abilities. These priests, acting as conduits for her power, could heal wounds. This led me to wonder if they also had equivalents of Paladins.

"Got it. Do you think these priests could restore my memories, or at least diagnose what's wrong with me?" I asked, fervently hoping for a positive answer to the first query and a negative to the second. I was unsure how to explain my circumstances if they figured out that I wasn't the Lucas they remembered.

"I honestly don't know. I've never been on the receiving end of holy power treatment, so I can't say how it works. I've heard others describe it as nothing short of miraculous, so there's a chance it might help you," he responded. His words rang with a hint of doubt but held a semblance of hope.

I responded with a nod, unnoticed by him due to our positions. I didn't mind the prospect of regaining my memories, provided there were any to retrieve.

My hypothesis was that Gale had specifically fashioned this body for me and manipulated the NPCs' memories, making it seem as if I had always been there.

Why he would take the trouble to construct this elaborate backstory but withhold the associated memories was beyond me. It appeared needlessly counterproductive.

As we continued our journey, we eventually exited the encampment and found ourselves back at the gate we had been guarding earlier.

"Bill, what exactly is this place...?" I asked, finally seizing the chance to satisfy my curiosity about our surroundings.

"Oh.. yeah, I forgot you don't remember these things… This is the entrance to the lower district of the Capital of the Merrow Empire," he responded with palpable pride in his voice. His tone suggested that not just anyone could be assigned to guard these doors, which further cemented the prestige associated with our duty.

"And how big is the Merrow Empire exactly…?" I probed further, realizing that acquiring as much information as I could about my new home for the foreseeable future would be prudent.

"Well… that's a hard one to answer… Massive? I don't really know how to put it if you don't have any context or memories to compare it to. But I can tell you it spans far beyond this ocean, reaching into other seas and even some inland bodies of water, like lakes and rivers," Bill explained thoughtfully, pausing to carefully articulate his response.

As he spoke, we glided past the guards who had replaced us, exchanging brief nods of acknowledgment as we navigated through the ethereal cityscape.

The city, despite being referred to as the 'lower district' – a term that, to me, conjured images of downtrodden slums – was far from it. Each building was meticulously maintained, and the streets bustled with thousands of merrows. I also caught sight of other aquatic species whose identities I couldn't discern. Some bore an uncanny resemblance to humans, albeit with fish heads, while others resembled typical fish. There was even one that appeared to be an ordinary human but with gills.

As for the city itself, it was a sublime sight to behold. I surmised that this was what Atlantis, in all its glory, would have resembled in its heyday. We appeared to be traveling along a main thoroughfare in the lower district, lined with buildings that towered over us like aquatic skyscrapers. Yet, their architectural design baffled me. They lacked the structural reinforcements typical of buildings in my world, and rather than being ensconced in glass, the structures featured open floors. I could, in theory, swim directly into an upper floor if I wished to.

The bustling streets were populated by an array of aquatic beings, each moving with purpose. The bustle was harmonious, almost orchestrated like a well-practiced dance, yet lively and organic. The myriad colors of the inhabitants, the buildings, and even the surrounding flora created a captivating mosaic. Bio-luminescent plants and creatures added an otherworldly glow, reflecting off the scales, skin, and architectural features, making the entire city seem alive with light.

Despite the whirlpool of questions and apprehension swirling within me, I couldn't help but marvel at the spectacle around me. It was an underwater utopia, far beyond anything my mind could have conceived. The bustling city, teeming with its diverse inhabitants, was seamlessly intertwined with its aquatic environment. It was a tangible testament to the delicate dance between civilization and the natural world. The city seemed not to merely coexist with the ocean but to be an intrinsic part of it, just like the merrows themselves.

As Bill and I swam through the thriving city streets, I observed how the armored guards, including us, were treated with an unspoken reverence. The other inhabitants respectfully cleared our path, casting acknowledging nods in our direction. In turn, Bill maintained an aloof demeanor, a stoic sentinel moving through the crowd, which I mirrored, following his lead.

Eventually, we reached a bustling square that could only be the city's heart. Towering in the center was a colossal temple, a stunning architectural marvel whose sheer size dwarfed the surrounding buildings. It was as sprawling as a large football stadium, its imposing edifice a tribute to the city's spiritual core.

The design of the temple echoed classical Greek and Roman aesthetics, a grand fusion of ancient tradition and aquatic innovation. Colossal columns, seemingly crafted from pure, shimmering pearls, supported the vast roof. Each column was connected by a flowing, translucent substance that defied the laws of gravity as it clung to the roof's underside. It was a substance that didn't seem to be water, yet moved with the same fluid grace.

Emblazoned on the roof were intricate scriptures in a script unfamiliar to me. Yet, strangely enough, I found myself capable of reading and understanding them. They appeared to be hymns sung in praise of the Goddess, songs of gratitude for her countless blessings. As I mentally recited these hymns, I was struck by the realization that the language I was speaking and understanding was not English. This realization led me to wonder whether Gale had incorporated an automatic translation feature into the game, enabling Beta testers like me to seamlessly communicate in foreign languages as if they were our own.

Despite my lack of answers, the more I observed, the more fascinated I became. Every detail, every nuance, added to the intricate tapestry of this underwater realm. It was a mesmerizing blend of familiar and alien, reality and fantasy, creating a truly unique world that I was struggling to believe was created by Gale alone.