Jack was torn. Four choices. His mind was usually a swift, decisive current. But now, he was blocked by his own logic and ideas for tactical advantages.
Each option seemed to have a great potential new facet of his evolving power. Each held a certain allure. Each had a distinct profile, at least in his limited understanding.
Voldyanoi. The only truly humanoid option amongst the lot. Very likely, the most versatile.
Kraken. Immense. Terrifying. The greatest trump card. Impractical for most situations. But lethal for specific, large-scale destruction.
Ahuizotl. Quick. Stealthy. An ambush predator. Perfect for infiltration. And unseen takedowns. A cunning hunter. But focused on aquatic combat.
Kelpie. The fastest of all, very likely. It was a horse after all.
He needed a new form for the water. His spectral form worked. Yes. But it lacked dedicated aquatic advantages.
It wouldn't surprise him if Judge Jack would be a lead anchor underwater. Jack Night would drown due to his heavy equipment. Racer Jack... Well, a weasel underwater was not that assuring...
Calculations churned. Logic failed him. Each had merits that balanced out. He sighed. A non-existent exhalation in the crushing deep.
This was a deadlock. He wasn't one for indecision. Not when facing a clear path. But this wasn't clear. This was four equally murky paths.
"Alright, fine." He muttered. The sound was swallowed by the deep. "A gamble it is."
Four choices. He would have to just let the world decide. He would see what number the sea surface choose...
He had a simple idea. He would ascend to the surface. And he would counting from one to four repeatedly in his mind.
The number he was on when his spectral form breached the water's surface would be his choice. Arbitrary, yes, but sometimes a simple push was all that was needed.
He began to ascend. His ethereal form cutting silently through the water. Leaving no trail. As he moved, he started counting. One. Two. Three. Four...
He repeated the sequence. His focus was split between the ascent and the rhythmic count in his mind. One. Two. Three...
The pressure lessened. Light from the surface grew brighter. A shimmering veil above. Four. One. Two...
He pushed faster, the currents assisting his rapid upward trajectory. Three. Four. One...
He broke the surface. The starry night sky was a dazzling sight against the vast expanse of the open sea. He was out of water.
And the count in his head landed squarely on "One."
Voldyanoi.
He didn't second-guess the gamble. Jack was a man of his word. Even to himself. The decision made. He mentally activated the choice.
[UNDERWATER FORM: VOLDYANOI]
A faint shimmer rippled across his spectral form. It felt like he was being rewoven. Strands of his very was being realigned for a new purpose. The prompt vanished.
He immediately cast his [Eyes of Judgement] upon himself. Information flooded his perception. The familiar status panel materialized before him.
[CHARACTER STATUS]
[Name: Jack Night]
[Incarnation Type: Spirit]
[Persona: Jack Mystery]
[Race: Mysterious Specter]
[Class: Mystic Scholar]
[Archetype: Supernatural Entity]
[Power Source: Spirit of Judgement]
[Attributes: Physique (00) Mysticism (93) Passion (88) Essence (99)]
[Karma: Positive]
[System Sight Modes: Eyes of Judgement]
[Supernatural Traits: Mysterious Anomaly; Mysterious Mirror World; Incarnation Shift; Treasure Detecting Radar; *Shapeshift (Voldyanoi)]
[Permanent Traits: Mythical Existence; Mythical Adaptation; Dominator Physique]
[Characteristics: Mythical Existence - Paralysis Immunity, Illusion Immunity]
[Characteristics: Mythical Adaptation - Cold Immunity; Pressure Immunity; Shock Immunity; Bleeding Immunity; Imbalance Immunity; Madness Immunity; Poison Immunity; Lightning Immunity; Heat Immunity; Hyper Regeneration; Aphrodisiac Immunity]
[Characteristics: Dominator Physique - Dominating Aura; Inexhaustible Stamina; Mystical Metabolism; Rapid Energy Absorption; Enhanced Libido; Subjugating Intercourse]
[Status Effect: Battle Spirit (inactive)]
[Personal Artifact: Spirit Torch; Spirit Cape; Nine-Anchor Portal Ring; Chains of Vengeance; Rainsister Crystal Coins x6]
[Mystic Spells: Minor Cantrips - Fire Spark; Dreamy Mist; Cold Light; Lightning Guide; Water Splash; Vicious Taunt; Quick Mending; Glowing Stone]
[Mystic Spells: Grimoire Magic - Lesser Ward; Magic Missile; Healing Chant; Vine Entanglement; Past Echo; Blinding Flash; Arcane Healing Lullaby, Chain Lightning; Void Cut; Portal Wards; Forceful Frog-morph]
His gaze locked onto the newly added entry in [Supernatural Traits]. He probed it with his mental will. Requesting more details from the System.
A new sub-panel expanded, detailing the specifics of his latest acquisition.
[Shapeshift (Voldyanoi). An ability to assume the form of a Voldyanoi: a bipedal, aquatic humanoid resembling a frog-like murloc. This form grants underwater breathing, enhanced aquatic movement, perception, and a natural affinity for water-based elements. When activated, the Voldyanoi form inherits and modifies the core characteristics of the active incarnation, creating a unique aquatic variant of each persona.]
Unique aquatic variant? Jack immediately asked for further information.
[Note: Each of Vodyanoi forms requires constant immersion in water. Being completely out of water will cause a forced reversion to the default form of the current incarnation.]
Jack quickly asked about the Voldyanoi forms he could access.
[Spectral Voldyanoi. The spectral underwater form of Jack Mystery. Retains the spectral qualities of intangibility and invisibility. An unnerving, elusive spectral murloc. Automatically attunes the Mystic Arts, Mystic Grimoires, and Spirit Artifacts to work underwater.]
[Armored Voldyanoi. Becomes a hulking, armored aquatic behemoth. Judge Jack's underwater form. Gains immense underwater strength and durability. Able to withstand extreme pressures and deliver crushing blows. Its weapon and armor adapt to withstand deep-sea environments.]
[Steamrune Voldyanoi. Jack Night's underwater form. Transforms into a standard sized voldyanoi engineer. His enhanced perception mutates and becomes sonar-like. Allowing him to 'see' through sound waves in the murky depths. All weapon, gadgets, tools, and equipment the host normally used would be usable underwater.]
[Speedster Voldyanoi. Racer Jack's underwater form. Transforms into a compact, streamlined murloc. His signature speed is now unhindered underwater, allowing for lightning-fast movements below the water-line.]
Jack processed the information. A slow grin was spreading across his masked face.
"Interesting," He murmured. The words echoing oddly in the underwater silence. "So, a spectral murloc now, when I'm Jack Mystery. And a rakshasa murloc, a human-engineer murloc, or a kamaitachi murloc depending on the incarnation. Clever."
This was more versatile than he'd initially given it credit for. A specialized form for each of his incarnations. Adapting their strengths for an aquatic environment. Excellent.
Time to test it. He activated [Shapeshift (Voldyanoi)]. Failed.
Jack immediately realized his problem he was floating above the sea. Not underwater. This shapeshift only worked underwater.
He dived down into the sea. Sinking immediately into the cool embrace of the sea. And reactivated the [Shapeshift (Voldyanoi)].
The water around him suddenly felt… incredible. Heavenly. His spectral body, or what passed for it, began to transform.
The translucent outlines of Jack Mystery blurred. Then coalesced. Drawing inwards. Compacting. A cold, strange sensation spread over him.
He felt… scales. Rough, amphibian-like texture. Yet it still felt spectral. His long, spectral fingers thickened. Webbing formed between the fingers with a faint, almost audible ripple.
His legs solidified. Growing thicker. More powerful. Ending in wide, webbed feet. But still... spectral.
His head was reshaped. With eyes bulging slightly. A wide, lipless mouth forming where his spectral jaw had been. Gills, surprisingly, manifested behind his ears. Not exactly doing anything. As Jack was still a spectral entity.
The shift was complete. He was now a Voldyanoi.
He looked at his new, alien eyes. Swiveled to inspect his new form. He was murloc-like, exactly as the panel described. A spectral murloc.
His body possessed a distinct skeletal structure beneath the frog-like scales. But it was still undeniably translucent.
He willed himself to move. With an instinctive powerful kick of his new legs and a sweep of his webbed hands, he surged forward.
The feeling was incredible. The water was no longer an impediment. It was now his domain. He moved with an effortless grace underwater. Something that his default specter form couldn't match under the sea.
He re-used his [Eyes of Judgement]. The status panel shimmered into existence again. Floating before his bulbous eyes. The core data remained the same – his race, class, attributes. But the [Status Effect] section had been updated...
[Status Effect: Battle Spirit (inactive), Spectral Voldyanoi Form]
He probed the new status effect. Seeking further clarification on its mechanics. The System obliged.
[Spectral Voldyanoi Form. A specialised aquatic manifestation. Bound to water. Outside the water, the user will automatically revert to their base spectral form. The form grants increased speed, agility, and perception while submerged. All offensive and defensive capabilities are significantly boosted in aquatic environments. The form retains fundamental spectral properties (invisibility, intangibility) of the Jack Mystery persona.]
So, he lost his ability to be out of water in this form. But gaining boosts in other attributes. A fair trade.
He reverted back to the original if he surfaced entirely. It meant he couldn't just transform and walk around Lonestone's docks. That should be fine. Because underwater? He was now a supreme spectral predator.
He tested his speed. A flick of his powerful kick. And he shot forward, a blur of translucent grey scales. The world outside his immediate trajectory became streaky, blurred by his velocity. He was much faster.
With a powerful surge, Jack turned his new, streamlined body towards the distant, shimmering lights of Lonestone Capital City. The journey back would be swift.