Endless Evolution as a Centipede in a Game-Like World

Both Amanda and I turned in the direction of the siren who was slowly waking up from her slumber.

All her injuries had completely healed. Even her fingers grew back.

We didn’t have to worry about her attacking us since she was securely wrapped in googum.

I even injected her with my venom, not enough to kill her but just enough so she couldn’t move or use magic.

Her eyes immediately went to Amanda as she began cursing in an unknown language.

"I know you speak our language, so speak it," I said.

She snapped.

"I don’t wish to speak with a human and her pet."

"Let’s just kill her," Amanda sighed.

"Not just yet." I turned to the siren, trying to size her up.

She was angry. That much I could tell, but most of her anger seemed to be directed at Amanda.

"Let’s make a deal," I suggested. "We want to get to the next strata; do you happen to know how to get there?"

"A deal?!" She repeated as if spitting the words back at me. "You have nothing to offer me."

"How about your life?" Amanda followed up, drawing her weapon and resting it against the monster’s throat.

The siren smiled confidently as if she weren’t the slightest bit bothered by this.

"Go ahead."

"How about your trident?"

For the first time during our conversation the siren looked at me instead of glaring at Amanda.

The threat of death wouldn’t work against her since she would just respawn in a few days.

To get her to cooperate, we needed to use something else.

Amanda smiled, seemingly understanding what I was getting at.

She folded her arms and spoke to the siren as if speaking to a child.

"That trident of yours is a legendary weapon. Without it you’re nothing."

"I’m guessing that if you respawn, you won’t magically receive another one."

The siren’s expression turned cloudy. She knew she had no other choice, and yet she refused to budge. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"Look, whether you help us or not, one way or the other, we’ll find a way down, and if we leave to another stratum, the chances of you getting back your weapon are practically zero."

She stubbornly bit her lip and averted her eyes.

Amanda sighed.

"This is a waste of time. Let’s just kill her."

"No, wait."

The siren shouted just before Amanda plunged her dagger into her chest.

"Alright, you have a deal. I’ll help you." She sighed before turning to me. "I’ll only make a deal with you. I don’t trust humans."

"That’s fine."

The siren released another heavy sigh before continuing.

"To get to the first strata, you need to complete a quest, which will lead you to the drop-off. There are several different quests based on where you are in the strata."

"I already know that. Just tell us the quest and where the drop-off is," Amanda said, sounding impatient.

"The drop-off is underwater. Deep underwater. You won’t be able to get there unless you can hold your breath for hours, and that’s assuming you’re not crushed by the water pressure before you get there."

That sounded terrible. I’m able to hold my breath for hours, and my exoskeleton might be able to protect me from the water pressure, but the same couldn’t be said for Amanda.

"This is where the quest comes in. You gain the favor of a water nymph, and she gives you a water blessing and lead you to the drop-off."

"So how do you gain her favor?" Amanda asked, to which the siren quickly answered without skipping a beat.

"By finding her lost pet."

"Her pet?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, it’s a giant shrimp covered in various colors."

Oh crap! Don’t tell me that the shrimp I killed!

"I was the one who kidnapped the stupid shrimp in the first place. Returning the shrimp is supposed to prevent a war between the monsters of the black sea and the monsters of the blue sea. But from what I’ve heard, a certain multi-legged creature killed the shrimp instead of returning it."

The siren’s glare suddenly turned to me.

Don’t glare at me! How was I supposed to know it was part of the storyline?

Even Amanda began looking at me suspiciously.

"Won’t the shrimp just respond anyway?" I asked.

"The shrimp is not a native of the Void. It was created by the sea nymph herself."

Ah, so the sea Nymph has the power to create life, just like Lily.

"Wait, does that mean the sea nymph is an S-ranked monster?"

The siren nodded.

"Why do you think I need a legendary ranked weapon to face her? In fact, I also stole the trident from her."

This is worse than I thought!

’Lily, do you happen to know the sea nymph? Maybe you can put in a good word.’

’Lily? Lily? Are you hearing me?’

Huh, what’s wrong with her?

’Umm...sorry, it won’t work. Nymphs are very vengeful, especially if someone harms their creation. But you don’t have to worry; Lily won’t allow her to harm you, ok master.’

"It was a mistake to come here. She probably already knows we’re in her territory, so it’s best we leave." The siren said.

"But how will we get to the next strata?" Amanda asked.

The siren released a heavy sigh as if the world were resting on her shoulders.

"Ugh! Fine, if you give me the trident, I can use it to safeguard your journey."

Amanda frowned.

"You expect us to believe that? The moment you get your hands back on the trident, you’ll probably turn it against us."

"What choice do you have? Risk your life with me or take your chances with the deranged nymph."

The siren was right.

"We can handle the siren; we’ve never done it before, but the Nymph... Both options suck, but using the siren might be our best bet." I said trying to convince Amanda.

She thought about and after a few seconds she nodded.

With a single touch, I disolved the googum wrapped around the siren.

"If you try anything, I kill you and take the trident for myself. " Amanda warned.

In an instant I retrieved the trident from my storage space and tossed it down beside the siren.

The siren smiled as her slender fingers reached out and clasped the weapons.