Catlen decided to take two basilisk snakelets with her as little assistants. During her short time in Basilisk's Basin, she had found out that the creepy creatures obeyed her every word without an iota of hesitation, which could be very useful for her future path.
The snakelets weren't big yet, and both of them could wrap around her wrists like accessories, biting their tails and pretending to be lifeless.
Basilisk scales looked like tempered metal, with a gold-like sheen, so when they pretended to be bracelets, they were actually very realistic and didn't look like living beings.
The two she chose were still hatchlings, only a month old, so they weren't very developed yet and their powers were limited. However, as a mythical species of creature whose only purpose was to do evil in the name of their lord, they had inherited memories from their kind and were part of a hive mind.
This let Catlen feel a little safer. Even though she knew she was the villain and that basilisks were evil henchmen, it was undeniable that they could provide her with excellent services.
Catlen named them "Ago" and "Zundra." When they grew older, they'd be able to fly and she wouldn't have to walk everywhere anymore.
Ah, she was so clever…
She didn't have an inventory bag because her character setting didn't have one, but her only basic equipment was actually very comprehensive.
Wedged between the two large lumps on her chest, there was a clam-shaped tattoo. When she touched it, she could visualise what looked like an ocean planet inside, and it contained many useful things to her.
Her assigned character weapon was, surprisingly, a battle axe? But the blade was a very pretty seashell with a catchy spiral along the blade and a spear head at the tip of the blunt edge. It had an ear along the handle shaft for easy grip, which was nice and very convenient.
The whole thing looked more like a prop than a weapon, but when she waved it around, it directly sliced a rock in two like a soft fruit.
Needless to say Catlen was ecstatic at the attack power that was released by the axe. It was lightweight and easy to move with, and incredibly destructive!
Aside from the battle axe, there was what the game description swore was a helmet but just looked like a tiara made of coral, and some arm bands that counted as 'armour' or whatever.
She personally thought that the character design she was stuck with was impractical and had too many vulnerable spots, but it was the only one she had, at least until she unlocked a different game skin or bought some proper armour.
Catlen was already fantasising about what she'd look like dressed like a badass warrior in an obsidian suit of armour. She had seen it in the game mall before and was instantly covetous.
And on that thought, she looked at her gold coin bar and sighed in deep depression. Her wallet was cleaner than a sheet of blank paper. She wondered if she could sell her tear pearls for some money.
"Alright, I'm leaving now." She put her hands on her hips and pointed at the basilisks one by one. "You, you, and you, take good care of this place. Don't let the rest of these guys run amok."
The basilisks lowered their snakey heads to the ground in complete submission. "Yes, master. Please be safe outside."
Catlen nodded in satisfaction, and slithered back into the pool of water. She discovered that this pool of water was her home and birth place.
According to the game's lore, the Siren Queen master of the basilisks was a pearl in a clam that had come into contact with a stream of creation magic when the world was being formed, and that was how she transformed from a pearl into a living siren.
She was born in the pool and she was nurtured by it. The water in the pool was magical, so she took some into a jar and kept it in her small world just in case she needed it during any emergencies.
Even one drop could have miraculous effects, so it wasn't to be underestimated.
She wasn't sure when she would be able to return, so she had to be prepared for both the best and the worst possibilities.
Catlen swam to the bottom of the pool, and infused a little magic into a few rocks surrounding a hole. A flash of light later, and she was sucked into a portal.
All she saw was a rush of blue around her, and then she was surrounded by seawater everywhere.
This seawater was a blue colour that looked more like violet. It was very beautiful and teeming with life.
There were enormous whales, dolphins, octopi, and colourful fish. The bottom of the sea was covered in colourful stones, and corals.
As Catlen swam upward for a wider view, she realised that she was actually swimming over a cordillera of coral reef. It stretched on endlessly, nurturing all manner of marine creatures, making for a beautiful sight.
She admired the view for a while and continued on her way, swimming aimlessly, going here and there according to her whim.
Eventually, she realised that there was a big shadow on the water, and from that shadow, sharp spears were raining down into the water at alarming spear, skewering anything and everything that happened to be swimming below the vicinity.
Alarmed, she quickly pulled back and swam to a safe distance to observe.
The sea creatures that had been swimming there also copied her and scattered from where that shadow was perched, avoiding being skewered by the spears.
Without thinking, Catlen knew that she had encountered humans, but she didn't know if they were NPC's or real players.
If a confrontation ensued, could she fight them off?
Catlen was worried. She swam to the surface and poked her head out to just below the eyes for a better look.
Sure enough, it was a ship, and there were people on it shooting spears into the water from cannons perched along the sides of it.
The ship looked like it was made of quality materials, and it wasn't run down or shoddy, like the ships of local fishermen might be.
This only made her even more cautious.