Reincarnation: A Litrpg/Gamelit Trilogy

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 REINCARNATION
LAST BORN OF KI’DARTH: A LITRPG/GAMELIT
TRILOGY
TIMOTHY MCGOWEN
 EDITED BY
JOSHUA MASON
ILLUSTRATED BY
LUCIANO FLEITAS
ALSO BY TIMOTHY MCGOWEN

Haven Chronicles: Eldritch Knight

Dead Man’s Bounty
Copyright © 2022 by Timothy McGowen
All rights reserved.
Reincarnation: A LitRPG/Gamelit Trilogy
Last Born of Ki’darth

ISBN: 978-1-956179-02-6
First Edition: February 2022
Published By: Rising Tower Books
Publisher Website: www.RisingTowerBooks.com

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or

mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems,
without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief
quotations in a book review.
For permission request, email to timothy.mcgowen1@gmail.com . This is a
work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and event portrayed in this novel
are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Visit my website at Timothy-mcgowen.com for news on my upcoming works.
 REVIEWS ARE IMPORTANT

Please remember that reviews are the life blood of authors,

consider leaving one on amazon and share with others how
much you enjoyed the book.

This book is a re-written from the ground up version of a previously

published novel of the same name, published in July of 2020. There
are similarities, but it is a drastically different and worth reading even
if you have already read the previous novel.

Join my Facebook group and discuss the books

https://www.facebook.com/groups/234653175151521/
To my wonderful kids and loving wife. Thank you for your patience.
 CONTENTS

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26

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 CHAPTER 1

“T !” Mom was beaming, waving the envelope as if

it were on fire.
I scowled. “You didn’t open it, did you?”
“No, of course not. Are you going to wait for your father to get off
work?”
“No way,” I said, my hand shaking with excitement as I took the
letter. I was ready to start the next phase of life. It wasn’t like I’d
applied to Harvard or Stanford, but I struggled to keep my glee
contained.
I ripped it open and began to read.
“Don’t tell me yet,” my mom said. She was giddy with excitement.
“I’ve video called your father. Okay, here he is. Well, tell us you got
in!”
“I didn’t get in.”

I sat in my room and stared at the wall.

How did this happen?
My mom walked into the room. I’d left the door open, and wished
I’d closed it. “Go spend some time with your friends.” Her voice was
quiet. I didn’t know how to tell her that all my friends had left for
college already, moving all over the United States.
“I have to work in an hour.”
She put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t let this get you down,
Nick. You’re a smart boy. I’m sure some of the other schools you
applied to will be sending their acceptance letters any day.”
“Sure mom, thanks.”
“I love you, Nick, and so does your father. We’re proud of you.”
I gave her a noncommittal nod, and she left. If she only knew I
hadn’t applied to any other schools, she might not be so relaxed.
I quit. No more of this damn job, I can’t take another minute of it.
“Uh, excuse me,” a voice quavered. “Is the ice cream machine
working?”
I looked up and into the eyes of a cute brunette. Her hair curled
into loose ringlets, falling free around her shoulders. She had
sparkling blue eyes and a nervous smile, and wore a loose maroon
hoodie with the letters ASU on the front. I wasn’t a fan.
“Nick,” came the exacerbated voice that haunted my waking
hours. There was no way I was going to take any more of his shit.
I turned to face Chad Wilcock, my manager at this dump of a
fast-food restaurant, and gave my best smile. He was a pudgy boy,
only a year younger than me, but a boy nonetheless. His hair was
parted to the side and as if this job didn’t provide enough grease,
Chad added a thick layer to his hair. His white manager's shirt was
stained with fry oil.
“Oh, Chad,” I said, trying my best to sound like a sarcastic
version of his mother. “Could you come here real quick sweetie? I
need to tell you something really important.”
“What the hell, Nick? Just take that girl's order already.” He
seemed unnerved by my sudden change of attitude.
The fluorescent lights above the cash register flickered suddenly,
breaking my attention. Someone behind the girl let out a loud,
exaggerated sigh.
I walked up to Chad and put my hand on his shoulder. His
pimpled face and narrow-set eyes recoiled as I touched him.
“I quit,” I whispered into his ear. Why I decided to whisper it, like it
was some damned secret, I don’t know, but it was satisfying all the
same.
“You know, some of us have places to be,” a heavy-set lady
called out. She glared at me from behind the cute girl that had
requested the ice cream earlier. My mind threatened to snap from
the weight of the mediocrity that was my future.
 I looked at the cute brunette, and decided someone as patient
and good-looking as her shouldn’t have to wait for my existential
crisis to be resolved. I grabbed a cone and filled the last ice cream of
my career.
“Here you go,” I said, smiling. “On the house.”
Then, I tossed my apron on the counter and walked out the door.
The air outside never smelled as fresh and free as it did at that
moment.
I didn’t look, but I liked to imagine Chad’s jaw fell to the floor from
my petty show of bravado.
The moment of triumph was fleeting. I sighed, thinking about how
even a state school wouldn’t take me. My grades had always been
average, and I was mediocre at best in the sports I played.
I was average.
Perhaps above average when it came to pitching, but an injured
elbow my junior year ruined any chance of nailing a scholarship.
Problem was, being average wasn’t enough anymore.
“Today is the first day of the rest of my life,” I declared to the
world as I slipped into my red 1998 Toyota Camry. I imagine my
declaration was less impactful than it could have been, as it was
followed directly after by the whines and wheezing of my decades-
old car.
“Come on,” I groaned, hitting my fists against the wheel. “Start,
you piece of crap.”
It started.
At least someone out there is listening.
I took one last look at my previous place of employment. The girl
had just exited, and smiled in my direction. I tilted my head in
acknowledgment as I left the parking lot. Sure, I smelled like day-old
fries and hamburgers, but I felt alive for the first time in years.
I would soon find out the irony surrounding that particular
thought, but for the moment, I was on top of the world.
It was one of those rare days in Arizona when it was neither hot as
hell, nor cold and wet. I flew down the I-10, windows cracked,
pushing my twenty-year-old hand-me-down car to its limits.
Red and blue lights pulsed in my rearview mirror. For a moment, I
considered putting my foot to the floor, but I was feeling liberated, not
stupid. I turned my blinker on and moved to the slow lane, a dozen
fake excuses forming in my mind.
I squashed them, and decided on the truth. I’d just quit my job,
and wanted to feel the metaphorical wind in my hair by driving twenty
miles over the speed limit in the middle lane while faster cars sped
past me for going too slow.
But to my surprise, he flew past me. Somewhere, someone else
was going to enjoy the pleasure of visiting with that fine officer.
My day can’t get any better!
Up ahead, a man stood by a blue, broken-down Jeep on the side
of the freeway. The hood was up, and smoke drifted toward the
heavens. The officer didn’t stop for him, the cars driving past didn’t
stop for him, and I didn’t stop for him.
Why should I? I’m no one's fool. I’ve heard the stories about
getting robbed or worse when helping people on the side of the road.
It didn’t matter what I told myself. I felt bad having not even
considered stopping to help. It was the I-10. There was no easy way
to turn around. To assuage my conscience, I took the next exit.
I needed to have a purpose. I needed to help people. Something.
Not even the military wanted me. Shortly after injuring my elbow,
my doctor informed me that I was developing arthritis. A well-
intended recruiter assured me that I could fail to mention it and I
should be fine, but I wasn’t looking to put other people’s lives at risk
in the very likely situation where my elbow said nope and decided it
didn’t want to work.
I stopped just off the exit ramp, unsure of the exit number I’d
taken. I turned right and then made a left and then another right,
cruising through a random neighborhood, looking for a way back
onto the freeway.
Smoke.
 Ahead, a house was engulfed in flames. But something was
wrong. No fire trucks, no police cars. Only a small group of people
standing in the street, watching. I squealed to a halt opposite them,
jumped out, and called to the group.
“Is everyone okay?” The people didn’t appear soot-covered, I
guessed they were neighbors.
“Yeah, we’re fine,” a man in his early thirties said. His phone was
out, but he was recording, not calling emergency services.
“Has anyone called the fire department yet?” I asked, my gaze
jumping from the people to the inferno.
A woman in curlers and a fluffy pink robe nodded to the man next
to her. “I had Bill call. They’re on their way.” She scratched a mole on
her chin. “Shame about the Johnsons. Not sure they got out.”
She said it so casually I had to suppress the urge to reach out
and smack her upside the head.
Then, a screech drifted over the roar of the fire. My body went
stiff.
Someone was still inside!
I looked at the rest of the group. They heard it as well, but no one
moved to do anything.
It was up to me.
I took a deep breath and scanned the burning building. Two
stories. The fire looked to be contained to the upper floor, perhaps I
could make a quick check of the bottom floor without getting myself
killed.
Now or never.
I took off my shirt and wrapped it around my face, then sprinted
toward the door.
It didn’t budge. I wiggled the handle, but it didn’t turn. At least it
wasn’t hot—that was a good sign.
I moved to a window, relieved to find it unlocked. I swiftly pulled
open the window and pushed the screen inward, then tumbled
inside.
“What the hell is he doing?” yelled one of the men from the
group. I spared them a last glance. Nobody was moving to help.
 The living room was a nightmarish black cloud of searing hot
smoke. I hit the ground, remembering the whole ‘stay as close to the
floor as you can if you want to breathe’ bit. It didn’t help much, but I
managed to make it to a staircase in front of the door. I could see
flames licking the walls at the top of the stairs, and a small form
halfway up.
I squinted, but couldn’t make out any more detail through the
smoke.
Coughing and hacking up bile, I darted up the stairs and
grabbed… whatever it was. It was too small to be a child, but I was
running on pure adrenaline now and didn’t stop to think too much. I
lunged for the window as fast as I could. For half a moment, I
considered that I had just grabbed some little girl's stuffed animal,
but that theory faded away as whatever it was squirmed in my grasp.
The world spun, and my coughing switched to gasping for air.
Whatever I held in my arms bolted through the window. I kept
pressing forward, desperate to make it out.
I have no way of knowing how far I made it before I passed out,
but the world went dark. Next thing I knew, I was floating above it all.
Oddly enough, I could still hear the people outside talking with a
new group that had just arrived in a minivan.
A little girl cried in glee as her confused and lethargic cat padded
its way to her. “Daddy, look! Neako made it out!”
I died saving a girl's cat.

After the cat made it back to its owner, I stuck around for a few
minutes, floating above the remains of the house. Long enough to
see the paramedics pull my body from the fire.
They didn’t try to revive me. By the time they got there, the
firefighters had put the flames to rest, but my body was already extra
crispy. As it happens, a person covered in fry oil and burger grease
isn’t the optimal choice for firefighting heroics.
 The girl seemed happy, at least. Who knows? Maybe she’ll turn
out to be the next President, and I’ll be remembered as the guy who
saved her cat.
The thought had barely formed in my mind before I felt myself
getting pulled.
No! I’m not ready!
I resisted, but it didn’t matter. Once again, everything went black,
but this time I remained conscious. I felt as if I was traveling a vast
distance, but without the streaking lights to show whether or not I
had gone to warp, I had no way to be sure.
As fast as the pulling began, it slowed, then stopped.
“Welcome to the afterlife.”
I turned toward the voice, and a room coalesced around me.
It was a room I had only seen in movies, Like the sitting room of a
mansion, but everything was an overpoweringly bright white. There
were no visible light sources, but the room shone like an Arizona
summer.
As my eyes adjusted I noticed the wallpaper, also white, sported
a faint floral design. Crown molding framed the walls, and even the
carpet was vibrant alabaster.
“Interesting choice for a meeting room,” the voice said, and I
remembered I wasn’t alone. My mind was sluggish—dying will do
that.
I recognized the man sitting in the middle of the room. Dark hair,
blue eyes, chiseled face, a pleasant grin that mirrored those in my
earliest memories.
My father.
He wore a white suit, and his always-messy hair was combed to
the side.
“Dad?” I gasped. “Did you die too? Oh man. Mom’s going to be
so alone.”
“I’m not your dad. I’m merely taking a form I found in your mind.
Someone you find extremely intelligent,” Not-my-dad said. “I am
Hakorus, God of Knowledge. I was allowed to intervene in your
passing, and give you a chance to be something”—he touched a
finger to his chin, then pointed at me—“greater.”
 My head spun. What is Dad talking about?
My father, no… Hakorus, waved an arm, and another antique
chair appeared across from the god. “Please, sit. Let us discuss.”
I sat down.
The chair was soft but brought little comfort. I was supposed to
be dead, which according to my limited religious knowledge meant I
should be more ‘Casper the confused ghost’, and less a physical
being sitting on a chair in a fancy room. I looked around again. Add
some padded walls and it would look exactly like those rooms where
they lock up insane people.
“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Nick,” Hakorus said, his
voice low and gentle. “But you know quite a bit about religions,
politics, even matters of the heart.”
“I’m dead, right?” I asked, interrupting the so-called god.
“Yes, you are dead.”
“Okay.” I put my hands behind my neck and leaned back. “Cool.
What’s next?”
Hakorus regarded me, laughing. “Just like that?”
I shrugged. “Are you able to put me back, or do I get Isekai’d to a
new world?” I frowned. “Or did the light novels have it wrong, and I
have to worship Jesus for the next forever? By the way”—I raised my
hands to forestall the god from interrupting—“how does that sound
like a good time? I mean, you live your life, and the afterlife is just…
worshiping some guy all day long?”
“Are you done?” Hakorus asked, still grinning.
“I guess.” I leaned back further on my cushy chair, and the legs
creaked.
“It is funny that you mention Isekai. While I am familiar with the
knowledge of your realm, I am always surprised at the entertainment
your planet has come up with.” He steepled his fingers. “I am going
to offer you several choices, and you can pick the path you find most
appealing. How does that sound?”
I leaned forward. “You have my attention.”
“You died in an unfortunate, but not uncommon way. Millions of
people die trying to do something that they felt would be meaningful,
only to have it backfire. Although, I am sure the cat appreciated your
heroics.”
“That cat will go on to do great things,” I joked.
“Actually,” Hakorus began. “Well, no. I can’t reveal everything to
you. Just know the cat does go on to help that girl, in a way I think
you would be proud of.”
“I’m sure,” I said, giving the god my biggest fake smile. “So, can
we get on with this? What happens next?”
“Right. I will get down to it. You have three options.” He held up
three fingers, then ticked down the first. “You can die a normal death.
Your soul will move on to fuel the never-ending engine of creation.”
He ticked off the next finger. “You can travel to the world of the
dead. But as it stands now, you aren’t equipped to survive, and
would most likely die… again… within hours”
His last finger fell, and he folded his hands on his lap. “Or you
accept reincarnation. Be reborn as a champion soul, able to gain
powers to aid you when you next pass through the veil of death. You
would even get to pick where you would like to go, and as what
species.”
“That seems like I only really have one option,” I said, “I either get
born again, or I die? Then no questions here, praise Jesus, let me be
born again!” My attempt at a Southern accent was wasted on
Hakorus, who just smiled and nodded once more.
“You amuse me, Nick,” Hakorus said. “I am going to go a step
further and help you on this new journey.”
The god stood and approached me. I stood as well, figuring the
etiquette for gods was at least the same as for women.
“Take my blessing, and have the gift of knowledge.” He reached
out and touched my head.
A small flash of white light and the warm touch of a god later, and
I felt just as knowledgeable as I had been moments before.
“Thanks?” My eyebrows attempted to touch my hairline.
“And remember, Nickolas Noel of Earth, you can’t succeed on
this journey alone. Go out and become strong!
“I’ll do my best.” The corners of my vision were already
darkening, and some unseen force was pulling me out of the room.
 “Watch over him, Neako,” was the last thing I heard the God of
Knowledge say before I was pulled back into darkness.
Neako? Wasn’t that the cat I saved?

“Welcome to the reincarnation selection process.”

A voice boomed all around me, like Bob Barker introducing the
next game. I suppressed a snicker as it continued.
“You have been chosen for reincarnation,” the voice continued.
“Please pick a race and begin your journey. I can give you simple
information to help you make this decision.”
I watched as hundreds… no, thousands… of strange humanoid
shapes faded into existence all around. As far I could see; oddly
shaped heads with various-sized eyes all looked in my direction.
These different races, all arrayed in lines, reminded me of the
terracotta armies that the first Emperor of China built to stand guard
in the afterlife, except the variety was infinite.
I walked up to the closest one. Long legs, broad chest atop a
small waist. The eyes—large pools of black—looked down at me
from a too-large head. Instead of human skin, it had saucer-sized
overlapping scales. The ends of the arms came to points, like
tentacles.
“Species 5921,” the voice echoed in the room “The Ikatoian. They
live on a planet of vast, sprawling oceans and spend the majority of
their time in brackish water. Do you wish to be reincarnated as a
champion of the Ikatoians?”
A translucent screen, like the kind that were getting popular for
the augmented reality games, appeared in front of my face. It had
additional information about the race, and the benefits gained from
being a champion. I scanned the information, noting they were non-
verbal. Nope. I enjoy talking way too much for that to work.
There was a bit of text below the blue, see-through screen,
asking if I chose the Ikatoians. I clicked no.
 My hand passed right through the prompt, so I tried a different
tactic. I looked at the prompt and thought, no.
This did the trick. The voice boomed from somewhere overhead.
“You have chosen not to be born as an Ikatoian. Please choose
another species.”
I lost track of how long I spent walking among the endless forms,
but after a time I decided to see if the booming voice could help me
narrow things down.
“Can you show me only races that can do magic?”
The forms around me fell apart, like sand scattering in a sudden
gust of wind. The avatars reformed around me, less than a hundred
now.
“Now show me, out of this same pool of choices, those that have
access to advanced technology. Spaceships, shields, and laser
guns.”
The forms blew apart and reformed once more.
Only three remained.
A giant lizard with a long snout and a thick tail stood to my left. I
walked forward to inspect it.
“Species 341. They call themselves Tiokains. They lived on a
desert world with vast underground oceans. After the annihilation of
their homeworld, the majority of their population moved off-world in
massive generational motherships. Do you wish to be reincarnated
as a champion to the Tiokains?”
I sent out a mental ‘no’ command and moved to the next one.
This was one messed-up creature—barely humanoid if at all, as if
a giant gorilla merged with a spider, with a dash of shark added for
good measure. It had the posture of the gorilla, hunched forward and
leaning on two of its six muscular arms. The head was thick and
shark-like with a set of razor-sharp teeth.
I sent out a mental prompt that dismissed the avatar, not waiting
to hear what this particular race was called. If I was going to spend
the next however many years in a new body, I didn’t want to look like
a complete monster.
The final race was the most human of the three, but still looked
distinctly alien.
 “This is a Ki’darthian,” The voice said. “The Ki’darthians are born
into adolescence, and share a generational memory. They reside on
the planet Ki’darth, fourth in a binary system in the Ruezel cluster.
One of a dozen in the sector that supports intelligent life.”
I examined the body. Although obviously alien, it was far less
strange than the previous one. A small loincloth hung around its
waist, but stood naked otherwise. The smooth, ivory skin, hairless as
far as I could see, sported dark, rough patches on the shoulders,
elbows, knees, and a section of the chest, and a faint sapphire-blue
glowed from the creases within them. I walked around the body and
noticed similar skin on the back of the head.
Its head was oval, with another patch of rough skin where
eyebrows would be, with a clear gem pressed into its forehead.
Bright blue veins spread outward from the center of the gem,
creating a pool of color a few inches around it.
With considerable effort, I pulled my gaze from the mesmerizing
gem and examined the eyes. Fiery pools of orange flecked with
sapphire stared back at me. The twin ovals were slanted, and slightly
larger than a human’s. They were completely colored—no whites,
and only a tiny black pupil in the center of each.
Its hands had thick thumbs and three larger fingers. The feet
were half the length of a human’s but much thicker with the same
rough skin as in other areas. But stranger still were the nails—vibrant
blue, just like the veins.
“You said that this is one of many species in the system. Can you
show me the rest?” I asked, motioning toward the alien form in front
of me.
“There are thirty species that currently reside in the sector, but
only the Ki’darthians live on Ki’darth. It is shielded by their advanced
technologies.”
Several more species than I expected solidified in front of me. I
noticed, in surprise, that the lizard man had remained.
“I thought you said only a dozen species lived here?” I asked,
inspecting the other forms.
“That is incorrect,” The voice said, “I stated that only a dozen
planets were inhabited. This section of the universe is uniquely
suited to sustain life, and all but a few planetoid bodies support
sentient species.”
“Will I retain my memories after reincarnation?” I asked, moving
back to stand in front of the Ki’darth species. While I waited for the
disembodied voice to answer, I pulled up the display that gave
additional information.
The translucent blue screen gave almost no information that the
voice hadn't already announced. Usually, I would get a brief history,
noted attributes, and lifespan info, but none of that was present—just
empty text fields.
“Normally, memories are transferred to the subconscious and not
accessible directly. However, you have been given a special perk by
the god Hakorus. As such, we are ninety percent sure you will be
able to retain your memories.”
“How can you not be a hundred percent sure?” I asked,
flabbergasted.
“Over a thousand Earth years ago, they closed their planet off
using a mixture of magic and technology. This has shielded them
from our view. Because of the nature of how knowledge is stored in
this realm, the blank readings overrode stored knowledge of their
past.”
“So... can I even pick them? How do I get reincarnated there if
you can’t get in?” I asked, confused as to why the voice let me waste
time on an avatar that I couldn’t choose.
“Reincarnation is a core god ability, and no mixture of magic and
technology has yet been able to impede it. In the last thousand
years, the number of champion reincarnates has gone down due to
lack of information, but there are still those that choose this race.
Their long lifespans and the ability to be born into adolescence is a
lure some still can’t resist.”
“What else can you tell me?”
“I can only answer questions that you ask.” The voice paused
before continuing. “Most questions can be answered if they are
pertinent to your selection.”
“Which would you choose?” I asked. Maybe he would slip up and
give me the ideal race. It was worth a shot, I figured.
 “I cannot answer that question.”
“Why was I really picked for reincarnation?”
“I cannot answer that question.”
“What is the point of all this?”
“I cannot answer that question.”
This went on for several more minutes, and none of my probing
got me anywhere. The idea of being able to use magic and high tech
was appealing, and I wanted to remain as human-looking as
possible. I wasn’t a fan of having a tail.
Well, nothing to do now but to choose and see what happens
next. I spent most of my life taking the average road and the one
time I took a risk I died. Let’s hope this isn’t going to be another
situation like that.
I sent out the mental command. I choose to be a Ki’darthian.
“You have chosen.” The voice echoed, and all other species
faded away, leaving only the Ki’darthian.
My body shook as I stared at the avatar. I looked into the
Ki’darthian’s eyes, and felt myself being pulled in. Before I knew it, I
was the Ki’darthian.
I flexed my new hands. I felt strong, powerful, and solid. My
previous body was gone. I had only moments to get used to my new
one, then everything began to fade, and I was pulled somewhere
new.
 CHAPTER 2

T . I was wet, warm, and pressed

into close confines. A moment of panic took me, but as I pushed
outward, my damp, dark prison gave way. Cracks formed around my
cage of darkness, and light streamed in. I took this for a good sign,
and smashed outward with my hands, feet, and head.
I was inside a large egg. A section had cracked over my face as I
stood, blocking my view of the world around me. A warm, thick liquid
oozed off me as I stood fully erect. Finally, completely free from my
egg, I removed the final piece off my head.
The room was oval, reminiscent of an egg itself, and as big as a
basketball court. Several soft lights glowed above on the ten foot
ceiling. A single fire burned in the middle of the room, and I followed
the pillar of smoke up as it vented out the top of the building. Several
large carpets—reds, oranges, and a few blues—lay scattered along
the floor. A doorway and several small windows were all that broke
the smooth, rounded walls.
I was a single egg among at least a hundred. The egg shells
around me were a mix of black and deep blue, whereas all the
others were ivory and blue.
A few feet away stood a familiar-looking humanoid, a copy of the
body I’d seen not moments ago. But no, I realized as I continued to
study it. It was similar in many ways, but the ivory skin wasn’t as tight
as the skin I had seen, and the rough spots on the shoulders, knees,
chest, and head were much less prominent and had very little blue.
It took a step backward, the loincloth swaying back and forth.
Whoever it was, it looked very startled to see me standing there.
“Is this thing on?” a nasal, high-pitched voice said. I looked to the
ceiling, then shot my eyes back to look at the inhabitant, but it turned
and ran out without a word. A ray of sunlight filled the room
momentarily as the cloth doorway opened and shut.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” The voice again. My eyes searched
the empty room. A tingle in my hand drew my attention. I was
holding a book. A very plain, brown leather book, with a simple
diamond shape on the cover. I was startled by its sudden
appearance and my hand shot open, dropping the book into a
puddle of egg juices.
‘Really? This is how you treat me? Try to help a guy out, and he
throws you into his birthing fluids.’
“Are you talking?” I asked, leaning down to examine the book. It
didn’t look special, and it wasn’t even that thick of a book.
“Are you talking?“ The voice mimicked my own, but failed to drop
the nasal overtone. “Who did you think it was? Look around. See
anyone else?”
I looked around. Nope, still alone. “No, but you’re a book. Books
can’t talk.” I pondered whether it was worth getting more of the nasty,
sticky goo on me to pick the book up.
“And you are a newborn. How is it you can speak? Let’s both
agree today is a strange day and move on, shall we?”
“Okay?” I half asked, half answered.
“Would you mind picking me up out of your juices now?”
I sighed and took a deep breath. I really didn’t want to touch the
dirty book, but as it was the only thing that had talked to me, I
steeled myself for the grossest thing that I had ever done. I reached
into the warm, thick, smelly pile of body juices and lifted the book
free. To my surprise, it came out clean.
“Okay, I got you,” I told the book. “Now what?”
“How should I know?” the book replied. “I’m as new as you.
Neako’s the name. What’s yours?”
“Neako,” I repeated, remembering what Hakorus had said.
“No, that’s my name.”
“Oh. My name’s Nickolas Noel, but I usually go by Nick.” I
scratched my head with a finger the size of a Twinkie. “Should I pick
a new name to go with the new body?”
“Wait, did you get reincarnated as well?” Neako sounded excited.
“Yeah. I had an unfortunate run-in with a burning house. Saved a
cat, though.” I stepped free of the egg space and used my free hand
to wipe albumen from my body.
Neako was quiet for several long minutes, and I was about to ask
if he’d died. More likely, the string of strange happenings had
reached their tipping point and I was losing my mind.
“That was me! I died three years later, saving my human from a
stupid dog.” Neako's nasally voice reached a fever pitch as he
spoke, he wasn’t a fan of dogs.
“And now you’re a book?”
“And now I’m a book.”
“But why are you my book?” I asked.
“It’s all coming back to me! I was given a choice by a guy named
Hakorus. He made it seem like the person who saved me would
need my help, so here I am. I’ve got loads of data streaming into my
head right now. For instance, if you think about pulling up a system
interface, you can take a look at your abilities and stats. Man, they
really went over the top with the gamification here.”
Before I had a chance to attempt his suggestion, a noise caught
my attention from just outside the hut. Six forms entered the small
enclosure.
“Who are they?” Neako asked.
“Be quiet, and maybe we’ll find out,” I whispered down at the
book. This caught the closest person's attention, and his dull,
mustard-yellow eyes widened slightly.
“It is true!” one of the newcomers said. They were dressed
differently than the loin-clothed man that had watched me hatch.
Each wore a different colored robe. Large hoods draped over their
faces just above their eyes, and their sleeves went several inches
past their fingertips.
The smallest among them stepped forward. His robes were bright
orange, matching his eyes perfectly.
“Do you know what you are?” he asked. His voice was low and
strained, like the sound of breaking rocks that would prefer not to be
broken.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” I answered, unsure of how much I
should tell them. Did they normally have people from other worlds
reincarnate as their species?
“You are an Erusha,” the man said, kneeling in front of me. The
others followed suit, and I fumbled from foot to foot under the
awkward gaze of the six kneeling Ki’darthians. The oldest of the
group stood and locked eyes with me. His skin was like faded ivory,
and sagged in places that would take some getting used to.
“What is an Erusha?” I asked after they had all stood. Before any
of them had a chance to answer, a voice filled my head.
“Erusha—champion, savior, warrior of the people. The term is
commonly used among the remnants of the Ki’darthian people.
Would you like to know more about the Ki’darthians? Whoa, where’d
that come from? How’d you make me do that? Stop that!”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” I hissed. The elder Ki’darthian had been
speaking but I hadn’t heard a word of it. “What was that again?” I
asked the elder.
“You are to be a warrior for our people, young one,” the elderly
Ki’darthian said. “My name is Yuh’nal, and you shall be called...” He
raised his long-sleeved arm and scratched his chin, considering.
“My name is Nick.” I silently cursed myself for interrupting. What if
he was about to give me some cool alien name? Gu’lock the
Destroyer or Vallian the Valiant. Now I’ll be introduced as Nick, the
guy with the book.
“Oh? How unconventional,” he said, looking over his shoulder
and signaling to the men behind him. “Bring the bathing waters, and
a change of clothes. We will get you cleaned and clothed properly.
After which, I would suggest taking a tour of the city. Aetex will not
arrive to take you to the training compound until nightfall. He
sounded excited to meet such a unique Erusha.” He chuckled. “A
dunce egg bringing forth an Erusha! Such a strange day.”
“Training?” I asked, “I’m not completely sure what is happening,
and I don’t mean to be rude, but what if I don’t want to be your
Erusha? I was hoping for more of a freelance situation.” Before the
words were even completely out of my mouth, a wave of gasps filled
the room from the remaining members, and several scampered out.
“What? How can you…” Yuh’nal started, then his voice softened.
“Come here and sit, child. I was hasty. Let me speak to you about
our ways. We rarely receive such a magicked and”—he looked down
at the book I was holding—“unique Erusha. I will explain matters to
you more thoroughly.”
 Yuh’nal pulled a small three-legged stool from behind a hanging
rug and sat it just outside the circle of my egg mess. I stepped out
and caught sight of my naked body. My skin was polished ivory,
accented by darker patches of flesh with lines of blue between the
rough creases in the thick flesh around my knees and feet.
My stubby three-toed foot made a squishing sound as I stepped
on the ruined carpet that cradled what was left of the base of my
egg. I realized as I stepped forward that each of the robed figures
stood several feet taller than me. I examined my arms and chest as I
sat, and noted that I didn’t look particularly muscly either.
“Ask them for a towel before you get any of that nasty junk on
me.”
Neako sounded even more disgusted than before. I made a point
to rub him against my leg so that some of the viscous fluid would get
on his cover. To my surprise, it wasn’t repelled like before.
“Oh, how dare you! If you aren’t careful, I will never speak to you
again!”
“Don’t threaten me with a good time,” I whispered as I sat down
beside Yuh’nal. The book hmphed, but said nothing.
“What was that, child?” Yuh’nal asked, his eyes narrowing as he
watched me.
“Oh, nothing,” I said. “Just strange voices in my head.” I laughed
at my attempt at a joke, but Yuh’nal seemed horrified. His eyes were
the size of grapefruit, and he recoiled. “I was joking! I don’t… uh…
hear anything in my head.”
My words had the desired effect, and he leaned forward, but he
kept a perplexed eye on me.
“Yes, very funny indeed,” Yuh’nal said, then clapped his hands.
“Let’s get to it, shall we? You are a newborn, but you are also an
Erusha. You hold the fate of our people in your hands. We have
fallen from grace, and our world rejects us. But once, we were a
mighty race of warriors, and our technical prowess was feared and
respected through the solar system. There was a time when many of
our people were born with the mark.” He motioned toward my head,
and I brought my thick fingers to my forehead. I followed the rough
flesh above my eyes to something hard embedded in my forehead. It
was no bigger than the tip of my finger, but I hadn’t seen anything
like it on the nearly naked man who was present when I was born.
“What is this?” I asked, still fingering the hard object. As the
words came out of my mouth, I remembered seeing the gem set into
the avatar's head before I was reincarnated.
Yuh’nal’s voice became reverent. “It is a gift, and a burden. A
gem that marks you as an Erusha, a champion to our people. You
will lead us back from the brink of extinction. Our world grows more
dangerous with each passing cycle. If you are willing, Aetex, our
oldest and wisest warrior, will teach you the ways of an Erusha, and
you can beat back the dangers that threaten to overtake us each
day. In the end, it is your choice. Will you rise, and defend your
people?”
The book vibrated excitedly. “With a speech like that, how can
you say no? Gosh, I’m ready to sign up. Tell him I’d like to be an
Erusha, too, and… oh, ask what the benefits are! Do I get extra
pages if we do well?”
I did my best to keep a straight face, but he did have a point. I
felt… inspired. I would help these people—my people now—and be
their defender. Now, I just had to figure out how. I was a short and
skinny newborn, with an annoying book as my only possession.
“I will fulfill the role I was born into,” I said, doing my best to mimic
the inspired tone of Yuh’nal.
I failed miserably.

It took about an hour of embarrassment before the old men were

done with the dirty deed of cleaning me up. Several times, I told
them I’d rather do it myself, but the elder Yuh’nal insisted it was a
ritual that needed to be followed. I stopped asking questions and let
them do their job, chatting with Neako instead.
“Wonder why they are keeping all that fluid?” I whispered, trying
not to look like I was talking to myself.
 “You can just think the words. I have pretty good reception inside
your head,” Neako said matter-of-factly.
“Can you hear me?” I asked, thinking the words.
“Yikes! You want me to do what?” Neako sounded shocked. “I will
not be a part of that. Oh no, watch out!”
“What? What’s happening?” I asked out loud. I pivoted my
strange feet and scanned the area, ready to face whatever was
coming.
Instead, I heard raucous, nasal laughter in my head.
“I can hear you fine,” Neako said after the laughter died down.
The cat who haunted the pages of my book had a shitty sense of
humor.
“Sorry. I wasn’t this mischievous as a cat. Must be the side
effects of becoming fully sapient,” Neako said, sounding speculative.
“Do you know why they are collecting my birthing fluids?” I asked,
deadpan.
“Probably think they will get infused magic out of it. Jokes on
them, though. I ate it already.”
“You what?” I asked, looking down at the book in shock as an
elder handed me a set of clothes, then left us alone.
“The birthing fluids were enriched with magic. I sucked it all up so
that we could use it.”
I looked around, checking that we were indeed alone, before
returning to speaking aloud.
“What does that mean? Will I be able to shoot fireballs and stuff?”
I looked down at my hand and tried to imagine a fireball appearing. It
didn’t.
“What? No, I don’t think so. But you should look over your
character sheet and get up to speed. I’ve made a few adjustments to
simplify the information and translated some of the vernacular to
more common terms.”
I was still naked, so I decided I should dress first. I’d been given a
simple outfit—a plain white shirt, loose tan pants and a thick leather
belt.
Properly garbed, I mentally commanded my character sheet to
appear.
 A translucent blue screen popped up, with a small avatar of
myself to the left and icons flanking each side. As I focused on each
one it gave me information.
Simple Shirt.
Simple Pants.
Simple Leather Belt.
I didn’t see Neako anywhere on the left side where my gear slots
were. Strange. How do I equip him?
“Excuse me?” Neako said, but I ignored him and continued going
through my character sheet.
On the left, next to my avatar, I found the good stuff.
Name: Nickolas Noel, Level 1, 0% Experience
Species: Ki’darthian
Racial Traits:
Long-Lived (Increased Life Span by a factor of ten)
Adaptive Resistance (Through centuries of magical and
technological physical advancement, Ki’darthians have
unlocked powerful internal resistances. The saying goes, ‘If you
want to kill a Ki’darthian, make sure you get them dead the first
time, because they won't be as easy the next attempt.’ - Soran
the Hunter)
Thick-Skinned (Incoming Blunt damage is reduced by 10%)
Attributes (Currently 23 unassigned points, 5 base, 18
magically absorbed):
Physical (You can lift heavy objects and move quickly): 10
Magical (You are in touch with the realm beyond, and can
call down powerful magics): 10
Mind (You are smart): 10
Resistance (Shrug off the elements and poisons alike): 20

Health Points (HP): 150/150((Physical Attribute plus Resistance

divided by two) times your Level plus Modifiers)(Times 10)
Mana Points (MP): 100/100(Magical Attribute times your
Level plus Modifiers)(Times 10)
 Mental Fortitude (MF): 100/100(Mind Attribute times your
Level plus Modifiers)(Times 10)
Energy Points (EP): 100/100(Physical Attribute plus Mind
Attribute divided by two, times your Level plus Modifiers)(Times
10)

I scanned the fields again and blinked. It was a startling amount of

information, but something was missing.
“Hey, Neako,” I said, raising the book to my mouth. “Don’t I have
any spells or abilities?”
“Yes, you do,” Neako paused before continuing with a hint of
apprehension in his voice. “But for whatever reason, your abilities
and spells are directly tied to me. So if you want to see them, you
have to crack me open and take a look.” I swear I felt the book get
warm. “It makes me feel dirty even thinking about it. Be gentle.”
I promptly opened the book to the first page.
Abilities:
Punch (Untrained Rank 1): You swing and hit your opponent
with a closed fist. [Physical Attribute(10) times Level(1) plus
Rank(Rank 1(1))
Kick (Untrained Rank 1): You kick and hit your opponent
with your foot. [Physical Attribute(10) times Level(1) plus
Rank(Rank 1(1))
Throw (Untrained Rank 1): You throw an object less than 2
pounds and hit your opponent. [Physical Attribute(10) times
Level(1) plus Rank(Rank 1(1))
That was it. The rest of the page was empty, so I turned the
page.
Spells:
Infusion (Rank 1): You take a measure of Mana and attempt
to push it into an object. Results vary.
“That isn’t very exciting. What does ‘results vary’ mean, anyway?”
“Exactly that. From what I can tell, the infusion ability lets you
transfer energy. It’s what I used to grab all that potent magical
energy we were born with. In that case, it gave us several additional
attribute points.”
“I need some time to process all this,” I said. The gravity of my
situation was setting in. I had died, been reincarnated, and now I
was an alien with magical powers, but no cool spells.
“Yet,” Neako added to my thought process.
“So are you able to just listen in on all my thoughts?” I asked, not
sure how I felt about that.
“Pretty much,” Neako said.
“So where should I assign my attribute points?” I asked, taking
another look at my screen. It stayed locked in my field of view as I
moved my neck.
“Remember that you don’t have nine lives,” Neako said. “Neither
did I, come to think of it, after that dog was done with me. Anyways,
if your HP hits zero, we are both done for, so be a nice Ki’darthian,
and spend some points to raise that up.”
I looked at my sheet. It looked like I could add to either my
Resistance or my Physical Attribute to raise my HP. Since it was
doing a straight average between the two, I decided to test
something.
Focusing on the Physical Attribute, I added a single point.
Please confirm that you would like to add a single attribute point
to your Physical Attribute. Y/N (Remember that you have three
cycles remaining to place all attribute points before they dissipate
and are lost.)
I selected yes and waited.
It didn’t take long for my body to flex involuntarily. A few moments
after it began, it was over. The feeling was hard to describe. A
memory surfaced that bore an uncanny resemblance to the feeling
I’d just suffered through.
I was visiting a friend, Alex, and helped him move his couch. One
of the plugs on the wall near the couch was black and looked like
someone had burnt it with a match. So, being the helpful friend that I
am, I leaned down to investigate.
I saw a small piece of metal sticking out of the right hole of the
plug and reached out to pull it free. It isn’t as dumb as it sounds—I’d
been told earlier that the power hadn’t been turned on at his new
place. I was badly misinformed.
It was the shock of my life.
That feeling was what I had just felt. Shocking, but not
incapacitating.
Pulling myself from the memory, I checked my HP. It had gone
from 150 to 160, which meant that it was averaging up before it
multiplied against the level section. Interesting.
I added a single point to Resistance and confirmed the prompt
when it popped up.
Instead of the seizing muscles, I was treated to an equally
unpleasant experience. My skin crawled, and my stomach went for a
loop. I had to take a small step as the hut swayed slightly.
My HP didn’t budge. I had expected as much.
I placed seven more points into Resistance, figuring if they
averaged the two and both gave me an increase into my HP, then
being resistant would make me harder to kill, appeasing both Neako
and myself, as I had no desire to die again.
Mentally selecting Yes as the popup appeared, I was greeted
with pain. It felt like my blood had been set on fire, then frozen in
place. I fell to my knees and screamed. Sweat drenched my rough
hide-like skin, and my breath came in heavy sharp gasps.
“Holy shit, man. You probably shouldn’t do so many at once. We
took damage from that.” Neako sounded amused as he spoke.
Sure enough, my HP was at 160/200. Whether that meant I had
taken damage, or my HP just increased faster than it could fill, I
wasn’t sure.
While still on my knees recovering from the rapid change my
body was going through, Yuh’nal entered, followed by another
Ki’darthian.
“Young one! Are you okay?” Yuh’nal stood in front of the white
sheet that served as a door. The man next to him was younger,
judging by his vibrant tones.
“I’m fine,” I said, struggling to stand. My muscles ached. “I
thought I’d rearrange my body a bit.”
I laughed. They didn’t.
 “You were right,” the younger Ki’darthian said in a whisper that I
easily heard. “He is a strange one.”
“Nothing wrong with strange,” I said. The younger one seemed
legitimately surprised I’d heard him. Was my hearing better than
average?
“Ki’darthians not born as Erusha have a racial trait that makes
their hearing less than ideal,” Neako recited robotically. “Aw, damn
damn damn! How do you keep getting me to info dump like that? If I
still had my claws I’d swipe you upside the head.”
“I’m not actively trying to do it, you know,” I said in my head,
attempting to calm the book down. “In fact, you have my permission
to try and turn it off.” The blessing of knowledge that Hakorus gave
me was beginning to seem more like a curse.
“Excuse me, Erusha Nick? Are you okay?”
They had been speaking to me while I conversed with my book-
cat.
“Yeah, I am,” I said, giving them my full attention. “Go ahead and
repeat whatever it was you just said.”
Yuh’nal gestured to the youngster beside him. “Ah’can has
volunteered to show you around the city, if you would like. If not, you
may wait here and rest until Aetex comes to retrieve you.”
“Yes,” I said. “Please. I would love to go out and see the city. ‘A
can’ was it? Nice to meet you. My name’s Nick.”
“It’s Ah’can,” he replied, drawing out the first syllable. He
scratched the back of his head and smiled before continuing. “If
you’re hungry, we can start by visiting a great place close to the
outer wall. Afterwards we can check out the great view!”
Judging by his voice, he was thrilled about this assignment.
“Thank you Ah’can,” I said, making sure to speak his name
carefully. “I could use some food.”
“Yuh’nal, what time should I return Erusha Nick back into your
care?” Ah’can asked, his voice snapping back to formality.
“By sunset. We wouldn’t want to keep Aetex waiting,” Yuh’nal
said, patting the younger one on the back as he turned and left.
The cloth doorway opened to a vast paradise. As far as I could see,
the ground was covered in blueish-purple grass. A rainbow of
flowers grew everywhere, the smells of which hit my nostrils all at
once. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply.
The sensations in that singular moment far outweighed anything I
had experienced in this life or the one before it. It was euphoric. The
aromas—sweet, spicy, sharp—overwhelmed me for several long
seconds, before I was able to pull myself out of the fragrant orgasm.
My feet were bare, and I pressed my wide toes into the soft
ground. I had made the right choice. This world was immaculate.
I looked up, examining the buildings. There wasn’t as much
variety as there had been on Earth, but they were interesting all the
same. The domed structures were the same pale ivory as the
Ki’darthians’ skin.
I turned back to the single-story building we had just left, realizing
it was covered in hard mud. The structures were basically huts.
Looking around, I saw hundreds of these smaller, single-story homes
scattered about.
In the distance, a wall circled the large city. The white mud
buildings grew taller the closer they got to the wall.
I must be near the center.
Oddly, I didn’t see many trees. There were a few, though, mostly
small pine analogs with blue needles instead of green. The sky
wasn’t the normal blue of Earth, but sapphiric, deep and marbled.
The longer I stared the more I realized the sky was moving, like
grease shifting atop water. That must be the shield the disembodied
voice was talking about.
“Our salvation and our curse,” Ah’can said, following my gaze.
“Our ancestors created the Great Barrier to protect us from an
ancient evil, and the elders of each city help maintain it.”
As if on cue, a loud pulse sounded not far from where we stood.
A hundred feet away, a domed building, maybe three times the size
of the one I was standing next to, was blasting a glowing pillar of
energy into the sky.
This was the first sign of magic or technology I’d seen so far, so
without thinking, I headed toward the building.
“Oh, no no no,” Ah’can said, putting himself between me and the
path toward the building. “Only the Elders are allowed in there. Not
even the Erusha can step foot inside.”
“Maybe we can sneak in later,” Neako suggested. “That beam
was nearly pure magical energy, I could feel it.”
“Let’s not become pariahs on our first day,” I mentally shot back.
“Sorry,” I said to Ah’can. “I felt… drawn to it.” He gave me a
relieved sigh, but his eyes remained worried. “Anyway, you
mentioned food?”

It was a long walk to the food place Ah’can spoke of. I followed,
scanning the unfamiliar landscape and absorbing the beauty of it all.
Neako had fallen into a catnap, so I was alone with my thoughts for a
good portion of the walk. They wandered back to my previous life.
I had friends. Lovely parents who were probably grieving their
dead son. Although I didn’t think so at the time, I probably had a
decent future ahead of me if I applied myself.
My mind snapped back to the present. This was a new life.
I was a magic space alien.
Perhaps I could take a ship and visit Earth? I should have asked
the relative location of this planet to Earth, or if it was even in the
same reality. That line of thinking gave me a headache.
Eager to break the silence and stop my brain from traveling down
that rabbit hole, I cleared my throat before speaking.
“I’ve noticed a distinct lack of advanced technology. What’s that
all about?” I asked, immediately wishing I had rephrased it. It was no
wonder every Ki’darthian I’d met thought I was weird. How do I
explain to them that I’m just a grown man from Arizona who regularly
puts his foot in his mouth?
 After an awkward minute of silence Ah’can answered.
“You know a good bit for being a newborn. I wasn’t sure your
genetic memory had kicked in yet with how awed you've been with
all the sights.”
“I have several missing, uh, memories,” I said, trying my best to
sound nonchalant.
We continued on the cobblestone path that snaked its way
through the city and split at random places without any kind of
signage in sight. So far, all I had seen was foot traffic, and aside from
the occasional chirp of unseen birds, I hadn’t noticed any wildlife
either.
“Your memories will return eventually, but until then, let me fill you
in,” Ah’can said. “Around the same time the shrines were set up, our
ancestors figured out a way to protect our planet from a… threat…
that has been lost in the passing of many generations. Some think it
was an object from space that would collide with the planet, while
others think our ancestors desired to keep the planet and its
resources from the other species that used to be common in this
galaxy.”
Flashes of light and images of fierce battles poured through my
head. I had to stop and shut my eyes.
“Whoops,” Neako said. “I’ve been working on unlocking those
racial memories he was talking about. Think I triggered one.”
“Save it for another time,” I replied silently, flashing a smile to
Ah’can.
“What do you think happened?” I asked him.
“I used to believe the meteor theory. It is the official story the
elders teach, but lately I’m not so sure,” Ah’can said. He appeared
conflicted, so I didn’t press him.
“Either way, what’s done is done, right?” I joked, hoping I could
set him at ease.
“That’s just it,” he said, “Whichever story is true, I still don’t
understand why we should stay locked away with everything that is
happening.”
“What is happening?” I asked, noting that I’d elicited the opposite
effect in my attempts to calm the agitated Ki’darthian.
 “Aetex should be the one to tell you all this,” Ah’can said. He
looked around and leaned in to whisper, “We don’t have much longer
to live. Maybe a hundred years, two if the smaller villages stay out of
the cities and die from famine.”
I looked around at the unfamiliar utopia.
“You’re joking, right?” I asked, gesturing to all the plants and
grass. To my left, a bush filled with orange raspberry-like fruit begged
me to sample one.
“Just follow me to the wall,” Ah’can said. “You will see what I
mean.”
We stopped at a food cart that sold small salads of fruits and
vegetables. I munched on mine as we approached the wall. The food
wasn’t bad, a mixture of sweet and bitter flavors that reminded me of
strawberries and arugula.
The wall reminded me of walls that surrounded old Spanish
missions like the Alamo, except these walls reached nearly fifty feet
high. A narrow staircase ran from the base to the top. Ah’can jogged
up the first few, and I followed closely.
There was a change in the air and the sound of birds as we
ascended. An eerie silence spread through the city, snuffing out
other sounds like spent candles.
We reached the top of the wall. It was easily six feet wide, but
was lacking any barrier or battlements to keep someone from falling
off the edge. I wasn’t afraid of heights, but the sheer drop turned my
stomach.
What I saw when I looked out stole what breath I had left. It
looked like the Arizona desert, but no brush or weeds. Only cracked,
dead earth as far as the eye could see.
In the distance, a few stone arches rose higher than the wall I
stood on, framing vast canyons of indeterminate depths. I turned to
look at the lushness of the city once more. The difference was stark,
and I bit back a pang of nausea.
“The entire planet is dying,” Ah’can said, breaking the silence.
“According to our oldest memories, this continent used to be filled
with lush vegetation. Now it is nearly stripped of all life. Even the
great waters have receded.”
Another random document with
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 Fig. 241.—Lips of a Wrasse,
Labrus festivus.
The “Wrasses” are a large family of littoral fishes, very abundant
in the temperate and tropical zones, but becoming scarcer towards
the Arctic and Antarctic circles, where they disappear entirely. Many
of them are readily recognised by their thick lips, which are
sometimes internally folded, a peculiarity which has given to them
the German term of “Lip-fishes.” They feed chiefly on mollusks and
crustaceans, their dentition being admirably adapted for crushing
hard substances. Many species have a strong curved tooth at the
posterior extremity of the intermaxillary, for the purpose of pressing a
shell against the lateral and front teeth by which it is crushed. Other
Wrasses feed on corals, others on zoophytes; a few are herbivorous.
In all Wrasses the upper pharyngeal bones seem to be jointed to the
basi-occipital; but whilst in Labrus the basi-occipital is raised on each
side into a large flattish condyle, fitting into a concavity of the upper
pharyngeals, in Scarus the mode of articulation is reversed, the basi-
occipital having a pair of long grooves, in which the oblong condyles
of the upper pharyngeals slide forwards and backwards. Beautiful
colours prevail in this family, permanent pigmentary colours as well
as passing iridescent reflections of the scales. Some species remain
very small, others grow to a weight of fifty pounds. The larger kinds
especially are prized as food, the smaller less so.
 Remains of Labridæ, recognised by their united pharyngeals,
which bear molar-like teeth, are not scarce in tertiary formations of
France, Germany, Italy, and England. Such remains from Monte
Bolca and the Swiss Molasse have been referred to the genus
Labrus. Others, Nummopalatus and Phyllodus, are allied, but cannot
be assigned, to one of the recent genera; the latter genus is first
represented in cretaceous formations of Germany. Another genus,
Taurinichthys, from the Miocene of France, represents the Odacina
of the living fauna. Egertonia, from the Isle of Sheppey, differs so
much from all recent Labroid genera that its pertinence to this family
appears doubtful.
[See J. Cocchi, Monografia dei Pharyngodopilidæ, 1866; and E.
Sauvage, Sur le genre Nummopalatus, in Bull. Soc. Geol. France,
1875.]
Labrus.—Body compressed, oblong, covered with scales of
moderate size, in more than forty transverse series; snout more or
less pointed; imbricate scales on the cheeks and opercles; none or
only a few on the interoperculum. Teeth in the jaws conical, in a single
series. Dorsal spines numerous, thirteen or twenty-one, none of which
are prolonged; anal spines three. Lateral line not interrupted.
Young “Wrasses” differ from mature specimens in having the
præoperculum serrated. The headquarters of this genus are the
Mediterranean, whence it ranges, gradually diminishing towards the
north, along all the shores of Europe. Nine species are known;
British are the “Ballan Wrasse” (L. maculatus), and the “Striped or
Red Wrasse” or “Cook” (L. mixtus). The two sexes of the latter
species are very differently coloured; the male being generally
ornamented with blue streaks, or a blackish band along the body,
whilst the female has two or three large black blotches across the
back of the tail.
Crenilabrus are Labrus with serrated præoperculum; the number
of their dorsal spines varies from thirteen to eighteen, and the scales
are arranged in less than forty transverse series.
The range of this genus is co-extensive with Labrus. C. melops,
the “Gold-sinny,” or “Cork-wing,” is common on the British coasts.
 Tautoga.—Body compressed, oblong, covered with small scales;
scales on the cheek rudimentary, opercles naked. Teeth in the jaws
conical, in double series; no posterior canine tooth. Dorsal spines
seventeen, anal spines three. Lateral line not interrupted.
The “Tautog,” or “Black-fish,” is common on the Atlantic coasts of
temperate North America, and much esteemed as food.
Ctenolabrus.—Body oblong, covered with scales of moderate
size; imbricate scales on the cheeks and opercles. Teeth in the jaws in
a band, with an outer series of stronger conical teeth; no posterior
canine tooth. Dorsal spines from sixteen to eighteen; anal spines
three. Lateral line not interrupted.
Four species, from the Mediterranean and the temperate parts of
the North Atlantic, Ct. rupestris being common on the British, and Ct.
burgall on the North American coasts.
Acantholabrus.—A Wrasse with five or six anal spines, and with
the teeth in a band.

From the Mediterranean and British coasts (A. palloni).

Centrolabrus.—Wrasses with four or five anal spines, and with
the teeth in a single series.

Two species are known from Madeira and the Canary Islands,
and one from northern Europe and Greenland. The latter is scarce
on the British coasts, but bears a distinct name on the south coast,
where it is called “Rock-cook.”
Lachnolaemus from the West Indies, and Malacopterus from
Juan Fernandez, are Labroids, closely allied to the preceding North
Atlantic genera.
Cossyphus.—Body compressed, oblong, with scales of moderate
size; snout more or less pointed; imbricate scales on the cheeks and
opercles; basal portion of the vertical fins scaly. Lateral line not
interrupted. Teeth in the jaws in a single series; four canine teeth in
each jaw anteriorly; a posterior canine tooth. Formula of the fins: D.
12/9–11, A. 3/12.
Twenty species are known from the tropical zone and coasts
adjoining it; some, like G. gouldii from Tasmania, attain a length of
three or four feet.
 Chilinus.—Body compressed, oblong, covered with large scales;
lateral line interrupted; cheeks with two series of scales;
præoperculum entire; teeth in a single series, two canines in each jaw;
no posterior canine tooth; lower jaw not produced backwards. Dorsal
spines subequal in length; formula of the fins: D. 9–10/10–9, A. 3/8.
Common in the tropical Indo-Pacific, whence more than twenty
species are known. Hybrids between the different species of this
genus are not uncommon.
Epibulus.—Closely allied to the preceding genus, but with a very
protractile mouth, the ascending branches of the intermaxillaries, the
mandibles, and the tympanic being much prolonged.
This fish (E. insidiator) is said to seize marine animals by
suddenly thrusting out its mouth and engulphing those that come
within the reach of the elongated tube. It attains a length of twelve
inches, is common in the tropical Indo-Pacific, and varies much in
coloration.
Anampses.—Distinguished by its singular dentition, the two front
teeth of each jaw being prominent, directed forwards, compressed,
with cutting edge. D. 9/12, A. 3/12.
Beautifully coloured fishes from the tropical Indo-Pacific. Ten
species.
Platyglossus.—Scales in thirty or less transverse series; lateral
line not interrupted. A posterior canine tooth. Dorsal spines nine.
Small beautifully coloured Coral-fishes, abundant in the
equatorial zone and the coasts adjoining it. Some eighty species are
known (inclusive of the allied genera Stethojulis, Leptojulis, and
Pseudojulis).
Novacula.—Body strongly compressed, oblong, covered with
scales of moderate size; head compressed, elevated, obtuse, with the
supero-anterior profile more or less parabolic; head nearly entirely
naked. Lateral line interrupted. No posterior canine tooth. D. 9/12, A.
3/12; the two anterior dorsal spines sometimes remote or separate
from the others.
Twenty-six species are known from the tropical zone, and the
warmer parts of the temperate zones. They are readily recognised
by their compressed, knife-shaped body, and peculiar physiognomy;
they scarcely exceed a length of twelve inches.
Julis.—Scales of moderate size; lateral line not interrupted. Head
entirely naked. Snout of moderate extent, not produced; no posterior
canine tooth. Dorsal spines ten.
Co-extensive with Platyglossus in their geographical distribution,
and of like beautiful coloration and similar habits. Some of the most
common fishes of the Indo-Pacific, as J. lunaris, trilobata, and
dorsalis, belong to this genus.
Coris.—Scales small, in fifty or more transverse series; lateral line
not interrupted. Head entirely naked. Dorsal spines nine.
Twenty-three species, distributed like Platyglossus; two reach the
south coast of England, Coris julis and C. giofredi, said to be male
and female of the same species. Some belong to the most
gorgeously coloured kinds of the whole class of fishes.
Genera allied to the preceding Labroids are—Choerops,
Xiphochilus, Semicossyphus, Trochocopus, Decodon, Pteragogus,
Clepticus, Labrichthys, Labroides, Duymæria, Cirrhilabrus,
Doratonotus, Pseudochilinus, Hemigymnus, Gomphosus, Cheilio,
and Cymolutes.
Pseudodax.—Scales of moderate size; lateral line continuous;
cheeks and opercles scaly. Each jaw armed with two pairs of broad
incisors, and with a cutting lateral edge; teeth of the lower pharyngeal
confluent, pavement-like. Dorsal spines eleven.

One species (P. moluccensis) from the East Indian Archipelago.

Scarus.—Jaws forming a sharp beak, the teeth being soldered
together. The lower jaw projecting beyond the upper. A single series of
scales on the cheek; dorsal spines stiff, pungent; the upper lip double
in its whole circuit. The dentigerous plate of the lower pharyngeal is
broader than long.

The fishes of this genus, and the three succeeding, are known by
the name of “Parrot-wrasses.” Of Scarus one species (S. cretensis)
occurs in the Mediterranean, and nine others in the tropical Atlantic.
The first was held in high repute by the ancients, and Aristotle has
several passages respecting its rumination. It was most plentiful and
of the best quality in the Carpathian Sea, between Crete and Asia
Minor, but was not unknown even in early times on the Italian coasts,
though Columella says that it seldom passed beyond Sicily in his
day. But in the reign of Claudius, according to Pliny, Optatus
Elipentius brought it from the Troad, and introduced it into the sea
between Ostium and Campagna. For five years all that were caught
in the nets were thrown into the sea again, and from that time it was
an abundant fish in that locality. In the time of Pliny it was considered
to be the first of fishes (Nunc Scaro datur principatus); and the
expense incurred by Elipentius was justified, in the opinion of the
Roman gourmands, by the extreme delicacy of the fish. It was a fish,
said the poets, whose very excrements the gods themselves were
unwilling to reject. Its flesh was tender, agreeable, sweet, easy of
digestion, and quickly assimilated; yet if it happened to have eaten
an Aplysia, it produced violent diarrhœa. In short, there is no fish of
which so much has been said by ancient writers. In the present day
the Scarus of the Archipelago is considered to be a fish of exquisite
flavour; and the Greeks still name it Scaro, and eat it with a sauce
made of its liver and intestines. It feeds on fucus; and Valenciennes
thinks that the necessity for masticating its vegetable diet thoroughly,
and the working of it with that intent backwards and forwards in the
mouth, may have given rise to the notion of its being a ruminant; and
it is certain that its aliment is very finely divided when it reaches the
stomach.
 Fig. 242.—Scarichthys auritus.
Scarichthys.—Differing from Scarus only in having flexible dorsal
spines.

Two species from the Indo-Pacific.

Callyodon.—Differing from Scarichthys in having the upper lip
double posteriorly only.
Nine species from the tropical zone.
Pseudoscarus.—Jaws forming a strong beak, the teeth being
soldered together. The upper jaw projecting beyond the lower. Two or
more series of scales on the cheek. The dentigerous plate of the lower
pharyngeal longer than broad.
This tropical genus contains by far the greatest number of
Scaroid Wrasses, some seventy species being known, and a still
greater number of names being introduced into the various
Ichthyological works. They are beautifully coloured, but the colours
change with age, and vary in an extraordinary degree in the same
species. They rapidly fade after death, so that it is almost impossible
to recognise in preserved specimens the species described from
living individuals. Many attain to a rather large size, upwards of three
feet in length. The majority are eaten, but some acquire poisonous
properties from their food, which consists either of corals or of fucus.
 Odax.—The edge of each jaw is sharp, without distinct teeth. The
dentigerous plate of the lower pharyngeal triangular, much broader
than long. Cheeks and opercles scaly; scales of the body small or
rather small; lateral line continuous. Snout conical. Dorsal spines
rather numerous, flexible.

Fig. 243.—Odax radiatus.

Six species from the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. Small.
The species figured (O. radiatus) is from Western Australia.
Coridodax.—Jaws as in Odax, head naked. Scales of the body
small; lateral line continuous. Snout of moderate extent. Dorsal spines
numerous, flexible.

The “Butter-fish,” or “Kelp-fish” of the colonists of New Zealand

(C. pullus), is prized as food, and attains to a weight of four or five
pounds. It feeds on zoophytes, scraping them from the surface of the
kelp, with its curiously formed teeth. Its bones are green, like those
of Belone.
Olistherops, from King George’s Sound, has scales of
moderate size, but agrees otherwise with Coridodax.
Siphonognathus.—Head and body very elongate, snout long, as
in Fistularia; upper jaw terminating in a long, pointed, skinny
appendage; opercles and cheeks scaly; scales of moderate size;
lateral line continuous. Dorsal spines numerous, flexible. Jaws as in
Odax; the dentigerous plate of the lower pharyngeal very narrow.
 S. argyrophanes, from King George’s Sound, is the most
aberrant type of Wrasses, whose principal characters are retained,
but united with a form of the body which resembles that of a Pipe-
fish.

Third Family—Embiotocidæ.
Body compressed, elevated or oblong, covered with cycloid
scales; lateral line continuous. One dorsal fin, with a spinous portion,
and with a scaly sheath along the base, which is separated by a
groove from the other scales; anal with three spines and numerous
rays; ventral fins thoracic, with one spine and five rays. Small teeth
in the jaws, none on the palate. Pseudobranchiæ present. Stomach
siphonal, pyloric appendages none. Viviparous.
Marine Fishes characteristic of the fauna of the temperate North
Pacific, the majority living on the American side, and only a few on
the Asiatic. All are viviparous (see Fig. 70, p. 159). Agassiz
describes the development of the embryoes as a normal ovarian
gestation, the sac containing the young not being the oviduct but the
ovarian sheath, which fulfils the functions of the ovary. This organ
presents two modes of arrangement: in one there is a series of
triangular membranous flaps communicating with each other,
between which the young are arranged, mostly longitudinally, the
head of one to the tail of another, but sometimes with the bodies
curved, to the number of eighteen or twenty; in the other, the cavity
is divided by three membranes converging to a point, into four
compartments, not communicating with each other except towards
the genital opening, the young being arranged in the same
longitudinal manner. The proportionate size of the young is very
remarkable. In a female specimen 10½ inches long, and 4½ inches
high, the young were nearly 3 inches long and 1 inch high.
Seventeen species are known, the majority of which belong to
Ditrema, and one to Hysterocarpus. They do not attain to a large
size, varying from three-quarters to three pounds in weight.
 Fourth Family—Chromides.
Body elevated, oblong or elongate, scaly, the scales being
generally ctenoid. Lateral line interrupted or nearly so. One dorsal
fin, with a spinous portion; three or more anal spines; the soft anal
similar to the soft dorsal. Ventral fins thoracic, with one spine and
five rays. Teeth in the jaws small, palate smooth. Pseudobranchiæ
none. Stomach coecal; pyloric appendages none.
Freshwater-fishes of rather small size from the tropical parts of
Africa and America; one genus from Western India. The species with
lobate teeth, and with many circumvolutions of the intestines, are
herbivorous, the other carnivorous.
Etroplus.—Body compressed, elevated, covered with ctenoid
scales of moderate size. Lateral line indistinct. Dorsal and anal spines
numerous. Teeth compressed, lobate, in one or two series. Anterior
prominences of the branchial arches not numerous, short, conical,
hard. Dorsal fin not scaly.
Two species from Ceylon and Southern India.
Chromis.—Body compressed, oblong, covered with cycloid scales
of moderate size. Dorsal spines numerous, anal spines three. Teeth
compressed, more or less lobate, in one series. Anterior prominences
of the branchial arches short, thin, lamelliform, non-serrated. Dorsal
fin not scaly.
Some twenty species are known from the fresh waters of Africa
and Palestine; the most celebrated is the “Bulti,” or “Bolty,” of the
Nile, one of the few well-flavoured fishes of that river; it grows to the
length of twenty inches. Two or three species of this genus occur in
the Jordan and Lake of Galilee.
 Fig. 244.—Chromis andreæ, from the Lake of Galilee.
Hemichromis, differing from Chromis in having conical teeth in
one or two series.

Ten species, the range of which is co-extensive with that of

Chromis. One species, H. sacra, is abundant in the Lake of Galilee.
Paretroplus, differing from Hemichromis in having nine anal
spines.

One species from Madagascar.

Acara.—Body compressed, oblong, covered with ctenoid scales
of moderate size. Dorsal spines numerous, anal spines three or four;
base of the soft dorsal nearly uncovered by scales. Teeth in a band,
small, conical. Anterior prominences of the first branchial arch very
short tubercles.
Some twenty species are known from the fresh waters of Tropical
America, A. bimaculata being one of the most common fishes of that
region. All are very small.
Heros.—Differing from Acara in having more than four anal
spines.
 Some fifty species are known from the fresh waters of Tropical
America, especially Central America, where almost every large lake
or river is tenanted by one or more peculiar species. They are of
rather small size, rarely exceeding a length of twelve inches.

Fig. 245.—Heros salvini, from Central America.

Genera allied to Heros, and likewise from Tropical America, are
Neetroplus, Mesonauta, Petenia, Uaru, and Hygrogonus.
Cichla.—Form of the body perch-like. Scales small; the spinous
and soft portions of the dorsal fin of nearly equal extent, and
separated by a notch; anal spines three. Each jaw with a broad band
of villiform teeth. The outer branchial arch with lanceolate crenulated
prominences along its concave side. Dorsal and anal fins scaly.
Four species from Brazil, Guyana, and Peru.
Crenicichla.—Body low, sub-cylindrical; scales small or rather
small. The spinous portion of the dorsal is much more developed than
the soft, both being continuous, and not separated by a notch; anal
spines three. Præopercular margin serrated. Each jaw with a band of
conical teeth. The outer branchial arch with short tubercles. Dorsal
and anal fins naked.

Ten species from Brazil and Guyana.

 The following genera complete the list of South American
Chromides: Chætobranchus, Mesops, Satanoperca, Geophagus,
Symphysodon, and Pterophyllum.

THIRD ORDER—ANACANTHINI.
Vertical and ventral fins without spinous rays. The ventral fins, if
present, are jugular or thoracic. Air-bladder, if present, without
pneumatic duct.
These characters are common to all the members of this order,
with the exception of a freshwater-fish from Tasmania and South
Australia (Gadopsis), which has the anterior portion of the dorsal and
anal fins formed of spines.

First Division—Anacanthini Gadoidei.

Head and body symmetrically formed.

First Family—Lycodidæ.
Vertical fins confluent. Ventral fin, if present, small, attached to
the humeral arch, jugular. Gill-opening narrow, the gill-membrane
being attached to the isthmus.
Marine littoral fishes of small size, resembling Blennies, chiefly
represented in high latitudes, but a few living within the tropical zone.
Lycodes.—Body elongate, covered with minute scales imbedded
in the skin, or naked; lateral line more or less indistinct. Eye of
moderate size. Ventral small, short, rudimentary, jugular, composed of
several rays. Upper jaw overlapping the lower. Conical teeth in the
jaws, on the vomer, and on the palatine bones. Barbel none. Five or
six branchiostegals; gill-opening narrow, the gill-membranes being
attached to the isthmus. Pseudobranchiæ present. Air-bladder none.
Pyloric appendages two, or rudimentary, or entirely absent. No
prominent anal papilla.
 Fig. 246.—Lycodes mucosus, from Northumberland Sound.
Nine species are known from the Arctic Ocean, four from the
southern extremity of the American continent.
Gymnelis.—Body elongate, naked. Eye of moderate size or rather
small. Ventrals none. Vent situated at some distance backwards from
the head. Small conical teeth in the jaws, on the vomer and palatine
bones. Jaws equal anteriorly. Barbel none. Six branchiostegals; gill-
opening narrow, the gill membranes being attached to the isthmus.
Pseudobranchiæ present; air-bladder none. Pyloric appendages two;
no prominent anal papilla.

Fig. 247.—Gymnelis viridis.

One species (G. viridis) from Greenland, the other (G. pictus)
from the Straits of Magelhæn.
The other genera belonging to this family are Uronectes from
Baffin’s Bay, Microdesmus from Panama, Blennodesmus from the
coast of North-Eastern Australia, and Maynea from the Straits of
Magelhæn.

Second Family—Gadidæ.
Body more or less elongate, covered with small smooth scales.
One, two, or three dorsal fins, occupying nearly the whole of the
back; rays of the posterior dorsal well developed; one or two anal
fins. Caudal free from dorsal and anal, or, if they are united, the
dorsal with a separate anterior portion. Ventrals jugular, composed of
several rays, or, if they are reduced to a filament, the dorsal is
divided into two. Gill-opening wide; the gill-membranes generally not
attached to the isthmus. Pseudobranchiæ none, or glandular,
rudimentary. An air-bladder and pyloric appendages generally
present.
The family of “Cod-fishes” consists partly of littoral and surface
species (and they form the majority), partly of deep-sea forms. The
former are almost entirely confined to the temperate zones,
extending beyond the Arctic Circle; the latter have, as deep-sea
fishes generally, a much wider range, and hitherto have been found
chiefly at considerable depths of rather low latitudes. Only two or
three species inhabit fresh waters. They form one of the most
important articles of food and subsistence to the fishermen in Europe
and North America, and to whole tribes bordering upon the Arctic
Ocean.
Fossil remains are scarce. Nemopteryx and Palæogadus have
been described from the schists of Glaris, a formation believed to
have been the bottom of a very deep sea. In the clay of Sheppey
species occur allied to Gadus, Merluccius, and Phycis; others, not
readily determinable, have been found at Licata in Sicily (Miocene).
Gadus.—Body moderately elongate, covered with small scales. A
separate caudal, three dorsal, and two anal fins; ventrals narrow,
composed of six or more rays. Teeth in the upper jaw in a narrow
band; vomerine teeth; none on the palatines.
Arctic and temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere.
Eighteen species are known, of which the following are the most
important:—
Gadus morrhua, the common “Cod-fish”—in German called
“Kabeljau” when fresh and old, “Dorsch” when young and fresh,
“Stock-fish” when dried, “Labberdan” when salted—measures from
two to four feet, and attains to a weight of one hundred pounds. On
the British coasts and in the German Ocean it is generally of a
greenish or brownish-olive colour, with numerous yellowish or brown
spots. Farther northwards darker-coloured specimens, frequently
without any spots, predominate; and on the Greenland, Iceland, and
North Scandinavian coasts the Cod have often a large irregular black
blotch on the side. The Cod-fish occurs between 50° and 75° lat. N.,
in great profusion, to a depth of 120 fathoms, but is not found nearer
the Equator than 40° lat. Close to the coast it is met with singly all
the year round, but towards the spawning-time it approaches the
shore in numbers, which happens in January in England and not
before May on the American coasts. The English resorted to the cod-
fisheries of Iceland before the year 1415, but since the sixteenth
century most vessels go to the banks of Newfoundland, and almost
all the preserved Cod consumed during Lent in the various
continental countries is imported from across the Atlantic. At one
time the Newfoundland cod-fishery rivalled in importance the whale-
fishery and the fur trade of North America. Cod-liver oil is prepared
from the liver on the Norwegian coast, but also other species of this
genus contribute to this most important drug.
Gadus tomcodus abundantly occurs on the American coasts; it
remains within smaller dimensions than the common Cod-fish.
Gadus æglefinus, the “Haddock” (“Schell-fisch” of the Germans,
“Hadot” of the French), is distinguished by a black lateral line and a
blackish spot above the pectoral fin. It attains to a length of three feet
in the higher latitudes, but remains smaller on more southern coasts;
like the Cod it extends across the Atlantic. The largest specimens
are taken on the British coast in winter, because at that time they
leave the deep water to spawn on the coast. Gadus merlangus, the
“Whiting,” with a black spot in the axil of the pectoral fin. Gadus
luscus, the “Bib,” “Pout,” or “Whiting-pout,” with cross-bands during
life, and with a black axillary spot, rarely exceeding a weight of five
pounds. Gadus fabricii, a small species, but occurring in incredible
numbers on the shores near the Arctic circle, and ranging to 80° lat.
N. Gadus pollachius, the “Pollack,” without a barbel at the chin, and
with the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper. Gadus virens, the
“Coal-fish,” valuable on account of its size and abundance, and
therefore preserved for export like the Cod.
 The fishes of the genus Gadus are bathymetrically succeeded by
several genera, as Gadiculus, Mora, and Strinsia; however these do
not descend to sufficiently great depths to be included into the deep-
sea Fauna; the two following are true deep-sea fishes.
Halargyreus.—Body elongate, covered with small scales. Two
dorsal and two anal fins; ventrals composed of several rays. Jaws with
a band of minute villiform teeth; vomer and palatines toothless. No
barbel.
The single species known, H. johnsonii, proves to be a deep-sea
fish by its organisation as well as geographical distribution. Originally
known from a single specimen, which was obtained at Madeira, it
has since been found off the coast of New Zealand. There is no
doubt that it will be discovered also in intermediate seas.
Melanonus.—Head and body rather compressed, covered with
cycloid scales of moderate size, and terminating in a long tapering tail,
without caudal. Eye of moderate size. Villiform teeth in the jaws, on
the vomer and palatine bones. Barbel none. A short anterior dorsal,
the second extending to the end of the tail, and the anal being of
similar length. Ventrals composed of several rays. Bones soft and
flexible.
This is one of the discoveries made during the expedition of the
“Challenger.” The single specimen obtained is of a deep-black
colour, and was dredged up at a depth of 1975 fathoms in the
Antarctic Ocean.
Merluccius.—Body elongate, covered with very small scales. A
separate caudal; two dorsal fins and one anal; ventrals well
developed, composed of seven rays. Teeth in the jaws and on the
vomer rather strong, in double or triple series. No barbel.
Two species are known of this genus, widely separated in their
distribution. The European species, M. vulgaris, the “Hake,” is found
on both sides of the Atlantic, and grows to a length of four feet. It is
caught in great numbers, and preserved as “Stock-fish.” The second
species M. gayi, is common in the Straits of Magelhæn and on the
coast of Chili, less so in New Zealand.
The vertebral column of this genus shows a singular modification
of the apophyses. The neural spines of all the abdominal vertebræ
are extremely strong, dilated, wedged into one another. The
parapophyses of the third to sixth vertebræ are slender, styliform,
whilst those of all the following abdominal vertebræ are very long
and broad, convex on the upper and concave on the lower surface;
the two or three anterior pairs are, as it were, inflated. The whole
forms a strong roof for the air-bladder, reminding us of a similar
structure in Kurtus.
Pseudophycis.—Body of moderate length, covered with rather
small scales. A separate caudal, two dorsals, and one anal; ventral
fins very narrow and styliform, but composed of several rays. Jaws
with a band of small teeth; vomer and palatines toothless. Chin with a
barbel.
Two species, of which Ps. bachus is common on the coast of
New Zealand.
Allied genera are Lotella, Physiculus, Uraleptus, and
Læmonema, from moderate depths, obtained chiefly off Madeira and
the Southern Temperate Zone.

Fig. 248.—Pseudophycis bachus.

Phycis.—Body of moderate length, covered with small scales.
Fins more or less enveloped in loose skin. A separate caudal; two
dorsal fins and one anal; the anterior dorsal composed of from eight to
ten rays; ventrals reduced to a single long ray, bifid at its end. Small
teeth in the jaws and on the vomer; palatine bones toothless. Chin
with a barbel.
 Six species from the temperate parts of the North Atlantic and the
Mediterranean, one, Ph. blennioides, is occasionally found on the
British coast.
Haloporphyrus.—Body elongate, covered with small scales. A
separate caudal, two dorsal fins, and one anal; the first dorsal with
four rays; ventrals narrow, composed of six rays. Jaws and vomer with
villiform teeth; palatine bones toothless. Chin with a barbel.
A small genus of deep-sea fishes, of which three species are
known. They offer a striking instance of the extraordinary distribution
of deep-sea fishes; H. lepidion occurs in from 100 to 600 fathoms in
the Mediterranean and the neighbouring parts of the Atlantic, off the
coast of Japan, and various parts of the South Atlantic; H. australis
in from 55 to 70 fathoms in the Straits of Magelhæn; and finally H.
rostratus in from 600 to 1375 fathoms, midway between the Cape of
Good Hope and Kerguelen’s Land, and in the South Atlantic.
Lota.—Body elongate, covered with very small scales. A separate
caudal, two dorsal fins, and one anal; ventrals narrow, composed of
six rays. Villiform teeth in the jaws and on the vomer; none on the
palatines. The first dorsal with from ten to thirteen well-developed
rays. Chin with a barbel.
The “Burbot,” or “Eel-pout” (L. vulgaris, Fig. 8, p. 43), is a
Freshwater-fish which never enters salt water. It is locally distributed
in Central and Northern Europe and North America; it is one of the
best Freshwater-fishes, and exceeds a length of three feet.
Molva.—Differs from Lota in having several large teeth in the
lower jaw and on the vomer.
The “Ling” (M. vulgaris) is a very valuable species, common on
the northern coasts of Europe, Iceland, and Greenland; and
generally found from three to four feet long. The larger number of the
specimens caught are cured and dried.
Motella.—Body elongate, covered with minute scales. A separate
caudal. Two dorsal fins, the anterior of which is reduced to a narrow
rayed fringe, more or less concealed in a longitudinal groove; the first
ray is prolonged. One anal fin. Ventrals composed of from five to
seven rays. A band of teeth in the jaws and on the vomer.
 Eight species of “Rocklings” are known from the coasts of
Europe, Iceland, Greenland, Japan, the Cape of Good Hope, and
New Zealand. They are of small size, and chiefly distinguished by
the number of their barbels. British are the Five-bearded Rockling
(M. mustela), the Three-bearded Rocklings (M. tricirrhata,
macrophthalma, and maculata), and the Four-bearded Rockling (M.
cimbria). M. macrophthalma comes from a depth of from 80 to 180
fathoms. The young are known as “Mackerel Midge” (Couchia), and
sometimes met with in large numbers at some distance from the
coast.
Raniceps.—Head large, broad, and depressed; body of moderate
length, covered with minute scales. A separate caudal. Two dorsal
fins, the anterior of which is very short, rudimentary. One anal fin.
Ventrals composed of six rays. Cardlike teeth in the jaws and on the
vomer.
The “Trifurcated Hake,” R. trifurcus, not uncommon on the coasts
of Northern Europe.
Bregmaceros.—Body fusiform, compressed posteriorly, covered
with cycloid scales of moderate size. Two dorsal fins; the anterior
reduced to a single long ray on the occiput; the second and the anal
much depressed in the middle; ventrals very long, composed of five
rays. Teeth small.