Chapter Text
They settled into a little routine, after that day.
While Pac was right, they need some sort of goal and they do set themselves things they want to achieve, it was difficult not to have every single day slowly start being the exact same. Hunt for food, explore the area, gather materials to use in the fabricator. While they haven’t achieved the blueprint for an actual bed yet, they have discovered that a mix of kelp and blood vines (a not ominous name at all) make a comfortable layer of cushion on the floor. They have put together a woven pile in one corner of the base where they all huddle together for the night. It still wasn’t a bed. But it was more comfortable than the floor.
Their base was slowly filling with different little things the fabricator can make as well as tools and other self-made inventions. A first order of business had been to equip everyone with a weapon for self-defence, which turned into gathering materials to make three survival knives. Tubbo also seemed to get his motivation for inventing back, as he has started to keep all sorts of cables and plating in a pile inside the base, messing with it whenever he wasn’t helping or chatting with anyone in the group.
They have also added a second window on the opposite side of the base as well as some reinforcements, just to be sure. So far, the one room had been enough space for them, so they haven’t added any extra corridors to what they currently have. Although they did consider having some sort of storage room and finally move their supply crates inside.
Foolish seemed to be doing better by the next morning after the attack already, even if he was still a little slow. Roier was practically glued to his side whenever his father left the immediate vicinity of their base, cooing and clicking as he followed him around. With every day that passed, Foolish healed more, even the stab wound in his shoulder seemed to bother him less with each day. He also, much like Roier, does not seem to have any resentment towards the humans for what happened, happily accepting Tubbo’s attempt at a hug as he rambled about how sorry he was that Foolish got hurt.
Between the exploring and gathering and building, Cellbit and Tubbo have started construction on a prosthetic for Pac. It will by no means be the same quality or even nice sleek look that the high-tech prosthetics on the ship have, with Fit’s arm being a good example. But they were trying their best and right now, functionality goes over design.
Fit chimed in occasionally and especially when it came to the wires that were supposed to connect to Pac’s leg to possibly get the leg to move at will. He had experience with it, being the person who fixes the majority of damages within his own prosthetic. But whenever it came to simply weld plating and fit parts to the stump, the oldest busied himself with moving the radio, fabricator and location beacon down into their new base.
Finally, after weeks, they were now officially separated from the pod, no longer needing any of it. The important appliances were now installed inside their stationary base, they have taken the batteries and whatever was left in the small storage, as well as the half-filled fire extinguisher.
And when neither Pac or Fit are needed for the prosthetic, they went out into the water to work on Pac regaining movement, muscles and strength in said muscles. Swimming seemed a safer and less painful option for the Brazilian than walking and with Foolish and Roier around, they were confident enough in being outside. Roier was especially attentive whenever they were outside, multitasking watching his father and making sure Pac and Fit are in his line of sight as well. Which wasn’t difficult, as most of the time Foolish too was watching the little workout routine most days.
Techno, while a little worried at first, let them have their routine, even preventing Tubbo or Cellbit from joining in sometimes by asking them for help with other tasks. He even went as far as hiding the other masks with their comms so Pac and Fit can have conversations in private, mostly because he knows Tubbo absolutely would spy on them. So far no one has caught on yet.
It wasn’t really a secret that they were bonding over having a missing limb and all that came with it. And well… while Fit tried, Pac wasn’t discrete in the stares he gives their friend. There was nothing wrong with it and honestly, Techno was quite happy that his friends were finding affection and happiness in a place like this. If the feelings were mutual, it was honestly hard to tell at this point if it was just Pac or if Fit was feeling something too.
And while everyone was working with the technology aspects of their new life, Techno had started getting curious about possible non-fish food sources. Maybe it was just his subconscious that was remembering the garden on the ship, but he started working with the plant life surrounding them. Food, medicine, fabricator resources… he was exploring all of it with the help of their two creature friends and their scanner. Which is also the reason how they discovered their current bedding material.
There were a few types of plant they can consume when dried and possibly cooked by the fabricator, which brought a little more variety and flavour into their meals. The special kelp vines also didn’t stay the only medicine they have. It was great for pain relief and as a sort of bandage, but there are other types of wounds and, obviously, also sickness. So far none of them have gotten sick, but who knows how long that will stay the case. There were these blue cave flowers that produce a decent disinfectant and a plant with thin red vines that can be used as sturdy stitching. A yellow plant from the shallow caves can help inflammations, especially internally, which can soothe throat and stomach pains.
They have also encountered more species, many of which they can’t or won’t eat for various reasons. There were many different fish that were all pretty small and their main food supply, like the Pipers, Boomerangs and Bladder fish (gross). With the help of the scanners, who apparently always names the things it scans, they also identified the predators from the kelp forest as ‘Stalkers’ and smaller, aggressive grey fish that bury themselves in sand as ‘Sand Sharks’. Many of the names weren’t creative, as expected from a system like this, but they were easy to remember.
Techno also decided, after hesitating for a long time, to scan both Foolish and Roier. He made sure to demonstrate the scanner on different plants and fish plenty of times to show it causes no harm, before he attempted to get a scan of Foolish. Both creatures watched curiously as the pale blue glow washed over their bodies, almost resembling waves of the ocean. But it didn’t hurt, so they held still until it was done. It was safe to assume that both of the creatures were confused what purpose those scans have, but they were happy to entertain their human friends.
In the evening, when everyone was gathered in the base and eating their dinner, they looked at what the scans tell them about their large friends.
Foolish – Shallow’s protector
A leviathan class creature measuring 138ft in length from head to fin. Scans of the bone structure suggest that this specimen is a fully grown male adult. A second scan of a female is necessary to make further notes on possible differences and special development. Claws and fangs are design for the hunt, thick skin and strong scales as defence against other leviathans.
Main living area seems to be deeper shallows and kelp forests, as internal scans suggest a maximum diving depth of about 1000m without injury, but will feel more comfortable for permanent living arrangements to about 500m. With such a diving depth, current scan location and size of the creature, it is safe to assume that this is most likely one of very few, if not the only specimen in a wide radius.
The diet of this creature is a mix between meat and nutrient rich plants, such as the glowing seed clusters growing on the kelp. Current stomach contents suggest that a main prey for this creature could be the Stalkers from the kelp forest and possibly other young leviathan class creatures, to sustain a creature of such size.
Scans of the brain structure suggest high intelligence, including emotions such as empathy or sorrow. Such intelligence also hints at more communal living and communication with leviathans of the same species. It can be compared to species of whales and dolphins from earth.
Roier – Crimson Sand Raider
A leviathan class creature currently measuring 82ft in length from head to fin. Scans suggest that this specimen is a juvenile male and will approximately reach a length of 130ft at full maturity. How long this growth will take cannot be determined with a single species scan, although it is easy to determine that this species has a long lifespan, possibly well over 200 years in good conditions. Special physical attributes include a second pair of arms that share the same strength and flexibility of the main pair.
This creature seemingly has a save diving depth of about 900m, although will feel more comfortable in the shallow areas. Diving depth may increase with maturity. Scans suggest that the creature has the ability to see well in the darkness, making it either a nocturnal creature or a cave dweller.
The main diet of this creature is meat, with a strong digestive track to even break down scales and bones. At this age, the prey of this creature will be young stalkers or sand sharks. It’s extra limbs are an effective hunting tool, able to grapple its prey and shred it with sharp claws.
It is unknow if at this age, the creature would still live within family units or if it would move to establish its own territory. Scans of the brain structure suggest high intelligence, which could be a hint towards pack hunting and communication with other leviathans of similar species. This is supported by a well-developed emotional awareness.
“So, basically, they are super smart, have feelings and eat meat. We knew that already.” Tubbo chewed on his piece of fried fish, scrolling through the two texts again. It each contained a diagram detailing some physical attributes and points of interest. “Crimson Sand Raider… that sounds fucking epic. Why is Foolish’s name not that epic?” “I like Shallow’s protector. It makes him sound like a superhero.” Pac leaned over his shoulder, getting another glance at the information. “And it did confirm Roier is a child. So the father-son-theory is pretty spot on. Cross-species adoption, that’s cute.”
Techno glanced out of the window, spotting the two creatures eating their own dinner. It makes sense, creatures this big need food, so there aren’t a lot in shallow areas. But they do need to reproduce and apparently have all the qualities for pack living. Makes you wonder if these two are just special or got separated… or if they only meet up with mates to breed and then go their own way again. But they do seem to make good parents.
“This makes me want to scan more big boys. Pretty sure that bastard by the ship is not nearly as smart. Wonder what that one is called.” “One, we are not going back to scan it. Two, you don’t know that, maybe it was just defending it’s territory.” Fit chugged the last of his water bottle, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Dolphins are smart, and they still bully other animals.” “That’s true, I’ve read about that too!” Pac grinned up at him, earning a smile in return. “I heard dolphins also fuck ot-“ “And we are ending this conversation here.”
Techno covered Tubbo’s mouth, making the teen start tugging at his arm with muffled shouts of protest. Cellbit laughed at his misery, snatching the PDA from his hand. “Enough tablet time for you.” Tubbo glared at him before licking Techno’s hand, making the older jerk it away with a disgusted face. “That’s gross.” “Then don’t cover my mouth you bastard.” He shoved the teen away by the shoulder, ignoring how he stuck out his tongue at him again.
The evening ended soon after that and the lights got dimmed for the night. They huddled together in their makeshift bed, still without any kind of blanket, but comfortable enough to provide a restful sleep without any aching muscles in the morning.
Although for one of them, sleep wasn’t as restful as they hoped.
Techno tossed and turned in his sleep, drifting in and out of consciousness. Flashes of blue and white cover his vision, but it all disappeared the moment he opened his eyes to look around the room. Every time he felt himself drift off to sleep, the flashes return, along with a weird sort of static noise ringing in his ears.
It creeped him out to no end, jerking him awake again every time it happened. No one else seemed to be experiencing anything similar, all four of his friends sleeping peacefully beside him, although Tubbo had scooted away from him a little, probably because he had moved around too much.
He laid awake staring at the ceiling, growing more irritated the longer it went on. All he wants is some sleep, was that too much to ask for? Why was his brain deciding that he wasn’t deserving of any good rest?
When it happened again the next time, the ringing noise followed him into the waking world, making him cringe as it increased in volume. Fuck, his ears were starting to hurt. Covering them was of no use, the sound was coming from somewhere in his head. He groaned and turned on his side, clamping his hands over his ears anyways. It was so loud.
The flashes started to appear in his vision as well, no longer restrained to when he has his eyes closed. Was he high? Did the dinner drug him somehow? Maybe the fish had eaten something before being captured. This definitely feels like how people describe being on drugs. He bit down on his hand to muffle the pained whine when the noise increased again. Make it stop, make it stop.
And it did.
The flashes stayed, but the noise quieted. And in the middle of his vision, surrounded by the flashes of blue and white, was a silhouette. A transparent, grey silhouette with bright blue, glowing eyes, surrounded by a halo of glittering void.
And after a moment of silence, it spoke.
She spoke.
“What… are you?”