Hidden in the Depths

Chapter 20

Then, they heard a roar.

Was it- No it... it wasn't one of theirs.

It was loud and low, sending vibrations through the water itself. They all flinched, and Techno was surprised some didn't get knocked back just by the force of volume alone. Especially not when he felt his hair moving to it and his neck shivering behind the high collar of the suit. Both humans and creatures stood on edge, a feeling of dread settling over the whole group.

The aftertone of the roar hummed through the water, echoed against the hull of the empty ship... It sounded so full, so loud, so... so- close. Far too close for their liking actually.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw hands next to him holding on stronger to the dark hair, white knuckles barely visible with the fingerless gloves. He didn't have time to judge or come up with some sort of plan, not when his own hands ran cold and his body, of its own accord, gripped harder itself. A moment of silence passed, all humans clung to their creature friends, looking around frantically, trying to find the source of the sound.

Foolish, with barely any hesitation, once the roar passed, pushed himself off from the ground, shaking the humans from his shoulders with an urgency while shrieking at Roier.
In a flash, before they even knew what had happened, their hands were forced loose from Foolish's hair and Roier gathered all five of the humans underneath his own body in an attempt to shield them, much like his father had done when they got attacked back in the kelp forest.

They watched Foolish's massive form tense, fins flared outwards and sharp teeth bared in a snarl. He roared, this one familiar and, despite the volume and proximity, it seemed far less scary to them.

And suddenly, as if it appeared out of nowhere, a massive blue and orange body sped towards Foolish, who met it head on with a screech and the swiping of claws. Almost instantly, there was yellowish blood colouring the already murky waters. Techno couldn't tell which creature it belonged to.

The creature that attacked them was just as massive as Foolish, maybe even bigger, with four massive fang like extensions around their head that were trying to impale their friend on it. There were no other limbs on the creature, nothing humanoid or any kind of flippers or fins. Just the head with its massive fangs, a long body and at the end an almost whale like fin rapidly swinging up and down as it measured it's strength with Foolish's.

Roier screeched, visibly torn between guarding the humans and helping his father, who struggled to evade the attack as he plunged his claws into the creature's neck. Despite both of their sizes, the two creatures turned and twisted with incredible speed and agility, circling around each other in a deadly dance. If their lives weren't on the line, it would almost be mesmerising.

The humans could do nothing more than to hide underneath Roier. Their meagre weapons will not do any damage and if anything, trying to interfere could distract Foolish and get him into even more danger. Roier must think the same thing, as he still hasn't moved to try and aid his father. Or he was too protective over the humans, which would be surprising. Techno would choose his father over some strangers.

Foolish screeched as one of the fangs managed to pierce into his shoulder, ripping into his flesh and attempting to pull him closer for a bite. He twists and screams, sinking his claws into anything he could reach, until he managed to pull himself off of the fang with a pained roar, slipping under the jaw and turning to bolt, getting a little distance between them so he could catch his bearings.

The creature tried to follow and snap at his tail, trying to pull him back into the fight, but he reacted quicker and turned his body abruptly, delivering a powerful hit with his tail that had the creature involuntarily snap to the side, twisting it's body away from Foolish, who managed to get a little more distance before he turned back to the creature, one clawed hand hovering above his injured shoulder.