Frozen Sea

7. Delta Island

"So, where are we?"

Hongjoong looked out over what had to be the roughest and most unnatural seeming biome he had seen on the planet so far. The jagged plateaus underneath them were black as if from igneous rock structures that clashed oddly with the icy planes they had left behind them not too long ago. The deep trenches that led further downwards looked less than attractive to him and had large shadows lurking inside of them.

Most surprisingly, though, the water was warm here. The biome was spiked with hydrothermal rock stacks that had hot heat streaming from the tips. Hongjoong guessed that there were geysers underneath here, too, and they managed to mess up the climate of the planet even more. Upon further investigation, the massive and thin spires had some weird sap oozing from them that Hongjoong had wanted to check out. However, Yunho and Mingi had kept him from it. Apparently, it was not the best idea to near those heated death traps.

Instead, they kept to the canyons and blended with the fish.

"This biome is one of the safest in this area, the Thermal Spires. Most notable in this rather simple biome are the dangers of the spires, the Rock Punchers, and the Cryptosuchus. The Cryptosuchus might act aggressively upon approaching it, while the Rock Punchers-"

Hongjoong interrupted Seonghwa as he turned, his eyebrow raised.

"Do they punch rocks?"

A humorous smile danced around Seonghwa's lips as he tried to keep himself from grinning.

"Yes, they do. How did you know?"

"A fish told me." Hongjoong turned to look up ahead again. They followed Yunho and Mingi through the waters while the aliens watched over them and tried to match their pace. Sometimes their swishing tentacles seemed to disappear all too quickly between the walls.

"There is a vast multitude of resources to mine here. Alterra has a great interest in this biome, as boring as it may be to us."

Hongjoong nearly snorted at this. Gold diggers.

Yet, he reminded himself that Eden was out there and watching over the expedition. Eden would be able to draw conclusions about whether the price of the resources would make up for the time, and human lives getting them would cost.

Hongjoong followed Yunho and Mingi as they dipped deeper. The light that was fastened on Hongjoong's suit shone their way and warned the fish of their presence. They zoomed away quickly, even the larger predators with the many teeth that were around.

"Alterra has a base nearby. It is stationed on an island in the middle of our research field, and it's called Delta Island. We should visit there later to take a break for the evening. From there on, we can easily enter the Purple Vents tomorrow." Yunho slowed down until he was at Hongjoong's side. The man's long webbed fingers slid smoothly through the water as he pushed himself forwards without tiring. When Hongjoong felt one of his tentacles accidentally brush against his leg, he shivered.

"The vents are similar to the spires, if far more dangerous. We will find leviathans there - alive ones - and the stream down there is not only warm but also extremely toxic for humans. We will take good care of you."

Yunho's grin was honest, his sharp teeth losing some of their menaces.

"I sure hope you will," Hongjoong murmured. The waters got darker as they crossed the canyon. The little bulbs on Mingi's tail were their one source of a goal. "because if you didn't, I would have to complain to Seonghwa."

With a chuckle, Yunho glanced at the android. The gaze they shared was mostly impish. Hongjoong could definitely see how San's and Wooyoung's bad influence would ruin the man.