302 202 – Meet the Brood

Plotline: Main

Chapter Type: Interaction

I went deep, following the living fish. Right thing to avoid the explosives, and wrong thing.

I say this because kraken-spawn don’t need to see, relying on other aquatic senses. Three of them came up, forming a triangle around me. They rotated to show me various color patterns on their skin.

I sent, wondering why they weren’t attacking. I rotated slowly to my left, looking first at one and then another. There were differences in form, small ones, as though each had...

I summoned the reticule, placed it directly onto the orange one with red and yellow markings.

[Titanspawn. Kraken lineage], it informed me.

I asked.

send the blue and green one, a female.

.....

sent the white and grey, also a female.

the orange one, a male sent.

We began eating. There was no point in pretending I could escape, and at about half my health, I wasn’t sure I could win in a fight.

I sent.

said white and grey,

I shook my head, letting the emotions waft out as well.

blue asked,

orange said.

blue said.

The grey one took on some yellow highlights.

red said.

I nibbled on a yellow and blue fish. Some interesting pigmentation evolutions, but nothing of immediate practical value. Nutrition was a mix of protein, oils, and calcium. Good thing I hadn’t come all this way just for the fish.

grey sent.

Blue sent the emotional equivalent of a shrug.

We all enjoyed a good laugh about that.

the orange one sent.

Grey sent her irritation.

I just needed to check my terms.

Grey sent.

Orange blinked.

Blue came closer, allowing me to see she had two sets of eyes.

I sent.

Grey turned a deeper shade around her tentacles.

Orange laughed at me.

Blue sprayed me with ink, fled back to her position in the triangle.

Grey asked.

Orange said.

Grey said.

Blue asked.

My relief washed out from me.

Orange sent.

Blue sent.

Grey said.

I asked.

Orange sent.

Blue sent.

Grey sent. she reached out with three of her tentacles, each one snatching a fish.

historical