Chapter 109 - 107: Six Tons of Curiosity

Chapter 109: Chapter 107: Six Tons of Curiosity

By the third morning of construction, Arin had discovered that building an underwater exploration vehicle was considerably more troublesome than building something that stayed on land.

On land, a machine generally had the decency to remain where it was placed.

Underwater, everything wanted to float, sink, leak, corrode, or be crushed.

Sometimes all five.

Rian stood beside the unfinished submersible, staring at a pressure-test report with the expression of a man who had personally offended the laws of nature.

"There’s another leak."

Arin looked up from the propulsion assembly.

"Where?"

"Rear service hatch."

"Again?"

Rian nodded miserably.

Arin set down his tools. "Show me."

The submersible rested inside a temporary fabrication shelter overlooking Seabreak’s northern harbor. Its rounded hull was made from layered Titanite-reinforced composite, with four directional propulsion units and a reinforced sensor dome at the front.

It was roughly eight meters long, considerably smaller than the Civic Exploration Platform, but far more difficult to seal.

The original plan had been simple: build a heavy unmanned vehicle capable of reaching the underwater depression, surviving the dangerous current pulses, and recovering evidence from the missing ships.

Then Rian had proposed adding a sample collection arm.

EVE suggested a second manipulator for delicate recovery work.

Arin added emergency ballast release.

Sera recommended additional structural bracing.

And Victor asked whether it could launch torpedoes.

That last suggestion had been rejected.

Repeatedly.

Rian pointed toward a thin line of moisture along the rear hatch.

Arin examined the seal.

"Compression uneven."

"I adjusted it twice."

"That’s the problem. You’re adjusting the seal to compensate for the hatch."

Rian frowned.

Arin tapped the metal frame.

"Look here. The hinge is pulling the hatch slightly out of alignment when the locking mechanism engages."

Rian leaned closer.

Then groaned.

"Oh."

Arin smiled.

"Congratulations. You’ve discovered why submarines are annoying."

Rian rubbed his forehead. "I thought the pressure calculations would be the difficult part."

"They are."

"Then what is this?"

"The other difficult part."

EVE, who had been listening nearby, smiled.

"An accurate summary."

The repair took nearly two hours.

They removed the hatch, corrected the hinge alignment, replaced the damaged seal, and repeated the pressure test.

This time, it passed.

Rian stared at the result.

Then slowly raised both hands.

"Finally."

Arin laughed.

"Don’t celebrate yet. We still need to test it under actual water pressure."

Rian lowered his hands.

"I was happier five seconds ago."

Meanwhile, Seabreak had developed an intense fascination with House Elysium’s latest project.

Every morning, fishermen gathered outside the temporary construction enclosure.

Shipwrights asked questions.

Children tried to peek through gaps in the fencing.

Merchants speculated about what the strange metal vessel might be worth.

And one elderly sailor insisted that anything without a sail was fundamentally suspicious.

Arin rather liked him.

The man’s name was Old Renn, and he had spent forty-six years working aboard fishing boats.

He possessed a magnificent white beard, a permanently crooked nose, and absolutely no respect for complicated machinery.

On the fourth morning, he stood beside the submersible and examined its hull.

"Ugly thing."

Rian looked wounded.

Arin smiled. "Good morning to you too."

Renn knocked on the armor with his walking stick.

"Looks like a metal egg."

"It’s designed to withstand deep-water pressure."

"Egg."

"It has advanced sensors."

"Expensive egg."

"And multiple propulsion systems."

Renn considered.

"Swimming egg."

Arin laughed.

Rian looked as though he might resign.

Despite his complaints, Renn proved unexpectedly useful.

He knew the local currents better than almost anyone in Seabreak.

When EVE displayed the underwater depression’s location, his expression changed.

"Blackwater Hollow."

Arin looked toward him.

"That’s what you call it?"

Renn nodded.

"Old fishing name. Not on official charts anymore."

"Why?"

"Because nobody wanted to go there."

Arin leaned against the workbench.

"Tell me."

Renn scratched his beard.

"Used to be good fishing around those waters. Not inside the Hollow, mind you. Along the edges. Plenty of fish. Big ones, too."

EVE listened carefully.

"How long ago?"

"Twenty years. Maybe more."

"What changed?" Arin asked.

Renn looked toward the sea.

"Currents got strange. Boats started losing nets. Anchors dragged. Then one winter, a fishing crew vanished."

Arin frowned.

"Was it investigated?"

"Some. Guild sent a survey ship. Didn’t find much. After that, people mostly stayed away."

EVE reviewed the historical records.

"The survey report lists intermittent downward currents but does not identify their cause."

Renn nodded.

"That’s the trouble with the sea. People think because they can draw a line on a map, they understand what’s underneath it."

Arin smiled faintly.

"That’s a good point."

Renn looked at the submersible.

"Still an ugly egg."

The first water trial began that afternoon.

They selected a sheltered section of the harbor, away from fishing traffic and shipping lanes.

The submersible was lowered into the water using a heavy crane.

Its name had become another source of disagreement.

Rian wanted Deep Explorer One.

EVE preferred Bathymetric Survey Vehicle One.

Lucan suggested Sea Slayer.

Victor proposed Depth Charge.

Arin rejected the last two immediately.

Then Luna arrived carrying a small drawing.

It showed a round blue machine with smiling eyes.

At the top, she had written:

BUBBLE

Arin stared at the picture.

Then at the submersible.

Then at Rian.

"Bubble it is."

Rian sighed.

EVE smiled.

Lucan laughed so hard he nearly fell off the dock.

Bubble entered the water without incident.

Its ballast system adjusted.

The propulsion units activated.

And the little submersible moved forward beneath the surface.

Rian watched the control display.

"Stable."

EVE nodded.

"Depth control functioning."

Arin smiled.

"Good."

They tested turning.

Ascending.

Descending.

Emergency ballast release.

Communication stability.

And manipulator operation.

Everything worked.

Until Bubble attempted to retrieve a weighted test cylinder from the harbor floor.

The left manipulator extended.

Gripped the cylinder.

Lifted it.

Then accidentally struck the right manipulator.

Both arms locked.

Rian stared.

Arin stared.

EVE stared.

Lucan leaned forward.

"Is it hugging itself?"

Arin closed his eyes.

Rian whispered, "Please don’t."

Lucan smiled.

"Very affectionate machine."

The repair was straightforward.

The control software had allowed both manipulators to enter overlapping movement zones.

EVE corrected the motion limits.

Rian added a mechanical clearance safeguard.

Arin approved the changes.

Then they repeated the test.

This time, Bubble successfully retrieved the cylinder.

Luna cheered from the observation platform.

"GOOD JOB, BUBBLE!"

Lyra clapped.

"Can it collect seashells?"

Arin considered.

"Technically."

Lyra’s eyes widened.

"Can we rent it?"

"No."

"Just for one hour?"

"No."

"What about thirty minutes?"

Arin sighed.

"Lyra."

She folded her arms.

"You’re very difficult to negotiate with."

Lucan smiled.

"She gets that from you."

By evening, Bubble had passed its harbor trials.

But the deeper tests would be more demanding.

The underwater depression lay hundreds of meters below the surface.

The pressure was far greater.

The currents unpredictable.

And several enormous marine creatures inhabited the region.

Arin had no intention of sending people inside the submersible.

Not yet.

Bubble would operate remotely, with autonomous emergency systems and a reinforced communication tether.

The tether was particularly important.

Previous probes had lost communication after being dragged into the deeper current system.

Bubble needed a reliable way to transmit data and recover from failures.

Rian had designed a reinforced cable with an integrated communication line.

It could withstand substantial tension.

But not unlimited force.

Arin reviewed the specifications.

"Emergency release?"

"Installed."

"Automatic ascent?"

"Installed."

"Backup power?"

"Installed."

"Independent navigation?"

Rian nodded.

"Limited, but functional."

Arin smiled.

"Good."

Then he looked toward EVE.

"Ready?"

She considered.

"After one additional pressure-cycle test."

Rian groaned.

Arin laughed.

"She’s right."

The following morning, Bubble was loaded aboard a specially modified coastal support vessel.

Captain Elsen had arranged the ship through Seabreak’s harbor authority.

It was a sturdy workboat normally used for maintaining offshore navigation markers.

Its captain, a broad-shouldered woman named Jessa Tor, had accepted the assignment only after inspecting Bubble herself.

She walked around the submersible.

Then looked at Arin.

"That thing going underwater?"

"Yes."

"And coming back?"

"That’s the plan."

Jessa stared.

"I prefer stronger plans."

Arin smiled.

"So do I."

The support vessel departed shortly after sunrise.

Arin, EVE, Rian, Lucan, A-01, and a small technical crew accompanied it.

The Civic Exploration Platform remained safely parked outside Seabreak.

Lyra and Luna stayed with the family support team.

They were disappointed.

But Arin had promised to bring back photographs.

And possibly seashells.

The sea was calm.

The sky clear.

The wind gentle.

For the first hour, the journey was almost pleasant.

Lucan stood near the bow, watching the waves.

"This is nice."

Arin nodded.

"Yes."

"Fresh air."

"Yes."

"Beautiful scenery."

"Yes."

"Possible giant sea monsters."

Arin sighed.

"Please stop."

They reached the restricted waters shortly before noon.

Jessa reduced speed.

The support vessel remained outside the strongest known current zone.

Bubble was lowered into the water.

Its systems activated.

The tether extended.

And the submersible began descending.

One hundred meters.

Two hundred.

Three hundred.

The pressure increased.

The hull remained stable.

Four hundred meters.

Rian watched the readings without blinking.

EVE monitored the navigation system.

Arin studied the sonar display.

At four hundred and eighty meters, Bubble reached the outer edge of Blackwater Hollow.

The seabed appeared on the screen.

Dark stone.

Pale mineral growths.

Deep trenches.

And the familiar circular depression.

Arin smiled.

"Back again."

Bubble approached the first wreck.

The Marigold lay partially buried beneath sediment.

Its hull was broken.

Its mast shattered.

The submersible moved slowly around it, recording detailed images.

EVE identified several objects.

Fishing equipment.

Storage containers.

A damaged navigation crystal.

And a sealed metal box wedged beneath the collapsed cabin.

Arin leaned forward.

"Can we retrieve that?"

Rian nodded.

"Yes."

Bubble extended its manipulator.

Carefully.

Slowly.

The arm gripped the box.

Pulled.

The box shifted.

Then came free.

Rian exhaled.

"Got it."

Arin smiled.

"Good."

The submersible secured the box inside its recovery compartment.

Then continued surveying.

The next discovery was more troubling.

Bubble located the remains of a second missing vessel.

A coastal freight ship.

Its hull had been crushed against the underwater ridge.

Several cargo containers lay scattered nearby.

But one section of the wreck was missing.

Not broken.

Missing.

Arin frowned.

"That doesn’t look like current damage."

EVE examined the edges.

"Agreed."

The metal plating had been torn away.

Deep parallel grooves marked the surrounding structure.

Lucan leaned forward.

"Teeth?"

"Possibly," EVE answered.

Arin studied the image.

"Or claws."

Jessa, watching from the bridge, muttered something unpleasant.

Arin couldn’t blame her.

Then Bubble detected movement.

A large mana signature approached from the deeper depression.

EVE highlighted it.

"Ribbonback."

Arin nodded.

"Maintain distance."

The creature emerged from the darkness.

Its armored body moved with surprising grace.

Blue luminous structures glowed along its sides.

It circled Bubble.

Once.

Twice.

Then approached.

Rian’s hands tightened around the controls.

"Should I retreat?"

"Not yet," Arin answered.

The Ribbonback extended its sensory tendrils.

One touched Bubble’s hull.

A faint electrical discharge passed across the armor.

The submersible remained stable.

The creature paused.

Then moved away.

Arin smiled.

"Curious."

EVE nodded.

"Yes."

Then the Ribbonback suddenly accelerated.

Not toward Bubble.

Away from it.

Straight toward the deeper depression.

Arin frowned.

"Why?"

EVE checked the current readings.

"Pressure pulse approaching."

The water began moving.

At first, slowly.

Then faster.

Sediment lifted from the seabed.

Small fish scattered.

Bubble’s stabilizers activated.

Rian adjusted the propulsion.

"Current increasing."

Arin watched the readings.

"Hold position."

The downward flow strengthened.

Bubble’s tether tightened.

The support vessel shifted slightly above.

Jessa’s voice came through the communication system.

"We’re feeling it up here."

Arin nodded.

"Maintain position outside the current boundary."

Bubble’s motors increased output.

The submersible remained stable.

Barely.

Then the seabed trembled.

A long fissure opened near the depression’s center.

Warm mineral-rich water surged upward.

The surrounding current twisted.

And something enormous emerged from the darkness.

Not a Ribbonback.

Something much larger.

A broad armored head rose from the fissure.

Followed by a body covered in thick overlapping plates.

Six enormous fins extended from its sides.

Its eyes glowed faintly blue.

And along its back ran a series of jagged mineral structures.

The creature was at least ninety meters long.

Possibly more.

Lucan slowly smiled.

"Now that’s a big fish."

Arin stared at the screen.

"That’s not a fish."

EVE’s voice became serious.

"Unknown marine species. Estimated mass exceeds three thousand tons."

Rian swallowed.

"That’s... enormous."

The creature moved slowly through the depression.

The Ribbonbacks gathered around it.

Not attacking.

Not fleeing.

Following.

Arin watched carefully.

The enormous creature approached the fissure.

Then lowered its head.

Its mineral plates began glowing.

The current changed.

Water surged through the depression.

And the creature remained perfectly still.

EVE analyzed the readings.

Then looked toward Arin.

"I believe we have misunderstood the situation."

He turned.

"What?"

She highlighted the creature’s movements.

"The current pulses are not simply attracting the Ribbonbacks."

Arin frowned.

"Then?"

EVE looked toward the screen.

"The large creature appears to be interacting directly with the hydrothermal flow."

Arin studied the data.

The timing matched.

Every pulse.

Every movement.

Every change in pressure.

The creature wasn’t merely living near the dangerous current system.

It was affecting it.

Perhaps feeding.

Perhaps regulating the flow.

Perhaps doing something else entirely.

Arin smiled faintly.

"Interesting."

Then the creature turned.

Its enormous head faced Bubble.

Four luminous eyes focused on the tiny submersible.

Rian froze.

"Founder?"

Arin leaned forward.

"Easy."

The creature moved closer.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Its shadow swallowed the surrounding light.

Bubble’s sensors registered a tremendous mana concentration.

The enormous head stopped only a few meters away.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then the creature opened its mouth.

A deep vibration rolled through the water.

Bubble’s hull trembled.

The communication system crackled.

Rian stared at the readings.

"That’s not an attack."

Arin nodded.

"No."

EVE analyzed the vibration.

Then her expression changed.

"It’s producing a patterned acoustic signal."

Lucan blinked.

"A song?"

"Possibly a form of communication."

Arin watched the enormous creature.

The sound came again.

Low.

Resonant.

Almost mournful.

And this time, the Ribbonbacks answered.

Their luminous structures brightened.

The water filled with faint blue light.

For a moment, the dark depression looked like a field of stars.

Arin forgot about the damaged ships.

The dangerous currents.

The enormous cost of the expedition.

He simply watched.

Then he smiled.

"Well."

Lucan glanced toward him.

"What?"

Arin looked at the screen.

"I think we just found something beautiful."

The moment ended when Bubble’s pressure alarm sounded.

The current was increasing again.

Rian looked toward Arin.

"Structural load approaching safety limit."

Arin nodded immediately.

"Withdraw."

Bubble reversed.

Its propulsion units increased output.

The tether began retracting.

The enormous creature watched.

Then slowly turned away.

The Ribbonbacks followed.

The blue lights faded into the darkness.

And Bubble began its ascent.

The recovery took nearly an hour.

When the submersible finally broke the surface, the entire crew cheered.

Rian leaned back in his chair.

His hands were trembling.

Arin smiled.

"Good work."

Rian laughed weakly.

"I thought we were going to lose it."

"So did I."

Lucan looked disappointed.

"We didn’t even fight anything."

Arin turned toward him.

"Lucan."

"What?"

"That creature could have swallowed this boat."

Lucan considered.

"Fair."

Then he smiled.

"Still would’ve been interesting."

Arin sighed.

That evening, the recovered metal box from the Marigold was opened in Seabreak’s harbor office.

Inside were navigation records.

Crew documents.

And a small waterproof journal.

Captain Elsen examined it carefully.

Then stopped.

Her expression changed.

Arin looked toward her.

"What?"

She turned a page.

Then another.

"This belongs to Captain Derren."

"One of the missing fishermen?"

Elsen nodded.

She continued reading.

Then her hands began to tremble.

Arin waited.

Finally, she looked up.

"There’s an entry from the day they disappeared."

EVE leaned forward.

"What does it say?"

Elsen swallowed.

Then read aloud.

"Blue lights beneath us. Strong current. Engine failing. We’re being pulled toward the Hollow."

She paused.

Then continued.

"Something enormous came up from below. Thought it would strike us."

Her voice faltered.

Arin remained silent.

Elsen turned the page.

The final entry was short.

"Didn’t attack. It pushed us away from the deep water. Boat still damaged. Trying to reach the northern rocks."

The room went quiet.

Lucan frowned.

"It saved them?"

Arin looked toward the chart.

The northern rocks.

A chain of isolated reefs beyond the restricted zone.

He stood.

"EVE."

"Already checking."

A new map appeared.

The reefs lay nearly thirty kilometers northeast of Blackwater Hollow.

Remote.

Uninhabited.

And rarely visited.

Arin looked toward Elsen.

"How thoroughly were those reefs searched?"

She hesitated.

"Not thoroughly. The currents made approach difficult."

Arin nodded.

"Then we have somewhere to look."

Elsen stared at him.

"You think they might still be alive?"

Arin considered.

The ship had vanished weeks ago.

The odds were uncertain.

But the journal changed everything.

The vessel hadn’t necessarily sunk in the depression.

It had been pushed away.

Toward the reefs.

He looked toward the map.

"I think we owe them a proper search."

Outside, the evening tide rolled against Seabreak’s harbor walls.

And far beneath the waves, an enormous creature continued its strange, silent work.

Chapter End