Lore Part 1
To understand this story we have to go back to before the shark got its teeth, back when Caitlin was just a seemingly normal human girl. Her life was boring, at least to her. By this point, she had already started working aboard a human-operated vessel known as the Artemis, a deep-sea exploration vehicle tasked with uncovering the mysteries of a cult that had long ago been taken by the sea. Caitlin worked as an engineer aboard the Artemis, fixing the occasional system malfunction but never anything dire.One evening after a dive, the crew resurfaced and climbed out of the small HOV. Most left to go home to their families, but not Caitlin. She stayed for hours after work, making sure everything was functioning properly.When she finally looked up from where the Artemis was docked, the sun had already begun to set. The waves of the ocean looked almost manufactured that evening; they were so perfect. She smiled softly but there was something missing—a spark she once had.With a sigh, she packed up her equipment. That's when she noticed something blue beneath the deep green water, something metallic.Without thinking, she reached into the water and pulled it out. A chain and on the end of it a round medallion not much bigger than a fifty cent coin was attached. It emitted a soft blue glow and had some weird etchings on it that she could trace her fingers over.It was at this moment that her life would be forever changed. As she inspected the medallion closer, she heard a voice. Motherly. Gentle.At first she thought she was crazy but then she heard it again. Only one word."See."Or perhaps it had said, "Sea."Either way, it was ludicrous and if she hadn’t had some mental health problems in the past. She would be concerned. It wouldn’t be until months later that she would finally see what that voice meant.During a routine mission to search for relics on the ocean floor, something went wrong. Very wrong. Whether it was human error or computer error it was hard to tell. Blaring red lights surrounded the crew then complete darkness. As the engineer, Caitlin was the first to start working on the back up systems. At least trying to restore the lights and life support. As she worked, strange noises echoed through the water around them.The emergency lights flickered to life, only to reveal their worsening fate. A giant squid had wrapped itself around the vessel. Its beak was already cracking a hole through the glass. As she stared in shock at the creature, the crew within the HOV started to panic. Then a shard of glass broke free, slicing straight through her right eye.She screamed, clutching her eye as the world blurred around her. Then came the crushing sounds. Then came the water. Soon, she was drowning. As she opened her remaining eye, all she could see was the medallion floating through the water. She closed her eyes again and just let go of her final breath…Then the voice flooded her ears. "See, my child. Open your eyes and see."So she did. Both eyes and this time the salt stung her freshly wounded eye but she could see out of her left eye clearly. The water was no longer pitch darkness.Caitlin started to choke on the sea water and then the voice said, “Breathe my child, let yourself breathe.”So she did. Suddenly, she could breathe beneath the ocean.She looked around and saw a ghostly woman smiling at her. Then Caitlin looked down at herself. She was no longer just a normal human girl.
Lore Part 2
The sound of crushing metal jolted Caitlin back to reality, as the image of the ghostly woman vanished as a tentacle lashed through the apparition, driving toward Caitlin. The blow of the tentacle sent her spiraling into the jagged edge of the sea shelf, the impact knocking the air from her lungs.As she worked to regain her breath, her eyes scanned through the darkness until she saw it. An all too familiar fear crept into her veins as up from the depths the singular, unblinking eye stared back at her. Its limbs coiled as it locked onto its next target, her.Before she even had time to think of a plan, a colossal tentacle whipped through the water barely missing her cheek as she dove. As the adrenaline surged, her new, powerful limbs betrayed her, sending her spiraling through the brine. Fortunately for her as she reached out to orient herself she caught an underwater stalactite.“Dammit...” She clutched her head, shaking away the daze.Taking a deep breath to quiet her thoughts, as she hid behind the rock formation.Focus, Caitlin. Again.Then, she propelled herself off the stalactite. This time, her tail acted as a powerful rudder, cutting through any resistance there was before. She became a blur of motion, dancing through the squid’s limbs and weaving tight, swimming circles around the behemoth as it struggled to track its newfound rival.As the circling got tighter and tighter around the giant squid, dove to the crushed HOV. Picking up her leftover spray paint can that had fallen out of remnants of the vehicle. She used the spray-paint can as a distraction, releasing a cloud of bright pink paint into the water. The squid recoiled, temporarily blinded by the sudden change in color. While the creature struggled to orient itself, the last thing it saw was the powerful, stunning strike of a thresher shark’s tail. As Caitlin’s tail hits the giant dinner-plate sized eye and stuns it to escape with her life.TBC