Splatoon 2: Lost In The Dark

Prolouge~The Not Very Gr-eight Escape

Gravel crunched underfoot as an octoling made her way across the cavern floor, dragging a bag behind her. She crept ever more slowly as her route was lit up by a beacon of light: A squad of octoling huddled around a lantern.

"Heard the rumors?"

"Octavio's back."

"Are they reopening the valley-canyon routes?"

"What if the agents come back too?" one of the younger ones whispered.

"Enough! No sense in worrying about what ya can't control."

The entire squad collapsed into an uneasy silence. Several leaned in closer to the lantern, keeping their backs to the dark.

"Anybody know a good ghost story?"--Someone finally said--"All this speculation is making me sick."

"I've got one," the squad leader smiled. "Years ago--in this very kettle--a young octoling called Mizuta once lived. Now you see, this octoling loved to make music, she'd walk to the edge of the nearby trench to practice. One day something called back from the depths.

'A beat so strong and a song so sweet. Yet where is an audience to enjoy it?'" He rasped. A little octoling rolled her eyes.

"Surprised, Mizuta fled, but soon she started coming to the trench every so often to hear the darkness croon compliments from the deep. One day Mizuta answered the voice, and wished for an audience that would enjoy her music as much as it did."

The squad member next to him shifted, the octoling swung towards her and hissed, "Mizuta could have sworn she heard laughter rattle from the deep, dark trench.

'That can be arranged' it crowed. Mizuta begged to hear more, but the voice was gone. She came back every day. Only silence greeted her songs.

Over the next few week's Mizuta music started to change. Mizuta changed too. Her music became erratic. She became more distant. As if she had lost her very soul!" The leader started to pace around the lantern light.

"She shut herself away by the trench for days at a time. On one such occasion, one of her friends went to go visit her. All they found was putrid turquoise ink stains smeared across the floor of the cavern. A rescue party descended into the deep, hoping to find her, but they never returned. They were gone. And so was Mizuta."

"So what? She just disappeared?"

"Well," the Octotrooper leaned in closer to the lantern, "They say she finally found an audience. Of ghosts and monsters. And that if you go to the edge of the trench and lean as far in as you can, you can still hear Mizuta singing to this very day--"

Crash! The eavesdropping octoling hit the dirt after her sack slipped from her fingers. All chatter ceased and she was sure they'd hear her heart crashing against her chest. Finally, the leader spoke, "Must have been some particularly large pebbles falling from the ceiling."

The group hesitantly laughed.

"Anyways," a squishy, fledgling octoling started, "That story was sooo lame! I mean, why did Mizuta trust some rando voice? Was she crazy or something? Everybody knows to stay away from trenches. I bet I can tell a waaaay better story. Hold on to your tentacles! Here's a honest-to-goodness-real-life urban legend about the light thief! Oh! Or I could tell the one about the Musician that went to the stars--"

"Nope. It's past your bedtime, Ayla. Time to head home." the leader frowned.

"What! Not fair Ike! I'm nearly a full-on octoling! Having a curfew is, is, ludicrous!"

Ike sighed, "In fact, we should all be getting back. If trouble really is starting up again... Well, we're gonna need all the rest we can get."

Even after the shuffling of the squad faded away the girl stayed motionless on the ground. Only once her heartbeat slowed from panicked to frantic did she ease herself off the dirt. She still had a long way to go.