Some time later...

Nora came to. She wasn't sure how long she was out, but it was long enough the she heard her stomach growling. She looked around. She was in a cage made of white corral, tied together with a sinew rope. It was surprisingly tough, and she wasn't able to kick it down. The cage was in a hut, with an entrance a few metres away. There were other cages. Most of them only held skeletons, but one of the ones closer to the door held a squatting figure. They stayed in the darkness, and she couldn't get a good look at them. Whatever it was, it hissed like a snake when she stared at it too long.

She could see her pack not far off, but it was too far away to even attempt to reach. The only thing near her that she could interact with was a ceramic bowl with strange... fruit? She wasn't sure what they were; they looked nothing like anything she's ever seen before. They were blue, and covered with strange glowing pustules. She reached for one.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. They look like they might be poisonous."

She turned around and saw Brock, in a cage next to hers.

"Brock, you're alright!"

"For the most part. You? You were lying there for quite a while, I was worried you might've been hurt."

"I think I'm good." She looked over herself. She didn't feel any pain. "Yeah, I'm good."

"That's good."

"So where are we?" Nora paced around, curiously looking at everything.

"I don't know. Our captors are quite vicious however."

"You saw them?"

"You didn't?"

"Hardly. I got knocked out before I could."

Brock thought for a moment. "Ever read 'The Time Machine'?"

"Written by Wells right?"

"Yes."

"I only read '1984', and that was a school assignment."

"Psh. You should read more books," he chastised her, "anyway, there are these creatures in it called 'Morloks'; grey, stunted, big eyes, big sharp teeth, live underground..."

"Murlocs?"

"I know you said that as a joke, but don't delude what I say. Although... there are similarities."

"So what do they look like?"

"Kind of like a mix between the two actually. They're short, thin, kinda fish like, with big eyes and hair... Why am I saying this? They look like that idol we gave you, and I'm sure you'll see one for real soon enough."

Nora was deep in thought for a moment. "Gosh, I wonder if they're related to us, or if they're a completely different species? Fish like though? That points towards the latter, and if so, that could revolutionise, well, almost all biological sciences! Even if they weren't it'd still be an amazing discovery. And what kind of culture do they have? I bet I could write dozens of books if I got a chance to observe them. Either way, this would be a massive breakthrough if we ever get out of here," she leaned against her cage, "thought about getting out of here?"

"Of course, but my pack is too far away. We'll need something sharp to cut through that, uh, sinew stuff keeping the cages together."

Without much thinking Nora had an idea, and quickly acted upon it. She picked up the ceramic bowl the fruit were in, and smashed it against the ground. Brock jumped in surprise.

"You couldn't have done that quieter?!"

"Oh yeah, I guess I should've. I didn't think of that. I think some of these shards are sharp enough to cut through the ropes though." She took a shard, and tested it against her finger. "Well... it's not that sharp, but it'll do. It'll just take a little time."

"Well I don't think we have that much of it left, I think I hear someone coming!"

Nora hid some shards in her pocket. Through the entrance came in two of these 'Morloks'. They indeed looked quite similar to the idol, although in reality they were much more hideous than she imagined. They were short, about 4 and a half feet tall, although they were haunched, so if they stood up straight theyd be the same height as an average human. Their bodies were wiry, their skin thick and leathery yet shining and slick with a thin veneer of slime. A thin layer of fine white hair covered their heads all the way to their backs in one continuous mass. Webbed hands clutched onto crude spears. But most hideous of all were their faces; fish like, but with a distinct kind of human shape; it was hard for her to describe. They lacked noses, and instead had two sets of gill like protrusions on the side of their heads, where their ears would be. The most striking feature by far were their eyes. Big and round like teacups, a sickly milky white color permiating throughout. They blinked sideways with a translucent eyelid. One of them had pupils, though they were very faint, a slight darker off color of white, while the other one did not. It didn't effect their vision as far as she could tell. They both wore crude tunics tied with thick thread, that thankfully reached past their groins.

One of them flapped its long red tongue out like a lizard, pointing at the dish Nora broke. "Mrgl-mrgl-mrgl!" It hit the cage Nora was in with its spear, causing Nora to jump back in fear.

The other one swatted at its companion, pointing at Brocks cage with its hand. "Mrrrgl-grlll!" They both went over to his cage and picked it up with surpring ease.

"Hey hold on, where are you taking me?! Nora help!"

"Brock!" They carried him out of the Hut. She could still hear his cursing from afar. "Shit, I've gotta save him!{If Roxxy is alive = true} Roxxy is going to freaking kill me if I don't!{else} Roxxy's soul will haunt me forever if I don't!{endif}"