Dr. Berryfoot's Deep Sea Discovery.

"Alrighty everyone, who ready go into the dark blue depths of the sea?" said the head scientist Dr. Berryfoot. He was a halfling scientist who recently got approved to take a crew to the bottom of the ocean and see if Trench Whales were extinct or not. "I've double and even triple-checked all the sub's systems and we're good to go." said the head Data Analysis Shim (a goblin). He was Berryfoot's best friend and had been on every expedition Berryfoot went on. As the two were packing their equipment Berryfoot's assistant, a halfling named Springfoot, was running with his bag with papers falling out and he was slowing down as he was gathering his papers. "Sorry Dr. Berryfoot, traffic was horrible today, but I did manage to get all the research papers and current sea floor maps you wanted," he said as he handed one of them to Dr. Berryfoot. "Good, thank you Springfoot. Now help us finish packing everything up and we will be on our way."

It was the year 381 D.N.E and the trio left the port and used the maps to see if they could find a breeding ground for the Trench Whales. After what felt like days of travel being cramped in a medium-sized tin near the sea floor. The trio found remains of giant creatures. Just outside an underwater canyon. Using robots they collected samples of the dead creatures and after much study realized they were indeed either Trench Whales or a whole new species. The trio rejoiced in their discovery and gave them the moral to keep going.

As they kept going they found more remains, each in different stages of decay, yet what startled them was that none of them were recent. All of the remains were roughly 300-2000 years old. None of them were within the last 50-100 years which would help prove their continual existence. This quickly disheartened the trio, however, that too would not last.

The canyon then ended in a vast emptiness of ocean. "I guess we have to go deeper," said Dr. Berryfoot. "I don't think the sub could take on any more water pressure before imploding on itself," said Shim. "I know you're worried about us but I have faith that the sub can take it. Plus if we can't we will surface and release our samples to everyone and publish our work. How does that sound?" asked Berryfoot. "Alright, but if we die, it's on you," said Shim. "I know, but I also know that we are very close to what we're looking for."

Then a large black figure overshadowed the sub and the trio looked through all the windows to see if they could identify the mysterious creature. A low loud hum came from it. Dr. Berryfoot was increasingly excited as he thought it was a Trench Whale. Springfoot took pictures while Shim rigged up a microphone to record the hum. After the creature swam away the trio looked at each other amazed at what they saw. Then Shim turned to the glass only to see a much larger creature staring at the sub. Its mouth was barely open as if it were drooling like a dog. Its face was nearly as wide as the sub itself. It was dark grey all the way around. Shim used the microphone and picked up low humming sounds from the creature. Soon more of the same creature some smaller and some larger came from the darkness and stared at the sub. "My goodness. They aren't just alive, they're thriving." said an awe-struck Dr. Berryfoot. "So they aren't extinct as after all," said Springfoot. as he took pictures and even caught some video. As the trio was awestruck by the sight the whales continued to stare until the largest one swam to them. It weaved its way so that it could stare inside the sub. The eye of it alone was bigger than the sub. "Is it male or female?" asked Shim. "Male, the fact that it's curious and blocked everyone from us demonstrates that,. If it were a female we would already be dead," said Dr. Berryfoot. Springfoot continued to take multiple pictures from different angles.

After a couple of minutes, the head male left and soon the rest of them dove back into the deep darkness. "Wait so they just looked at us and left, no biting, no touching, nothing?" asked Springfoot. "Perhaps if we returned to the surface we could build a better sub and go deeper," said Shim. "I agree," said Berryfoot. The trio began to leave when they were hit by something and it rocked the sub. "What was that?" asked Dr. Berryfoot. "Mermaids!" shouted Sprinfoot. He saw a creature dart past with hands and a tail and knew what it was. Another blast hit the sub. "We're taking a lot of outer damage we need to leave now!" shouted Shim. as he weaved his way through the underwater canyon. Blasts were rocking the sub left and right. "Quick Springfoot, get the recorder and black box, in case we don't make it at least our efforts won't be in vain," ordered Dr. Berryfoot. "Yes sir," said Springfoot. The trio exited the canyon and made their way to the surface. The sub's hull was in critical condition and nearly about to bust when the trio broke the surface. It was a clear sunny day, but the sub was surrounded by mermaids who were circling them like predators. That was until an Imperial ship came and rescued the trio.

After getting back home with the samples (which were tested and would later help develop cures for several diseases and infections.) along with pictures and recordings the trio became famous and more improvements would be made on the subs. This allowed for deeper exploration and more protection against the mermaids. Dr. Berryfoot, Springfoot, and Shim would go down on more expeditions and make many more discoveries not just about the Trench Whales but about a whole other world beneath the sea.