← JournalMidnight Naturalist

Still-Water Squid

Sepia quietus

Midnight29 cm mantle · Hovering · watchful

Field record

It hangs perfectly motionless in open water, mantle barely rippling, and seems to measure everything nearby by how fast it's moving rather than how close it's come. Approach slowly and it will hold position long enough to be measured in return; so much as accelerate toward it and the whole animal is a smear of ink and gone.

Marginal note: “measures you by your speed, not your distance”

Habitat

ZoneMidnight Zone

Depth range1,300–2,100 m

DiscoveryOnly shows itself to a drone moving well under its own top speed. Ease off the throttle as you close.

Catching it

A Midnight-tier catch needs at least a Braided Net— anything under that rating can never hold it, whatever the throw. Bought at the Quartermaster’s counter for 300 crystals. A held net inks this entry for good and pays its ledger bonus on the spot.

Ledger bonus on capture+7 Speed

Full capture mechanics — sighting vs. capture, the aim ring, why a net below a creature’s tier always bursts — in The Ledger.