"Felicia Allspark here. I'm reporting live from the internecine conflict roiling within a local [Necromancer] enclave. I'm here with one of the combatants of the fight, a low level [Dark Mage] of some renown. Sir, can you tell me why this fighting has broken out?"

"Of course. The living are aggressively renegotiating our contracts. Just because the undead overlords don't have to sleep, doesn't mean that we don't deserve some rest."

"Makes sense. And what of the reports of casualties and failing morale among the living members?"

"Don't worry Felicia. Be it death or depression, we're fully prepared for all eventualities. After all, when it comes to raising spirits... we have a lot of experience.

--Felicia Allspark, Lenorian Herald. From, "Contracts 101: Undead Edition." AC 237.

As I awaken from dreams of demolishing sandcastles, I see Luna waiting for me. I raise my claws to the sky, getting a good stretch in before stifling a yawn. TODD is still hanging out by the entrance to the room. As I'm gaining my bearings, Luna begins speaking...

"So, I asked Todd to join our sect. He said yes, but only as an [Elder]. Which I take to mean, he'll only show up if something bad happens."

I nod, her words confirming my thoughts on the matter. Curious, I bring up the faction menu.

'Faction.'

Sect Members:

Luna (Head) - Lvl 8.

Sir Crabby McCrabbington I (Head) - Lvl 5.

TODD (Elder) - Lvl 18.

Whoa, Todd's level eighteen. I eye the spike ball on the wall more cautiously. Eye how he's just lurking above the entrance, ready to drop on anyone entering. Yep, not messing with that guy. Dismissing thoughts of TODD for the moment, I turn to Luna.

"So, I'm thinking we tackle the second floor? I assume since you guys have lived here for a while you have some idea what it is."

"Yep! Let me get some food and I'll tell you all about it."

I take a seat at the coral table as Luna bustles about. She places an arm against a wall carving and a drawer opens. As she grabs two big hunks of crab meat, I can see her struggle with the weight. Moving and carrying something at the same time seems to be a bit difficult for her. I decide to try something, and activate [Water Manipulation], grasping the food from her arms and floating it to the table. As it sets down, I hear a...

'ding'

[Water Manipulation II] - 1 is now level 2.

I'm going to have to keep on working on that. [Earth Manipulation] is already tier two, level five and [Water Manipulation] is lagging a bit behind. I dig into the meal as Luna speaks,

"So, level two is pretty easy. There's no creatures in there, it's just a maze."

I raise a claw in question, still chewing on the food in my mouth,

"Sho... if itsh a maze, do you knowsh the way throughs?"

She doesn't have a face, but somehow, I can still sense the disapproval wafting from her body. She says,

"I don't know how you're speaking, but you're not even using the air or water. You don't need to simulate the sound of you talking with food in your mouth."

I stop chewing, mouth hanging open. Ah, she has a good point, doesn't she? Hmm... I'll have to work on that. As I clear up my thoughts to transmit through [Eyes of Intent] I hear a,

'ding'

[Eyes of Intent] - 1 is now level 2.

Huh, well I guess I won't look a gift crab in the mouth. I focus back on Luna as she continues,

"Todd here was kind enough to provide me with the most current map of the level. The [dungeon] changes it now and then, and we don't always have the most accurate record of it. We also don't station anyone on that level as there are no creatures who would gain [sapience] there, and we'd catch any that were coming from level one."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't someone be stationed at level one right now?"

"Octo is there. All his talk of finding some "crunchy crabbies," was just his way of saying he was headed there."

I don't comment on her interpretation of the octopus' words. To me, it sounded a whole awful lot like Octo was going to go eat something. I discard thoughts of Octo and lean forward to look as Luna lifts a stone tablet onto the table.

Carved into the tablet are several square lines. It only takes me a moment to realize that what's depicted is the upcoming maze. There are several different ones carved onto the stone. Luna says,

"As you can see, the passageways don't change," she taps the different mazes. "What changes are the doors between them. So, depending on which pathways are open," she points, "you can determine which iteration of the maze you're in."

That doesn't seem too bad. Something was bothering me though... "What about here and here?" I point out two variations where it's the same entrance initially but different later. "Won't we need to backtrack if we get unlucky?"

She shakes an arm no. "The maze is small enough we can do a mana ping to get an idea of the next upcoming passage. That way, we don't accidently pick the wrong door and waste time."

"Mana ping?"

"Yes, you don't... Ah, you're using that weird way of talking. Mana ping is the first step to [Mana Speech]. It's easy, just take a hold of the smallest portion of your mana that you can, preferably one point of mana, and throw it as hard as you can in a radius around you. You need to keep track of it with your mind as it moves. You should be able to get a sense from it's deflection and absorption what's in your surroundings. Go ahead and try it."

I listen to her instructions and follow them. Grasping a tiny bit of mana from my core, I release it in a wave around me. I keep track of it with my will and as it absorbs or deflects, I can build a mental picture of the surrounding area.

'ding'

[Mana Manipulation II] - 7 is now level 8.

Huh... I've noticed that I've gotten a bunch of notifications today. I think maybe using my skills in new and interesting ways helps with the level ups? More to investigate later. As I'm getting a sense of the small room, I immediately think of low light situations. This extra sense would come in handy there. Suddenly, right in front of my face comes a loud booming voice.

"TODD."

I only shake a little bit this time. I think I'm getting used to it.

"Good point Todd. When you get good at it and if you learn mana speech, you can make your voice sound like it's coming from anywhere in your detection radius. It's great if you're trying to redirect an enemy. You can make it think you're coming from somewhere else."

I wave a claw of acknowledgement at Todd as I finish my food.

"Alright then, I think that's about everything. Are we ready to go?"

She takes a last bite of her own and then takes my arm. "Yep! Hold on!" This time I manage to brace myself before she says,

"Level 2 - [Recall]."

The magic takes hold of us, and in a split second, we're somewhere else. The cold, drab grey walls of the dungeon surround me, and I'm faced with three choices of entrance. Luna says,

"So, three entrances... this is either variation 1C or version 2A. Either way, we need to start at the left entrance."

We begin to venture through the passageway, and after a moment I consider the speed of our progress. Luna doesn't really move very fast. I don't know what her dexterity value is, but it must be much lower than mine. More than half at least. I say to Luna,

"Umm... do you want to catch a ride on my back? It might be a little quicker?"

She pauses, arm stretched out to take another step then seems to consider.

"Yeah, that might be best. There's no reason to dally here when we don't have to."

She climbs onto my back, and we head further, winding our way through the level towards the exit.

There was not much to be said about the journey. Luna and I talk about the little things in life. I learn that she enjoys sneaking up on baby crabs and scaring them and I tell her of my love for the coast. She's never seen the outside or the sun, so I describe the sound of waves crashing on the shore; the constant dynamic motion of water meeting earth. As we reach each intersection, she releases a mana ping into the water, indicating one choice or another and we make quick progress; a crab and starfish venturing into the depths of the labyrinth.

As we turn a corner, Luna taps me on the shoulder.

"Just ahead should be the entrance to the next level."

I wave a claw in acknowledgement and continue forward. As we venture onward, I start to slow down a little. Something doesn't seem quite right.

"Luna," I ask. "Is there supposed to be an open area like this?"

Right in front of me lay a circular room, it's walls closing into a dome above. Up to this point it had all been corridors and passageways, and I don't remember seeing any locations like this on the map I had seen.

"No," Luna replies, her tone edging towards caution. "The [dungeon] might have changed something. Be careful."

Before proceeding through the entrance, I activate mana reinforcement, running power through my body to harden my shell. As my carapace gently vibrates and then settles, Luna's giggles cut through the water.

"That tickles!"

I brush aside Luna's response and prepare myself for whatever we may find.

"Here we go."

Stepping into the open area, I raise my claws, expecting combat...

Only to receive silence as the only response.

I begin to lower my claws, before remembering the last battle I was in.

No Crabby! Stay alert! Something could be anywhere!

My stalks scan the surroundings. Blank walls match my gaze as my eyes roam the perimeter of the room. I continue upward and view nothing, no movement draws my attention at all. Before I begin to relax, I think of one more thing and try out my new ability. I release a mana ping into the water and am comforted by the lack of response. Nothing on the walls, the ceiling, the floor...

SOMETHING IS IN THE FLOOR!

I dive away from my standing location as a claw breaks the surface. In a horrid recreation of the battle I was just in, a massive figure breaks the ground and rouses itself into view. But this time... this time there is something wrong with it.

The [Dungeness Crab - Big Momma] is rotting, chitin withering away and revealing pieces of meat and ichor oozing in the water. Its movements are sluggish, and it stares at me with milky dead eyes as it manages to claw itself to the surface. I bring up the combat logs,

You are in combat!

[Undead Dungeness crab - Big Momma] attacks you for -35 HP!

[Undead Dungeness crab - Big Momma] misses!

It seems to be even stronger than before! My suspicions are confirmed as it begins to plod its way forward, each step cracking into the ground as it moves. Even with my improved stats and reinforcement I'm not sure if I can take the impact from its strike. And with its speed...

"Luna! I'm going to stay mobile! Get in the hits where you can but be careful!"

As it moves towards me, I [coast] to the side, aiming for its leg. Applying a layer of sand to the top of my claw, I [slice] into the monster. As my claw strikes the decaying chitin, my claw rebounds, revealing hardly a mark on its surface.

Its rotting, and my strength still isn't enough?

Gritting my mandibles, I growl, "fine then!"

I start my usual litany, ending with "SIR CRABBY HOOOOO!!!!!!"

I hear and briefly spare a moment for the familiar,

'ding'

**Sir Crabby's Music has been applied.**

**Effect: +30% increase to STR, DEX.**

**Effect: 1 min, 27 seconds remaining**

One minute, twenty-seven seconds? That should be enough time. Even as the undead crab is turning towards me, I lash out again, applying [slice] to my claw. As I strike, I can feel my claw cutting into it's leg, it's shell crunching underneath the power coursing through my form. I'm driven back however, as my second hit ejects a cloud of putrid murk into the water, clouding my view and assaulting my nose.

As I stagger away, I hear Luna saying,

[LEG BOMB]

[LEG SUBSTITUTION].

*pop*

And she's back on my shell, two arms missing. An explosion shakes the water, and the crab is down two legs. Our attacks don't seem to have slowed it though. It continues moving towards us, not displaying any signs of the pain that slowed it's earlier brethren. It's lack of recoil catches me off guard, and I'm forced to bring two claws upwards to block. Before the impact falls, I'm able to summon earth to enshroud my form and provide stability as my legs burrow into the ground. Even still, I'm driven into the floor by the weight of its strike.

As I'm receiving the impact, Luna attacks again, using her own means to dodge the incoming claw.

[LEG SUBSTITUTION]

[LEG BOMB]

[LEG SUBSTITUTION]

And she's back on my shell once more. The crab continues to ignore its grievous injuries and lifts both arms up high to pile drive me into the ground. I rapidly disengage locking procedures, ditching the earth holding my position steady and burrowing out of the ground. As its arms swing downwards, I [coast] to the site of the previous explosion. At this point I'm holding my breath and squinting to view the monster, rotting debris clouding my view and making it difficult to see.

It's still limping along with two legs on the side we've attacked, and I engage once more. I [slice] into the single leg providing stability and it slowly topples over, unable to support the bulk of its form.

From there, it's only the matter of minutes to finish off the [undead] crab.

'ding'

Your party has defeated level 9 [Undead Dungeness Crab - Big Momma]!

Experience is awarded for your actions.

[Coast III] - 1 is now level 3!!

[Slice II] - 8 is now level 10!

[Slice II] - 10 is now [Slice III]

[Earth Manipulation II] - 5 is now level 6.

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

You are now level 7.

You gain +2 to all stats from the level up.

You gain +2 to all stats from the level up.

I back away from the creature as it dissolves and try to get a clear breath of water. This fight was easier in some ways because I knew what to expect... but in others?

"Luna, have you ever heard about [undead] in the dungeon before?"

Her voice betrays a hint of fear as she replies,

"No... this is new. There's no record of them in the carvings either. It doesn't make sense for the [dungeon] to create [undead]... the water would destroy their body faster than anything we would. I think... I think something might be wrong."