"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the corruption of death I will fear no evil, for the [system] art with me..."

--Unattributed, Prayer to the Statistical Divines. AC 1625

We [recall] back to the [safe zone] and rush to the hollow. We meet up with Todd and give a play by play of what happened. Luna falls quiet as I speak of Angus' last words. Finally, I end with saying,

"I think it's time Todd. It's been weeks now and no one else is here. We could really use your help finishing this."

Todd waves his spines and Luna translates,

"He said he will come with us. He'll be right back though. He wants to go warn the Hypnofrog of what's coming."

I hesitate and then come out and say it. "Is that safe? I don't think we can afford to wait for a day to pass for him to return."

Todd waves once more and Luna says, "He said he's dealt with the frog before. It won't be a problem."

Todd elevates on an platform and heads to the hole in the wall. He disappears as we wait outside. Maybe twenty minutes later he returns. He waves his spikes, and then moves past us. Luna says, "the frog has been warned. It will handle it's own egress from the dungeon."

I nod, putting it out of my mind for the moment. We move back into the carving room and Luna and I head for the staircase leading outside. I stop as Todd pauses behind me. The platform he's riding on raises until he's level height with the first carving on the wall. The carving faded and worn by time. His body ripples and he leans forward, his spikes touching the wall. He says a few simple words.

"GOODBYE.... OLD FRIEND."

His platform lowers and we head outside. As we gather in a group Luna says, "Alright, I'm moving us to level 7. Angus said that there's no more levels. It's just... just our friends and the core. I don't know what we'll find there. Any ideas?"

Todd says, "I DEFEND... AND CONTROL. CRAB... AND LUNA. YOU ATTACK. SAFETY FIRST."

I nod, that seems like as good an idea as any. Luna grabs my arm and Todd and her say at the same time. "Level 7 - [Recall]."

The familiar lights glow around me and then gradually fade. As they do, I'm struck by a sense of horror. A seemingly endless field of sand stretches ahead of me. It's pure black, and as bleak light stretches from above, the ground seems to absorb the ambient radiance. I can see holes in the floor, sprinkled throughout my vision. Right next to our arrival point lies one of the gashes.

Inching closer, the sand just disappears into a hollow void, receding into darkness. My eyes recoil from the blank emptiness and returns to my surroundings. On the sand there are blocks, ruins, stretches of stone half melted into decay. It's as though we're walking on a thin egg shell of constructed reality, barely keeping us from descending into madness.

Backing away from the hole, I look into the distance. There, at the edges of my sight, I can see a mound... a pile of something. Terse movement catches my eye around the heightened elevation, and I can't make out figures or details. Even the water seems oppressive, it's as if the very environment is crushing my spirit, watching and waiting for my demise.

I turn to my teammates and whisper, "Okay, we'll head towards the mound. Keep an eye out for anything alright?" Luna climbs on my back and Todd just waves his spikes in response. I'll take it that he understood. We slowly walk through the bleak deserted floor, keeping away from any holes that are rent into the sand and cautiously make our way to the target.

An hour passes and we're still walking. There's been no sign of movement anywhere in our vicinity and the mound has nearly doubled in height. Even still, it's far enough away that I can't make heads or tails of the brief flickers of motion I see. I whisper to Luna,

"This floor is massive. Have... is this usual?"

She whispers back. "No... I think, I think maybe the dungeon just shoved floors seven, eight and nine together to make this one? Maybe it's deconstructing the dungeon level by level."

I muse over her words. "For what purpose? What's the point of doing that?"

Todd whispers as well, for once his voice no longer booming in the water.

"TO MAKE SOMETHING NEW."

We fall into silence as we venture onward.

Another hour passes and we approach the hill. I smell it before I can see the details. The aroma of rotting flesh, the scent of decaying meat. The myriad odors of decay and corruption. Minutes pass as we approach and I can finally make out both the mound and the figures that swarm it. It seems as though it's a giant hill, no, a small mountain of bodies. A quick surveyal reveals crabs, starfish, sharks, barracudas. Creatures of all shapes and sizes frozen in a rictus of death; their bodies and faces frozen from the onset of rigor mortis.

I can also see the figures swarming the pile. A half rotten shark chows on the meat, tearing and eating into the feast before him. Its hunger seems to consume him but his efforts seem to be in vain. As food enters his gullet, it falls out once more, the hole in his stomach spewing the contents onto the floor. I see some kind of brightly colored fish, flitting amidst the eyeballs of another. Motion near it seems to startle him as he puffs up into a spiky ball. Yet, no matter how hard it tries, it can't maintain that shape, the water it consumed to bloat it's form leaking through rents in it's skin.

Finally, I see the third and final creature. It's a large fish, it's nose spearing out from the front of it's face. It has a large fin on it's back, riddled with holes and it continually stabs the pile of meat in front of it. I can see the black leaking from it's wounds into the water and it's once noble sword is broken... maybe only half the size it once was. They don't seem to have noticed us yet and as I try to concoct a plan Luna says,

"Larry? Pops? Irene? Is that... is that you guys?" Her voice quavers in the water, and I can feel her body tightening on my shell.

All motion instantly freezes. The three dungeon monsters slowly turn, their dead eyes staring into our own as they shriek into the water. In their voice I can hear pain and hunger, an eternally thirsting hunger. Each in their own way, they begin to rush towards us.

"PREPARE FOR COMBAT!!"

"SIR CRABBY! HOOOOO!!!!"

'ding'

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

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

**Effect: 2 minutes, 45 seconds remaining**

I activate mana reinforcement, strengthening my shell entire. The shark is moving the fastest, and I see the former stripes on it's lithe body streak in the water. I move in front of Todd and grab Luna, preparing to throw her. I yell,

"Todd! Delay the other two! We're going for the shark!"

"TODD."

Earth walls blast from the floor as a dome of stone surrounds Todd. Sand blankets the battlefield, providing concealment from friend and foe alike. I spin, with Luna in my arms and release her towards the shark. She flies into the distance as the shark continues to rush ahead. It's diving right towards me and I activate [Coast] and [Cutting Mask] to dodge. I skirt to the right, and it turns it's head trying to bite me. Instead, Luna has arrived.

[LEG BOMB]

*BOOM*

The explosion hits the nose of the shark and it whips it's head away from the impact. It's body slams into the floor and it skids along for a moment before shaking it's head and turning around. I take advantage of its brief moment of disorientation, sprinting towards it. As I close I activate [Earth Manipulation] taking advantage of the sand billowing in the water and begin to bind it's movements. It continually breaks the weak hold of the sand but that gives me enough time to arrive. My claw descends in a [slice], striking it's eye and cutting into it's skull.

Apparently that isn't enough.

It's tail whips around, catching me in the side and tossing me back into the water. It's strike flips me head over legs, spinning up into the water. I'm disoriented, arms and spinnerets flipping to try to stabilize myself in the rushing currents.

As I even out and gain my bearings, all I can see is an open mouth, teeth reaching towards my body. I cross my arms, bracing against the impending doom. Then Luna says,

[LEG SUBSTITUTION]

[LEG CHAINS]

And she *pops* onto my shell, grabbing me and jerking me back towards the floor. I can hear the sharp *smack* of the sharks jaws slamming shut in the water. Slamming shut where I was a moment ago. I'm going to need to avoid that. I spare a glance over at Todd and see an exercise in futility.

The puffer fish is jetting water out of it's mouth in a tight stream, and I can see the water cutting into the floor as it lances towards his dome. The water strikes his armored defense and while there are marks left by the attack, the stone appears to be holding. The swordfish rushes back and forth, continually trying to spear the surface, yet still not breaching the integrity of the shell. The sword fish glances our way and moves a bit towards us, thinking us easier prey, when a spear erupts from the ground, rushing towards the fish. It whips back towards Todd, eyes blackened and enraged and starts to attack the dome once more.

Todd is fine.

I assess the state of the shark. I inflicted a deep cut on it's face, embedding into it's skull, but apparently that wasn't enough. I consider my options and then decide to go with what works. I tell Luna, "Alright, just like we did the first time. This time, I'll go left." A single tap on my shell shows her acknowledgement and I brace as the shark charges me once more. It gets closer, closer... and NOW! I dive to the left, dodging it's attack and it snaps it's head towards me, trying to bite into my side.

[LEG SUBSTITUTION]

[LEG BOMB]

The explosion blasts it's head backwards and it's unable to curtail it's dive. Striking and sliding along the sand, I rush to engage using [Earth Manipulation] to stymie its efforts. As it whips it's body to break the grasping reach of my skill I approach it's left side. Coming in at an angle, my claw descends... my second [slice] meets the first... and the shark is decapitated.

'ding'

NOT NOW SYSTEM!

Shark defeated, I turn to assist Todd. Luna has already planted herself on my back and I yell, "WE'RE GOING FOR THE PUFFERFISH!!"

I grab her and spin, throwing her towards the enemy that is shooting water lances. A glance at Todd reveals thin cracks on his armor and I put him out of my mind for now. He should be alright engaging with the swordfish. Luna spins towards the fish as I sprint ahead. As she approaches, the fish seems to notice her arrival and it's head turns. The beams of water move from Todd to where Luna is moving through the water. I yell,

"LUNA! WATCH OUT!"

And I hear a brief scream before [LEG SUBSTITION]! [LEG BOMB]! And Luna appears behind the fish, her leg blowing up next to it's body and ending it for good. As I rush towards her, I can see a black substance leaking from Luna's falling form. She's been hit, badly. I catch her as she falls and I apply pressure to her wounds. She's almost been cut in half, and she has two legs remaining on her body. I frantically yell,

"LUNA! LUNA! Are you okay? What can I do?"

She weakly responds and pats me on my shoulder, "I'm... fine. I'll be okay in a bit... help... help Todd." I carry her away from the battle and bury her side in the sand. Hopefully the pressure of the earth will help keep her stable. "Alright, I'll be right back. Stay with me okay?"

A small arm wave is all I get in response as I sprint towards Todd. As I approach, Todd seems to sense my intentions. As the sword fish spears the dome once more, the armor shatters and the fish, disjointed and confused, continues ahead; it's shortened nose spearing into the ground. Todd is nowhere to be seen, and I see a tiny hole in the ground leading elsewhere. As the swordfish struggles to get it's head unstuck from the sand I close in and raise my claw.

At the last second, it wrenches it's head free from the floor and swings towards me. It's sword is about to meet my claw and I know the strength and momentum of the strike will send me flying again. I continue with my attack, prepared to be cast aside, when the remnants of Todd's shell melt and reform. The shell remnants become spears that are joined by Todd's spikes. They flash into existence, piercing its body and pinning it in place. It thrashes, its struggles made futile as [slice] descends.

One attack is enough.

'ding'

As the swordfish falls, my music fades as well. I take a moment, trying to calm my exhausted and shaking form, before I remember, "Luna!"

I rush back to her, calling out behind me. "Todd! Come help! Luna is hurt!"

He glides along the ground, conveyed by a platform of earth as we hurry to her side.

She's grown a bit paler but appears to be holding on. I tell Todd, "I need you to hold [Earth Manipulation] on her body as I remove her from the ground. You're better at it than me, and I don't want the pressure to be removed. A ripple of his spikes reveals he understands and I gently pull her up. As I do, I barely glimpse a line of black corruption seething along the edge of the cut before Todd applies a layer of earth. I softly hold Luna in my claws. Hold the half of Luna that remains.

"Hey, hey Luna. Can you hear me? How are you doing?"

Her words slur a little but she seems to rouse to consciousness. "Hey... weird crab. How ya doin' buddy? I'm pretty tired. I think I'm going to take a nap now."

"NO! No, Luna. You gotta stay awake. You gotta keep with me okay? We're going to get out of here and go see the world remember? We have to go see the world together. Just, just stay with me Luna!"

My shell shakes as I cry silently over my injured friend. I turn to Todd. "Do you know anything that can help?"

He says, "CORE. LEAVE DUNGEON... NEW BODY, ALL HEALED."

I nod and gently place her still form alongside Todd on his moving platform. Fear and anger race through my shell as I wipe my eyes clear of the clinging sand. I stand up and a burning determination pounds in my carapace. I say,

"Let's get to the Core then."