"...thy [stats] and thy [skills], they comfort me."

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

We circle around the small mountain, searching for where the core might be hiding. As we reach the other side, I gaze off into what seems to be an endless expanse. I can't determine any defining feature that would indicate the core's resting place. As I'm thinking, claw on my chin, looking around the floor; Todd grabs my attention. A wave of his spikes points towards the pile of bodies and I can see... I can see a tunnel digging into the mountain.

I look to Todd, "It's probably in there isn't it?"

He ripples again, in a gesture I interpret as quiet acceptance. I take a deep breath of water, before releasing it in a sigh and walking towards the mound of flesh.

Todd and I walk single file into the entrance. I keep my claws close to my body, trying to guard them from the oozing ichor gently falling from the walls. Even still, slow drips continually tumble from the ceiling, pattering quietly on my shell. I lead, and as we progress, I turn back to see how Todd is doing. He's created a small canopy of stone on his platform to guard his and Luna's body from the dripping blood. I face ahead once more and continue. Luna doesn't have much time left.

As we descend, the light slowly fades, until only mana pings give me any indication of my surroundings. Minutes pass and I can see that the bodies have eventually fallen away, replaced by rotted stone and decaying earth. Bolstered by this development, I quicken my pace, hoping that this means the dungeon core isn't too far gone. As we turn a corner I'm blinded by a sudden light. I lift my claw to shade my eyes as I look ahead.

A room lies in front of me. Much like any other room in the first few floors of the dungeon. On one quarter of the room, plain grey stone walls cover the environs in a familiar comforting tone. But on the other two thirds of the room?

Bleak chaos reigns throughout.

The other part of the area seems to be composed of gently pulsing flesh, red veins threading and peaking to the surface. As I look, a black vile substance rushes through the arteries, spreading to tendrils that encroach on the other side. I can feel a dull thud in my shell, the thud corresponding to a deep sound that emanates from the horrid waste. On the dividing line, on the border between order and madness, a block of crystal gently floats. It's state mirrors the room it's in, two thirds flesh, one third stone. The corrupted half slowly encroaches on the other side, grasping flesh reaching to destroy the core. I whisper to Todd,

"I'm not sure touching that would help."

Before Todd can respond, a black beam of light shoots from the core, forming a solid link between them. I rush towards him, trying to move him away as he stands motionless; paralyzed by the core. I flicker [mana sense] to gauge the strength of the connection and I immediately shut it off. The black light roiled in my vision, tendrils of shadows reaching outwards from the spell. I had the sudden sense that if I continued looking at it, it would reach me. It would reach out and extend into my eyes.

As I activate [Earth Manipulation] to move the platform away, I freeze. A voice whispers behind me.

"Ooohoh, little crabbies... little FOOD, laddie."

The cacophonous sound shudders in my brain as I attempt to parse the words. There's one, two, five, countless voices wailing in terror. They all speak separately, all speak together, all speak one by one in a barrage of pain that says everything and nothing at all. I turn back to the core as a tentacle materializes from the flesh of its surface.

It reaches, descending slowly sucker by sucker to the rotting ground. I hear the slurping sound of flesh slapping on flesh as it hits the floor. But it's not done yet. A moment later, the tentacle is joined by a headless human torso, gently spitting out onto the ground, splatting horrendously into the viscera. Two more tentacles emerge, smaller, individual ones that are finally joined by a skull.

The skull lands on the floor, it's eyes burning fire from its sockets. The disparate parts and pieces then begin to drag themselves together. Skull on body on tentacle, until a creature melds in front of me. It speaks with the voice of everyone I've ever known. It says,

"You've come to join us little crab?"

I manage to choke out, "Join you? What...?" I struggle to respond to the abomination. I focus on the immediate concern, "What have you done to Todd? Give him back!"

The creatures gaze flickers to the motionless urchin, still transfixed by the light. It waves a negligent tentacle as it says,

"It's connected to the core. The core is connected to us. When we finish with the core it will return to us. But you? You're something other. Something blocks us."

Its voice turns whimsical, as if trying to figure out an intriguing puzzle, "We can't see why... maybe something about a bridge? Hmm... come closer. In fact, let me take a look at you...."

As it finishes its words, it's arm shoots ahead, extending farther and farther to impossible lengths before wrapping around my body. With casual disdain, the arm retracts, and I'm face to face with its blackened skull, staring deep into its burning eyes. As I struggle to break its grip, it whispers... as if lulling me to sleep. It says...

"All you have to do... is let me in..."

And the surroundings fade as I'm brought into my mental space.

I can feel my mana core behind me, it's gentle pulsing giving me a sense of stability in this directionless zone. I'm surrounded by the [Akasha], the familiar shadows moving ephemerally in my sight. What's new is the boundary I sense. I thought this space was infinite, never having seen or felt an edge. Now? Now, I know this space is contained because I can feel something pounding at the barrier. A brief flicker of will, and I'm flying forward, venturing forth to meet my foe.

A tender blue light emanates from a wall in front of me. On the other side, the creature swings its arms at the barrier, each strike rattling my insides at the glowing cracks that form. Yet, hope is not lost. As I watch, the cracks heal themselves, rejuvenating in a cycle of growth that bars the creature’s path. It continues its barrage as it sweetly whispers,

"What do you want little crab?"

"Do you want money? Wealth? Power?"

"Do you want your friends?"

"I can give them to you."

"I can give you everything you've ever wanted."

It's words tenderly caress my mind, even as it attacks the shining barrier of light. For a brief moment, images arise in my thoughts. I could return home, to the coast. I could be with Erica. We could play in the sand together as we once did. Todd and Luna could join us. I'm sure they would make fast friends. I imagine our life together, just the four of us... eternally trapped on a beach. Stranded in a prison of the soul as the corruption puppets our bodies.

"Just..."

"LET!"

"ME!"

"IN!!"

I snap out of the daydream, guarding my thoughts from the insidious words. I try to activate my skills in here; slice, coast, the various manipulation abilities, anything that would let me drive this thing away. One by one I try, and they all fail to engage, all fail in the face of whatever this thing is. But then... I get a flicker of response from Crabby's Story.

I'm surrounded by the Akasha here, and whatever the thing was doing to block me apparently doesn't work when I'm this close. As its struggles continue, I reach out, not knowing what I'm looking for, only knowing that there has to be something that can help.

I project my will into the ethereal threads of knowledge and lore that binds mortal existence. I search for a weapon, an idea, a shield, something that can help against the corruption. Flashes of inspiration appear in the distance. I see a man swinging a sword, and then falling before a blackened corpse. I see a mage reading from a spell book, the tome suddenly moving to consume his face. I see defenders manning a wall, giving way to endless waves of monsters. Failure after failure is displayed before me, all mortals struggling against evil.... and losing.

A harsh laugh breaks my concentration and I refocus on the thing in front of me. Skin has grown over the skull, yet patches of bone still peak from the rotting flesh. It cackles,

"It won't work little crab. It will never work. I am the rot within, the hunger without. Your paltry connection to your pitiful lore cannot face me. I will attack and attack for all time, while but a moment passes in the real world. You will give in, and you will fall, as all mortals do."

"For I... AM...."

"̸̨͔̤̤̫̤͔̏̚C̴̗̭̅͑̎͗͌͋̓̀͗̑̚O̷̡̗͔͙̗͙̣͔͌̒̿̇̆̓͂́̄̓̇R̸̜͓̯̻͇̘͚̰̯̤͎̟̠͉̬̻͎͖̱̈́͂̇̄̇̇̓̄̉̕͜ͅṚ̶̖̖̤̖̜̠̭͇̦͖͈͊̈͊̑̈̏́̔̿̈̚U̸̳̙̪̼̖̥̺̫̍̄̀̇̃̆̏̏̂̊̆͌̇̎̌̍̋̏̐͋͘͠͠P̸̛̹̘͎̝͍͉̜̣͖͚̯̓̒̀̄͑͜T̸̡̧̻̹̄I̵̧̧̛̝͓̠̥͎̘̲̱̱̞̪̭̮̓̇͊̈̈̈̄̓̑̀͒̈̍̍͗̆́̚̕̚̕͜O̵͍͛̀̑̑̏̀̂̈̈́̋̏͘͜͝͝N̴̢̹̻̙̠̝̱̥͖̬̗̟̿̓͂͌͜͠.̶̡̢̨̦̩͙̮̼̹̫̦͗͗́̋̍̏̒̿̽͛̐̽̿̚̕"̷̢̻̠͙̖̞̭̣̪͍̻̇̇́̐͊̋͜ͅ

Its words sink me into despair. What... what can I do? There's nothing here to drive it away. How... how do I fight something forever? Something that attacks the very essence of who I am? As I fret in fear and hopelessness, a glimmer of a thought begins to emerge. I latch onto the idea, the words the entity just said. It said that pitiful lore cannot face him. But what is the akasha? It is where divine knowledge meets mortal lore. It is where the system flows from the gods into the material plane. It is one part of the bridge between.

And a bridge goes both ways.

I fling my mind into the shadows once more, reaching further, deeper than ever before. I ignore the surface layer, the references and musings and discoveries of all mortality. It's as if I'm diving through endless shadows, words and ideas floating in an ephemeral haze. In an eternity, a moment, an hour I pass through and see an ocean of gold.

It shines gently below, infinite in scope and depth. In it lies a power so vast as to break my mind, body and soul. I slowly extend a mental claw into the substance. I touch a mere drop, a single inkling of the shining sea. It burns like fire, and I can feel my will melting as I race back to my mental space, journeying through clouds of mortal understanding.

The drop faintly dims, growing weaker as it stretches further from the source, diluted by the endless waves of existence. But even still, as it fades, it becomes almost familiar, flavored by the clouds I pass through. By the time my consciousness returns to my mental projection I have an idea. An idea burning through my body as my eyes alight in golden fire.

I begin to sing.

"I was injured in the morning

When my world was begun,"

"What are you doing?"

"And I recovered by the grace

Of the gods, sorely won"

"Stop that."

"And I came down from trials

Placed my will upon the earth,"

"I command you to stop."

"And in this dungeon

I proved my worth."

"STOP!!! SINGING!!!"

The golden flames reach from my eyes to encompass my form and I lift my claws high. The pure light tones sing in the dark, happiness and joy beating back the creature before me. Jubilation echoes from my voice as a distant hymn is brought to Arthos... channeled through my personal life and experience.

"Corruption, then, whatever you may be,

I am the Lord of the Coast, said she,

And I'll find her now, wherever she may be,

And I'll find her again at the Coast, said me"

The creature’s attacks begin anew. Its frenzied swings pound faster and faster as if to break me, break the song I sing. I feel the music pounding within me, the sliver of divinity I've touched filtered through mortality, expressed in the truest story I know...

My story.

I advance, claws raised high.

"You cut me down

And I climbed up high;

I am the crab

That'll never, never die;

I'll destroy you

If you destroy me..."

Its attacks pause and I see its eyes widen in fear. I gather the light, the fire, the pure power I've drawn and let it out in a final roar.

"I am the LORD OF THE COAST, said she."

My roar echoes into the barrier, breaking it to pieces. The shards fly and pierce the creature as it slowly fades. I return to reality, viewing the monster in front of me. Glowing golden cracks zig zag through its body and it seems to be frozen in place. Before my eyes it begins to fall apart, collapsing onto the floor. The black light enveloping Todd slowly fades and he makes his way over to me, dragging Luna alongside him.

I pant, weary and tired beyond measure, drained of everything I have. I manage to squeak,

"I... I showed that thing... good. Yeah..." Todd maintains a stoic demeanor as I talk. I finally climb to my feet and turn to him.

"So, how about we try to..."

A black light pierces my vision and Todd freezes, paralyzed once more.

I swivel, my eyes fixed on the core, as a large tentacle extends from it. It's joined by a torso, leaking onto the ground. Another one is coming. I look down at my claws, I look at my stats and abilities. I'm sitting close to one for all of my resources. A stiff current could blow me over.

I don't have anything left.

Despair grows anew, and I look upwards, towards the heavens. My body shakes and quivers from exhaustion. I can barely move my arms, my legs, my claws. For the first time in my brief existence, I send a fervent prayer.

"Please, gods, anything... anyone... If... if you're there. If you're watching. I... I could really use some help right now."