“We are gathered here today to memorialize the victims of the Coastal Incursion. Brave Lenorian defenders laid down their lives in service to our King and country. Through their valiant efforts, a corrupted attack upon both Man and Sea Folk alike was averted. We honor their sacrifice and recognize their indomitable spirit. Marshall, light the flames.”

“Aye Sir.”

--Memorial Service, Lenorian Army AC 1750.

“CONTACT RIGHT!! TEN METERS!!”

At Sergeant Smith’s cry, we pivot towards the threat. I’m already running [Mana Manipulation] through my shell, reinforcing it further underneath the armor I wear. Upon our abrupt movement, the cloud of eyes bursts out of the side of the worm and I'm able to get a closer look at the foe we face. To my dismay, they appear to be the worm's children; they must have been gestating inside the monster when it was corrupted and have been hiding out until now. They writhe, twisting in a massive group as they swarm towards us. I'm already grabbing Luna, and I spin; gaining more momentum to throw. As she rockets into the water, I engage [Earth Manipulation], lifting up a small wall for us to take cover behind. Luna meets the enemy as I hear her cry,

[LEG BOMB]!

[LEG SUBSTITUTION]!

And she pops back on my shell with a tiny clink. A second later, I watch as the bomb goes off.

The detonation expands outward, and I can tell she's gotten stronger, the force of her attack concussing the water with a small shockwave. It kills maybe ten percent of the enemy and stuns a good number of them. However, the twisting mass is still rocketing towards us, contorting through the water. Sergeant Smith calls out,

"Luna! Level Report!"

She replies,

"They're level eleven sergeant! With some few that are level twelve to thirteen."

Huh, that doesn't seem so bad. But I take a moment to consider and realize how many of them there are. This may be harder than I thought. I raise my claws, preparing for combat as Sergeant Smith yells,

"Engage at will!"

I hear a quiet song and Mina's bardic buff courses through me. Then, there is the familiar cry from Wilhelm, charging to smash things with his fishy might. Bill and Billy are in defensive positions around Mina, providing support and Sergeant Smith is holding fast, assessing the situation and ready to intervene if necessary. A thread of excitement courses through my shell and I ask Luna,

"Are you ready?"

She thrusts an arm forward and screams,

"TO ADVENTURE!"

I take her arm and she's off once more, spinning into the fray. Not to be outdone, I engage [Riding Mask] and [Coast] to increase my speed and movement capabilities. I push forward, claws ready and prepared to [Sever] my foes.

As I get to the first group, I raise my pincer high and it descends, slashing downwards and rending the first of the worms in twain. They're weak, roughly my own size and inwardly I'm relieved at the ease by which it falls. However, as I do, two of its brethren latch onto the pincer I used to kill the first one. A grating *screech* is felt more than heard as their teeth scrape against the metal I wear. I kick off the sea floor, going mobile and shake them off. As they rebound, two quick [Sever]'s end their undead lives. I move to rejoin the sea floor, already aware of my less than stellar skills at three dimensional maneuvering. Before I am able to, another four worms are above me and it appears they have come up with a new and familiar strategy. They charge, and as they impact, the force of the collision knocks me down towards a larger group waiting for me.

I’ve dealt with this strategy before however, and I engage my spinnerets and [Water Manipulation] simultaneously. I ride the momentum downwards, and instead of impacting and being at the mercy of the waiting foe, I smooth out my descent into a gentle curve, picking up speed as I charge into the waiting enemy. The worms don’t have eyes, but I can imagine the surprised look on their faces as a gliding crab orients towards them, pincers snipping to destroy.

A couple of attacks later, I move down towards the sea floor and check on the progress of the others. Luna is artfully engaged, drifting back and forth with her [Leg Chains] in the water. She seems to be grouping them up and then taking out several of them in a single blast. I dispatch two more of the worms and think about how I can do more. There’s so many of them that taking them out one at a time will take too long.

An idle thought seizes me and I go into tank mode, layering earth around my shell and creating a small mound of defense. But this time, I put a new spin on it. I actually carry the defensive rampart with me and stick my claws out to the side of the mound. I activate earth and water manipulation and start spinning in place. As the worms try to attack the earth, the momentum of my movement knocks them aside. In perfect range for my spinning claws to rip them in two. Whirling around, I start moving towards the biggest group of worms, intent on shredding my prey.

As I approach the group, my claws strike an almost solid mass of rotting flesh. The resistance slows my spinning a bit and I back off, regaining speed before launching myself forward once more. I repeat the motion several times, going in and out, shredding more and more of the worms in front of me; when suddenly, there's a gap in the mass of the enemy I'm facing. I stagger forward into an open area and realize that they've let me inside the cloud of the swarm.

Oh no.

Now, surrounded on all sides, they pile on; launching themselves in mass. I'm able to kill many of them, but the sheer weight of their bodies weighs me down and my spinning slowly stops. As I'm pinned to the floor, I'm constantly [sever]’ing, killing them one by one. But my efforts are too slow. I hear Sergeant Smith come over comms.

"Good job bunching them all together Crabby. Hold your position as I go into B.O.T. mode."

Bot mode? What the heck is that?

Sergeant Smith continues,

"Private Luna, when they're distracted, I'm going to need you to drop a large explosion. Can you do that?"

"Roger Sergeant!"

Her happy voice comes over comms and I'm relieved to hear the peppy tone. It sounds that her success so far has restored some of her confidence. My attention is quickly brought back to the fight at hand as I'm pinned under the weight of the worms. I can feel them wriggling through the sand I have compacted around me, trying to reach my shell. I constantly hold [Earth Manipulation] in place, trying to ensure that they can't get through. I'm able to slow them down a bit, but there's too many of them. Whatever Sergeant Smith is planning on doing, he needs to do it now.

He speaks over the communications channel,

"Wilhelm, Luna disengage."

With my [Mana Sense] I can see them move backwards, performing a fighting retreat. With their withdraw, the remaining worms focus on me and I'm pinned even further. The crushing mass begins to feel suffocating, and a thin thread of panic begins to rise. Then I hear Sergeant Smith yell,

"PALADIN-BOT!! [ROLL-OUT]!"

And for a split second I’m struck dumb. Sergeant Smith rolls forward into a ball. He begins spinning in place, faster and faster… picking up speed. I can hear a faint whirring from the force of his rotation. Then, after a short pause, he shoots forward; barreling towards my position. The water barely seems to impede him and as he reaches the mass of worms around me he shoots through, coming straight towards the small hill I'm buried under.

The worm’s bodies are shredded like paper as he hits the mound I'm under and he jumps up into the water. Then, he's up above the sea floor, still spinning, bouncing to and from the worms. His energetic movements attract the attention of the enemy, and the worms orient to face this new foe. As he pings back and forth, I can see start to see the strategy he's using. Some of the hits destroy the worms, others just bounce him away from their position. And yet, as the strike happens, the recoil from the impact is actually forcing them to reposition, creating a larger and more compacted mass. My claws are thrusting and cutting this entire time, severing the worms within reach and I'm struck in awe at the acrobatic skill he is displaying. Finally, he yells,

"Luna now!"

And with a series of *pops* Luna is there; moving, repositioning in sequence, and dropping her legs around the circumference of the writhing sphere. I hold my breath as what feels to be an enduring moment passes by with creaking speed. Then, with a resounding BOOM! the legs detonate simultaneously. The concussive force destroys most of the worms, and as I shake off the earth around me, I move to engage. From here, it's just clean up and after another few minutes all the enemies are destroyed. I ask Sergeant Smith,

"Hey Sergeant, what was that B.O.T. mode you were talking about?"

He seems bewildered for a moment and then laughs.

"Ah, I guess you guys haven't had experience with advanced tactics yet. B.O.T. stands for Battlefield Obstructive Tactics. As I have a speed based class, it'll be a primary way for me to combat the enemy. I'm primarily a dodge tank, so I won't be taking hits at the front like you and Wilhelm. No, my job is to make sure the enemy is where everyone needs them so others can make the final strike."

I nod and realize that his skillset seems to be primarily geared towards teamwork. Between the stealth and crowd control, all of his skills so far have really helped everyone out. I take a moment and use [Water Manipulation] to clear the goo off of the team’s armor. While I do, I hear a quiet

'ding

And pull up the [system] message to see what it says.

'Congratulations!

Your party has defeated 174 [Corrupted Wyrm Hatchlings] - Lvl 11

Your party has defeated 28 [Corrupted Wyrm Hatchlings] - Lvl 12

Your party has defeated 13 [Corrupted Wyrm Hatchlings] - Lvl 13

You have gained three levels!

You are now level 34!

You receive +6 to all attributes.

As I close that window another opens up.

'ding

Congratulations!

Your skills have improved!

[Mana Manipulation] III has increased in level!

It is now level 7!

[Earth Manipulation] III has increased in level!

It is now level 9!

[Water Manipulation] III has increased in level!

It is now level 8!

[Riding Mask] III has increased in level!

It is now level 5!

[Sever] III has increased in level!

It is now level 9!

I hear Sergeant Smith talking and focus my attention on what he has to say.

"Alright team, good job. Though I was hoping we wouldn't have to enter combat so early, I'm glad we had a chance to really test and see how everyone works together. Bill and Billy, next time I want to see you out there more. My speed can provide defense for Mina if need be, so you can take a more active role. Everyone else did well, though I have to ask... Crabby. What was that spinning attack about?"

I feel a little bashful, and I wring my claws a bit as I say,

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time, spinning around like that let me attack several of them at once."

He seemed to consider my words for a moment before saying,

"You're not wrong, just be careful. Though they were numerous, these foes were relatively weak. An attack like that could easily see you crushed against a wary opponent."

I nod, everything he said makes sense. We shake off the after-battle jitters and look towards the hole in the hillside leading downwards. We fall back in formation and Luna and I take our position at the front. As we step forward, dim excitement fades and is replaced by a dim wariness. A vague notion is percolating in my shell, and I can't help but feel that we're entering a huge gullet...

Leading to the belly of the beast.