“Through fire and flame we stretch, reaching to destroy the enemy. Guard our minds as you guard our hearts. Give us your [Strength], as we smite our foes. Render unto us your might so that we may sweep the evil aside. We beseech thee to intercede with [Wisdom], turning away her glacial eye.

To [Strength] we pray, so that we may conquer in your name.”

--Templar Invocation, Church of Strength. AC 1721.

"How about we make this a party?"

I look around and see the ranks of enemy before me. There's no way I can stop them all. My mind spins, struggling to come up with a solution that will offer me a chance at survival. As I hesitate, the enemies slink forward, and an idea comes to mind. I remember facing the corruption in my mindspace, down in the depths of the dungeon. There was a sense there, an idea that if I had given in, my body would become a puppet, pulled by the whims of evil. My submission would lead to the enemy breaching the confines of my mind and having access to all of my knowledge. That's not to say that every part of me would be destroyed though. Maybe there is something left of the original creature that had surrendered before me.

Of all of the emotions I've seen the enemy display, there is one that shines through in glaring quality.

Anger.

I carefully consider my next words. Luna's outcome may depend on it. I cock lazily to the left and arrogantly examine one of my claws, twisting it in front of my stalks as though bored. I say,

"Oh? Scared are we? Well, I can understand. Your predecessor was trampled into the dirt after all."

I reach out my claws as though stretching and perform a fake yawn.

"Well, I guess if you're too much of a coward you can bring your friends along. They can experience the same failure you had."

The dim light pouring from the creature’s eyes brightens and I can see my mocking has affected him. His fist clenches, and the subtle indication of anger is mirrored by the creatures surrounding him. Shrieks of anger rise from the gathered monsters, and I continue talking. I need to put him off guard.

"Well? How about it? Are we doing this or not?"

I send a new message to the rest of the squad. They should have reached the exit by now, and their orders were to hold in place, waiting for Luna and me to disengage. The situation has changed and I say,

"Mina, lead the others to the surface. As soon as you can get into comms range, I need you to push a report higher."

Billy immediately replies,

"But what about you two?"

I don't immediately respond. My silence should be enough for an answer, and I finish with,

"You have your orders. Crabby out."

The guardian stands from his blighted chair, and it dissolves into muck that pools along the floor. He takes a deep breath of water and then releases it, and I can see him calming himself. There has to be some overlap between the original personality and what corruption has done to it because otherwise these physical manifestations wouldn't be necessary. The monster would just be like all the undead crowding the water, mindless and waiting to attack. The guardian speaks with a humorous tone, but I can hear the edge in his voice,

"You won't tempt me crab. Trying to destroy yourself will not work. You will give me the information I want, willingly or no."

I lean forward in the water, locking gazes with the monster.

"Nice try. I will NEVER give in. And you need that don't you?"

We continue our staring contest. The guardian caves first.

"I have all the time in the world. You will succumb."

A lazy claw gestures at all the mining efforts.

"I bet I can hold on longer than you can afford."

Its gaze seems to follow my claw and then returns, giving me a considering look. One of his hands lay by his sides and he begins strumming his leg, as though considering. Finally, he says,

"I'll take that bet."

What?

"I propose a wager. If you defeat me here, then I’ll let you leave. If I win, then you will immediately submit to join my forces."

This feels like another trap. And what's to say that it will keep its word? Nothing. I prepare to point this out, but he continues,

"I'll even agree to a [system] contract."

'ding.

****

[Corrupted Guardian Giant] Wants to complete a [Binding Agreement]!

Do you agree with the terms?

****

I float in the water, trying to figure out my best play here. It took several hours for all of us to get down here moving stealthily. The squad’s speed should be increased going back, but regardless I need to delay. I sigh. I'm not sure if this is the best choice but faced with the enemies before me it's the only play I have. I grit my mandibles and say a simple,

"Fine."

Soft laughter emerges from the giant, and he raises his arms. The kelp in the surrounding area begins to move along the floor, eventually creating a circular ring. The rest of the creatures remain outside of it, peering through the corrupted vegetation, their eyes gleaming in anticipation. Finally, it's just Luna, the guardian and myself. We lock gazes and I'm mentally preparing myself, tension racketing as time ticks forward. He grins and says,

"Then let the battle begin."

As the last word comes from him, I'm already dodging, engaging [Water Manipulation] to shoot me towards the floor. I'm betting that the terms of the wager would preclude the corruption attacking me from that avenue and I'm less maneuverable floating along. [Riding Mask] comes next, increasing my speed as well as [Mana Manipulation] to reinforce my shell. I manage to move barely in time as the giant punches forward.

I'm halfway to the ground, still in mid-water and I'm trying to figure out what he’s doing. There is too much distance between us, his punch can't reach that...

As his fist moves through the water, the momentum of the strike begins to pull his body forward. The giant lifts off the ground and seems to almost dissolve into a glistening mass that follows the fist. A wave of flesh reaches towards me like a spear, and I twist my body to dodge the first attack. The striking mass misses me and as it flows past, I lift a claw to strike a glancing blow.

As my attack descends it impacts the side of the flowing creature and seems to sink in. My claw isn't slicing the spongy material. And the impact has driven me off balance. I tumble before righting myself as I hit the floor. I turn, quickly trying to get to my feet and assess the monster.

The mass of coiling ropes reforms, returning to its original humanoid shape. It looks like the guardian has a few new tricks up its sleeve.

But I have some of my own.

[Earth Manipulation] flows through me into the underlying stone and the flesh of the floor parts as I pull the rock up to my body. A shield forms around a single claw, as my other claw extends to a blade. A second later I stand, facing the monster before me, girded for battle. I jerk the shield towards me twice and mutter,

"Come get some."

He must have heard me because he roars and charges ahead. I race to meet him and as we close I raise my shield high to meet his strike. As his fist descends, I'm already shifting, moving to the side to deflect. He’s in position now and I swing my sword to cut. Regardless of our strength scores, the facts are evident. The thing greatly outweighs me, and I don't want to face an attack directly. His fist lands, and a small hop in the water gives me leverage to ride the glancing blow away from the strike.

I try to [sever] his leg, swinging with all my might and as the sword impacts, it cuts a furrow into his leg. I almost heave a sigh of relief as I feel the damage being done and the monster starts flowing once more.

The sword almost pulls me away from the floor, caught between tendrils of flesh, before I break off the edge of the sword and try to get my distance. As my enemy reforms I back away and try to assess the situation.

As the humanoid figure quickly regains shape, I realize its strategy. Every strike it bears is followed by the entire mass of its body, and if I get caught in the middle of the reforming tendrils...

I shudder.

I don't know what will happen, but it probably won't be good. As it stands ready, I try to gauge what damage I've done. There, on its legs is a small gash, and as I look it grows smaller by the second. I take a deep breath of water, trying to calm my pounding heart.

Alright Crabby. Death by a thousand cuts it is.

I let out a battle cry and sprint ahead.

Time to cut this thing down to size.