“Death from above, you're under fire

Stained black as night, he's coasting higher

Born a crab from the seashore to the deep

That's where his enemies will weep

And he's fighting

Faster, the King of the Sea

He's moving too fast, his spirit is free

Faster, though forces may try

The legend will never die”

From: “Black Baron,” by Pinniped, Bard and High Priest of Toriana, Goddess of Charisma. AC 1750.

As the starfish escapes, I turn back and await the enemy’s arrival. Step one of the plan is complete. I just need to hold them off long enough to relay my orders above. The corrupted races forward, the fastest quickly reaching my position. Dodging is almost simple; a small step sideways is all I need to become incorporeal. As they move through me, I rake cold fire through their bodies, draining their life as they fall through the water. I laugh cruelly into the water, delighting in every fallen foe.

The rest of them manage to catch up, and as they do, they're greeted by the sight of a mound of corpses. A quick glance shows more than fifty dead by the time they arrive. The enemy slows down, then pauses, reforming into lines once more. They speak as one and I'm only too happy to entertain the conversation.

"Look what you've done to yourself."

Is that... pity, I hear? Impossible. I glance down, my claws shimmering in the water.

"A valiant foe, reduced to this. I had hoped we would have a glorious battle, but you’re just a thin shell now. Reduced to undeath for power."

I scoff,

"Like you, you mean?"

"You don't even know what you've lost, never to find again."

My mind grinds, glacial icebergs colliding as I try to figure out what the enemy is speaking of. I try to remember, but a dull pain grows, quickly subsumed by my inner fire. My thoughts clear, and I look to the enemy. It must be trying to distract me.

"My mission is clear. You will not pass."

"Hmph. That's all you have, your... MISSION."

I brandish my claw forward, ready for combat.

"Fine, pale shadow. Return to nothing."

The enemies swarm in mass, scrambling over each other to reach me. The turbulence of the water courses through me in my incorporeal form, and each time I emerge into reality the waves cause me to move out of position. I continue the battle, only needing to hold steady to guarding the hole reaching above. Each strike of [Drain Life] strengthens me, and yet I can almost feel something slipping away. I discard the thought, focused on the heat of the fight as I rend through the monsters in front of me.

Only so many can attack at once, but they're constantly pushing me backwards, trying to get past and into the exit from this hall. I need something more, something to block them as I [sever] and [drain] the foe. I take a quick glance at my skills and see an unfamiliar one. It’s bizarre, appearing almost broken, and yet it draws my attention further.

Skill: [REDACTED]’s Story

Effects: Channel the [AKASHA] to tell [REDACTED]

Current Bonus: Various, dependent on [Lore]

Cost: Variable, user defined

Lore: "To Adventure." – [REDACTED].

A story? I almost scoff at the apparent uselessness of it, but something prevents me from discarding it out of hand. Hmm. I activate the skill and I'm back in my mind space, the [Akasha] floating in the distance. What is this? I feel a pull in my mind and reach out a claw to a cloud in front of me.

As I touch it, a story plays, and I see flashes, images of Knights of Valor. As I try to immerse myself, I'm summarily ejected, pushed out by an unseen will. I shake my body and move away, seemingly drawn to another part of this area. The [Akasha] grows darker, the dim light suffusing this place fading away; the glimmering clouds shifting to a blood red hue. I touch one and I'm drawn in. I see a battle below, dark legions rushing through a mountainside, yearning to crush the remaining defenders. Another vision, a corrupted smith tempering his blades with the tears of the slain.

I'm torn within, a piece of me rejoicing as I watch, and yet there is another side. A greater part of me pulls away, shuddering in horror at the sight. I'm confused, unsure of why I'm here, when a new cloud emerges from the distance. It’s neither glimmering bright, nor blood red, only drifting in a grey haze. I touch it and am greeted by scenes of tragedy. Stalwart defenders, holding the line to the last. A corrupted man, ending his life before he hurts others. A sad figure, bound to service to save his village.

As each scene plays, I feel a sense of camaraderie well within me. Every image is a tragedy willingly borne so that others may live. The quiet part inside cries out, and I take the last story away, emerging a moment later to the continuing battle. As I engage the [Story] skill, I feel that it needs more than mana, and my dark well of cold fire pours into it. Words ripple into the water as I'm caught in the flow of the skill. I say,

"I am the chitin of my claw,

Earth is my Body and Water is my Blood.

I have cut over a Thousand Times,

Known to Death,

Returned to Life.

Have withstood Pain to make many Friends

I have no regrets. This is my path.

So, as I Pray—

Unlimited Crab Works!!”

Mana and life pour into the skill and my spectral form rumbles. A system window chimes,

'ding

You have evolved a skill!

[REDACTED]’s Story is now [REDACTED]’s Domain.

The water churns, vibrations shaking the water. The corrupted feel the force of what is coming, retreating backwards to gain distance. From the floor, a fortress, no... a castle emerges, reaching to touch the peak of the ceiling. As I look at it in wonder, I feel a profound sense of loss. As though I'm seeing something I once remembered. Black mana courses through the sand comprising it, and from the walls emerge golems... crab and human alike. They man the walls, the battlements, all ready to strike down the enemy in front of us.

I take my place at the height of the tower, my own army arrayed in front of me. The enemy quiets, and then speaks,

"It seems you have something left in you after all."

I’m not sure what he's speaking of, but there's one thing I do know. From somewhere deep within me a feeling blossoms. I lift my claw to face the legion. My voice emerges as I face the enemy and tell them,

"I will defend this coast."

***

Luna whips the mane of the horse, urging it to go faster. She doesn't know how long Crabby can hold for, but she doesn’t want his sacrifice to be in vain. The pain from that thought ricochets within and she distracts herself by checking on the rest of the squad. Minutes before, she picked them up, and their journey continues, rocketing towards the surface.

"Is everyone doing alright?"

Wilhelm is the only one able to respond, the other's bending low and attempting to cling onto the precarious perch.

"Yes.... what about... Crabby?"

Wilhelm's voice is hesitant, as if afraid of her response and Luna hesitates to answer. Finally, she says,

"He's holding out, buying us time below."

She doesn't speak her fear, the strange way he looked at her and replied, and the cold burning gaze that fell upon her earlier. She clutches the shell tight to her body, praying for his safety.

"Hold on Crabby."

"FIRE!"

I direct my minions to launch the attack, and they respond. The sand crabs and human golems work together, pulling earth from the battlements and send it rocketing forward. An almost solid wall appears, and I reach out using [Earth Manipulation] to harden it into spikes. As the spears impale the foe, the legions charge, trying to bypass the walls of the sandcastle to reach the exit above. Their losses are ruinous, and their single-minded perseverance is dogging my defenders down. And yet, for every golem that falls, I pull another from the sand of the castle, my forces constantly replenished by my domain. The battle seems to crawl, and my time on this plane is running out. Idly, a portion of my mind wonders what is next, wondering if I would meet the gods once more.

A single enemy breaches the defense, ragged and torn and swims to meet me at the top of the tower. It is falling apart and as a defender moves to engage, I wave them down. As it gets to me, I stare into its bloodless rotting eyes. A sideways step, and I turn incorporeal, my claw spearing forward to drain the life from my enemy. As it falls to the ground, I look at the scene below. Corpses pile up outside the walls, and for a moment I wonder how the fight is going above. I remember the enemy taunting me earlier, saying that there was no need for stronger forces below.

I wonder how they're doing.

"FALL BACK!"

Agent Smith retreats out of the trench, firing bolts of blue green mana to strike the foe. The enemy continues to throw monsters from the depths of the trench, more than one of them whale sized or larger. Incursion city forces are performing a fighting retreat, lines of infantry firing their skills, and then retreating to the next bunker or trench. At least it is organized, not a full-scale rout. As the Agent stares at the battle, he decides to make the call. Grabbing one of the communication cubes, he gets a direct line to command,

"We need veteran support here!"

"That's a negative. Their presence will only escalate the conflict. The lines are holding steady, we have another mile of defensive positions to blunt the enemy attack."

His personal communicator dings, and he switches to the channel.

"What have you got for me? Make it quick!"

Agent Hypno comes back on the line, and he can hear the fear in his voice.

"I pulled the records of that area. The location where the enemy breached the surface? That's an old fault line."

Possibilities race through Agent Smith's mind, as he tries to figure out their plan. His thoughts solidify and he calls back to the command section.

"They're trying to drop the lines into the trench!"

"Wha... what are you..."

The agent relays what was just told to him, his fear growing with each syllable. There's a dead silence on the comms, and the Agent stares at the cube in panic. Finally, a voice crackles on the other end.

"I've called for Kraken support. The army will retreat under their cover. Fall back."

Agent Smith almost collapses from the released tension. As he looks and sees the orders relayed, he can only pray.

Pray that help will arrive in time.