Riddled with venom, Todd lies on his flat bedroll. His flesh locks up and seizes, his meat feels like its tearing. He can only cycle cosmic energy and wait for his renal organs to filter the toxins out of his blood over the next seven hours.

  It was lucky. It was unlucky. One of the crabs had finally gotten him, right at the very end. He twists a protesting arm and rubs his lower back. Seeping fluid is sticky on his fingers.

  The others sit or lie around him. Joe holds out the [Shui Wei dipper] and moves it towards Todd’s mouth.

  Todd drinks. Crisp energy spills into his channels. Cool relief trickles over his tissues, and then the venom flares back.

  “I can’t tell if it’s helping,” Todd gasps, having drunk the whole cup.

  “It helps,” Joe assures him, “rest up.”

  They eat a robust meal and it still doesn’t seem like enough food. The group complains about how hungry they’ve been lately, and they break into an additional ration token just to share.

  Once he’s done, Todd lowers his head and folds his hands across his chest. He tries to ignore his pain and can’t filter it out.

  Sleep comes slowly, fitfully. He dreams of swimming breaststroke through the air, weaving between powerlines, flying over the streets and houses of his childhood neighborhood.

  When he wakes, he hobbles off to a far pillar in a corner of the chamber and relieves himself.

  He feels slightly better. He goes back to sleep.

  Ranger Drew prods Todd with a toe and wakes him. Blearily, Todd lifts himself up. His muscles scream in protest, but they mostly obey.

  “Get up,” the bearded man commands.

  Joe and Candra are already awake. They are strapping on their armor and stretching out.

  Todd breaks out into a yawn and checks the wave countdown. Six minutes.

  His lower back is still frozen. He fumbles with his gambeson. He snaps his gorget into place. All of his armor goes on and he gathers up a weapon in each hand.

  “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Candra worries.

  “Okay or not, they’re coming,” Todd replies. He tries to bounce and nearly loses his balance.

  “At least let the turrets cover you,” she insists.

  Todd agrees and moves up front. The others spread out.

  At first there’s dead quiet. Then Joe starts humming. Without warning, he breaks out into a song: something poppy. Candra groans and then sings a verse or two with him. He’s on point. She’s hopelessly off key.

  Todd recognizes the song. It’s something that used to be played at parties. It’s not something he’d expect Joe to like. Maybe he’s being ironic.

  The timer depletes. No new timer appears. Todd watches, expecting a great swarm to emerge from the tunnels. That’s not what happens.

  Through the constant haze, Todd spots motion in the distance. It’s too large though, rising up three quarters of the height of the dark entryway. Ten legs propel it forward in short bursts, a singular beast. Its wingspan is seven feet. Pronograde, it is five feet tall.

  The redburr elder’s antennae uncoil like bullwhips and crack in the air. Its massive tail sways behind it. Sharp spurs line its sides and its color is a deep cordovan with a white undershell.

  Todd throws his chin over his shoulder and shouts, “it’s a really big one!”

  Joe calls back, “I know, there are two!”

  Todd spins around to check, and sure enough there’s a figure moving through the yellowish fog on the opposite side.

  “What’s the plan?” Candra frets. “You and Todd, or Todd and Drew?”

  “Drew! Go help Drips!” Joe hollers.

  “Who pulls towers?” Ranger Drew shouts.

  “Let us, if that’s alright?” Joe calls back.

  The huge crab is weaving in between columns and arches. It approaches the first outlying step of the tiered platform.

  Ranger Drew points his spear forward. “Come on. Can you get its eyes?”

  Todd sticks both weapons in his right hand uncomfortably and shakes out his left. “That’s the plan,” he agrees.

  There’s a veritable wall of remains in between them and the giant bug. Without consideration, it crashes through, scattering its lesser family. It wasn’t blocked for more than a second. Ranger Drew sidesteps a rolling body and twirls his spear.

  “What are you waiting for!” He roars. “Hit it!”

  “It’s easier when – nevermind,” Todd starts to protest.

  He will have to make the range work. He pours cosmic energy into his fractal and supercharges it. The sphere of water in front of his palm quakes with internal pressure. He closes one eye and bites the tip of his tongue as he lines up his shot. The whole body sways as it locomotes and Todd tracks it intently.

  He can’t let it get too close. Whether ready or not, he releases the [water spear] and trains it on the right optic.

  The beast jerks by instinct to protect its vulnerable organ. Todd redirects his stream and it cuts jagged lines around the orbit. He grunts in frustration.

  But luck be a lady tonight. He tags the eye just at the end of his attack and it ruptures.

  The huge bug curls in itself, its claws dig into the stone and drag scraping furrows into the surface. Its mouthparts clatter, and it produces a furious clicking noise as it uncoils. Covering its face and remaining eye with one forearm, it rushes at Todd.

  It weighs hundreds of pounds. Its body is empowered with cosmic energy and stats. Todd squats to throw himself out of the way.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  But Ranger Drew interposes himself. He thrusts his spear out in one hand to the full extent of his reach. The beast recoils.

  Drawing back, Ranger Drew stabs out four times. With each strike, the redburr elder jerks back. The beast swings its abdomen up and over its body and its tapering tail moves like a proboscis. Bulbous at first, then a pike of a stinger protrudes out, and hydraulic pressure fires the tail forward and down.

  Ranger Drew hops back and redirects with his spear. The giant crab scuttles towards him and flings its extended backside at him again.

  The turrets are firing behind him. Todd hopes his friends are fending off their antagonist.

  In his own fight, he is out of position. Ranger Drew has dodged left. The bulk of the crab has turned to its right. Todd no longer has a straight line of sight to its remaining eye. He commands his body to move and lurches around to keep Ranger Drew in between the monster and himself.

  The tip of the bronze spear cuts into the abdominal apex, just off center of the sting.

  Chittering, the beast swings its tail back around. Hauling, it lifts on its back six legs and its cutting forelegs jut out like a four armed mantis. Like this, the beast is seven feet tall.

  Ranger Drew thrusts and parries as the crab swings its saber claws. Metal and hardened chitin clash. The man dives and rolls, bringing himself up with a smooth jab. The bug isn’t caught off guard, it pivots and slashes at the spear.

  The weapon rings in Ranger Drew’s hands.

  Antennae slap against his armor, and the hardened leather takes on a hairline crack.

  However, Todd sees the remaining eye turning towards him, up on the crest of the beast. Bending down on one knee, he conjures another skill and wills it in the right direction.

  Piercing water beams out from his palm. It crosses the distance in an instant. The beast turns its head too late. Its eye pops as a pinkie-width kerf is scoured out of its face.

  The beast flails. Its arms chop wildly. Its antennae lash in great sweeps.

  Ranger Drew moves silently to take it from the side. The creature advances carefully, cutting the air in constant scoops. Ranger Drew lunges and punctures the flank of the beast. It spins on him immediately.

  Frustrated, Todd searches for another shot to take, but none present themselves.

  “Do you have this? I’m gonna go blind the other one!” Todd shouts.

  “Take out one of the legs!” Ranger Drew bellows back.

  One of the legs? Todd isn’t sure he can punch through the articulation there. Plus, it’s going to be a weird angle. He shakes out his shoulders and shuffles into place. He takes his stance behind and to the left of the crab. It’s pendulous tail waves uncomfortably near to him.

  He aims at the soft arthrodial membrane of the beast’s back left joint. The whole crab ambles to the side, its bulk shifting and body undulating.

  Todd squints and brings his arm to bear. A raging hiss of fluid fires out and ricochets off of the hard shell of the crab, directed into its coxa. Todd adjusts slightly to the left to hit the joint more directly.

  The redburr elder spins and its front body lands on the ground with a thump. It faces Todd almost exactly.

  Turning on his heel with a yelp, Todd runs. The beast charges after him.

  Limping, he darts around a column. The bug nearly rams into it, skidding to a halt.

  Before the beast can sidle around the obstruction, Todd spins up another skill and shoots it directly into the crab’s mouth. At the same time, Ranger Drew leaps from behind. He lands on top of the redburr elder and drives his spear into its body.

  The beast tries to shake him off. He holds onto his planted weapon tightly. It lifts up its tail to strike him, and he whips his sword out of its sheath with one hand. Pushing himself with the spear to lean out of the way of the sting, he makes a single silver swipe and the deadly tip is severed. Hemolymph and blood spurt from the truncated end.

  Todd passes Candra’s scepter into his left hand and rushes forward. An antenna snaps across his chest and leaves a cut in his gambeson along with a stinging bruise. Before the crab can get back on its feet, he strikes it atop his head. There’s a rupturing thump. He stabs with his ixwa, aiming for the ruined eye socket. The creature rears. He catches it in the shell and doesn’t cut deep. His weapon is nearly ripped out of his hand again.

  He rushes stumbling back before the arms can catch him out. He launches another [water spear] at the center left leg. This time, there’s a breach. The weight of the beast drags on the damaged leg, worsening the injury. The left side of the crab starts to sag.

  From there, the fight is over. Ranger Drew crawls his way further up the crab, using his sword as a handhold as he drives it down into the body.

  The redburr elder tries to throw him off, to hit him with its antennae, but the man is nothing if not tenacious. He makes his way to the creature’s head, straddles it, and then ends the beast with a downward strike. There’s a gong noise and an additional burst of goo erupts from the wound.

  Todd shouts at him. “I’ve gotta go help the others!”

  And he runs stiltedly towards the other side of the chamber.

  Once he gets there, he’s surprised to see the other redburr elder is already dying. Under assault from the turrets, the creature is full of holes. Its right antenna has fried to a crisp, and electrical burns run through its shell. Thick webs gunk its legs.

  Joe chops at its forelegs occasionally, but mostly keeps his distance. Candra shuffles forwards with her shield and swings [armor breaker] through the air, too short to connect.

  The beast tries to charge, but Joe and Candra split apart fast. Then the collapse on the back side of the crab and start hacking into it.

  The beast is on its last legs.

  Even though its unnecessary, Todd rushes over. He half-blinds the crab. That’s when Ranger Drew blurs past him from behind. The bearded man hikes his spear in one hand and hurls it like a javelin. It flashes and spears through the thorax of the beast. With his sword in hand, he sprints and then throws himself into a slide. Lashing upwards, he cuts a huge gash into the belly as he goes.

  This time, Ranger Drew transitions his slide into a roll and nearly gets out from underneath the beast. The tail and the barbs still catch him. Parts of his armor crunch.

  Regardless, the redburr elder collapses. It breathes heavily as a force arrow pops into its unprotected face.

  A pitifully small amount of cosmic energy rushes into Todd. He didn’t do much to help. He got more for first one though.

  “Don’t let something else kill it. You need to get the level,” Ranger Drew pointedly jabs at Joe. Then he hisses and taps at the back of his leg. Blood comes up on his fingertips.

  The turrets settle down. The tunnels are dark and empty.

  Todd inspects his quest and sees that it is marked complete. He wonders if they’ll be transported right away or whether they’ll have to wait.

  “Let me heal you up,” Todd tells Ranger Drew.

  He goes for his dipper and with some of the last of their water, charges the tool.

  “I’m fine,” Ranger Drew gruffly says.

  Todd glares at him. “Come on, I’ve already spent the energy.” Then he remembers who he’s speaking to. “Please,” he adds.

  Ranger Drew drinks and then pads away.

  "I really thought that last fight would have been harder," Todd opines.

  "Don't be a jinx!" Candra exclaims.

  “What do we want to do now?” Joe asks.

  “I’m going to harvest a couple of these shells,” Todd replies. “Maybe someone can make some more armor.”

  “Can’t you relax for a second?” Candra complains.

  Todd shakes his head. “And do what?”

  “Just sit down and relax,” she says. “Play a game, something.”

  “I guess we could cultivate,” Todd considers.

  “I don’t think you understand what relax means,” Joe laughs.

  Todd thinks about what they’ve said while he starts shucking one of the blue armored redburr crabs. He uses his little knife and his [mercury rod].

  Ranger Drew steps over Todd’s shoulder and studies him for a second, making him feel decidedly uncomfortable. Then Ranger Drew moves towards the turrets and takes out his sword. Using the tip, he levers at the bottom of the post. He shoves and forces until there’s a breaking noise and the whole turret comes loose.

  “Can we take these?” Joe asks agape.

  “Will they even work?” Candra wonders.

  Todd sits with his crab shells feeling somewhat stupid.

  “Who knows, might as well take ‘em though,” Ranger Drew spits.

  Over the next few minutes, the four of them work to extract their turrets from the stone platform. They don’t come up cleanly, and it’s clear they’re doing damage to the magical posts. The crystal of the force arrow turret is crosswebbed with internal shattering.

  But they carry a turret over their shoulders, one each.

  Laughing, they wait out the timer. Joe tells a story about a costume party that involved an egregious hat.

  Then, at the prescribed time, the system speaks. Teleportation takes them whisking out of space and back towards the plaza.