14 Mr. Crabs

An ancient creature laid at the bottom of a small, insignificant pool. Its shell was fractured in many places and encrusted with a thick layer of mud and grime. The open pores of its exposed flesh discharged a rancid orange puss that floated to the water's surface. It had been both the pool's guardian and abuser for many years. Delighting itself with the water's coursing mana that kept it alive for an unnatural amount of time. Its large claws rested on the delicate sand as it waited for a greedy guest to pay it a visit.

"I wonder if I'll eat something salty today, or maybe it'll be sweet? If its bitter and sour, I'll devour it the same. Ah food, my precious food, when will you come?" The insane crab muttered and sung to himself a deranged tune. It longed for the monotony to unravel and for the excitement of a fresh kill. The crab's eyes were white with hollow grey pupils, blinded by its relentless aggressor, time.

The crab began repeating the song when a thrilling sensation rushed through it. A pebble, dropped from the tunnel above, created a small ripple triggering the crab's defense. It knew another unwelcome visitor had arrived. The crab's claws opened and closed rapidly as it readied itself to drag the intruder into its lair.

Ozul floated to a small pool of water hidden behind a conglomerate of long stalactites and debris. He was exhausted from hunting and the berating anxious feeling that haunted him. Ever since the Umbra attack, Ozul had an increased sense of danger and paranoia. It was tiring, but a useful tool for sneaking through tunnels.

"This seems like a safe place; I'll rest here for a few hours." Ozul thought while pushing down his raging sixth sense. His recently regenerated size caused him to awkwardly settle over the ground and knock a tiny stone into the tranquil water. He peered at his reflection and moved his head from side to side. "God, I really hope this species is like a caterpillar or something. I want to evolve into a butterfly, anything is better than this f#@!ed face."

Ozul leaned into the pool and was about to take a sip, before spotting something peculiar. An orange substance gently floated to the water's surface. It was long and smelt of infection and blood. Repulsed, he floated away and hovered high above the pool. He starred into the water but only saw stone and sand. His paranoia kicked in and he appraised the bottom of the pool.

Species: Long Legged Crab

Level: 13

Experience to next level: 42/100

Health: 78/100

Strength: 86

Dexterity: 12

Wisdom: 40

Intelligence: 82

Species Advantages: Hard Shell

Skills: Strong Bite level 4, Unbreakable Grasp level 6, Extending Claws level 4, Water Breathing max level, Camouflage level 4, Water Sense level 3,

Titles: Mana Devourer, Rejector of Death, Ancient Beast, Consumed by Madness

Curses: This monster was cursed by a God and will receive 80% less experience per kill

Ozul expected a pointless description of sand and was shocked at his discovery. There was a powerful monster lurking in the pool, but he still could not see it. The crab blended in perfectly with its environment and would be invisible to most creatures. "I've never seen a monster with four titles. It looks like the crab's curse is why its level is so low considering its ancient age. If it didn't have the title, 'Consumed by Madness,' maybe I'd communicate with it." Ozul sighed and weighed his options.

"I've finally found a monster that's alone, but it has a lot of skills and is a higher level than me. Its strength stat is ridiculously large and the last monster I fought with a hard shell took five bites." Ozul's thoughts trailed off as he considered and formulated a plan. The crab's dexterity stat was only twelve, making Ozul around four times faster.

"If I draw it out of the water or kill it with my shadow spear, I'll gain plenty of experience for a level up. I'll also be able to replenish some HP." Ozul had discovered that each of his level ups drastically decreased the experience he gained from killing low, or similar leveled monsters. "If I fail and the crab doesn't die, I'll fly away and escape. It should be too slow to catch up." Steadying himself, Ozul flew to the water's edge.

Ozul needed to find the crab's exact location to effectively employ a shadow spear. He wanted to make the spear big enough to heavily damage it, but still reserve some mana. Ozul focused on one section of the pool's bottom at a time and used appraise. After the sixth appraise, he located the crab. It looked like an oddly shaped oval with two large rocks jutting out of it. Ozul summoned his shadow spear adjacent to the crab. The spear shot out at a dizzying speed and struck the crab's side with tremendous force.

"Stupid food! Idiot food! How did you find me!?" thought the maddened crab as it grabbed the shadow spear with its massive claw. The blind crab effortlessly broke it and tore the spear away from its shell. It employed its water sense ability but could not sense the attacker. The crab assumed the intruder must be nearby the pool and for the first time in years, it began moving its legs.

It took all of Ozul's will to not fly away as the nightmarish scene unfolded in front of him. The crab's legs were several feet long and encrusted with pustules. They slowly emerged from the sand and filled the pool. Each armored leg punctured the ground with enormous force before carrying its hideous body closer to the water's edge. The crab's claws were covered with strange red growths and were gradually extending to be the same size as its legs.

Unbeknownst to Ozul, the alpha was approaching as his scent became stronger. Unable to hide from a fight, the pack had fought several small battles along the way. However, they stood victorious in each fight with three wolves gaining enough experience to level up. The alpha abruptly stopped and communicated with the pack. "I can smell the murderer up ahead. Surround it and make sure it doesn't escape. I will kill the flying beast." The alpha's heart thumped uncontrollably as it employed its physical enhancement skill and strode forward.