Chapter 17
Crab Hunting

~*~

Three days have passed since the spectacle at the church. We've been moved from the barn to a house that could fit the thirty or so of us. Escape remains on everyone's minds, but the hope of regaining their ability to produce words keep them here.

Roshan continues to preach his gospel of Freespeech to his followers, but as far as I can tell, only he and the mysterious woman always by his side can produce any sounds. None of the other Champions of Freespeech can utter anything intelligible. What's obvious now is that many of the townsfolk have suffered the same fate as us. Only the ones with relevant roles and their children can communicate through words.

In spite of not being able to speak, I've gotten along quite well with the former ship's crew. The first day, we helped build a new house. The captain labored with several other folks while myself and another priest provided healing. I was lent an accessory that restored SP with every few paces. Very handy. For the assignment, I received 1000 Gold.

The second day, we helped section off a new area of Fortra for growing medical herbs. These herbs are supposedly one of the key ingredients in crafting potions and other common items. That effort was worth 1500 Gold.

Earlier today, Oren and I babysat a mob of kids at a birthday party. That was actually the hardest assignment of them all. Thankfully with the monk's skill, we were able to keep things relatively peaceful. Still, the little pests kept getting into fights with one another, which we had to break up. Because some furniture and items at the host's house got damaged, we were paid a mere 100 Gold.

All this isn't simply because we have nothing better to do. The Champions of Freespeech is a guild, or rather, an Affiliation as I've find out. Members are given perks based on a point system. That is, you earn Affiliate Points by completing quests. At 10 AP or higher, you can freely borrow a limited amount of items from the guild. Beyond the 100-AP mark, more interesting quests are unlocked. When you reach 1000 AP, the Eternal Silence spell will be lifted from your body. Finally at 10000 AP, Roshan will teach you how to speak. Only a couple people are at that tier, supposedly.

The tasks Oren and I have completed so far earned us a measly 1 point each. At this rate, it'll be years before the monk regains his ability to talk. We head to the guild hall to see if there's anything new available. There, Andy shows us the current list of quests.

"I see you're eager to climb the ranks," Andy says. "As a party, you can go on up to two quests at a time. What will you do?"

I select Quest #4, the one that would earn us the most points.

"Very funny! Neither of you are qualified. Come back when you've earned more points."

I select Quest #3.

"Once again, not qualified. And there's already too many people doing that quest."

I go with Crab Hunting.

"Hmm, you don't quite meet the prerequisite. I'll let it slide if you run an errand for me. What do you say?"

I nod.

"Perfect! Here, take this." He hands me a small box.

"It's a gift for Tillis. She's on tower duty right now. I want you to deliver it to her. Don't even think about opening it. I'll find out. Let me know how she reacts."

Oren and I leave the guild hall and head to the watch tower. Along the way, I decide to make conversation with everyone too see if there's any new information.

"!@#(%*^*"

"We're not allowed to leave town until we turn eighteen."

"The world looks down on us. But under Roshan's leadership, we will rise to the top."

"*$@*#&%&^(* @#*$*%*"

"I want to marry and start a family, but there aren't many good options here."

"Still Silenced, huh? Don't worry. If you do good by the Champions of Freespeech, the Speaker will remove her spell. It took me three years!"

"Fortra is so remote that the Asentians don't even know where we are."

I actually verified that yesterday, spending hours outside town exploring. Aside from the desert to the south and the sea to the north, there really isn't anything else in the area."

When we arrive at the watch tower, I see the guy who clobbered me at the entrance last week. He and a girl seem to be flirting with each other.

"Tillis, baby," he says, "what do I need to do to prove my love? Just say it, and I'll make it happen."

"Hmm...I don't know," the girl says. "Andy got me Bunny Shoes and a Speed Ring. If you can do better..."

"I can certainly do better! I'll journey to the farthest reaches of Zephyria, conquer the most dangerous dungeons, and even swim to the bottom of the Sea of Prymoria, all to bring you back the greatest treasures in the world."

"In other words, you have nothing."

"Nothing for now, but a promise of everything. Won't you give me some more time, baby?"

"Stop calling me that, it's grating."

"Whatever you desire."

"What I desire right now is for you to leave."

"You'll really be so heartless as to send me away."

"I'm on duty, Elric."

"Alright, alright, I'll leave. But first, a kiss?"

He moves in for a smooch and gets a palm to the face instead.

"Get away from me, you loser!"

The guy lets out a defeated sigh and reluctantly leaves his crush be.

I go and talk to Tillis.

"Oh, new members! I'm supposed to put on a good face, but that Elric ruined my mood. Anyways, you're a pretty good sneak, you know that? But nobody gets past me when I'm on duty. I saw you all the way at the beach. Oh and remember when you tried to get past the gates? I had already signaled to Elric your hiding spot. Hah!"

Unable to say anything, I shrug.

"You heard our conversation, didn't you? He's nice to look at and all, but I need someone I can depend on. Someone who can give me the world. I know, I know, I should be nicer to him. Wait a minute, why am I telling you this? You can't even talk. Awkward! Okay, go away, please. I need to get back to work."

At that point, I present her the Gift for Tillis.

"What's this?" Her eyes twinkle. "Another gift from Andy. Speed Tablets! I've been dying to get my hands on these babies for ages. Oh, he sure knows how to treat a girl! I can just--" she stops her thought and turns to me. "Why are you still around? Didn't I tell you to leave? Go. Get out of here!"

With the errand complete, Oren and I return to the guild house to let Andy know. I do my best to convey Tillis' emotions through hand gestures and facial expressions.

"I knew Tillis would appreciate the gift," he says, nodding to himself. "She's so easy to impress. I'll make her my wife soon enough."

The creepy side of Andy rears its head. Oren and I put on a fake smile and nod.

"Good job, the two of you. You wanted the Crab Hunting quest, didn't you? It's all yours. A Giant Crab has been sighted at the beach. Such a nuisance! No more tanning until we deal with it. Everyone's busy, so it's on the two of you. Got it?"

Oren and I nod.

"Don't forget to stop by the storage to prep up. Good luck!"

And with that, we waltz over to storage. A couple others are there to take advantage of the perk.

When done with them, the clerk says, "All our items are engraved with the Seal of the Champions. As a reminder, we ask that you do not attempt to sell or trade them in other towns and cities. Doing so may result in you being arrested by the kingdom guards, or worse, killed."

There goes my plan.

After the two leave, the clerk attends to us. "What can I do for you today?"

I select the second option.

It turns out that there's no monk gear at all. There's some gear for priests, but the only of thing of use is the Fancy Staff, which I can't equip until I reach level 15. Nevertheless, I ask for it.

"Here's the item you requested."

"All our items are engraved with the Seal of the Champions. As a reminder, we ask that you do not attempt to sell or trade them in other towns and cities. Doing so may result in you being arrested by the kingdom guards, or worse, killed."
Got it.

We waste no more time in leaving Fortra. As soon as the world screen appears, I feel an unexpected sense of joy. The change in scenery and background music is much welcomed. A couple Crabs attack us, but nothing we can't handle.

We soon arrive at the beach. The area has been cordoned off with ropes. A sign nailed to a tree makes clear the problem. "WARNING: GIANT CRAB ALERT!"

I scan the beach. It hasn't changed at all. Palm trees and boulders and the shipwreck are the only things of interest. There's no sign of the crab anywhere. Maybe it left? Oren shakes his head, pointing to some peculiar grooves in the sand.

We walk around to inspect them, but find nothing unusual.

"@#@*%(*" Oren says and then signs in frustration. He points to what used to be the stairs of the ship which led down to the cabin.

I nod, agreeing with him that we should check inside. It's possible that when the Champions of Freespeech was salvaging the ship, they missed a few things. But just as we're about to enter, something strikes at us. We dodge just in time.

The world spins, throwing us into battle.

* BATTLE START *

---

When it finally settles, we are greeted by a giant orange pincer sticking out of the sand.

Oren pounces at it with a regular attack.

Unsure of the enemy's strength, I decide to defend. Like giant scissors, the pincer clips at me. Just as I feel my body will split in two, it backs off.

The damage is significant but nothing to worry about.

Oren launches his signature Repel attack, doing some good damage to the enemy.

After taking 200 points of damage, the pincer still has about ninety percent of its health remaining. It looks like this will be a long battle, but certainly winnable. I defend again and wait for the its next move.

Instead of attacking one of us, the pincer smashes into the ground, causing a mini earthquake. Suddenly, I feel my body being blasted into the air, as streams of sand gush forth like geysers. After several seconds airborne, I finally crash to ground.

Oren is also lying on the ground, dazed and confused.

The pincer, though, is nowhere in sight.

When we come to again, we realize that we've been sent back to the entrance of the beach, outside the cordoned off area. I heal us, then look to Oren for comment.

He shrugs.

Determined to complete the quest, I decide to take us back to the ship. As expected, we are attacked again by the giant pincer. The battle plays out like before. After a few turns, we are blasted back to the entrance by the sand attack.

With a new strategy in mind, Oren and I enter battle once more with the giant pincer. Right away, the monk uses Quiet Down! on it. "!@*%*(#" Although it's gibberish, the effect of the skill comes from the power of his voice.

The pincer shakes at the sky.

It worked!

Without it's ability to use special attacks, we should now be able to eliminate it.

As soon as my confidence begins to rise, our enemy throws us a huge surprise. A second pincer emerges from under the sand, followed by the giant head of a crab. It screeches, its malformed teeth grinding against each other while its deathly black eyes stare down at us.

"@!#(@$(%&" Oren says.

I, too, recognize the dire straits we're in. The pincers each seem to have a life of its town. One was manageable, but two may prove to be too difficult. Throw in a giant, creepy head and it looks even more hopeless. The rest of the monster's body is still hiding under the sand.

It's my turn. In preparation for the enemy's assault, I cast Jolt on myself, increasing my speed.

The two pincers give it to Oren. Even without defending, he's able to withstand the attacks without too much damage.

However, the problem isn't the strength of the monster, but its enormous health. Each pincer has about 2000 health points. In in addition to those, the head also has its own panel. We might not be able to kill all three before we run out of supplies.

Oren turns to me and points at the head. I immediately understand. He lunges at the center target with a Repel attack. But just as he makes contact, the left pincer curls inwards to protect the head.

That was barely any damage! Without his ability to use Skills, it's going to be impossible to win this fight. I decide to cast Jolt on Oren.

The crab screeches, then spits white goo at us.

The damage is minimal, but I can already feel my body slowing down. It seems like the attack just negated the Jolt spell I cast on us.

The two pincers target Oren again.

It's his turn, and he goes in for another attack at the head. Again, one of the pincers move in to block.

I also lunge forth and whack the head with my wand, only to be stopped by the other pincer.

The monster's arms strike again, this time both targeting me.

The monk and I stare at each other, trying to concoct a strategy against our opponent. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the head is its weak point. The question is how to get at it without being stopped by the pincers. Thinking back to our last few moves, it dawns on me that whenever the pincers block, it counts as a turn for them. That's our opening. If we can time our attacks correctly, we'll be able to get at the head.

With that in mind, I decide to bide my time and defend.

Oren also defends.

As expected, the crab head attacks us with its goo.

The pincers go for me and Oren.

My health is getting low, but I should be able to survive a few more hits. I cast Jolt on myself.

Oren targets the crab's head, causing the left pincer to swing in and block.

It's already my turn again. I cast Jolt on the monk. The plan is for him to get in a turn when I target the head next.

The right pincer attacks, taking my health down even more.

Oren defends and waits for the moment.

I swing my staff at the crab head, causing the right pincer to block.

The monster is vulnerable now.

As predicted, it's the monk's turn. He unleashes his Repel attack. A satisfying crunch sounds as his palms make contact with the crab's head.

A quarter of the monster's health is depleted. It'll take four hits to kill it.

The battle continues with the crab retaliating with its goo to slow us down. I heal us, while Oren goes into meditation to recharge. Afterwards, we repeat the same sequence of actions and land another hit at the head. After the third strike, the crab let out a screech and sinks into the sand.

---

* BATTLE END *

Our view changes back to the beach. I hope we don't have to fight the Giant Crab again.

We enter the ship to check for anything out of the ordinary. Only lit by a few rays of light, the interior is barely visible. We eventually reach the main hall, expecting to find nothing. However, smack in the center is a giant object made of wood, grass, and sand. I hesitate a moment, then climb up it to see. Hundreds of little orbs lie in the nest-like structure, one on top of another. As I lean in to get a better look, one of them splits open, and out pops a little creature emerges.

A crab!

Another egg pops. And then another.

I leap back down and signal for the monk to run.

"!@#*@()$*" he says.

With no time to explain, I make a run for the exit. Oren follows, well aware of the situation by now. We emerge back at the beach, then away from the ship, in time to see hundreds of crabs pour out. The Giant Crab from before rises from the sand, causing a slight tremor. We brace for battle, but it turns out there's no need. The army of crabs head for water, following their mother into the sea.

I suppose this counts as mission accomplished.

Oren and I return Fortra and head for the guild hall to claim our reward.

"Wow, I didn't expect the two of you to finish the quest so quickly," Andy says. "We need more members like you in the guild. I know you're eager to climb the ranks. Go rest and come back tomorrow. I have another errand for you."

With just 24 points, we aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I wish there was a way to get to 1000 points faster.

Outside, the sun has already set. Oren and I part ways. He usually goes to the park to meditate at night.

I make my way back to the house. By the door, I see Elric leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, tapping his foot away.

"Finally!" he says.

What does he want?

"I'm going on a quest and need a priest to tag along. You up for it?"

A quest? I'm interested, but not sure I want to team up with the guy, so I shake my head.

"What was that? I couldn't understand you."

I shake my head again.

"Come on, stop joking around. I want to leave tonight."

Does he not get it? I move my head slowly left and right a few times.

"Gah, this is pointless!" He punches the wall and storms off. "What an idiot. I can't believe Roshan let that goof join our guild."

Inside the house, all my roommates are already fast as sleep. Not like they have any interesting to say anyway.

I lie down in bed to think. The past week in Fortra has been somewhat unproductive. I haven't been able to learn anything more about the Champions of Freespeech, nor the mysterious woman in black. She and Roshan are nowhere to be seen lately. My main focus, though, should be to help lift the spell on Oren. We need to take on more quests or risk spending years here.

What about Cassis?

The thought of her puts a smile on my face. I didn't realize how much I miss her. My heart tells me she's still alive. Maybe finding her is the key to everything. I have to find her. I have to leave Fortra.

With that in my mind, I allow my eyes to close.

~*~