AO 6 Ch 6

"Hit it again, hit it again!" Emlyn shouted, clinging to my shoulders and jumping up and down.

Several balls of fire later the crab was still down there, and angrier than ever.

I dropped another ball of fire, only for the massive crab to swat at it with its smaller claw, detonating it early. However, I did manage to blow that claw to the side, and I think chip the tip of the claw.

The angry crab clapped its larger claw at me several times before its feet danced and dug into the hard-packed dirt. The massive creature disappeared surprisingly quickly. 

I blinked, looking over the landscape.

“Where’d it go?” Emlyn asked.

"Look at the surroundings. There's not, like, some giant pit or something. The thing literally popped up, nearly ripped us apart, and then disappeared without scratching the landscape," I gestured at the land below, which looked exactly the same. Besides the broken outcropping and holes that I created with my fire, it was all the same. 

Emlyn shivered. "So, is it right down there? Or has it moved without disturbing any of the land?"

I tried to probe with my earth magic, then searched for a soul. But neither exercise yielded any results. 

Eva, however, turned to Aurelia. "I'm more interested in what our seasoned monster hunter has to say."

"Don't look at me. That thing is not yet in the Virel Bestiary," she said, though she sounded excited. I knew that she would get to put her name next to another new monster in her family’s famous book.

“That’s not something that would be forgotten. But without a mage to fly, chances of surviving that thing are nil. Even then, that Ard, out of an abundance of caution, pulled us into the air saved everyone." Zuri said, her eyes roving over the land.

"I think we should focus on what brought it to us." Aurelia added. “That’s the first thing you can try to understand with a monster like this. Possibly the most important so we don’t draw its attention again. It must be something unique for it to not be common knowledge.”

With her words, everybody’s attention seemed to pivot to me.

"What?" I said, my mind jumping ahead to what they were all going to say. "You were the ones that asked me to play with magic." I assumed we were all thinking the same thing. Playing with those explosive balls of fire was definitely the most attention-getting action we had done since entering the Badlands.

Emlyn glowered at me.

"It was probably going to find us sooner rather than later anyway," I said. "We now know exactly why no one lives in the Badlands, and why no one has tried or successfully made a port." 

Realization dawned on everyone's face but Zuri, who had clearly already come to the same conclusion as me. "There might not be records of it, all the way over in House Virel, but I'd wager that at least the Garrish Kingdom has myths about that monster." 

Zuri stared down at the sea of dry land below us. "There's no way something like that hasn't wiped out some overconfident king's army before, perhaps even back in the time when Zenovia ruled this entire continent, they likely knew about this." 

Eva grunted. "One of the most atrocious actions Avente may have done was the destruction of knowledge when they cast out my ancestors.”

It was truly a shame, so much knowledge about true mages like myself was lost. Though, this crab has possibly existed with the former Royal Family possessing multiple true mages. That just made me more curious about the monster.

“Missy might know more," I offered, thinking the goddess could illuminate whatever it was we were dealing with in the giant crab. 

"And where is our favorite goddess and mistress of the night when we needed her?" Emlyn held up her palms and looked back and forth.

"Probably doing goddess things," I said,

"Which is really an excuse for her to laze about." Emlyn countered, "I bet she pretends to be an enigmatic, distant goddess just to shirk her duties and responsibilities." 

Missy materialized behind Emlyn.

"Oh yeah?" I did my best not to look and laugh. “But really, what does Missy even do all day?” I prodded Emlyn to keep going.

“Stupid goddess things, like when she shows up like this starry night, pretends to be all special when in reality, she's trapped in a little stone statue. Not very godlike if you ask me." Emlyn answered.

Missy’s face darkened behind Emlyn where she floated with her arms crossed.

I was able to keep a straight face. However, the rest of my group was not. Several of them glanced behind her, and Emlyn froze. "She's behind me, isn't she?" 

I smiled and nodded. "She's been behind you."

Emlyn executed the quickest about-face I'd ever seen her do, bucking her heels together and spinning around. "Oh, Missy!" Emlyn forced a laugh. "I'm sure you can appreciate that we have to give the new ones some shit. It's just part of joining Ard's entourage. Right, everyone?" She tried to get a consensus from the rest of the group.

"And here I thought we were supposed to give Ard crap," Eva said before making the noise of pure enlightenment. "Ah, I see. Instead, we're supposed to give Emlyn crap.”

“I like this. That sounds much better." Missy chimed in, and magnanimous ignored Emlyn’s earlier comments. "Now, I missed whatever it was you were talking about. However, I am here now. My only question is, why are we floating on this giant sheet of ice?"

"Well, you missed the fun," I said. "I toyed with my soul magic and then the ground quaked just in time for a massive crab to come out of the badlands and try to crush us between its tiny little pincers. And by tiny, I mean tiny given the massive size of the crab. Still bigger than a house."

Missy blinked. "A what?"

"Giant crab. Like, easily a hundred yards across. We are currently floating on this ice platform because the thing buried itself back into the ground. And I can't sense it at all." I added.

Missy's gaze swept over the badlands around us, her eyes shining like stars. "I have no idea what you're talking about." 

I glanced down at the ground, hoping I hadn't screwed something else up to summon it the first time, before conjuring a ball of flame. I dropped it down and it exploded on the surface.

Missy then waved her hand to shield us as the ground shook, but nothing happened. Missy stared at me with a raised eyebrow. "Still not seeing anything. Are you seeing anything?" She smirked.

"I swear the thing is still there. The crab attacked us!” I was becoming even more annoyed with the crab for making me look silly.

“Why don't you make some movement on the ground," Eva offered. “Use some human-shaped rocks."

Before I could do that, Missy took up the idea. With a wave of her hand, a small troop of rockmen began walking down below us, only for a large pincer, the size of a small boat, to shoot up from the ground and crush all of the little stone men between its pincer. Then it dragged what little remained of them, down underneath the soil.

"Oh, that," Missy said, looking stumped. She rubbed her chin as she floated off the platform. "You know, that's not good."

“Wow, so helpful. We thought it was welcoming us, are you telling me it wants to kill us?” Emlyn’s tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Oh yeah, that'll kill you, thankfully Ard could just stuff you back in a body," Missy chuckled. "As for what exactly that is, I'm still not sure. Whatever it is, it's actually very hard for me to detect. It blends magically right in with the soil. If I didn't know better, I would say that thing isn't made of flesh, but rock. At least, with the way it blends in, it doesn't really seem to be alive."

I nodded along. "So, the thing isn't alive, does that mean we can still kill it?"

"Why not avoid it, and maybe stop throwing around giant fireballs to get its attention?" Missy offered with pursed lips.

The goddess was beautiful even when she was judging me. Those dark curls and the beauty mark really gave her a mature air.

"Now it's my fault? I was asked to play with magic. It's not my fault my impressive magic attracted a giant city killer monster. Anyway, I think it's about time we move locations," I said, gesturing my hands to the horizon. As I did, the sheet of ice that we were all on began moving.

I continued to fly the sheet of ice towards the distant coastline. It was perhaps not a decision that Emlyn would love, but there was no way I was going to land back in the middle of that crab's hunting territory, at least not anytime soon.

The fact that Missy was having trouble detecting it did not make me feel safe, even if I built the sturdiest of shelters.

"So, how do we even deal with that thing?" Emlyn asked.

"Well, we can make a few more of those little stone soldiers. See if it comes running," I offered. "Or we could be really, really still."

Emlyn held her hands out like she was about to tell me a brilliant plan. "Just wait for it. What if we just gently set the ice down and then all go to sleep. I mean, last time there was a rumble before it came. What could go wrong?”

“Or Ard could build us a boat," Aurelia offered, chuckling.

Emlyn shook her head, making her long braid whip back and forth. "I cannot believe that I would feel safer on a boat made by Ard than on solid ground."

I scoffed at Emlyn. "See? All I needed was a giant crab that undetectably swims through the earth. Then you'll trust me to build you a boat."

"Ard, building has never been your strongest suit," she said, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. "Or need I remind you?"

"Huh? I have no idea what you're talking about. The fort in the mountains did just fine." I looked the other direction to avoid ‘that’ old story. "So. Missy. Thoughts? Do you think you can assure us that the crab isn't where we end up? Or perhaps find a way to detect him early?"

The ice platform I was carrying, with all of us and the carriage, steadily puttered through the air. Yet Missy had somehow found a plush leather lounge that she was reclining on.

"Like I said, that thing is incredibly difficult to detect. If it moves through earth that easily, it will likely not move through other elements nearly as well."

I nodded in understanding. "Should we make a pocket of ice? Or something like that? That way, if the crab comes, it has to break the ice."

"Exactly, Ard. Honestly, I'm quite surprised you thought that through with that hint." She replied with a wink.

I pursed my lips at her. "I don't know why you would be surprised, after all, I am a genius," I emphasized.

"Yes, genius. That's what we all call you." Emlyn couldn't hold back and cracked. 

"Well, I'm glad you understand my genius, Emlyn. One of these days it will be what changes everything for you." I put a hand to my chest in passion.

"Sure it will, Ard. Until then, how about we keep the genius to a minimum, you know, so you don't hurt yourself?" Emlyn teased.

"I'll do my best, but no promises, sometimes being a genius can be too much of a burden." I held my hand against my forehead as if I were going to faint from my own genius.

"Well, Ard, when you're done getting over that intelligence of yours, maybe we should do something about the current situation? After all, how much longer can you actually go for before you're going to have trouble holding up this block of ice?" Zuri asked more seriously.

"Oh, I can probably go for a little longer, but you have a point. Emlyn is a little too heavy." I nodded.

"Try that again." Emlyn glared at me. 

"I'm saying there's a lot of people here, and I seem to be the one doing all of the work." I pointed out.

"And whose fault is that?" Emlyn put her hands on her hips. "After all, you're still the one that attracted the thing with those explosions."

"Never going to let me live that one down, are you?" I said.

"Nope. Someone's got to keep you in check, Ard." Emlyn replied with a twinkle in her eyes. Em took it as her sacred duty to keep me from floating away with a bloated head. 

"Well, if you're done trying to keep my ego in check, why don't you jump on down there and run around to see if the crab is still around?" I gave her a light nudge.

"Wait, wait, you want me to run down there?" Emlyn swatted away my hands and scurried out of reach.

"Yeah, I can always just revive you." I tried her again.

"Uh-uh, uh-uh." Emlyn shook her head. "You are not using me as bait."

"You're not bait. More like a canary in the coal mine," Maribelle offered. Though by Emlyn's expression, the different framing did not help one bit.

"Why don't we send Maribelle down, then?" Emlyn gestured at the other anchor, who took one glance at me. 

"It would be my pleasure, sir. Please stay safe while I am gone." With those words Maribelle flipped off the side of the shelf of ice. There was zero hesitation.

Emlyn stared after Maribelle with her arms crossed. “I don’t know why she has to show off like that.” Emlyn stated.

"I don't know if it's showing off, Emlyn. She's just that dedicated." I flashed Emlyn a giant smile, just because I knew it would make her a little upset. Emlyn was nothing if not competitive.

"She's still dangerous, you know. Don't think you have her completely tamed yet." Emlyn's concern was oddly touching.

"I think Maribelle's doing just fine. You don't have to be so worried." I told her.

"You know, Ard, it's best to stay worried. That way she doesn't catch you by surprise. Like the time she wore you out and bundled you in your sleeping roll to ferry you away in the night.” Emlyn cast a skeptical glance down at Maribelle, who, using my magic embedded in her body, resisted the fall enough that she didn’t become a giant splatter on the ground. As soon as she landed, she rushed off in a dead sprint.

"You think she's gonna be okay?" Zuri came over and looked off the edge of the ice platform to watch Maribelle.

"She'll be fine. I bet the crab isn't anywhere near here after the wallop we gave him. He probably ran off to lick his wounds." I did not entirely believe the words, but I hoped they were true.

It would be very unfortunate if the crab was following us underground. Though, certainly not impossible. We knew so little about it.

Maribelle seemed fine, rushing along beneath us.

"She seems okay. What does that mean?" I glanced over at Emlyn. 

"Well, she's still alive, and she's not a bloody mess. I mean, 'okay' is a pretty relative thing for Maribelle. You remember that time she fought a bear with her bare hands?" Emlyn pushed.

“She barehanded a bear." I smirked, only to receive a drawl expression from Emlyn in response. 

With Maribelle rushing about, I felt safer lowering the platform closer to the ground. We would need to eventually stop, and I wanted to test the limits of our safety before I lost steam. 

I could feel everybody’s tension increase as we dipped lower to the surface. It would just take a split second for that crab to split us all in two. 

But we had to take the risk at some point.