WAR. That was the only thought that dwelled in Ulmiyda’s mind as she read the job posting handed to her by her retainer. The sea had finally revolted against the land and an invasion force of crustaceans was terrorizing Sol City. She didn’t like the idea of helping the royal family, but any threat to her flame needed to be eliminated. She would need to contact Red later and make sure her alliances still lay with the surface, perhaps the sea elf could do some espionage for the surface dwellers.

She held her Scimitar, a blade half the length of her body, as she yelled to her retainer from across their shared inn room.

“CERVAYHN, FETCH ME MY ARMOR!”

“Ulmiyda, you don’t have a set of armor.” The exasperated dark elf replied.

“Why not?”

“Maybe because you’re a 14 year old noble girl and not a soldier.”

“Then why do I have this?” she asked as she lifted the oversized blade.

“Poor parenting.”

“You’re not taking this seriously. All of Charon could be overrun by these aquatic beasts. They are even attacking civilians, clearly this an act of war!”

“I am sure there is a perfectly logical explanation as to why all these crabs appeared in the city. A typhoon or something probably launched them to the surface. All you need to do is get rid of them, you can even cook them if you want. I’m quite partial to smoked crab legs myself.” The older dark elf calmly explained.

“What if you’re wrong and this is an invasion force? How are you going to explain to my parents that you let me die in a war?”

Her vassal sighed as he sat down on his bed with a novel.

“I’ve arranged some help for you. A particularly advanced automaton was already looking into the job, you can rely on them if things get messy. They should be in the town square.”

Ulmiyda’s eyes lit up at his response.

“You got me a combat bot? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” the girl replied as she lifted her scimitar and raced out the door.

“That’s not what I said, that’s not even close to what I said…” the dreary retainer muttered to himself as flipped to the next page of his novel.

The young girl ran through the crowded streets of the city with surprising ease. It turns out people tend to get out of the way when you run at them with a scimitar resting on your shoulder.

She eagerly looked through the crowd as she reached the town square. Wild and inane ideas raced through her mind as she searched for the automaton. After a considerable time searching, she considered giving up and scolding her retainer for lying to her, until she spotted a strange person through the crowd. It was an unusually smooth creature, but the gleam from the sun indicated that its body was indeed metallic. Ulmiyda let out a sigh of disappointment, she was hoping for a 10-foot-tall construct with multiple blade arms and a flame dispenser.

The young girl approached the machine with a cautious stance.

“Are you the combat model? Keep your voice low, the enemy might be listening.” She asked as she quickly glanced back and forth looking for any crustacean abominations.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Catching Crabs
Participants: Two or more
Location: Sol City
Post Requirements: 3 post per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: Over the last few weeks a strange occurrence has been plaguing the capitol. Some bizarre phenomenon has caused thousands of sea crabs to infest the city, covering the entire island and causing a terrible nuisance to the locals. Whatever the disturbance was has passed, but thousands of the sea creatures still remain, trapped in yards, homes, businesses and other places they have no reason to be. We need you to come to Sol City and help us remove the crabs! You can use any means necessary as long as the crabs are no longer here!

Spring was always full of vivacious life, taking it's first warm breaths after the long, dreary winters. Sol City, built on an island, had been plagued by a mass of crabs coming ashore from the sea and making life difficult for the residents. The job boards across town had been littered with requests to clear out the pinching menace, so Socket stopped by themselves in an effort to be helpful. While looking over the available tasks, they were approached by a well dressed gentleman and offered a job working with their charge. A young noblewoman, by the name Ulmiyda, was to meet them in the town square the next morning for work.

Arriving early, Socket watched the morning sun come up, listening to the call of songbirds as the warmth spread over the town. People went about their routines, work across the city slowly growing more active. “Are you the combat model? Keep your voice low, the enemy might be listening.” Asked the voice of a young woman carrying a curved blade that was as large as her torso. Studying her for a moment, the construct noted her elegant and well crafted attire. She must be the noblewoman mentioned, they thought.

"You must be Ulmiyda, Cervayhn told me you'd be meeting me here. Also, I'm not sure what paranoia has captured your understanding of this situation but there's no... enemy. This situation is akin to a dog with a bad case of fleas... only Sol City is the dog, and the crabs are the fleas. Very likely, this is one of many places where these crustaceans are drawn to for their life cycle..." Socket explained calmly, then remembered they hadn't answered the initial question.

"Combat model I am not, though I am your hired help. My name is Kosoku, though most of my colleagues call me Socket. Nice to meet you."

“Fleas, are you kidding me? They are well armed and well armored. These crustaceans have massive claws that can tear straight through your metallic hide!” Ulmiyda exclaimed to the strange construct as she grew more concerned by the minute.

“I hope at the very least you have some manner of defense. I won’t be able to piece you back together if you find yourself swarmed. This won't be easy Socky, I need you to be ready for anything. The sea is a cruel, uninviting place. Any creature that can weather that environment is a considerable force to be reckoned with. Just ask my friend Red, she lived in the sea for a hundred years and she is pretty tough.”

She placed her blade tip on the street as she rested both her hands and her head against the hilt, peering downward in contemplation. 

Think Ulmiyda, what would dad do in this situation. How would the Pale Army handle such overwhelming odds?

Suddenly, her eyes lit up with inspiration.

“I’ve got a plan!” the young girl announced as she lifted her blade to the sky.

“Since we don’t have the numbers to match them head on, we need to target their leadership. The horde will collapse without their commander. The problem lies in finding the brains of this invasion. They are likely blending in with the rest of the aquatic beasts. We should counterattack at the location they would deem the most valuable, that’s probably where we will find their leader.”

She looks up to the automaton. Since they weren’t a combat model, they likely didn’t have any knowledge of military tactics, but they did seem almost animal-like in appearance, so maybe they were some manner of research bot. Perhaps they had vast knowledge of the various beasts that roamed across Charon, knowledge that would be useful for determining the pairs actions.

“We need to think like they would. Picture yourself as a crab, what would be your objective?” She asks with complete ignorance of the sheer absurdity of the question.

Amused by the young woman's assertions and misunderstandings, Socket decided to indulge her ideas just a little. They knew the surprised expression to come when the situation unfolded would be well worth the bit of deceptive play.

"If I were a crab, my brain would be salted and brined by the sea... simple would be my motives, Food, Shelter, and Progeny would be my every thought. Perhaps then, this is another step in the life of my kind, en masse we stride forth from the seas and terrorize our land dwelling counterparts. We feast on their terror, use their homes and creations to protect ourselves and raise our young, clawing our way through all obstacles towards that goal." 

Watching the young girl's expressions the entire time, Socket internally was bemused by it all. If they'd not been a construct, it would be terribly difficult to hide a sarcastic grin from their features. Perhaps this would have a negative impact and anger the young lass, but the automaton understood that facing the reality of a situation instead of buying into the fanciful story that one might tell was valuable. Bowing slightly, they swept an arm towards the road, gesturing for Ulmiyda to lead the way.

“Food, shelter, and perogies huh? Hmm… I’m thinking… the housing district! That makes sense Socky, not only would there be ample supplies for a forward operating base, but there is also a large civilian population that could serve as hostages.” Ulmiyda replies in complete ignorance of any sarcasm hidden within Socket’s words.

The young girl rushes down the street, eager to face her enemy before they take any more ground.

The pair traveled upwards towards the layered housing district, only to be met with a chilling sight. The streets were empty, not a single guard nor citizen walked them. The only movement they could detect was the occasional scuttle of multiple segmented legs, scurrying through the dank alley ways.

“They’re here Socky, keep your guard up. They are lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike when we least expect it.”

Spying a house with a hole in one of its windows, Ulmiyda crept up slowly to the front door, clutching her scimitar in her right hand as she slowly placed her left on the knob.

“Get ready, we may be swarmed at any moment...” she said in a low whisper.

She slowly cracked the door and peeked her head in. Before her was an empty foyer, with a lit chandelier hanging overhead; no sounds could be heard throughout the house.

“Hello, is anyone here? Anyone that isn’t a crab?”

Silence. The house seemed empty as her voice echoed through it without any response. Just as she was about to step inside, her peripheral caught movement on the inner side of the door. In an instant she pulled back, lifting her sword towards the motion as she fell backwards.
Scrambling to her feet, she looked through the small opening in the door. A blur dashed into one of the side rooms, out of sight. Glancing downward, the young girl's eyes widened in horror. At her feet lay a severed crab claw, clearly a result of her desperate swing.
Suddenly, a noise started to bellow from inside the residence; It was a familiar sound, only louder and more frequent. Before she had a chance to speak, hordes of crabs started to swarm towards her from every room. In a panic she fired a bolt of flame^[1] towards the chandelier's chain, weakening it enough to send it crashing to the floor. The flames immediately started to spread as she slammed the door shut, sealing the crustaceans to cook. She turned to face the automaton with a fearful expression.

“We’re not going in there Sock-”

The girl stopped speaking as she was stunned into silence. Crabs had begun to approach the pair from every direction. They were surrounded.

---

[1]Fire bolt

"They're just crabs, not some horrific monster... why are you... you set the house on fire didn't you?" Socket stated, noting the orange tongues of flame lapping at the window's edge and the scrambling of many crabs from any available hole in the building. More poured into the streets, encircling them in crustaceans. If the automaton could, they would have sighed heavily at the exasperating demeanor of this child. Not aware enough to proceed safely into a situation, and all too eager to do so anyway, it was ensuring a constant disaster. Sympathizing with the staff in charge of handling her affairs, things were now fully out of hand for no real reason.

"Please, no more magic... find a bucket or barrel and start collecting crabs... put your sword away and pick them up by their sides." The automaton leaned down to the small, somewhat primitive looking creatures and plucked one up by the sides of it's carapace, then dropped it into a bucket. Flustered, they grabbed another, larger bucket, this one occupied by some scraggly weeds. Plucking them out, Socket filled the rest of this bucket with sand, then prepared to enter the burning building. The fire hadn't gotten out of hand just yet, but the carpet was scorched, various fabrics and a few small pieces of furniture were on fire.

Pouring a bit of sand over the oil canisters from the chandelier, Socket worked their way around the room and doused the fires. Once finished, they filled the now empty bucket with the remaining live crabs in the house and tossed the half charred ones that were caught in the conflagration outside to be handled by nature. The automaton walked outside once more, looking for the young girl and checking on her progress.

Ulmiyda wasted no time by immediately misunderstanding her companion’s words. The automaton’s attempt to make the girl sheath her weapon had only served to confuse the girl.

“Socky, it’s a little late to be stealthy, we’re being surrounded by the enemy!”

She watched as the machine picked up multiple buckets, an odd choice of weapon, but a weapon at the very least. To her amazement the automaton charged brazenly into the flame strewn house. Socket must truly hate these crustaceans to want to fight them as the building burnt to the ground. She pondered for a moment as to how much rage the machine possessed, perhaps it secretly hated all beings of the sea. Maybe Cervayhn had given her the exact ally she needed.

Finding herself alone in the middle of the street, the young girl could see no way out of this.
The beasts had formed a circle around the girl, their claws pointed upwards, positioned to strike at her from all angles. She clutched her blade tightly; her demeanor was different from the cautious state she was in when she had started this quest. She was focused, ready to fight her way through the horde, her fire wouldn’t be washed away from such trivial beasts.

Surely enough the crabs began to strike, launching themselves at her from all angles. She stayed light on her toes, moving and slashing at every significant movement, until a litter of claws surrounded her. Suddenly, the crabs withdrew, giving the girl a much larger arena to maneuver in. She heard a low drone begin approached her; it was the sound of metal dragging against stone. A break formed in their formation, and a new threat marched it way through the crowded crustaceans.

It was a brightly colored crab, but its coloration wasn’t what drew her attention. In its right claw it held a shortsword, a blade many times the being’s size, smoothed and sharpened by the sea’s current. The beast held its blade forward as it arrived in the center of the makeshift arena, as if to challenge the girl head-on.

This must be their leader, a truly impressive being, even by crab standards.

She charged her foe, ready to unleash her full ferocity against this aquatic invader. She swung with all her weight downwards towards the beast, only to be held back by its blade. Landing on her feet, she unleashed slash after slash towards her opponent, only to be countered each and every time.

Hopping backwards, she reached into her satchel and withdrew a black orb^[1]. She chucked a sphere at the beast, only to watch as it was cleanly cut in half, sending its contents spilling into the gaps of the cobblestone street. This creature was fast, so fast she didn’t even see the blade move, not even a blur. It’s almost as if it didn’t try to counter the projectile at all.

This crustacean’s skill was beyond that of any she had faced before. It was more than a master; it was truly exalted.

Her hands began to tremble as the demon observed her. A gut-wrenching terror welled up inside her as she faced down the strongest foe she’d ever encountered. The creak of a door signified to her that the automaton had returned from inside the flaming abode. She kept her eyes on her opponent as she talked to her metal companion. At the very least someone would be able to pass on her final words.

“Socky... I don’t think I’ll be leaving this place alive”

---

[1]Explosive Ornaments

Exasperated, and intrigued, Socket took quick stock of the situation... An odd crab with a short sword was certainly a new sight to the automaton. They stepped forward, sweeping an arm across the surrounding mass of crustaceans. With the other, the construct tucked Ulmiyda behind themselves and out of the ensuing field of electricity. Five pillars of lightning appeared along the arc Socket had drawn a moment ago, each crackling with energy that stunned the offending crabs. Only the largest, the bladed bandito, remained untouched. 

{Lightning Lure ^}

It had scuttled away from the group, possibly sensing the ensuing magical effect as it's many kin sat stunned within the field. Striding forward, Socket engaged the sword wielding crustacean, their bare fists ringing out against the blade. More than once in the exchange, the construct nearly missed a parry and found the blade inching too close. Another idea had been forming in their mind, one that would see this unusual situation turned on it's head. 

"I'm going to launch this annoyance into the air, when I do, shoot it down." They said calmly to the young girl, moving into a position to give her a clear line of sight. Another brief exchange ensued, before Socket found the right moment. Activating Gust Thrust underneath the creature, it spun in place for a split second as currents of wind shifted before being tossed skyward, clinging to it's blade and tumbling end over end.

"Now!"

Much to Ulmiyda’s surprise, her automaton companion rushed through the crowd of crustacean spectators and moved her out of the commanding beast path. The surrounding crabs began to close inward, seeing as the conflict was no longer strictly a duel, however they were quickly stopped by some manner of electric pillars the automaton had summoned.

Ulmiyda’s eyes widened at the automaton’s display of power. Did it lie to her? This a lot of power to not be a combat model.

“Don’t Socky! It will rip you to shreds!” The girl cried out as her companion rushed to face the beast head-on.

The constant clangs of metal against metal hurt the young girl’s ears as the two fought. She could barely make out any words the automaton spoke to her through the ringing. The only thing that came through clearly was “shoot it”.

The sudden gust of wind launching the crab gave her a slight shock but didn’t break her concentration. She ran forward on Socket’s call until she had a clear angle on the airborne crustacean. She folded all her fingers on her right hand inward except for her index and middle. Taking aim, she fired a bolt of flame^[1] with zero hesitation. The bolt struck true, searing the underside of the beast. Sparks from the impact rained down, igniting the black powder resting in the cracks of the cobblestone street.

The crab landed sword-first, pivoting itself with the blade to soften its landing. With its acrobatic maneuver, the crab was successfully able to land upright. Its black eyes observed its foes, momentarily debating whether it could handle the magical adversaries.

Coming to the determination that it was outmatched, the crab began to scurry away. It held its blade forward as it gripped the rubber section of the hilt, using the blade to draw the lightning lure's electricity away.

Seeing the enemy on the verge of defeat, Ulmiyda charged forward with newfound resolve.

“You’re not getting away!” She yelled as her fingers began to glow.

The flames in the cracks of the cobblestone street began to grow, consuming the small amount of greenery between the rocks as it formed a web of flame^[2]. The flames rose in front of the crabs path, sealing its escape. Ulmiyda was no longer the one who was surrounded. She walked forward with her blade pointed at her foe, challenging it to one final duel.

She swung without hesitation, striking at the beast with all the grace and ferocity she could muster. The charring on the crab’s undercarriage had slowed its movements, however it still parried the girl’s swings with masterful skill. Finding an opening in the girl’s swings, the beast retaliated, swing the blade in an arc that nearly sliced her face, had she not dodged backwards. She expanded her flames upwards as she fell back, encircling the beast and giving herself a moment to recuperate.

She thought for a moment as she caught her breath. She wasn’t used to having to work this hard, being a soldier definitely wasn't a career path for her.

No wonder Cervayhn is so tired all the time. Being on edge like this really wears you out.

Her eyes lit up with inspiration as her thoughts illuminated her path to victory.

The crab can’t see my movements from the other side of the flames, it must be on edge waiting for my attack. If I can wear it down, I can win.

She begins to slash through the circle of flames at all manner of angles, allowing random intervals between her attacks. Each time she strikes, the carb’s parry becomes slower and slower, until finally it parries at a bad angle, losing its grip on the blade. The shortsword slams to the ground with a loud clang, landing just out of the ring of fire. The flame parts as Ulmiyda walks slowly towards the beast. Seeing no way out of this situation, the crab throws its claws skyward, signaling its surrender.

The girl considers ending the beast’s existence then and there, but she hesitates as she considers Socket’s words. She faces her companion while still keeping an eye on her foe.

“What should we do with this one Socky?”

---

[1] Fire Bolt
[2] Control Flame

Watching the ensuing duel, Socket had already begun gathering up the other crabs and patting out the errant flames. Most were still stunned from the energy field, though a few still squirmed, none resisted being stuffed into crates and barrels. As Ulmiyda finished her fight and inquired what to do, the construct scooped the massive crab up in a bucket and fastened it's lid tightly. Poking a few holes in the ends, or widening the gaps slightly in the slats of each container, Socket would hand each full container to Ulmiyda to stack neatly in the streets.

"Containment is our goal today, someone will come along with a wagon shortly and collect these ones. You've done well today, other than wayward fireworks... let's try not to burn the block down on the next adventure hmm?" Chiding the young girl as gently as possible, Socket knew all too well how easily magic could stretch beyond it's intentions and bring great tragedy. They wished to spare Ulmiyda the terrible price it would exact from her, from those caught in the catastrophe and their families.

Escorting her back through town, the pair reunited with her attendant. Another success, the automaton thought while they walked through the halls. 

"A fine job all around Ulmiyda, hopefully there are lessons you can take away from this experience and improve upon in the future. Cervayhn, thank you for hiring me and best of luck in your duties. I understand well why you'd enlist the help of others with this one." Socket said, having finished the task at hand. They turned to head home, hopeful there would be pleasant weather during the journey and ready to complete the project they'd begun some weeks ago. 

With the commander and multiple swaths of crabs captured, the remaining crabs began to retreat towards the direction of the ocean. She hoped that this commanding beast would have a long stay in a Sol City jail cell, or an aquarium, probably an aquarium.

Ulmiyda cheers victoriously as she carries the captured crustaceans; in spite of Socket's words.
The machine was ignorant to the ways of war, her studies in her father's library had included multiple texts on the matter. Sacrificing a building or two would be a small sacrifice if it prevented the enemy from securing a foothold. 

She followed Socket as they headed back miraculously unscathed. Although not visible, the young girl had an inkling that the automaton was just as exhausted as she was, albeit she couldn't comprehend why.

Seeing her retainer up ahead, the girl ran forward, eager to regale him with the story of her adventure.
Before she had chance to tell her absurd tale, Socket addressed the pair, wishing the two of them well.

"Yep, she is quite the handful. I don't know how her parents expect me to keep up with her." Cervayhn replied as he looked down to the young noble with a smirk.

"Cervayhn, I nearly died! Their commander was an insanely powerful swordsman."

"I'm sure they were." He replied in a sarcastic tone.

He digs through his satchel for a brief moment before extracting a coin purse which he throws to Socket.

"Here. I haven't heard any reports of fires so I included a bonus. Thank you for your diligence."

He crouches down to be eye level with his young master, resting his hand on her shoulder with a smile.

"Come on Ulmiyda, let's head back to the inn. You deserve some rest."

The girl nods and begins to depart when she suddenly remembers one last thing. She reaches into her satchel and withdraws a crab cooked by her flames. She nervously held it up to her retainer.

"You said you enjoyed smoked crab..."

The older dark elf takes the crab with smile.

"Thank you Ulmiyda."

As they walk, he examines the cooked crustacean, noticing that the searing has a tinge of magical energy. He lets out a small sigh. Some things never change.

---

Shiva,
The job went rather smoothly, although Ulmiyda is acting like she's been through a war. She keeps going on about a crab with a sword, saying its skill could rival yours. Better keep that blade arm fresh in case some rogue crustaceans invade. We'll be staying at Capitol Landing for a few weeks. I'll try to keep her under control while also keeping an eye on the political movements here. - Subzero