Unexpected thousands of wild crabs descend upon Sol city. The crabs terrorized locals and getting into everything they were like rats. That was the only good thing about the crabs they were chasing Rats away. Sol City asked adventurers to help the situation. However, it would seem that while on the island many of the crabs laid eggs marking the capital as a normal nesting ground. Now, thousands of new crabs have made their way to Sol City to also lay eggs. Sol City needs help in getting rid of the crabs once again. So Griffin was asked to lend a hand by removing the hundreds and hundreds of crabs from Sol City in any way Griffin could.

Griffin walked out of the staging area and the briefing and looked around Adventures were teaming up Most looked at Griffin but to did not take him seriously probably because of his size. Griffin looked around and saw another saying back almost in the shadows.

It was a small, odd little creature. It had a squat stature, with birdlike legs, large pointed ears, and a body that had dark purplish fur. It looked to be shorter than Griffin something Griffin was not used to. It's posture was hunched over. What areas of his body that aren't covered in fur have rough, gray, almost stone-like skin? Its long tail, completely hairless except for a large, fluffy tuft at the tip, is usually wrapped around his waist to keep it out of the way. Its face consists of large eyes that are completely black except for its bright blue pupils and a pink, doglike nose, with small tusks that are still visible with its mouth closed.

Griffin walked over making sure not to show any aggression or sudden moves. The Gnome stopped when he got close. "Greetings, I am Griffin, I see you have no partner would you join me on this pursuit of getting rid of some crabs?" asked Griffin politely with a small bow.

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SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Crabs Again?
Participants: Two or more
Location: Sol City
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: Last year, an unexpected and still unknown event caused thousands of wild crabs to descend upon the city, terrorizing locals. Thanks to a handful of brave adventurers, the situation was handled and crabs dispatched. However it would seem that while on the island many of the crabs laid eggs, marking the capitol as a normal nesting ground for the crabs. Now, thousands of new crabs have made their way to the island to also lay eggs, which had only served to further Sol City as a normal nest. We need help in ridding the city once again of this infestation before they can lay more eggs. Lend a hand by removing the hundreds and hundreds of crabs from the city the best way you can.

Hylltywyll was enjoying himself, watching the city struggle to deal with the ongoing crab infestation he'd had a hand in causing in the first place. Even a whole year later, the crabs were a menace. He didn't expect it to last this long, but they'd nested and turned the city into a breeding ground. He felt a sort of pride in the little guys. They were a seemingly permanent mark he and Tsarra had left on the city. He hadn't seen Tsarra in a while. Not since that tunnel in the Marsh Flats...

His thoughts were interrupted as some Gnome addressing him. It looked like he'd let his shadow magic slip for a few moments while he was reminiscing, and been seen by one of the little helpers the city had called together to deal with the crab problem. Did this guy think he was one of the adventurers, here to clean up this mess like a good little worker? They couldn't pay him enough to want to undo his own handiwork!

When the Gnome looked back up from his bow, Hylltywyll was gone from sight without a reply. His form hidden in the shadows again, very nearly invisible. He crept silently away from the Gnome, to a more comfortable distance. He stayed close enough to mess with him and the other members of the crab cleaning crew.

He needed to make sure they didn't do too good a job getting rid of his mess.

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One With the Shadows

Giving a sigh Griffin had only looked away for a second and it was gone. Griffin shook his head he had to learn how to do that. No one I guess took him seriously. Griffin smiled and just looked around he could see an alleyway the crabs had more sense than to be on the main streets they would be spotted and killed quickly. Griffin took a deep threat and started towards the alleyway.

Waking into the alleyway Griffin thought there were probably bigger problems in alleys than crabs. He missed the woods right now it was much different than the city. With a few motions with his hand. [1] Griffin summons a small fire sprite that hovers in the air around him. The tiny ball of fire will slowly be moved around Griffin looking for trouble and bouncing in the air but not giving off a lot of light.

Griffin walked deeper into the alleyway which did not have a lot of light. The people here were looking not so good in their raggedy clothing. When Griffin spotted a crab hiding near a wooden crate. Griffin wondered how many get eaten by the people and cook them up.

[1]Summon Flame Sprite

In the year that Sol City had been so infested with crabs, the once delicious delicacy from the sea had had its status lowered to pest and food fit only for the poor. Where homeless beggars used to eat rats as a desperate means of survival, they now ate crab. Quite the ironic twist for the disparity of wealth in the city, for the poor to eat crab and the rich to refuse to. It'd be comedic if the poor didn't also hate crab by now. With so many crabs scurrying around on the streets free for the taking, fishermen who once relied on their crab pots to make a living either lost their businesses or moved to selling their catch in other regions. Woe be to all those poor souls allergic to shellfish.

Of course, the long-term economical or ecological impacts of his actions was neither a concern nor even a thought in Hylltywyll's mind. He just liked watching the adventurers yelp in pain every time they tried to pick up a crab and got their finger pinched by its claw.

Hylltywyll cackled with glee as one inexperienced adventurer dropped his knife and subsequently fled in terror as a crab picked it up by the handle and started scuttling toward him. Why did he even have his knife out and at the ready while trying to pick up crabs? What an idiot.

The knife wielding crab scuttled down a dark alleyway, headed directly toward the Gnome that had addressed Hylltywyll earlier that now had a little ball of fire floating near him. The Fairy watched with excitement at what the outcome of this fight might be.

Now that was a sight a crab with a knife. Griffin would be worried but it was a crab did it even know how to fight with a knife? Griffin wanted to chuckle at the sight but also did not want to underestimate the Crab. What if it was not so simple? Griffin was about to call a Blast of fire and cook that crab. Griffin was a scholar he just had to know how that crab was going to use that knife First.

[1] Griffin called on the Earth Domain. Out of the ground made of earth. Dirt flows through Griffin's hands and takes the form of two Fighting Sticks. Griffin readied himself as a master with the sticks made of magic and stone. As the crab came at Griffin swinging the knife wildly Griffin got a smile on his face. "Ok Crab now you take on someone who does not run," said Griffin to the crab coming for him. now others in the alleyway from the windows were watching Griffin.

The crab swung the knight and almost got Griffin who newly moved and parryed the knife. If Griffin had not been ready Griffin knew he would be bleeding from that knife.

That little Flame Sprite shot a ball of fire from its month missing the crab as it jumped back flame splashed across the ground and disappeared. The Flame Sprite hissed at what had happened.


[1]Desert Blessing

Wow, that crab was actually doing pretty good! It was more skilled with that knife than Hylltywyll had ever expected. He thought it would have been cooked instantly, but it had dodged the flame sprite's attack expertly. Maybe that other adventurer was right to flee. Perhaps he saw the bloodlust in the crab's tiny eyes. Those weird, stalky eyes.

The crab scuttled toward the Gnome again, knife poised for a swipe at his ankle. Hylltywyll watched with rapt attention, leaning forward on his perch atop a stack of crates in the shadowy alley. This battle would be legendary! Could this crab actually defeat the Gnome?

Several others in the alleyway also were paying attention to the strange fight. The poor beggars watched, some of them whispering to each other, placing bets on who would win. One stepped forward to take on the roll of the bookkeeper, holding onto the few coins and noting down the bets. The odds were even for either side. Which side that was more of an insult to was uncertain.

No one was aware though, that the crab wasn't fighting alone. If they were, they might have all bet on the crab. Hylltywyll decided he would support this daring crustacean in its battle, his magic poised and ready.

"You are trying to kill me, Hard Shell!" Griffin shouted at the Crab. Griffin's eyes narrowed so this was more to test their intelligence that is too bad Griffin thought. "OK Craby, I will not get bested by you Hard Shell," Griffin said with some sarcasm. Griffin was wondering if the crab knew what he was saying or if it just reacting to him as Griffin moved around.

The crab charged him again. Griffin jumped almost doing a cartwheel over the crab. Using one of the fighting sticks to volt him over the crab pushing the crab to the ground with the stick. The Crab now called Hard Shell swung its knife frantically back and forth in the air trying to get the quick and nimble Gnome. Hard Shell cut Griffin's robe any closer Griffin would had a good cut on his arm.

Griffin landed behind the crab and smacked it with the other fighting stick. Then Griffin jumped back the damage was superficial on purpose. Griffin tested Hard Shell one more time. Most animals would have run then. Griffin gave Hard Shell a way out of the alleyway. Seeing what it would do. Griffin knew that he was faster than the crab. Was just trying to keep the crab away that last slash by Hard Shell got griffins attention.

The fire sprite did not attack this time it seemed just hover by Griffin it did look around and then back at the crab it seemed to be assessing the area.

The old Gnome was more dexterous than Hylltywyll expected, but the crab was still holding his own, now apparently named Hard Shell. An apt name for it, considering how durable it was. Even a swing from one of the Gnome's fighting sticks didn't phase it. That, or perhaps the Gnome was weak and unable to muster a strong enough hit to break the crab's shell.

Hylltywyll narrowed his eyes and scowled. He wanted to watch a thrilling battle. People were placing bets on the outcome of this fight! This Gnome had better be giving it his all! No more test strikes or probing the opponent.

He raised his hands and from the shadows themselves, two knives formed between his hairy fingers. Like two shards of obsidian, the blades were sharp and deadly. Much better than the cheap knife the crab had picked up from the newbie adventurer.

From his hiding spot in the shadows, Hylltywyll tossed the knives in front of the crab. It stopped for a moment and looked at them before discarding its knife and picking up one of the dark blades in either claw. Some of the onlookers muttered to each other, supposing someone wanted to see this fight pick up a bit. They weren't wrong.

Now much better equipped, the crab scuttled at the Gnome, twin blades held forward and ready to slash and stab at whatever it could reach from its miniscule height.

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Desert Blessing

Seeing the obsidian blades hit the ground. Griffin knew someone else was involved. Griffin sighed, he knew that it was time to get real Griffin moved back giving himself more time to deal with the crab.

The Fire Sprite started to build up another fire strike on the Hard Shell. Floating in the crab's direction letting the ball of fire grow getting the attention of Hard Shell. [1] Griffin dropped his sticks and started to move his hands three small orbs formed, an orb made of Fire, Water, and Wind. With each spinning ball of magic growing in size. Griffin had no choice it was time to unleash his power on this cab and show what he could do.

Griffin shot the orbs forward at Hard Shell. The first orb to hit was water it hit Hard Shell like a rock slamming Hard Shell into the wall behind it. Hard Shell's 4 right legs cracked braking under the pressure of the hit. Then the orb of wind hit Hard Shell slamming Hard Shell on the ground upside down and ripping some of its left legs off then the orb of fire hit Hard Shell burning some legs off and a pincher and its arm. [2] The final blow can form the Fire Sprite with another ball of fire bursting on Hard Shell killing the crab. The fire consumes its legs and other pincher leaving a smoldering shell behind.

[1] Tri-Beam
[2] Summon Flame Sprite

Disappointing. It was too bad Hylltywyll couldn't interfere in the fight more than he already had. Even giving the crab better weapons was pushing it. Making a wall of light or counterspelling the Gnome would have been too obvious. That spell still seemed a bit overkill in his opinion. Oh well, it was just a crab. There were thousands of crabs in Sol City, but he'd remember this one. Hard Shell. Not even it's real name, but something the Gnome that killed it made up.

Some of the ragged figures around the alley groaned in frustration while some laughed victoriously and went to the makeshift bookkeeper to collect their winnings. Evidently, more people had bet on the Gnome than on the crab, for obvious reasons. It was just a crab. The Gnome obviously knew magic, having a ball of flame floating beside him. Everyone who bet on the crab were either blind or just thought it was funny.

The blades of shadow melted back into nothingness, merging with the darkness between the cracks of the cobblestone in the alleyway. Hylltywyll's enjoyment of the situation did the same. He glared at the Gnome from hiding. Lifting one hand palm up, a ball of black snow quickly formed before he tossed it at the back of the Gnome's head.

One little bit of revenge for Hard Shell before he scurried away to cause more trouble elsewhere.

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Summon: Snowball

Something cold and somewhat hard hit Griffin in the back of the head Griffin spun around to see nothing but black snow fading into the ground. There was a crowd now walking away Griffin did not even realize what was happening with the crowd Griffin had a lot to learn. There was the snowball Griffin wondered if he had a fan out there not happy with him.

It would not matter now Griffin looked down the alleyway. He could see where the crab had come from. Griffin walked for a while to find an entrance to the tunnels below where the water and other waste were drained into the ocean. The tunnel could not be more than three feet round and dark. Griffin was smarter than to go down into the drainage tunnel.

[1] let us see what is down there thought Griffin. Moving his hands Griffen drew forth the energies from the world around him, tapping into the other domains outside of his own. Then Griffen created a medium-sized orb of raw magic in his hands of light. Griffin then fired forth a beam of magical Light energy. It flashed filling the tunnel lighting it up and burning everything in it a few rats and some Crabs and their eggs all burst into flame.

After the light dissipated the fire sprite let loose a fireball as well going even further and exploding smoke rolled out of the tunnel. The smell of burnt rats, crabs, and anything growing down there filled the air. Griffin pinched his nose and got back coughing a few times. "ok that was nasty. Griffin was sure there were a lot of the crabs down there nesting.

Griffin looked down the street He could follow the tunnel and shoot fire down them as he found an opening that would take care of some of the Crab problem.

[1] Chromatic Blast