I was a Princess

Along the beach roads I did ride

With sand and magic by my side

I met a young crab who was alone and afraid

I cast a spell and on that coastal beach we played

Corrupted attacked me with a corpse that's unalive

But my song survives

I was a Ghost Crab

I was born upon the tide

With the sea I did abide

I met the Gods and we almost came to blows

Charisma kissed me and said I was her beau.

And when the kiss broke off I'm frozen by a chill

But I am living still

-- Highway Crab, Whale Album. Latest hit from Pinniped, [Bard] and [High Priest] of Toriana, Goddess of Charisma. AC 1750

As the wave of magic clears and we end up on the sixth floor, I'm shocked to see that I'm on land once more. My carapace *crackles* from the wave of heat blasting into my face. I edge slowly forward and discover that I'm on the edge of cliff. A cliff leading into a giant pool of lava.

It bubbles upwards from a vast lake that appears to be several hundred Crabby lengths wide. Jets of molten ash and magma shoot randomly into the air, searing my lungs with the waves of heat they produce. I quickly [coast] from the edge and lift my claws in front of my face. I can already feel the temperature of my shell increasing from the simple motion. I quickly ask Luna.

"Is this normal? What's going on?"

At this point she's already moved to my back, and she turns up the volume on [mana speech] to make herself heard over the rumble of molten stone. She says,

"No! This should have been something completely different!" We look around, trying to figure this level out. Quieter, as if to not draw attention she says, "Look over there! I think something is watching us!"

She points to one of the walls surrounding the lake and I see a small shrimp hiding in a recess. The creature still appears to be alive thankfully. Maybe the [CORRUPTION] hasn't infected this level yet? Regardless, for some reason it has a giant oversized claw. What is even more bizarre is that as we watch it, it scuttles into an unseen point in the back and disappears from sight.

"That's weird," I mutter, discomforted by the whole thing. As I scan the walls with my stalks, I see recess after recess. They're all small nooks and crannies placed along the edges of the walls that face the lava lake. They descend into the distance, reaching all the way to the other side. Looking around, I try to detect another lever on the other side. Maybe we can repeat our earlier success and throw Luna over there? Yet, as I look at the distance involved and the sporadic shooting of lava, I quash that thought. Even with her arm bag I don't think she can jump enough times to make it. Neither do I find a mechanism on the other side, something that can enable us to pass without effort.

"Hey look at that!" Luna says, tapping my shell.

I turn to see what she's indicating and notice a small lever on the wall behind me. It's almost hidden by the surrounding rock, it's grey color blending with the surrounding material. I go over to clasp it and pull my arm down, activating its function. With a *whirr* I hear gears and mechanisms engaging around me and I back up towards the edge of the lake. As I do, behind me the temperature rises, and I spin around to see platforms lifting from the lava below. They're made of stone, and still glow red from the heat they were subjected to. As I watch, they begin to rise in the air. When they reach the apex of their climb, they start to move back and forth, left and right, forward and back. When I try to detect a pattern or track their movement I realize.

The platforms never touch. They only get close.

It seems as if this level is designed to have me jump from platform to platform in order to make my way over to the other side. Which is concerning. Because I'm back on land, in open air right now. Crabs aren't really designed for the whole "jumping" thing. And I still haven't figured out what those random holes in the wall are for.

I look to Luna and ask her opinion.

"Do you have any good ideas?"

Her voice does not reassure me when she says, "I think... I think you're just going to have to clear this level as it was intended. You'll need to jump from platform to platform there, there, and there all the way across." She proceeds to indicate a series of six sequential platforms that allows for a path from our side to the other. There are more than those of course, but the other choices end up taking a longer route. The six she pointed to are an almost straight line alongside one of the walls.

Having decided on a plan, I want to test my jumping skills. At the small starting area we are located on, I go to one side and start [coast]'ing ahead. About ten crabby lengths into my sprint, I bend down and push my legs as hard as I can. I'm immediately flung into the air, and I manage to yell,

"I'M DOING IT!!! I'M FLYING!!!"

Before...

**WHAM!!!!**

I slam into the opposite wall and slowly slide down it. The [system] helpfully provides...

'ding'

You have received impact damage.

-4 HP.

Yeah... this might take some practice.

'Time passes.

I spend most of the day training my running and jumping. Apparently, I was initially having so much trouble due to the unfamiliarity with my drastically increased stats. As a normal mundane crab, I never really jumped. My natural abilities never allowed me to do so. Now? Now, I was a crab on the breeze.

"Wee!" Luna cries as I managed to jump from a running sprint, hit one of the walls, recoil and then fall back to earth. "Do it again!"

I pant, thoroughly winded from that maneuver. "Just... give me... *whew*... a second." I sit down, letting my body cool off. The area was still raging hot, but I grew used to it after time and it didn't affect me as much. It seems to be the same for Luna as well.

Resources recovered, I climb to my feet. With a hint of seriousness I say, "Alright, I think the fun's over. I don't think I'll be able to get much better in a short amount of time." Luna nods an arm and then lowers herself as much as possible on my back. We had figured out that any arms or appendages of hers in the air would mess up my estimations of when and where to jump.

I walk to the edge of the lava, where the magma bubbles in the lake in front of me. Moving to the side, I line up with the first platform. I gird my claws and say, "Here we go!"

"Sir."

"Sir."

"Sir."

"SIR CRABBY!!! HOOOOOO!"

'ding'

**Sir Crabby's Music has been applied.**

**Effect: +30% increase to STR, DEX.**

**Effect: 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining**

In my training earlier, I had already practiced with my music playing. As the mana rushes through my carapace, I take a running leap...

AND LAND ON THE PLATFORM!!

The platforms measure about ten crabby lengths in diameter. They're no longer glowing red hot, but it's still lightly singeing my shell as I do a little dance to try to keep my legs cool. A sudden shift in movement throws me off balance and I stumble as the rock moves forward. I move to the center and eye the approaching platform. We're moving on a horizontal plane and it's moving vertically up and down. As we get close, it lowers and matches our elevation. It's only there for a moment before heading back up again.

I watch it match up with us and then I'm moving backwards, the platform receding into the sky. This next one is it Crabby! My body is tensed up, waiting for the optimal moment. It arrests its motion and begins its travel downward as my platform stops and begins moving forward again. Wait for it.... NOW! Sprinting ahead, I leap into the air. My claws stretch out before me as I see that I've mistimed the jump. It's already starting to move upwards. Panic rises in my shell as I see the edge move upwards out of my reach.

Luna lunges over my shell, moving from my back to my claws as four of her arms grip my claws and the other twelve reach ahead of us. She manages to just barely grip the edge of the platform with the rest of her body and we're stuck hanging on the side. Hanging over the pit of lava. She yells,

"When we start moving downwards, I'll swing you to the side! Use the momentum to get up!"

The platform reaches the apex of its movement and pauses. It gently shudders and then begins its fall towards the floor. I can see Luna's body clenching before a sharp *jerk* swings me to the right. I'm able to get my other claw on the edge of the platform and use it to clamber on top. Carefully, I pull Luna all the way up and we pant from the stressful effort.

"Alright... just... four more to go...."

Luna says, then climbs back on top of my shell. The platform reaches the bottom and then begins it's ascension once more. I eye the next platform. It's moving horizontally to the right of our platform with it's end point closer to the wall. I gauge the gap and position myself accordingly. As we ascend, I wait until the right time and begin my sprint.

I jump... and land safely.

This platform seems to be moving at a faster rate of speed than the first two. In the time it takes for the second platform to move up once, the platform I'm currently on has already moved left and right twice. The change in speed has me a bit off balance, but I have this. The next platform is actually moving almost at a forty-five-degree angle to our end point. So, it looks like I'll need to run straight and then transition my straight speed into almost a perpendicular change in order to bridge the gap.

*sigh*

As the platforms move to each other, I begin running. Just as I reach the edge of my platform, a blinding flash and *BANG* shoots out from the wall. I'm disoriented, I don't appear to be hit at all, it was just a loud light and noise. But my footing slips on the jump and as the lights flash in my eyes I see that it's cost me. I'm not going to be able to make the platform. Not even with Luna helping me.

As I fall towards the lava, I'm filled with regret. I can't think of anything to do in this situation. I can't fly. [Luck of the Crab] won't save me. It activates on a deadly strike. Not "melting in molten stone." I stare upwards to detect the cause of my misfortune and see one of the shrimps. It's bright colors clash on the grey stone and reveal a huge claw held in front of it, tightly closed. I only glimpse it for a moment before it disappears, moving to hide in the wall.

As I tumble haphazardly in the air I manage to choke out,

"I'm sorry Luna! Get, get away! Substitute to the platform!"

I can feel her grip on my body tighten as she roars,

"One time activation! [DANGER RECALL]!!!."

The bright glow of mana surrounds us as we're whisked to the [safe zone].