For The Greater Good-World 1: A Corrupted Cove || World//Zero ||

18. The Crab Prince

When the group fled the Boarwolf Forest, heading towards the coast, as soon as the abandoned pirate ship came into view, a few yards away were the paladin and the elementalist, using the best of their ability to fight off the giant crab. Dodging its hulking claws while also performing their attacks, they were slowly growing more and more exhausted with fighting the thing. Meanwhile, the crab stood its ground, attacking Sean and Cal whenever it could. And it was fast. Surprisingly fast.

Cal and Sean were too focused on battling the Crab Prince to realize that the others had shown up. Cal frequently defended himself with his shield and used his skills to inflict damage on the arthropod. It was almost as if a bright yellow beacon was placed upon him, as light from the clouds electrified his sword and pierced into the crab as a result. At times the single beacon would turn into two, one illuminating him and the other Sean, limiting the amount of damage from the crab. This would only last for a short while, however, leaving the boys vulnerable seconds later. Meanwhile, Sean kept moving like a speeding bullet and hasn't put his staff down for a second. It was like he was teleporting all over the place, circling the crab as he performed his skills. Like Alec witnessed before, with the end of his staff slamming onto the ground, shards of ice shot up and knocked back the Crab Prince a few feet. But there was a reason that he was called an elementalist, as not only did he summon ice, but fire. Curling his wrist, a ball of fire formed in his hand before hurling it towards the crab, creating a burst of flames on impact. Once in a while he would spin his staff, and after jabbing it into the ground once more, a circle with a glowing golden aura surrounded the crab, and before it knew it, thick black clouds would appear and surprise the Crab Prince with a fit of lightning strikes. Alec has never seen anything like it before, let alone see all of their skills at once.

However, as much as he wanted to watch the battle play out, it was too late. He was running after Elliot and his mentor as they sped towards the Crab Prince, preparing to fight.Almost instantly, as soon as he got close enough to the crab, Elliot leaped towards it and struck at its side with his axe, causing some sort of spark. His mentor did the same with his two axes, creating a circle of heat and catching the crab's attention in the process. Alec, on the other hand, safely aimed for one of its many legs. Wielding his sword, he dashed towards it and pierced into it, hoping that it did something. Fortunately, and surprisingly enough, the crab's leg appeared to crumble.

Before Alec to make another strike at its other legs, someone pulled him aside, and a bright beacon of light enveloped them. It was Cal. Despite him being very exhausted, he looked furious.

"What are you doing here?!" he shouted. "I thought I told you to go to the village!"

Alec didn't know what to say. How else was he supposed to explain himself? But he knew that if he didn't, then he surely would get into more trouble.

Then again, there was plenty of time for explaining after.

"I got help," Alec simply stated. "Let us help you!"

Cal looked up and finally noticed the others. Looking back at Alec, he bit back his words before turning to the Crab Prince. With nervousness in his voice, he muttered, "Alright. But remember to stay clear of the claws and aim for the middle."

Alec nodded before Cal stepped aside and sent another wave of light towards the crab. Circling the crab until he found a clear opening, Alec dove under the crab and stabbed his sword through its shell before slicing a crescent towards one of its legs. Due to the others' attacks, the Crab Prince grew distracted and confused. This gave Alec an advantage, and using what he learned from his training, continued to effectively damage the crab. However, as he went in for another attack, the Crab Prince raised one of its claws and swung it, hitting Alec and throwing him off his feet and onto the sand. Alec groaned, and tried to get back up, but couldn't. He felt sore and in pain, and it hurt to breathe.

When he managed to lift his head and open his eyes, everything looked like a blur. The loud clanking of weapons, the clashing noise of lightning and ice, and flashing lights made the boy feel weak and nauseous. As soon as someone shouted "Meteor shower!" from nearby, Alec immediately lifted his head towards the sky, where a black cloud was forming. Alec shut his eyes tightly and held his hands to his ears as he practically buried himself in the sand, trying to hide away.

He stayed there for a while. That is until he realized how silent it was now. Lifting his head, he wiped his eyes of sand before looking up. The crab was gone. The clearing was empty other than a faint blue mist. Someone was shouting his name, and Alec spotted someone familiar running toward him.

"Alec! Are you okay?" It was Sean. The elementalist lifted the smaller boy to get a look at him. That was until someone slapped his hands away.

"Don't touch him," Cal ordered.

Sean arched his brows. "I was just—"

"He nearly got killed because of you. All of us almost did!"

"Hey, don't start blaming me for this," Sean snapped. "You don't even know the whole story."

"Fine." Cal took a step towards the mage. "Did you provoke the crab? Or was it perhaps Alec's fault?"

"Enough, you two," the berserker said, standing between the two boys. "The crab's gone, and that's all that matters. While you're over here running your mouths, a boy is injured. Excuse me."

Pushing Sean and Cal aside, the older man sheathed his axes before kneeling before the swordmaster. The others watched quietly as the man studied Alec for a moment. He sighed. 

"Well, you're not bleeding, fortunately. How do you feel? Can you walk at all?"

Alec held his side. "I don't know..." he wheezed.

The berserker took a breath. "This boy needs attention immediately." Carefully scooping the boy in his arms, Elliot's mentor stood up and faced Sean and Cal with narrowed eyes. "Who's this boy's mentor?"

"I am," Cal said, taking a step forward before being stopped by the berserker.

"You have to be ashamed of yourself," he growled. "Letting such a young, inexperienced boy wander the cove unsupervised. Especially with someone who is equally inexperienced." He glared at Sean, who flinched slightly, insulted. "I presume your mentor doesn't know about this, hm?"

Sean didn't answer, though his hands curled into fists. The berserker averted his gaze before turning to the path back to the Boarwolf Forest. "Well, let us return to the village. Come on."

As the older man started walking back towards the Waystone, Elliot lingered for a moment in disbelief before tailing after his mentor. Sean and Callahan followed behind them, with their heads lowered in shame and disappointment.

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[Word count: 1207 words]