"Looks like we're dropping the crab in any second now! These bad boys cook quickly so if you're not already here, you're late!"
Barns tries to ignore the voice broadcasting from above. If Clancy hasn't been cooked yet, there's still time. Barns runs at his top speed, sprinting through town streets that are already becoming familiar to him. He's used a lot of energy today, but even as he finds himself out of breath and worn out, he can't stop moving, no matter what.
Time stops for Barns the moment he arrives in the town square. He's still far away when he can see it happen - a group of seven or eight guys hoisting up the mighty Clancy and throwing him into a giant bubbling cauldron.
"No!" Barns shrieks at the top of his lungs, charging into the crowd. He's pushing and throwing people out of the way as quickly as possible, clawing through the sea of people to get closer to the cauldron.
"Get him out of there!" Barns screams, but nobody listens. He climbs up to the top of the bubbling pot. The smell immediately hits him - like a seafood restaurant. His friend is already turning red. Is it too late?
Barns grits his teeth. Without Clancy, there's no saving the world. He needed his crab mentor's frothy foam.
Barns cries. "I can't do it without you."
Barns braces his mighty new A Rank weapon, the Shock Hammer, and smashes it with all his strength into the side of the cauldron. The cookware shatters, boiling liquid bursting from it and showering Barns and some nearby townsfolk.
Clancy slides out of the cauldron, his shell bright red and his legs curled up into a ball. Barns realizes that the boiling water hasn't hurt him at all. Maybe he still has some of the Flame Clan's power. If not, he would have suffered permanent burns from the boiling water bath - he'd be redder than Clancy was now.
Barns drops to his knees. "Are you okay? Are you good, King? Please, say something! Please, you can't be dead!"
Barns grabs his crab and hugs him so tenderly, so dearly - but he can not hear Clancy's words. He can not feel Clancy move.
"Are you…"
Barns' head falls down. He stares at the cobblestone streets of Dimartino. This isn't what he wanted. No amount of humans saved could ever be worth King Crab's life.
Suddenly, Barns feels one of King's claws wrap around his back and embrace him. Barns immediately starts weeping.
"Clancy!" he says, his nose running and making a mess. "Oh Clancy, my Clancy!"
"HOT BATH. DIDN'T LIKE."
Barns holds Clancy like a newborn. "You stupid crab!" he shouts. "How in the hell did this even happen!? Didn't you say anything? You're the OTHER legendary hero, now!"
Clancy clicks his claws meekly. "PROSTITUTE LADY GAVE ME POPPY MILK. MAKE ME SLEEPY."
Barns holds his forehead to Clancy's steaming shell. All he can do is laugh.
"Red's a good color on you, man," Barns says quietly.
"ORANGE. THANK YOU BARNACLES. SMART NOT EATING YOU ALL THOSE YEARS AGO."
As they hold each other, Barns sees a system message appear to his left.
[Your Crab Affinity has evolved from B Rank to A Rank.]
Who'd have thought? All they needed was a life-or-death situation to bring them closer together.
Barns clicks back to reality. He's kneeling on the floor next to a fire pit and a destroyed cauldron, hugging his crab. And there are about fifty people all standing around, unsure of what the hell is happening.
"Oh my!" Maria calls out over the crowd. The people separate, making a path for her. "Is he alright?"
Barns rises to his feet, clutching onto his crab protectively. "Yeah. King's going to be fine. Now I want to know right now, who was behind this!?"
Maria's eyes widen and she looks afraid. "Wh-what? I have no idea. I didn't even know that was a talking crab…one of the girls in town suggested we cook it up. I was just trying to be a supportive Princess!"
Barns stares through Maria. She was a good actress, he'll give her that much. But he can tell. There is something wrong with the way she speaks, and her movements have a performative quality. Everything about her feels scripted.
Although, if she hadn't announced what was happening over the broadcast system, he would have never saved Clancy in time. Was Maria to thank for Clancy's survival?
"I need to take him away from here," Barns says. "Hey! In case it wasn't clear to you people in town. This crab is the reason you're all alive! And if anyone harms him again, I have no problem un-aliving you!"
Barns helps Clancy to his feet. The poor crab is still exhausted from the poppy and weak from the boiling.
Barns grinds his teeth as the duo walk off together somewhere private.
"I wish you didn't smell so good right now," Barns whines. "That lemon and garlic blend really brings out your natural aromas."
As Barns and Clancy cool off on the outskirts of town, the two find themselves lost in thought. Barns knew monsters were going to be a problem, but right now his fellow humans were the biggest danger.
"I'm so sorry, King," Barns says again. No amount of apologizing feels right. His mentor who raised him since he was a toddler was almost boiled alive right in front of him.
"But I am glad for Princess Maria. Clancy, If I'd lost you, I don't - "
"EVIL PRINCESS."
Barns pauses. "Wait, what?"
"PRINCESS EVIL. DEMON SMELL. CANNIBAL."
Barns gasps. "What makes you say that, King?"
"CRAB INTUITION. ALWAYS CORRECT."
"You know, Clancy, we'd be a lot better off if you stop keeping all these big secrets to yourself…"
A system message appears in front of Barns.
[Congratulations on achieving A Rank in the following skills: Crab Affinity.
It is time to choose a sub-skill.
1. Claws of Death - You will gain the ability to transform your arm into a crab claw to use as a weapon. You can disable the transformation at any time.
2. Harden Body - You will gain the ability to harden your body like a crab's shell. You can only use this for five seconds, and it takes five seconds to recharge after use.
3. Crab Intuition - You can sense murderous intent. Hostile forces will have a red aura.
4. Bubble Breath - You gain the ability to blow bubbles out of your mouth. These bubbles can put your enemies to sleep.
5. Scuttle Mastery - You move 50% faster when walking sideways.]
'These are all pretty good,' Barns thinks to himself. 'But can I really only choose one?'
A help message appears.
[More sub-skills can be acquired from your Affinity by studying with the corresponding species.]
Barns nods. He got into this situation because he couldn't trust the people around him. These humans wanted to eat Clancy. He knows he needs to pick something that will give him a little more safety - in any situation.
"Crab Intuition it is," Barns says. If he had the same power Clancy has, he'd be effectively immune to betrayals. Since he was much more confident killing monsters than he was dealing with humans, this seems like the best choice.
Barns taps on 'Crab Intuition' and learns the skill. Now, whenever he's in a dangerous situation, he should be able to sense his enemy's malevolence.
'Nothing flashy, but it's a good support skill. Next time I'll go for something that will help in combat.'
Barns looks at the crab and smiles.
"So the princess is a cannibal, and she wanted you dead…"
"CORRECT. EVIL PRINCESS."
"Guess we're going to have to hunt ourselves a princess, then. And you know what? I think I have just the idea. Our counterattack begins now!"