Excerpt from Nickolas’ Diary…
We descended into the deep today. Climbing!! So much climbing… We must be at least a thousand feet down.
My feet were already sore after trudging through the jungle, but I am soldiering on; but then I am not a complainer. I have sand in every nook and cranny. Wonder if there is any clean
fresh water down here for a bath?
Getting those feelings again when I see Elizabeth, but think it is best to push her away when she inevitably succumbs to hers; Buck is a nasty piece of work. She does look very ravishing with… arrggghh!! I must keep it together.
It is pitch black! Apparently we only brought one lamp with us. Could have sworn we came with more. It’s as though some malevolent being is watching us – no! Guiding us to our doom….. We cannot avoid our fate.
We entered a cave – great, more sand! No suspicious sounds can be heard, but we trudge slowly and carefully. Buck scouted ahead, but despite a stealthy approach, is surprised by
a giant crab that emerges from beneath the sand! It is huge!! It must have some unearthly ability to detect Buck – he is a quiet, cunning bugger, make no mistake.
As the rest of us hurry to his aid, with me protecting our rear, the sandy floor shuddered all around us! Hundreds of little crabs emerge from the sand! They climb all over us, snipping every piece of our body with their claws – it’s as though they can’t miss. I don’t know what came over me – a “bloodlust” perhaps, it’s all new to me – but I was like a wild mad. I Stamped and threw punches at the crabs until they scuttled away. I must of killed 30 or so. They were merciless and killed one of the crew. It appears I am braver than I thought. I am sure I caught Elizabeth watching me, a side of me she hasn’t seen before – she must think I am a madman now.
As the crew and I are being overwhelmed by small crabs, Buck has dispatched the giant crab and climbed up a rock, no doubt anticipating further trouble from below the sand. He must of dozed off though, as he is surprised by a humongous – a King! – crab that also emerges from the sand. It has time to lift its giant bulk – must be at least two tons – from the sand and climb up the rock and attack before Buck realizes what’s going on. Luckily, he avoids being clawed to death. Yet more proof of the unearthly detection abilities of crabs.
Several more of those giant crabs emerge and Duncan (and Desmond? I feel sorry for our friend Duncan. He thinks his brother Desmond is with us. Perhaps he suffered some sort of trauma as a young boy? Perhaps we should get him some help the next time we are in
port…I will talk to the Captain) valiantly holds all but one off of us. Thomas’ dog (never did catch his name) unfortunately tries to stop the other, but those crabs are too big and powerful – we will never see his tail wag again.
A shot rings out and a giant crab goes down! Thomas has brought his musket to bear on the fowl creatures. Another shot rings through the cave as Thomas fires again and the king crab takes a shot in the head (in what I assume counts as his head). Pieces of it fly off as it gingerly climbs up to the ceiling of the cave. I must remember to serpentine if I ever piss him off.
Before Buck can finish off the King crab with a couple of daggers to the eyes, it makes a successful attack on Thomas, almost killing him!! He does, however, manage to avoid its
immense body as it comes crashing down. Now that I think about it… perhaps it was me that killed the crab??? Who knows what I am capable of when the bloodlust takes over….?
As usual, I am relied upon to put us all back together after a fight; certainly no way I could have talked us out of this one. Only Thomas is seriously injured, but I am easily able to get him back to his sharp shooter best. Not even a thank you as usual.
Looks like Buck is ready to move out again……where’s that lamp?