Across the Sand is an encounter in High Tide.
Enemies[]
- Hell Crab (Across the Sand) (100 Gold, 100 XP, 100 Energy, 2 HP)
Transcript[]
Introduction[]
The beach is full of the damn crabs.
The problem is that there's no reliable way to detect the monsters. Instead, your group has to make a concentrated effort to march in sync with one another. The impact from your collective steps seems to alert the crustaceans before you're directly on top of them, causing them to rear up out of their hiding spots before they get the drop on the group.
You look over at Jonas and see that he's grinning gleefully while the line of sailors continues to tromp across the beach at a measured pace.
"You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Of course! This is the most fun I've had in a decade." The grin widens, and his face is almost all teeth.
Your response dies in your throat as a bestial roar sounds and another of the crabs bursts up through the sand.
You step to the side and gesture for Jonas to move ahead. "Well, go on. I'm not one to stand in the way of a good time."
Conclusion[]
"How is storming a strange island and wading into certain death the most fun you've ever had? All I can think of is how I'm missing planting time to die in the middle of nowhere because my great, great, great %grandfather% messed the world up."
The crew is taking a moment to breathe, and Jonas is scavenging bolts from dispatched crustaceans. He pauses and looks up at you, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"You really don't know what it's like out in the world?"
You cross your arms, feeling a little defensive. "Well... there's a village near the farm that I went to every few weeks for supplies. So I heard stories about what the rest of the country was like, but I never really saw it."
Jonas's eyes take on a sober light. "Whatever you heard, things are worse. Far worse. There's a reason the other races isolated themselves away from humanity. When the Unraveling began, those people who didn't flee the country wound up settling into overcrowded cities; acts of barbarism and cruelty became the norm pretty quickly. And things have only gotten worse since then. There's nothing really to be done for it but watch it all fall into blood and dust. At least out here, it feels like we might die for a reason instead of just dwindling away."
Neither of you say anything more until Jonas finishes stocking his bolts.
"Come on, time's wasting."