Tristan sprinted for the fort, the number of crabs behind them had increased from two to almost twenty over the last couple of miles. They rounded a corner and salvation was in sight. Bruce let out a breathless cheer and everyone put more energy into their legs. The value of a light kern had been demonstrated over this run. The enhanced nutrient consumption of the light kern evidentially assisted in running, maybe stamina was considered a nutrient.

Tristan quickly predicted their speed and compared it to the ghost crab’s speed. They would make it to the bridges with just seconds to spare. The no man’s land where the fields had been cleared for line of sight was about half a mile, a minute later they had cleared half of it. Tristan noticed some activity on the far side of the canal.

Lesly was being held up like a shield in front of a man. Tristan wondered why for a moment, however an answer quickly showed itself. Whatever Lesly had done, it was bad enough that someone would openly target her brother. All the bridges burst into flames at once. It was a death sentence for everyone on this side of the canal. The hope faded from the teams eyes as they watched their only path go up in flames.

Tristan still had a back up idea, “Keep running, we can still make it.”

The three others simply glared at him, and for a brief moment he considered leaving them behind. Thankfully, Bruce nodded, anger was etched onto his face and targeted at the man holding his sister. That was good enough for Eve and Clive, however the seconds they had lost due to the hit to their morale would turn this into a close race.

Tristan yelled at the top of his lungs, “Save your money devil!”

Of course he was targeting the ever greedy Olfred. It was odd to consistently be relying on the man to save his life. Unfortunately, he knew about Tristan’s kern, but his life of relative comfort relied on his survival. Tristan shouted several more times, before getting within five hundred feet.

“Bastard I know you can hear me!” Tristan yelled.

There was finally movement, a few men had shoved their way through the crowed. They were carrying a board that had more in common with a log than anything used in construction. It would still work. Olfred threw it down, and stabilized the far side.

Tristan pointed at the log, “Cross there!”

The team made a bee line for the new bridge, but they would arrive too late. The mud in no man’s land was slowing them down enough for the crabs to catch them right before they reached the bridge. Tristan could reach it, but the other three would die. He was left with an unpalatable dilemma.

Luke would leave them to die, and much of Tristan’s personality had been influenced by Luke. In his head he wanted to let Clive die for shunning him. He wanted to let Bruce die for hurting him. He wanted to let Eve die for her grandfather trying to kill him. Tristan could find reasons not to help each of them. That’s what his head said.

Tristan had gotten to know these people. They were still irritating, but they no longer fit the aberrant picture he had created in his mind. Eve cared about everyone and would actually make a good Elder River if she took that position. Bruce had grown and mellowed out. His qualifications as a leader were lacking, but he was good at planning and problem solving. Clive was definitely a coward, but he was more than willing to share his knowledge with someone antagonistic to him.

Tristan’s head, the part influenced by Luke and Siren, said eliminate the threat. Tristan’s heart said otherwise. He screamed in frustration, there was nothing that mattered if ones heart condemned them. Pivoting on the balls of his feet he skidded a few inches in the mud. The next instant he was running past the shocked expressions of Eve, Bruce, and Clive.

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Fortunately, the ghost crabs were just as surprised. The first one tried to stop, but the low surface area that its legs had in contact with the ground caused it to lurch forward. Tristan shoved the sword breaker into the top of its head and dragged it out the long way, while avoiding two stingers.

A second crab tied to scissor Tristan. It was not to dissimilar to last time when he reinforced his blood, but this time he had both daggers. He cut both scythes off, the crab staggered back, and Tristan had just enough time tor reinforce his shoulder for the tail sting. The armor absorbed most of the force and his skin was pierced, but his blood was not.

Tristan staggered back and cut off its stinger. He over extended his arm, letting a tier three crab chomp down on it. Rows of teeth tangled up in the armor, shredding it. It tried to run off with its new food, but Tristan was still holding a knife in that hand. The teeth cut into his arm as he rotated his arm, his sword breaker slicing into its brain. It jerked and collapsed, pulling Tristan to the ground.

The little crabs were able to sting him a few times, but the eggs were unlikely to have time to hatch. Another tier three tried to take a bite out of Tristan, and he stabbed it between the eyes. He had to get off the ground, mobility was his greatest advantage. Jerking his arm got him nowhere.

Two scythes caught him in the torso, Tristan barely had time to reinforce his arm as it was torn out of the deceased crabs body. He had to quickly reinforce his back as the new crab bit down on him. The metal essence resisted his command, but he forced it. The feeling of something squeezing his marrow pained him but he was able to get enough to survive when the crab chomped down on his chest.

Tristan’s head, right arm, and legs were sticking out of the crabs mouth. He could feel the dark essence in the floor of its mouth sucking the essence out of his body. Fortunately, he still had time to shove the sword breaker up into the roof of its mouth and the long knife through the top of its skull. Using both blades, Tristan cut the front half of its upper jaw off.

No longer held down, he jumped to his feet, the armor on his right arm was missing. The armor on the rest of his body was shredded and covered with silver tinted blood. He looked back at the bridge, but he was surrounded. Several maimed and dead crabs were scattered around. Tristan sighed, dying to oversized bugs was not how he wanted to go, but it would have to do.

He jumped at the next crab, a tier two, it stung him, but that was a poor attack to use on a man who did not believe he would survive. Tristan cut it in half and immediately side stepped avoiding a scythe from a tier three. The crab he jumped at struck at him with its stinger, he reinforced his heart and head, they were the only things that he needed to keep in one piece. The stinger hit Tristan in the shoulder spinning him. Tristan took advantage of the spin to slice into its head, bisecting its brain.

He could feel the egg planted in his shoulder, it was uncomfortable, but Tristan did not stop. He charged at the next one, a scythe raked across his cheek, jerking him to the side. Silver blood dripped down his jaw, but he still pressed forward. Both blades were stabbed into the crab, killing it on the spot.

His bones creaked as the feeling of emptiness filled his whole being. It started spreading to his heart. The organ still beat, but the effort needed was extreme. He could not afford to stop now. Tristan traded blows with another two crabs, getting a broken rib and cracked clavicle, but both died for their troubles.

By this point he had killed almost a dozen, but that was only a third of the tier threes available. He ran at the next one, but the tightness on his bones intensified and his shin cracked. Tristan staggered and took a scythe to the face. His nose broke and he recieved a cut just below both eyes. The force threw him to the ground.

He tried to rise, but he just couldn’t. All he could do was close his eyes and embrace the pain. At least getting eaten would hurt less than his bones being placed into a vice and crushed to dust.

Just as he closed his eyes a figure with blond hair and a war pick came into view alongside several others, who were similarly armed. Tristan could only silently mock them. First they let the bridges burn, then they take their sweet time to get here. Then everything went black.