After they left Krayli to her own thoughts, Gi followed Jalx around the lake away from Igna. For the first time, he really noticed the land beyond. Every inch of the land that he could see had cracked dry clay. Shriveled ashen trees dotted the barren landscape and only the occasional ash or lava broke the line of sight towards the sky ocean.

Myshk and its verdant land of shadow. Igna and its barren land of fire.

Neither location seemed like something the other would want. It was war for war's sake driven by the First One. Gi ran his fingers over the brand that would force him to fight within five years. The battle from before hadn't been enough to clear it.

As meaningless as the war seemed, what would Gi war for? Danna obviously. His soon-to-be clan of Gang Otters which he'd dubbed the Underbridge Clan. His actions against the Iron Ferret jobbie outside of Rocky's shop had been distasteful to Jalx, but wasn't that the way of monsters? Establish dominance and then paint your own moralities on those beneath you?

As the two of them wandered through the rocky coast, Gi wondered what Siht's moralities looked like. She had enormous power and an incredibly strong clan in the Fighting Drakes. What did she want from her subjects? Perhaps, he'd know as he learned the duties and perks of a Ground Clan.

Jalx suddenly stopped at a piece of the lakeshore that seemed just as barren and empty as any other. Gi looked around, but didn't see any buildings anywhere nearby. He peered into the water, but other than the tops of some of the kelp trees, there was nothing there either.

"Why are we stopping?"

Jalx pointed in front of him and Gi peered around his broad shoulders to see a strange sight. A small bowler hat drifted in a tiny pool that seemed unconnected to the lake. Before Gi could ask more, Jalx spoke up. "Doyle. I've come to collect."

The top of a pinkish crab head popped up underneath the bowler hat. It had two small claws that it kept crossed underneath its eyes as it stared up at Jalx. A sonorous voice like that of an opera singer rang out in their minds.

You think I should repay favors to a dead clan? What type of crab do you think I am?

"An honorable one." A strange clacking of claws erupted which Gi took to mean that Doyle was laughing.

Just so!

The crab erupted out of the small puddle, growing to tower a full head over Jalx. It's main body was crablike as he'd seen, but it had ten long sharp legs that wouldn't have looked out of place on a preying mantis made of swords. Other than the small crossed claws near its eyes, it had two gigantic claws that hung heavy from its body. It's body could have only been possible with advanced stats.

So are we going to rough up a few monsters? Perhaps sip upon a pleasant glass of cider at a tavern afterwards?

Jalx just thumbed back towards Gi. "Actually, I need you to train this one." Doyle loomed over Jalx's head to look Gi up and down before returning his gaze to Jalx.

But compared to the zest of eating, that is boring! What if we go rifle through some Ground Clan wares? Maybe peruse their personal stocks of rare meats and vintage drink, you see?

"He is the Progenitor of a Ground Clan." Gi's already irritated mood soured as Doyle started clacking his claws in amusement.

That illuminates why you want to train him up! He is but a jobbie!

Gi crossed his arms. "This is starting to feel like a waste of time."

Doyle moved instantly. One second, he was clacking away, talking to Jalx. The next, his claw slammed into Gi's chin. Doyle had gotten ridiculously low on his tall legs and followed completely through with the blow. Only Gi's Unique Constitution prevented him from blacking out and his head still swam as he crashed into the rocky shore.

For one of the first times, Jalx released a short chuckle and Gi supposed he deserved that reaction after their conversation earlier. "I'll leave you to it." Then Jalx left.

A blurry crab popped into Gi's vision from where he lay on the ground. A bubble appeared through its terrifying mouth that enveloped Gi before sucking tightly to his person and popping. With the disappearance of the bubble, all the pain and disorientation had disappeared from Gi's head.

"What the hell was that?"

What? The [Bubble Cure] or the uppercut?

"Both?” Gi lumbered to his feet.

A lesson, you see? Monsters tend to be interactive learners. Doyle clacked annoyingly as though he’d just made the most hilarious joke. Sure, Gi had made similar observations about his kind, but he was tired of being the butt of a joke or at the mercy of stronger monsters. Two could teach lessons.

Gi fired off a burst of [Divine Bolt]. Like a screw drilling into a piece of wood, Doyle spun, dodging the entire burst. Somehow during the move, he closed the distance between the two, scrunching down towards the ground. Gi could practically hear his legs flex like a spring poised to release.

“Fu-,” was all Gi got out before another uppercut sent him flying on his back. Three of Doyle appeared above him before collapsing into one as the [Bubble Cure] burst, restoring his senses again. Doyle clacked amusedly.

Maybe Gi had gotten a little over confident after defeating Yom. He was coming to understand that the peaks and the troughs of a Stage were very, very far apart. He had one more thing he wanted to try though.

Gi hopped himself up with tail, a move that wouldn’t have been entirely possible before his Strength reached D. Gi dove in close to Doyle, hanging in low as the crab had. Once inside his guard, he launched upward, propelled by both legs and his tail, and curled his paw into a fist.

His head smashed directly into a crab elbow. His vision swam again, but he managed to stay on his feet. Well, he did until another uppercut rocketed into his chin and Gi, once again, was laid out on the lake shore. After [Bubble Cure] hit, Gi sighed, his anger finally beat out of him until a dull frustration was all that remained.

It felt like no matter how much he succeeded, he was always one step behind. With that thought, a vision of Danna appeared.

Danna lay on a couch with sandwich laid across her overlarge belly as the dopey follower came in from a glass door that led to outside. While Danna was glowing, the dopey follower seemed a little older than most of the visions. A couple of grey hairs were noticeable in his beard.

Danna looked up as he came in and pointed to the sandwich on her stomach. “Look, built in table! The kid’s already paying off.” The dopey follower gave her a smile, but it was a weary one. Danna as observant as always noticed right away. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just tired,” he said and knelt beside her to kiss her forehead.

“Feckman again?” He nodded.

“I have a plan laid out for the sprint, but it changes in the AM. I spend all morning getting people back on that and then he changes the plan again after lunch. My team can’t get anything done because of that. That also leaves absolutely zero time for my own work.”

“Have you tried telling him to fuck off?” The dopey follower raised an eyebrow and she amended. “In Corporate-ese of course.”

“Yeah, he just spouts some nonsense about having to answer to the C level himself and that everyone needs to dig deep. I just can’t keep up and I’m feeling burnt out.”

Danna pulled him in for a hug and she tucked his head underneath her chin. His shoulder was laying over her sandwich, but neither of them seemed to care. “Sounds like there’s no true fix other than leaving the situation.”

“I can’t do that! Not with Noah on the way!”

“I know,” Danna said. “Sometimes, you take the entire world on your shoulders. No one can achieve more than they’re capable of. Just do what you can and try not to let them get under your skin.”

The follower sighed. “If I was more capable, I wouldn’t have this problem though.”

“That’s your father talking through you again. You’re enough. I promise.”

The vision ended and Gi could only see Doyle staring at him with his beady eyes. The vision wasn’t anything that Danna hadn’t expressed to him before, but it was a welcome reminder and eased his agitated heart. He had to focus on what he could do right now which was getting stronger to help bring as many otters home from the Dungeon as possible.

Have you been broken already, my friend?

“No, just figured I’d lay here to have a break from getting punched on the chin.”

Hm. Perhaps you are more intelligent than you appear! Not that I would ever deign to call you such. Doyle clacked wildly as he sidestepped away to give Gi some space to sit up. As annoying as he found this crab, Doyle was clearly skilled.

“Okay, how do I beat you?”

Learn to walk before you swim!

“I’m not sure that’s how it works,” Gi said, getting back to his feet for the third time in the past few minutes.

Of course it is! Show me how you fight! Doyle backed off to give him space. Between that and the fact that he’d already trounced him three times, Gi assumed he wanted something else from him. He thought of how he’d trained with Nori in the Child stage and demonstrated that.

He pointed off across the water and dodged imaginary opponents. He shot [Divine Bolt], weaving back and forth. Not having done this exercise since the Child Stage, he felt that he’d gotten down the complex movement much better than he’d had before. His self admiration fell as Doyle started clacking.

No, no! It’s like someone trained you wrong as a joke. Why are you hopping about and pointing with your finger?

“Danna, give me strength…” Gi muttered before speaking louder. “Try giving some advice instead of just laughing your ass off. You’re supposed to be teaching me here.”

Doyle clacked again, but it was slower like a good natured chuckle. It still pissed Gi off. You are right, my friend. You are right. No one expects a slime to construct a statue, true? Let us start with your stance.

The crab started to poke and prod him. At first, he had him with his hips squared up and one foot ahead of the other. Once he did that, Doyle shook his head with a muttered, so few legs, and then changed it again. This time, he had him turned to the side with his right arm forward. His knees were slightly bent and Gi had a brief understanding from Danna that she considered this a karate pose.

Good, good. You see? Gi didn’t really have a chance to say anything before Doyle started swinging at him. First, a claw barreled towards his face and Gi instinctively shuffled to the right. Since he was standing to the side, he created a much smaller target for his attack.

A much quicker hook hit Gi in the stomach. His tail caught him from falling on his ass, but it didn’t save him when another claw hit him in the back and he sprawled on his stomach.

“What was that for?”

Interactive learning, you see? Any fighting style will have strengths and weaknesses. A lower profile is good, but your legs line up creating a weakness. Trade off, you see? Everything has a trade off.

As much as Gi was convinced that Doyle was just getting his kicks by beating the piss out of him. He did see. He thought back to how Nori had parried Poe’s attacks even while stuck in his [Web Shot]. Her stance had been more square like Doyle’s first attempt and perhaps mimicking that had been Gi's first mistake. He thought of fighting Krayli or another ranged opponent and the leaner profile made much more sense as well.

“I understand,” Gi said. He formed a fist with his injured arm that was tucked in his robe and pressed the other to his back before bowing, giving Doyle the Sign of the Mother as respect. “Please teach me more.”

Shoot your attack.

Gi formed a fist and stuck his finger out to aim, but before he could fire. A claw slammed into the tip of his finger, jamming it. Gi spit out a slew of curses as he cradled his good paw into his chest. Doyle casually threw a [Bubble Cure] on him and started explaining.

Weakness. Easier for you to aim, but an extra vulnerability and slows down your attacks in melee. Can you shoot with your palm or fist?

Taking a deep breath, Gi thought another prayer to Danna for patience before opening his palm and firing out across the lake. Like in the Child Stage, it was more difficult to aim that way and as it sailed across the lake, it drifted far from where he’d aimed. His recent training with the fractured [Divine Bolt] through his palm also didn’t help as it made his instincts all wrong.

“Seems like a shitty tradeoff if I can’t hit a target.”

Truth. However if that can be fixed by practice, it’s a surmountable weakness. You see?

“Point.” Gi fired off again, but it would take a lot more repetition before he got even as accurate as he’d been in the Child Stage. He wished he’d switched up before the battle. There had been plenty of targets there.

Now we fight. Slowly.