"As long as the favor is within my power, I'll grant it," Rajah Sinagtala says.

I smile. This is my chance. Earlier, I got nervous. I heard from Laya that Rajah Sinagtala will be watching, but I thought he'd be watching from afar, not this close. This is a hunting challenge, shouldn't the dignitaries and the Hirayan people be somewhere far away so that they won't be involved if anything untoward happens?

I try to bow, but I almost slip on the blood of the argentavis that is on the rock I am standing on. I look at Migo. He looks guilty at what he had done to the bird. I am surprised as well. I know he can be violent, but not this violent. The Argentavis is trapped and have no way to escape, so there is no need to kill it that way.s

"Migo," I whisper and touch his shoulder. He looks up at me from where he is sitting. "We need to fight that crab," I say, pointing at the crab that is coming to us.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I got afraid."

Who would not? The argentavis is scary in the sky. When it perched on top of the shade house where Renz seemed alone, it is even scarier. Its size is too much. It should only be a few meters, at least, from what we estimated from the sky. However, when it came close, it did not fit the trap we prepared. It was Aian who suggested cutting off its wings, and Migo volunteered to do it. But when he started, the bird bit back at him. Due to surprise, he fell over the shade. Thankfully though, Laya was there to catch and save him from a fifteen meters fall.

"But what's coming to us is much scarier," I say.

The drumming becomes closer. I turn my attention to it. It's not similar to the crabs that I usually eat back home. It has a tail-like protrusion at the back. Somehow, I know I have seen it in pictures before, but I can't remember its name.

"Migo," I say again, this time louder. I look around. How am I going to kill it? It is hard-shelled, and I know the only place that my sword can go through is in its joint, but I'm sure as hell it won't let me do that.

"That looked like a lobster who decided to be a crab," Migo says. Finally, he's back.

"I think you're missing that it also decided to be huge," I respond while noting its dark color with tinges of blue.

I look at the argentavis. Did it smell the argentavis? Is that why it came out?

"It's coming really close. What's the plan now?"

"Let's trap it while it consumes the argentavis or whatever it needs to do."

I point at the opposite side of the bird. We can hide for a bit, and then when it's busy, we can attack. Migo has the club that Laya loaned him, and I have the sword. Maybe we can do it after all. So, I hide in one of the hiding holes in one of the rocks and wait.

As expected, the crab goes to the argentavis, drums and waves its pincers, and suddenly crawls sideways—very fast—towards me. I scream in shock but suddenly stop when I am face to face with the crab. I feel like I have swallowed my screams. It drums its pincers again, this time on my side. It's huge and I know that if the crab decides, it can cut off my limbs. Cold sweat trickles and time seems to stop, but I can't think of anything.

"Jade!" I hear Migo scream.

It's like a wake-up call, but it's too late. The pincer comes and—it hovers. I heard a loud crash, like a hammer banging into a shell, and I understand instantly that the cause is Migo. I crawl away from it and remember that I am still holding the sword.

Another loud thud and the crab's claws are temporarily lifted into the air. When it falls, I need to hit it with my sword.

Another crash, this time it's lifted higher than before. I am about to drive my sword through it when I stop. A greenish sac is under its belly, it seems like an egg sac.

"Jade!" I hear Migo again. This time, he wants me to kill it, but he can't see that it has offspring. I can't—"Jade!" he screams again.

I close my eyes and hit it. I miss. I only hit the side of its belly. The sword goes through, but that leaves me with no weapon. Moreover, the reason I hesitated, the egg sac, still bursts. The eggs spill on the ground on my feet.

The crab hits the rocky ground and produces a hissing sound. I feel afraid and slip again, this time, on slippery eggs. Then it hits me, a memory that should have not been my own. My head hurts and I roll over to lessen the pain—the crab temporarily forgotten.

An image of a belly, mutilated and cut off. An unborn child slipping and falling from my womb. The ground is drenched with blood. And Migo, with a mad look on his face. Then he screams as if he's in too much pain. Somehow, I feel his pain too and I scream with him too. I clutch my head and I confuse which is my reality.

"Jade."

I hear from a distance, but I ignore it, it is much too painful, but I don't know which part of me gives the feeling of pain.

"Jade."

Let it stop! Let the pain stop! I clamp my head between my palms.

"Jade!"

The voice sounds closer yet, my eyes remain closed. Then I am lifted. With no other choice, I open my eyes.

"We need to run and you need to snap out of it."

Migo is carrying me. Somehow, I feel grateful for all the hours he spent in the gym. Then, I remember what we are currently doing.

"My sword..." I whisper.

"Stuck on the lobster-crab."

"Let me off."