There is a reason Slithereen swordsmanship is considered peerless in the deeps – the Blade Crabs. They are so named partly because their claws are so naturally sharp; but also because on the rare occasion they are seen fighting amongst themselves, their forms seem unusually polished. For the Blade Crabs hold an eerie secret - they absorb the souls of any true swordsmen who die.

During Slithereen training, initiates are sent on a pilgrimage to join with these creatures. At one point in time, Slithice undertook the very same pilgrimage. In the very deepest depths of the most turbulent sea she found her quarry. When she gave it access to her mind, what felt like ages of swordsmanship knowledge coursed in like a wild torrent. For months, she trained in seclusion with her head-mounted mentor. While Slithice grew in her knowledge of the sword, she discovered something else she never would have expected: love.

She would later recount that those months were some of the best of her life. It wasn’t long before Slithice learned the Blade Crabs’ other secret: once they have imparted all of the wisdom of all of the souls they’ve absorbed, they die – freeing those spirits to go where they may.

With that portion of her training concluded, Slithice returned to her formal Slithereen training. But she would never forget the crab who taught her to swing a sword.