《Merchant Crab》


 Chapter 1: Stepping Stones

    ¡°Nothing better than a good nap!¡±


    The sun was at its highest in the sky, and the water of the pond was warm and comfortable on the surface, while cool and refreshing near the bottom. At the center of it all, an old and rugged acacia tree with grayish bark grew out of a small islet, its sparse leaves swaying ever so lightly in the gentle summer breeze. All that could be heard in the morning air were the birds singing, and the calm, continuous flow of water rolling down the cliff-side rocks.


    Right by the edge of the pond, a steady stream of little bubbles would occasionally surface from where the large crab had buried himself, leaving just the top of his gray carapace exposed to the sun¡¯s rays.


    ¡°I would not trade this for anything.¡±


    Balthazar was big and hard-shelled, truly a magnificent specimen to behold, but one that still appreciated life¡¯s small pleasures, such as peacefully napping in the water while the sun warmed his back in the afternoon, or angrily snapping his claws at the small birds that landed around his pond in the morning. Napping and snapping, that was the life.


    And life was good at the little corner of paradise that was his pond, a modest waterfall feeding it from the much larger river that surrounded the snowcapped mountain above, the imposing branches of the central tree overlooking the peaceful surface, as a myriad of fish swam below and insects buzzed above it. And no one to disturb Balthazar¡¯s solitude.


    Except for the occasional birds.


    The pesky, smug little feathery balls, mocking him from high up. He¡¯d nab one, some day, and that would show them.


    There were no other crabs at that pond, only Balthazar. Ever since he could remember, it had just been him. And he had no complaints, that¡¯s how he liked it.


    Better alone than in bad company, he always said.


    To himself.


    Because it¡¯s not like he had anyone else to say it to.


    He wasn¡¯t the sociable type, he didn¡¯t want to have to share his favorite sunbathing spots. Having company was highly overrated.


    He was a crab, after all. He had no concept of boredom. No, of course not. That was beneath him.


    Just as the lonely crustacean was dozing off, amid thrilling thoughts of what color of fish he would snack on later, something nearby disturbed Balthazar¡¯s rest.


    Stomping echoed into his shell and jolted him away from his pondering. Rolling his eyes from under the sand, he tried to shake off the blurriness of the sunlight. The stomping continued growing louder, now accompanied by the rattling of metals. It was getting closer, and it was coming from the road.


    Growing irritated, the sleepy crab raised himself from his muddy resting spot, just enough for his eyes to surface and spy his surroundings.


    A figure was fumbling his way up the stony path that crossed in front of the pond, erratically swaying to the left one moment, and then to the right the next, struggling to keep a straight line forward under the weight of a massive pack sitting atop his shoulders, nearly the same size as the man himself. The leather sack was almost bursting at the seams, with all manner of clutter sticking out of it from every side, from pointy weapon handles, to rolled up fabrics of unknown types.


    ¡°Adventurers. Urgh.¡±


    Of all bothersome types, Balthazar held a special disdain for adventurers. Only slightly below birds. Maybe.


    He would see them from afar now and then, traveling up and down the rocky road, always loud and proud, stomping left and right, in a trot, as if they were in a rush to go somewhere. He never understood where anyone could possibly need to go so often and so hastily. Sometimes alone, sometimes in a group. Some wore colorful clothes and leathers, others bulky metals, but they were always a nuisance to his peace.


    They hardly ever bothered him directly, as they had little reason to come down to the water on their way to¡­ whatever it was their kind did. Sometimes one would stray off the path and come down to the shore, but they would quickly scan their surroundings, see nothing that interested them, and return to the road. The rudeness of just walking up to someone¡¯s home, checking it out, and then leaving without so much as a proper greeting to the gracious host who generously allowed their presence. Not that he needed their greetings, of course, but still, manners and all.


    The man continued making his way up the road, or at least trying to, slowly. He was wearing a dull metal helmet that resembled the bottom of a kettle, with its strap hanging loose under his sweating chin, a mismatched set of leather pieces protecting most of his body, and a pair of almost worn out tall boots with cheap metal plates covering his shins.


    Balthazar was finding it entertaining to take bets with himself on whether the next wild sway to the side would be the one that would finally topple the overburdened adventurer, as he desperately tried kicking a leg in the opposite direction to counterbalance the weight. If he eventually won the bet, he would pay himself up with a nice fishy treat afterwards. And if he lost the bet¡­ well, he¡¯d still have to pay himself with that treat anyway. Such were the perks of betting with yourself, you could never lose. ¡°Heh, clever,¡± Balthazar thought to himself, with a soft tap of his claw to the top of his shell.


    As the adventurer neared the pond, Balthazar noticed his erratic path veering him closer to the shore the observing crab was resting on.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m just going to pretend I don¡¯t see him there, he will walk on by like all the others, and then everything will be nice and quiet again,¡± the crab told himself, while submerging his body back into the sand, one eye left sticking out to follow the figure of the man.


    The man tried to keep a steady pace, avoiding the puddles that challenged him, carefully choosing each step while grumbling between grinding teeth.


    ¡°Curse this encumbrance debuff!¡± the adventurer exclaimed to himself. ¡°I hate, hate carrying capacity mechanics! But I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯m going to drop any of this loot. No, no, no, no, if I¡¯ve made it this far, then I¡¯ll make it back into town. These bull horns may be heavy, but I¡¯m sure they will fetch me a good price. They have to. Just a little more and I¡¯ll make it¡­¡± With angry determination, he adjusted the leather straps of his pack, pulling the overwhelming weight back up onto his shoulders, and landed one trembling step forward on the next stone.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    As Balthazar watched the adventurer¡¯s approach from under the water, he kept internally willing him to lean in the other direction.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, you fool¡­¡± the crab kept muttering. ¡°Go away¡­¡±


    The heavy stomping kept resonating closer, one foot on a rock, another on solid dirt, skipping over the puddles.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not¡ª¡±


    Balthazar buckled within his shell as his body caved into the sand under the weight of the overburdened man, who had just stepped on his shell as if it was just another rock. And just as soon as he felt himself pushed down, the weight lifted and the rude boot carried on stepping forward to the next stone, as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°That does it!¡±


    It¡¯s not as if the weight of the man even hurt him. No, he was a big, strong, hard-shelled crab, he could take it. The damage wasn¡¯t physical, the damage was to his pride.


    With a rushing stream of bubbles, Balthazar lifted himself from his lair, emerging from the surface with the anger of an ancient sea monster being awakened off the deepest of oceans from a centuries long slumber, water rolling down the sides of his shell, determination in his beady eyes.


    As the mighty lord of that domain turned to the foolish offender, the man continued trying to find his footing on the nearby rocks, still clueless about his rude behavior. The crab stood proudly on all of his eight legs, tall enough to pass a grown man¡¯s waist, and twice as wide, two thick pincers flexed in front of himself in an intimidating manner he knew to always strike fear into the hearts of all the songbirds that dared land on his shell.


    ¡°Take that!¡±


    Balthazar lifted his right claw up in the air, the bright light of the sun shining on it like an instrument of righteous vindication, and with one swift downward motion he took a swipe at the man¡¯s right shin, the metal plate protecting it crumpling between his claw.


    ¡°What the¡ªOW!¡± the adventurer cried, as he tried to turn around and face the consequences of his own actions, but with his right leg firmly held in place by the mighty pincer of karma, he finally lost his balance.


    With widening eyes, the doomed adventurer found himself falling over to the side, his helmet flying off his head, surprise and shock painted on his expression, as he was diving face first into a group of rocks that cluttered the sides of the pond.


    The adventurer¡¯s head hit the stones with a loud crack, his ugly helmet splashed onto the water and floated upside down, his leather pack finally burst open spilling its contents everywhere, and the crab stood there, claw still tightly holding the man¡¯s now limp ankle. He stared down, slightly confused, and gave it a small shake, as if looking for a reaction.


    ¡°Well, serves him right!¡± Balthazar finally said, letting go of the leg.


    The rudeness of these adventurers. Not only do they run up and down the path in front of his pond all day with no consideration for how much of a disturbance they cause, but now they would even step on him like some common stone on the road? No way, he would not take that lying down, even if that was his favorite position to be for most of the day.


    Balthazar turned and looked at the aftermath of the ruptured pack. There were all sorts of random trinkets and doodads scattered around his precious slice of heaven. A large cooking pot had landed upside down on the road, a sword that went flying was now firmly stuck with its tip between some rocks, books of all types scattered by the shore, and even some form of undergarments had somehow gotten stuck all the way up on a branch of the central tree, blowing in the wind like an embarrassing flag.


    An absolute mess. The more he looked, the more chaos he spotted.


    ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done, you idiot!¡± Balthazar poked angrily at the sole of the adventurer¡¯s boot. As was to be expected, he gave no response. Typical irresponsible adventurer behavior.


    As he was shaking his shell in disapproval at the man whose face remained firmly buried between the rocks like some lazy child who didn¡¯t want to wake up in the morning, Balthazar¡¯s eyes caught something, a hint of a glint, something small shining from a small brown purse lying on the ground near to where they both were. The sunlight was hitting it directly and reflecting in an even more intense yellow that was ever so captivating for the crab. He had always loved shiny things. Ever since he was a wee little crab playing around in the sand, anything that shined brightly would always grab his attention. He had a very dull childhood, one could say.


    As he approached the mysterious source of the glow, he saw it was not one thing, but multiple items that had spilled out of the purse. Perfectly round, thick slices of a yellow metal with some kind of figure carved on its surface, all identical in size, shape, and design. Balthazar had never seen such a thing before, but he knew in that moment that they were simply¡­ beautiful.


    With the care and precision his massive pincers allowed, he started dutifully pushing his precious new treasures back into the purse, where their beautiful glint couldn¡¯t capture anyone else¡¯s greedy eye.


    The crab turned and scanned the treetops, his eyes squinting in suspicion. They were there, always there, with their bird¡¯s-eye view, watching and plotting. He knew it well enough, but not this time, little ones, not this time.


    As he turned back to the now closed purse, he saw something else fall out of the adventurer¡¯s pack. Some kind of rolled up tube of a smooth, pale material. It didn¡¯t shine or reflect any light, but it still looked curious. It also didn¡¯t look much like food to him, but he reached one arm forward to get a feel for what that peculiar thing might be.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Balthazar screamed, and jumped a couple of paces back, which in itself was quite the surprising event, seeing as until then he didn¡¯t even know crabs could jump.


    But the bigger surprise came from the mysterious roll, which had reacted to his claw¡¯s touch by lifting itself up into the air, hovering slightly above the ground, while glowing with an intense, humming white light.


    This crab had seen many crazy things in his life, but never anything like this.


    Fine, maybe he hadn¡¯t exactly seen that many crazy things in his mostly sheltered life spent sunbathing in a pond, but even then, he was quite certain that ranked fairly high in terms of insane things to happen to a crab.


    Despite his apprehension, Balthazar slowly approached the glowing item again. After all, it wasn¡¯t doing anything, except hover there and ruin the decor.


    His curiosity took charge, and he stretched a firm, clenched pincer towards the object a second time. He touched it, and a slight shiver ran down his arm, as the tube unrolled itself, revealing a white, bright page, and a set of words appeared, glowing on its surface:


    [Scroll of Character Creation]


    [Allocate attribute points: 10]

 Chapter 2: Ascending and Descending

    Balthazar remained immobile, staring at the bright, glowing object floating in front of him, one arm still outstretched, as if frozen in time, his eyes dilated, his mouth slightly ajar, as the unfurled roll¡¯s light continued to shine over him, with a soft, low humming sound.


    He was in utter shock. It was simply unbelievable, yet¡­ there it was. How could it possibly be? The confusion and questions bubbling up his thoughts into a turmoil, until they finally reached the breaking point and he broke out of his catatonic state.


    ¡°Since when can I freaking read?!¡± the crab finally said, an involuntary squeal coming out of him as his tensed up appendages stretched out in an expression of exasperation.


    Balthazar was sure he had learned many useful things in his life, such as how to roll perfectly round balls of sand, or the most efficient way to slice an apple with his pincer, but reading was absolutely not one of them, yet now he found himself perfectly able to read the words right in front of him as if it was the most natural thing ever. Well, it damn well wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°And what¡¯s this nonsense supposed to be about anyway?¡± Balthazar wondered, approaching the glowing scroll in order to inspect the words closer. ¡°Attribute points?¡±


    As he neared the mysterious item, a few more lines appeared on the surface. Balthazar raised his eye stalks in curious surprise and read the new words. Still without a clue how he was doing that.


    [Scroll of Character Creation]


    [Allocate attribute points: 10]


    [Name: Balthazar]


    [Race: Crab]


    [Class: Undefined]


    [Strength: 3] [+]


    [Agility: 2] [+]


    [Intelligence: 1] [+]


    He read the lines once, twice, and then again. Not because he was finding his newly found reading abilities fun, but because he was trying to process what all that was supposed to mean. And maybe also because he was finding reading to be kind of fun.


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± he said, pointing at himself with his right claw, ¡°that¡¯s me. And I am certainly a crab, that much I know. I don¡¯t know what a ¡®class¡¯ is, but apparently neither does this thing.¡±


    The crab scratched his chin with his pincer, pondering on the rest of the text.


    ¡°Strength, agility, and intelligence,¡± he repeated to himself, ¡°yep, those are all things I have. But these values next to them¡­ are they supposed to represent how much of each I have?¡±


    Balthazar felt a slight outrage within him.


    ¡°I¡¯m strong, no doubt about it,¡± He said, puffing himself up, ¡°Am I as agile as I am strong? Maybe not, but still pretty agile, I¡¯d say. But¡­ 1 Intelligence? What is that supposed to mean?!¡±


    Was the scroll calling him dumb? Balthazar had half a mind to give the thin piece of parchment a good snip and show it who was the dumb one there. But then again, clawing angrily at an¡ªapparently¡ªinanimate object sounded quite dumb, so he restrained himself.


    ¡°Hmm, 10 points¡­¡± he slowly considered, ¡°so does that mean that if I press this¡­¡±


    Reluctantly, Balthazar touched the plus sign next to the Intelligence level on the scroll, and the value changed from 1 to 2.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, with excitement in his eyes. ¡°And I still have nine points left now.¡±


    The crab crossed his arms in deep consideration.


    ¡°I could spread them evenly,¡± he began, opening one arm in one direction, as if weighing an invisible object. ¡°Or I could focus on one attribute.¡±


    He stared back at his Intelligence value on the scroll, the low number taunting him.


    ¡°Ah, to hell with it, calling me dumb!¡± the crab shouted, throwing both claws up angrily.


    With fierce determination, he tapped the sign next to the Intelligence stat until there were no attribute points left.


    [Scroll of Character Creation]


    [Allocate attribute points: 0]


    [Name: Balthazar]


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    [Race: Crab]


    [Class: Undefined]


    [Strength: 3]


    [Agility: 2]


    [Intelligence: 11]


    [Confirm?]


    ¡°Damn right I confirm,¡± Balthazar said proudly. ¡°I confirm that I¡¯m intelligent as hell, baby.¡±


    With a smug look, he reached out with his pincer and touched the confirmation prompt on the scroll.


    ¡°Gah!¡±


    A torrent of invading thoughts rammed into the crab¡¯s brain like a speeding truck had just hit him. His body felt as if being struck by lightning, and a million questions assaulted his mind. Questions such as ¡°what is the meaning of life?¡± or ¡°what the hell is a truck?¡± ran through him at dizzying speeds.


    And just as quick as it started, the feeling subsided all at once, leaving a prostrated crab on the ground, each leg spread in a different direction, mouth drooling off the side, eyes still spinning.


    ¡°I did not enjoy that,¡± Balthazar said, while trying to stand up and regain his composure.


    The scroll had rolled itself back and dropped on the sand, immobile, as if it had been nothing more than a harmless object. Balthazar poked at it a couple of times, but with no results.


    As he lifted his eyes from the cursed thing, Balthazar gazed upon his surroundings¡ªthe pond, with its calm, rippling water, the ancient, wise tree overseeing it, the many moss-covered boulders around him, the open plains stretching far into the horizon in front of his eyes, the warm, powerful sunlight hitting his face, forcing him to put a claw up to shield himself from the brightness¡ªall of it, he was taking it in as if for the first time, and with a sigh he felt like¡­


    ¡°Nope, everything feels the same,¡± the crab said with a shrug.


    He turned around, grabbed the small pouch containing the shiny metal circles with one pincer, picked up the scroll with the other, and started walking towards the small patch of land at the center of the pond, where the large tree was.


    ¡°What an absolute waste of time,¡± he complained, while carefully holding his arms up to not get the pouch and scroll wet as he crossed the shallow waters.


    ¡°For now, I¡¯ll be keeping these safe here,¡± Balthazar said, while depositing the two items inside the small hole in the ground where he kept all his precious belongings: his collection of oddly shaped pebbles and a dried up pine cone he used to play with in his younger days. All covered up with a flat piece of driftwood, guaranteed to keep nosy birds out. Not really the safest of spots to keep things, now that he really thought about it.


    ¡°I could have at least gained something from that traumatizing experience,¡± Balthazar continued, while crossing back to the other side. ¡°But no, I can¡¯t even seem to read anymore.¡±


    He held up one of the books that had spilled over from the adventurer¡¯s pack and stared at its cover, puzzled, trying to make sense of each unknown glyph written upon it, but with no success.


    ¡°Bah, pointless!¡±


    With one frustrated thrust, he threw the book, which landed squarely on the stones at the edge of the road.


    Looking back at the dead adventurer still lying between his bed of rocks, burst pack hanging loose from his shoulders, the crab released one more sigh.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re surely not going to help me clean up this mess, are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    Balthazar jumped in place, startled by the loud exclamation.


    As he turned, he saw a young, skinny man wearing long gray robes and a tall pointy hat rushing up the road from the same direction the recently deceased (by his own fault) adventurer had arrived earlier.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it,¡± the overly excited young man said, ¡°it really is a Tome of Levitation!¡±


    The odd fellow picked up the book Balthazar had cast aside just moments before off the ground and marveled at it, holding it with arms stretched, mouth open into a goofy smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for one for ages, and then I find it just like this, at a randomly generated roadside event of all places.¡±


    The man was so captivated by the book in his hand that he was completely ignoring the fact that there was a crab standing not too far off to the side, staring at him in confusion and disbelief.


    As if this day hadn¡¯t been bizarre enough so far, Balthazar now had to put up with yet another lunatic adventurer.


    The young man began frantically leafing through the pages of the book, his eyes darting from one direction to the other, running through the length of each page like someone afraid the book would be taken away from him at any moment.


    It was nice that at least he seemed able to read it. Balthazar pondered whether he should try to approach and learn more about the mysterious texts, or simply hope the annoyingly excitable man would just leave on his own, when the loud slamming sound of the book being closed cut his thoughts short.


    ¡°Eureka! Ha-ha-ha! I finally have it,¡± the young man said excitedly, book still in one hand, while shaking the other wrist out of his oversized sleeve and assuming a ready stance.


    Balthazar watched as he murmured something unintelligible, snapped his fingers, and slowly began rising from the ground, as if being lifted by the shoulders.


    ¡°Magnificent!¡± the young man roared as he continued ascending.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Balthazar said to himself, as he continued watching the robed figure going up, already floating higher than the top of the old tree of the pond.


    Balthazar wasn¡¯t exactly jealous of the man, not only because he had never really wished to fly¡ªflying was for puny birds, not for mighty crabs¡ªbut also because if he was going to feel anything of that sort it would be envy, not jealousy. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure when or how he had learned the difference between those two, but that didn¡¯t really matter right then, because something else up above was recapturing Balthazar¡¯s attention.


    The small figure in the sky had changed demeanor and had gone from excited joy to frantic concern.


    ¡°Oh crap, crap, crap,¡± the young man shouted, ¡°what was the duration of this thing? I didn¡¯t even check.¡±


    He was quickly turning the pages of the book back and forth, desperately looking for what he couldn¡¯t find, while trying to maintain his balance with no surface to hang on to.


    ¡°Please tell me this also gave me immunity to fall damage, please, please, please,¡± he pleaded to nobody in particular.


    Balthazar watched from below with one claw in front of his non-existent forehead and his eyes squinting with equally nonexistent eyelids.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± the speck far up in the sky echoed in frustration, ¡°where is the part about maneuvering this stupid¡ªoh no.¡±


    Without warning, the slow ascension ceased, being replaced with the high-pitched screams of the robed young man as the gravity of the situation came down on him, just as he was now coming down towards the ground at an alarming speed.


    ¡°Heh, the gravity of the situation,¡± Balthazar chuckled to himself. ¡°Nice one.¡±


    The crab focused back on the falling figure just in time to watch him slam into the ground with a loud crash and a cloud of dust, the book flying off and landing in one direction, and his pointy hat in another.


    Balthazar approached the mangled figure now carved into the ground slowly and gave his foot a small shake.


    ¡°Well, this one is not flying again anytime soon.¡±


    Just as Balthazar finished his sentence, a bright, bold block of text popped out of nowhere in front of his sight, causing him to stumble back and fall upside down on his shell, squeaking in a fright.


    ¡°WHAT! GET AWAY! SHOO!¡±


    He desperately waved his claws all over, punching nothing but air, while trying to tilt himself back onto his feet.


    Once the crab finally regained his footing, he continued looking in all directions, trying to shake off the intruder in his eyes, but no matter where he looked, the text followed.


    [Opponent killed, experience gained]


    [Level 7 Wizard slain by [cleverly placed trap]]


    [You have reached Level 2!]


    ¡°Now I can read again?!¡±

 Chapter 3: Easy as Pie

    As Balthazar regained his breath and composed himself, looking around to ensure no birds or adventurers were around to laugh at his embarrassing moment, he focused back on the floating text covering the center of his eyesight. It was similar to the one from the scroll, except that had existed as if projected from the parchment, floating in the air, while this was clearly inside Balthazar¡¯s eyes, as every time he tried to grab at it his claw did nothing but pinch the empty air in front of him.


    [Opponent killed, experience gained]


    ¡°Opponent?! And what in the world is this ¡®experience¡¯ anyway?¡± the crab asked, puzzled.


    [Level 7 Wizard slain by [cleverly placed trap]]


    ¡°Wizard¡­ that must be this guy,¡± he said, tapping the tip of the wizard¡¯s shoe, who remained firmly stuck in his crater. ¡°And what does this mean? What trap?¡±


    Balthazar raised his eye stalks in realization, looked around, first at the dead wizard, then up at the sky where he had been floating just moments ago, and finally at the book that was now lying back on the ground, not too far off from where he had tossed it before the young man appeared.


    ¡°Is this thing blaming me for his death?¡± Balthazar finally said. ¡°Hey now, wait just a moment, I didn¡¯t¡­ I couldn¡¯t possibly know¡­ it was his own fault. I did nothing!¡±


    He paced from side to side, the words in front of him unchanging, ignoring his pleas of innocence.


    [You have reached Level 2!]


    ¡°And what¡¯s this supposed to mean?¡± Balthazar said, finally focusing on the last line of text.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what a level was supposed to mean here, only that whatever it was, the wizard had been a seven, which Balthazar knew was more than two. Yes, he may have been just a crab, but he still knew how to count, it¡¯s a vital skill to anyone with as many legs as he has, never know when you might get into a scuffle and walk away unsure if you still got all your appendages.


    ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t look that superior to me now,¡± the crab said with a disdainful look at the young wizard¡¯s twisted expression of horror still stuck to his face.


    ¡°Again, not that it was me who did this to him, of course!¡± he hurriedly added, to nobody in particular.


    The block of text remained in his sight, and Balthazar began wondering if it would ever go away, or if he was stuck like that forever. Whatever it was, it was inside his head, inside his mind, so he tried to concentrate on pushing it away. The task would have been so much easier if he had the ability to blink.


    Just as Balthazar began considering rubbing his eyes in the sand, his focus on the last line of text caused a small click and the words disappeared with a smooth slide to the side, as a new block appeared from the opposite direction:


    [Level 2]


    [Attribute Points: 1]


    [Skill Points: 1]


    [Strength: 3] [+]


    [Agility: 2] [+]


    [Intelligence: 11] [+]


    [Skills]


    ¡°Huh, this again,¡± Balthazar said, staring out into the open, reading the new words only he could see.


    He scanned each line carefully, rubbing his chin with the back of one claw.


    ¡°These attributes I¡¯ve seen before, but skills are something new. And it would seem like I can increase one of these three again.¡±


    He pondered on whether he should select Strength this time, but he never felt himself to be weak. He was the strongest around, no fish or bird ever dared stand up to him. And clearly, even these pesky adventurers were no match for him. One met his own demise after Balthazar did nothing more than give him an attitude-correcting pinch, and now this thing in front of him had just claimed he killed that wizard without so much as even touching him. He was clearly a powerhouse. He didn¡¯t need to be stronger.


    He could go for Agility, but he also failed to come up with a reason why he would need to be more agile. He already was agile enough to catch his lunch every day in his favorite feeding puddle. Sure, he never caught any of the annoying little feathery pests that provoked him on the daily, but that wasn¡¯t due to lack of agility, it was just because they could fly, and that was obviously cheating.


    The more he thought about it, the more he concluded that Intelligence was once again the way to go. You could never have too much of the stuff. Just look at that wizard guy. He was clearly very focused on Intelligence, with all that speed reading, magic casting, and whatever, yet, look where that landed him. He wasn¡¯t smart enough to avoid falling to his doom. Clearly, you could always use being a bit more intelligent.


    ¡°That settles it,¡± Balthazar said, and with redoubled focus, he concentrated on the plus sign next to his Intelligence level, making it tick up from eleven to twelve.


    As he was focusing his sight on the option, something behind it caught his attention, a reflection of light coming from the young wizard¡¯s chest. Tilting himself slightly to look around the text, he spotted something small in between the folds of the wizard¡¯s robes.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Excited at the possibility of finding more of those beautiful, shiny pieces of metal he stashed away with the scroll earlier, Balthazar navigated his way around the small crater, trying to see his path while still having the attributes screen taking a portion of his view. With great care, he reached a pincer into the dead man¡¯s robe in order to retrieve the source of the reflection.


    As he pulled his arm back, he found what it brought between his pincers: a single, small, perfectly circular piece of transparent glass within a delicate silver rim, with a thin chain hanging from it.


    ¡°What¡¯s this thing supposed to be?¡± Balthazar asked himself, looking down at the strange item between the many words still floating in front of him.


    ¡°Come on,¡± a man¡¯s voice said from down the road, ¡°we¡¯re almost there, we can make it.¡±


    Balthazar broke into a small panic, feeling like someone being caught with their pants down, which was an odd choice of feeling for someone who had never worn pants in their life.


    He turned to the dead wizard, then to the other dead adventurer, the tiny lens in his claw, the attributes screen still covering his eyes, and the crab didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°I wish at least this damnable thing wasn¡¯t blocking my view,¡± he said, vigorously shaking his shell. As he did it, the block of text flew down his field of view, disappearing into a tiny upward arrow that now sat at the very corner of Balthazar¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t so difficult,¡± he said, turning to look down the road, where the top of two adventurer¡¯s heads were coming into view.


    Looking back at his right claw, still holding the strange small object he looted from the wizard, Balthazar darted towards the center tree, hurriedly crossing the water and reaching for his hidden stash. With a quick motion, he lifted the chunk of wood covering it and tossed the piece of glass inside where the small purse and scroll already were. He moved the makeshift cover back down before stopping and staring at the tree¡¯s bark.


    ¡°What am I doing?¡± he said. ¡°I did nothing wrong. I don¡¯t owe anyone anything. Those two idiots out there got themselves killed, and it¡¯s not like I was looting the dead or anything. Well, maybe just a little, but that¡¯s exactly what those adventurers do all day. Who are they to judge?¡±


    Balthazar turned back to face the road.


    ¡°Besides, they¡¯re the ones who keep stepping on my residence, causing all sorts of chaos and mess, dying all over the place, like this is their home. Well, it¡¯s not, and if they¡¯re going to keep trespassing, I say it¡¯s only fair whatever they leave behind becomes my property, as a form of compensation, if nothing else.¡±


    As the now fully determined crab looked back at the road, he saw the duo of adventurers now walking the path in full view. They both carried large leather packs on their backs, not as large as the one the first adventurer from earlier had, but still full and heavy enough to make them show signs of strain while carrying them.


    The one at the front was a young man with dark brown hair that looked like he had been wearing a helmet for hours for how messy it was. Sturdy steel armor covered most of his body, and he had a bold smile on his face that matched his confident walk.


    Right behind him was a young woman, wearing a mix of leather and steel, slightly lighter brown hair tied into a ponytail, and a much less enthusiastic expression on her sweating face that matched her slouched posture as she struggled to continue walking.


    ¡°You promised this was going to be a quick run, Jack,¡± the young woman said. ¡°It¡¯s been two days now, and we¡¯re only going back because we can¡¯t carry any more loot. I swear, this is the last¡­ hey, are you even listening?¡±


    The young man was clearly not paying her any attention, as he struggled to step on top of two stones, trying to get closer to one of the swords that had gone flying out of the bursting pack earlier, the one that was stuck between two large rocks.


    ¡°Leah, look, it¡¯s an enchanted sword!¡± he exclaimed, pointing at the sword, which seemed to have a thin layer of color glowing across the surface of its blade, waving and pulsating slowly.


    ¡°Oh, come on, you know we¡¯re overburdened as is,¡± his partner said, taking a step around the body of the adventurer with the ruptured pack whose face remained firmly planted into the rocks, ¡°do you want to end up like this guy?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, but I can¡¯t let this opportunity pass, I have a good feeling about this one,¡± Jack said, without looking back, and while trying to devise a way to better reach the rocks holding the sword in place.


    ¡°I¡¯m not carrying it, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Leah declared, with the expression of someone who was already tired of the situation.


    Balthazar was still standing on his small islet at the center of the pond, watching the pair bickering, annoyance growing in him.


    He was really getting tired of all those adventurers. First one steps on him and spills trash all over his beautiful home, then another comes by and decides to make an ugly crater in his front garden, and now those two show up, ignore him completely, and begin pillaging his residence? It might have been trash, but it was his trash now, and this crab just about had it with their kind. No more standing idly by, expecting things to sort themselves out. He was taking matters into his own hands. Claws. Pincers. Whatever! He was going to show he¡¯s not a crab to be messed with!


    With determination in his eyes and shell held high, Balthazar stepped across the shallow water to the edge of the pond, and straight towards the steel-clad man trying to reach the sword still stuck in the stones.


    ¡°Hey, you, listen here,¡± the crab shouted at the young man, ¡°I¡¯ve had a very stressful day, and my patience is running thin, so you and your friend better scram and leave my stuff alone!¡±


    The two adventurers turned their heads to face the angry crab.


    ¡°Look what you¡¯ve done,¡± Leah said, ¡°now you aggroed a crab on us.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ why is it squealing and waving its arms like that?¡± the man asked, confused.


    ¡°How should I know? Do I look like I speak crab?¡± she responded.


    ¡°Fiends! No manners! No respect!¡± the crab continued.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go, I¡¯m way too exhausted to fight even just a crab,¡± the tired woman said over the crab¡¯s continuous squealing.


    ¡°Wait, hold on, I think I have an idea,¡± said the confident adventurer.


    ¡°So you leave my stuff where it is, take yourselves up that road to wherever you were going, and leave my pond alone!¡± Balthazar said, agitation spilling from him.


    But it was to no avail. He could tell they weren¡¯t understanding a thing of what he was saying. He knew already that adventurers weren¡¯t exactly the brightest kind, as demonstrated by the two previous specimens already cluttering his residence, but he hadn¡¯t realized their education was so appallingly bad that they didn¡¯t even learn crab language. Truly a primitive and simpleton race, they were.


    While Balthazar reflected on the faults of the adventurer education system, the young man in front of him had taken his pack off, placed it on the ground, and was now squatting down, hastily looking for something within it.


    The crab put both of his claws up and tensed up his legs. So there was to be a fight, it seemed. He had already dispatched two adventurers today (sort of), what was one more to add to the list (surely the one by the road would run away in fear once she saw him defeat her friend, right?), all he had to do was give him a good slash and a smash (through his solid steel armor¡­ that sure looked pretty thick, now that he looked at it up close).


    Balthazar began wondering if tossing that book the wizard picked up earlier would work a second time.


    ¡°Aha! Here it is,¡± the smiling man said, pulling something out of his bag.


    As he stood up from his pack, he held a small object in his right hand, wrapped in a simple white cloth, and began unwrapping it with his left hand.


    ¡°Here you go, buddy, don¡¯t be grumpy. I¡¯ll trade you this for that sword. How¡¯s that?¡± Jack offered, with a wide smile on his face, as he placed the open cloth down on the ground in front of the crab.


    Balthazar stood with claws still ready, cautiously looking at what the man had just laid out in front of him, when a smell reached him, a smell he had never felt before, but that filled him with the purest of joys and happiness. He did not know what that triangular piece of soft looking¡­ something was, but he instantly knew he must taste it.


    Completely disregarding the two adventurers, Balthazar lunged forward at the unknown piece of food and tore a small piece of it off with the tip of his pincer, and brought it up to his mouth. The whole world turned brighter around him and he was sure stars could be seen dancing in his eyes. It was soft and slightly humid, with the tiniest crumbly feeling on his tongue. And the taste¡­ he had tasted fruits before, from bushes and small trees around the area, when the season was right, but this was like something else entirely. Sweet, smooth, with a rush at every bite.


    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re feeding apple pie to the crab?¡± the female adventurer said to her partner with disdain.


    ¡°It worked, didn¡¯t it?¡± he responded. ¡°Look how happy he is with it.¡±


    Without the weight of his pack, the young man climbed up to the stone where the sword was, and with an imposing posture stuck both of his feet firmly to his sides, grasping the hilt with both hands, and with a sharp exhale pulled the blade out of the rocks, lifting it up to the skies with his right hand, its edge shining against the sunlight, a huge victory smile stamped on his face.


    ¡°Yay, hooray, congratulations, chosen one, wahoo,¡± his companion said in a sarcastic tone. ¡°Can we go now?¡±


    ¡°Mock all you want, I¡¯m telling you, I have a good feeling about this sword,¡± Jack said with conviction, while jumping down from the rocks. ¡°And yes, let¡¯s go now.¡±


    As the two adventurers carried on up the road, Balthazar finished eating his slice of pie, no longer caring about them or any silly sword. That had been a life-changing experience. He felt a satisfaction he had never experienced before. His mouth could still taste the subtle delight that had just gone through it. All he wanted to do was lie down, take a nap, and dream about that delicious treat.


    As he smiled and his vision began to blur, a sudden block of glowing text assaulted his eyes:


    [High-value item traded. Experience gained.]


    [[Sword of Heavy Might] traded for [Slice of Apple Pie]]


    [You have reached Level 3!]


    ¡°Gah! Son of a...¡±

 Chapter 4: Skill Issues

    ¡°Pie!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s what the delicious thing was called. It was apple pie!¡±


    Shaking himself fully awake again, he stared at the new level up prompt in front of his eyes, slowly moving away from the central focus of his attention, the pie, and to the rest of the words.


    ¡°So I can level up from trading things too?¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s good to know, I guess. Was that sword that special that it warranted me gaining all that experience? No, surely not. It must have been the pie. It was clearly some kind of divine item.¡±


    Looking back at the text, Balthazar tried focusing the same way he did before, in order to bring up the next screen. With a smooth slide, the increasingly familiar stats presented themselves again:


    [Level 3]


    [Attribute Points: 1]


    [Skill Points: 2]


    [Strength: 3] [+]


    [Agility: 2] [+]


    [Intelligence: 12] [+]


    [Skills]


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I completely forgot about this whole skills thing, thanks to those two.¡±


    Figuring he might as well stick to his winning strategy, Balthazar bumped his Intelligence up to 13.


    ¡°Now let¡¯s see what this is all about,¡± he muttered, while focusing his eyes on the [Skills] option.


    The previous text moved out of the way, and from above, as if cascading in front of his eyes, a stream of many small text cells began sliding in front of him.


    ¡°This is a lot. I¡¯m not even sure what half of these are.¡±


    The options were so many they wouldn¡¯t fit within his field of view all at once, scrolling down as his eyes reached the bottom each time. Obvious things such as [Archery], or [Carpentry], but also strange ones, like [Dark Magic] and [Necromancy]. And what in the world was [Knitting]?


    While scanning through the many skills, a few stood out to him, as they were listed at the top, and marked differently:


    [Medium Armor: B]


    [Fishing: C]


    [Slashing Weapons: C]


    Skipping down the list, he noticed everything else marked with an ¡°F¡± instead. Balthazar wondered what those letters were supposed to mean, and just as he began considering possible F-words, a small label on the top right of his view conveniently caught his attention.


    [Skill ranks, highest to lowest: S>A>B>C>D>F]


    Still unsure what the letters actually meant, he at least now knew what they represented. Returning to the top of the list, he reflected on his top skills.


    ¡°Fishing¡­ I suppose that makes sense, I¡¯ve been fishing for most of my life. Medium Armor,¡± he said, while giving the top of his hard shell a small knock with his claw, ¡°that tracks too. And Slashing Weapons¡­¡± he looked at his two mighty pincers, ¡°that fits as well.¡±


    Trying his best to ignore the insulting fact that the thing in his eyes was determining him as having no S, or even A skills, he looked at the nearly endless list of skills and his two available points, Balthazar released a small sigh, his shell deflating slightly closer to the ground. All he wanted in that moment was to taste something like that pie again, the memory of its taste still lingering on through his mind, but he had no idea which of those skills could help him achieve that. If only he had been able to ask those two how they had come into possession of such a valuable item, but alas, they didn¡¯t understand a word he said.


    ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± his eyes shot up from the grains of sand he was staring at in defeat and focused back on the many skills still listed in front of him.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there something here that¡ªaha!¡±


    His sight was now focusing on one of the skills on the list, [Speech].


    ¡°This has to be it.¡±


    He tried focusing on the small skill, pushing all others away, and a new screen presented itself:


    [Speech: F]


    [The ability to better verbally communicate and influence others]


    [Next Rank Requirements: Level 2, Intelligence 3]


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    [Upgrade]


    ¡°Yes! Verbal communication,¡± he said excitedly, ¡°that¡¯s exactly what I want.¡±


    Without hesitation, Balthazar pressed [Upgrade]. After a pondering moment, he shrugged and pressed it a second time, spending both of his points. If he was going to speak, he was going to speak good.


    Once again, the wall of text minimized itself into a tiny arrow at the very corner of Balthazar¡¯s vision, barely noticeable unless he really paid attention to it. Curious, he tried focusing on it again, and a new screen scrolled up in front of him:


    [Status]


    [Name: Balthazar] [Race: Crab] [Class: Undefined] [Level: 3]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 3] [Agility: 2] [Intelligence: 13]


    [Primary Skills]


    [Medium Armor: B] [Fishing: C] [Slashing Weapons: C] [Speech: C]


    ¡°Very good, now we¡¯re getting somewhere,¡± the crab said, sliding the status screen back down and out of his sight. ¡°I don¡¯t sound any different, but I¡¯m hoping those knuckleheads will understand me now.¡±


    He looked down the stone path now being bathed in the warm mid-afternoon light of the sun. Of course, when you actually need one, they¡¯re not around. Typical adventurers.


    If he was like them, he¡¯d be strapping a pack to his shell at that point, ready to head out in a quest to find someone who knows the secrets of pie. But Balthazar was no silly adventurer. He knew better than to leave the comfort and safety of his pond to go into the unknown world out there, full of dangers, monsters, and, worst of all, other adventurers. No sir, smart crab like him knows to stay in his territory, keeping to his daily routine that he had ever since he could remember, almost like that¡¯s what he was made for. Not like he was one to believe in destiny. He knew he belonged where he was because that was his choice, not because some external force decided that¡¯s where he would dwell his whole life. That¡¯d be silly. And also a little depressing.


    Shaking away the ridiculous ideas of stepping outside his comfort zone and risking losing his beautiful abode to the next crab who came along, Balthazar looked back at his pond, which was still a complete mess. Dead adventurer here, dead wizard there, items everywhere. And then he remembered that small piece of glass that he loot¡ªthat he acquired from the wizard but never had a chance to inspect properly.


    Skittering his way back under the tree, he lifted the driftwood cover and retrieved the small object. Carefully holding it between his massive pincers, the thin silver chain attached to the rim swinging under it, he looked over the strange trinket once more, still none the wiser as to what its purpose was. Bringing it closer in front of his eyes, the crab tried peering through the glass surface.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡± Balthazar said, with his mouth open in an inquisitive expression.


    The scroll he had hidden in his stash was on the other side, but on the surface of the glass he could see a line of small letters, similar to the text he¡¯d seen before on both the scroll and his own vision.


    [Scroll of Character Creation]


    Moving the lens slightly to the right, he looked at the small pouch sitting next to the scroll.


    [Coin Purse (12)]


    With child-like excitement, Balthazar pulled the purse out of the hole and carefully opened it, retrieving a single object from within, and holding it in front of the glass.


    [Gold Coin]


    ¡°So that¡¯s what these things are,¡± he whispered. ¡°Coins.¡±


    With great satisfaction in learning the name of his now second favorite thing in the entire world (pie was still currently number one), Balthazar put the coin back in the purse and carefully stashed it in the hole before turning around, ready to find out more about everything around him.


    He looked at the ugly upside down metal helmet that now bobbed lightly against the shore of his islet.


    [Kettle Hat]


    ¡°Hah, imagine that,¡± he said, while turning to a pair of pointy horns by the shore.


    [Bull Horns]


    Marching on across the shallowest part of the pond, he looked down at the book the wizard had dropped earlier.


    [Tome of Levitation]


    ¡°That checks out.¡±


    Circling around to the other side of the crater, he picked up the fallen hat of the fallen wizard.


    [Hat of Enlightenment]


    [+2 Intelligence]


    ¡°Oooh,¡± Balthazar howled, ¡°interesting.¡±


    He attempted to put the hat on top of his shell, but it immediately fell off, followed by a warning popping up in front of his eyes:


    [Item cannot be equipped. Incompatible body type.]


    ¡°That¡¯s just no fun!¡± he said, slightly frustrated.


    He attempted to place the hat on himself once again, more firmly this time, but with the same result.


    [Item cannot be equipped. Incompatible body type.]


    ¡°Argh, fine, you win this time,¡± he concluded, putting the hat down.


    ¡°Hmm, I wonder¡­¡± he began, looking at the piece of glass he had been holding in his pincer that whole time.


    He brought the tiny object closer to his left eye and attempted to hold it in place between the rim of his shell and the creases of his rugged face. To his surprise, it held.


    [Monocle of Examination equipped]


    ¡°So this thing is a monocle, huh?¡±


    Satisfied with his discovery, he took the end of the silver chain that now hung from his new monocle and with a skillful snap pierced it into a small hole in the edge of his shell, securing the whole thing to himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s much better!¡±


    Turning around, he decided playtime was over. He needed a plan, and the beginning of that plan had to involve cleaning up all the mess of items lying around. Balthazar had developed a genius idea, and it would require that all those bits and pieces were no longer scattered around for just about anyone to take.


    That adventurer gave him the slice of pie and took the sword in exchange. Clearly he was a fool, trading something so valuable as that delicious piece of heaven, but if he wanted to make a bad deal, who was this modest crab to stop him?


    If one foolish adventurer came, more would follow. He just needed to find the one that carried another slice of pie and then figure out which one of these random knick-knacks they would trade for it. Why would he ever need to leave, when there already were so many adventurers passing by on his road every day?


    As he chuckled at his own genius, Balthazar began dutifully picking up the assortment of random items spread around his pond, gathering them one by one at his central islet.


    Forks, knives, small daggers, empty glass bottles, bottles with various liquids, some shoes, even socks, everything went into the pile.


    ¡°Why would you even carry this with you?!¡± Balthazar said with a puff, as he propped a large and heavy wheel of cheese on top of his shell and carefully took it to the other side of the water.


    Picking up the Tome of Levitation and holding it between his pincers, he wondered about its contents. But then he remembered the falling wizard.


    ¡°Nah, better not risk it.¡±


    He had seen enough magic on that day to know it was a fool¡¯s demise. He was better off staying far away from it if he valued his shell. Who had ever heard of a wizard crab, anyway?


    Time passed and the busy crab continued his task, slow and steady, until all the contents of the adventurer¡¯s bag¡ªas well as the few items the wizard carried¡ªwere gathered at the center of the pond, where he could easily keep an eye on them.


    Satisfied with his hard work, Balthazar wiped the top of his shell above his eyes with the back of his claw. He wasn¡¯t exactly sure what for, as crabs don¡¯t sweat.


    Crossing back to the edge of the pond, he inspected the ground around the stone path, ensuring no object had been missed, when a shivering feeling ran up the back of his shell, like he was being observed. Quickly turning, he saw his unannounced observer, their eyes locking, rage building up inside the crab.


    ¡°You little turd!¡± Balthazar exploded, ¡°Get out of here!¡±


    A small crow, feathers fully black, sharp beak, and curious eyes, tilted its head sideways while perched on one of the rigid fingers of the dead wizard, examining the crab quickly marching in its direction, before spreading its dark wings and flying upwards with a loud ¡°CAW!¡±


    ¡°I should have known,¡± Balthazar said, while angrily shaking his claw at the crow disappearing in the distance, ¡°one of your kind would show up, eventually.¡±


    He looked back down at the robed wizard.


    ¡°Probably trying to loot the corpse, the shameless creature.¡±


    Crossing his arms, Balthazar looked back and forth at the two dead adventurers through his totally-not-looted new monocle. One looking as if he was taking a peaceful nap, except for the fact that his pillow was a group of hard rocks. The other still firmly interred within his shallow crater, entire body stiffer now, all limbs contorted in awkward directions. To make matters worse, Balthazar couldn¡¯t avoid noticing the surrounding stench.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I need to get rid of these two. Dead bodies are definitely not good for business. Who knows what kind of bad things they could attract?¡±

 Chapter 5: Trading Bodies

    As the sun began its way down the horizon, announcing the fast approaching dusk, the determined crab attempted for the third time to dislodge the firmly stuck wizard from the ground, but with no success. The body was not only too tightly held in place, but also too stiff to be maneuvered by Balthazar. No matter how much he tried to wiggle one of his limbs out, they wouldn¡¯t give in.


    ¡°Bah! No use, this is getting me nowhere.¡± He finally conceded, turning to the other deceased adventurer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re more cooperative.¡±


    Grabbing each ankle with a pincer, Balthazar began trying to use all his weight to leverage the body out of its resting spot, but it barely budged.


    ¡°Oof, you¡¯re heavier than you look, buddy.¡±


    Having already taken all the items the adventurer was carrying earlier, including his armor, there wasn¡¯t much else Balthazar could do to reduce the man¡¯s weight any further, except perhaps removing his remaining clothes, for what little difference that would make.


    ¡°No. Not doing that. I¡¯m perfectly aware I may not be wearing any clothes myself, but I still got a sense of self-respect.¡±


    Accepting the fact that simply pulling wasn¡¯t cutting it, Balthazar shuffled his naked backside, heading to the center of the pond, where all the items were.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± he muttered, ¡°I¡¯m sure I put it here somewhere.¡±


    Searching through his newly acquired collection of goods, he pushed a pincer under a pile of animal leathers, blindly fishing for something.


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Pulling his arm out, he held it up victoriously, holding a small metal shovel by its wooden handle.


    Skittering back to the other side, Balthazar began looking for a good spot around the wizard¡¯s body.


    ¡°Right, now all I have to do is dig up some dirt, cover you both up, and let the worms sort the problem out.¡±


    Choosing a soft dirt area with some short grass covering it, he awkwardly tried pressing the shovel down into it. Using his other pincer to aid him, he attempted to hold the handle between his large claws, but in doing so, it slipped from his grasp and fell flat on the ground.


    ¡°Argh, stupid thing!¡±


    Balthazar tried to pick the shovel back up, but his pincers being too massive for the thin handle caused it to keep slipping and dropping on the dirt time after time.


    ¡°Screw this!¡± he finally shouted, pent up rage erupting from him. ¡°These things were made for tiny, fragile little human hands. They can¡¯t handle proper appendages like mine.¡±


    Stomping his little crab legs around the shore, Balthazar looked down at one of the more shallow pools that formed within the pond, spotted a small fish with vivid red scales that reflected the dim light of the sunset, and with one precise strike impaled it with his right pincer.


    Bringing it up from the water, he examined his catch proudly.


    ¡°Who needs tools when your pincers are already the best tools you could ask for, anyway?¡±


    Shoving the fish in his mouth, he began chomping on it vigorously. He was prone to comfort eating, occasionally.


    ¡°If I can¡¯t do something about those two eyesores soon, they¡¯ll scare away other adventurers with their smell.¡± Balthazar kicked some grains of sand into the water. ¡°Which would have been perfectly fine by me before, the less they bothered my home the better, but now I actually want to lure them in, so I can learn more about their mysterious pie.¡±


    His mouth began watering and his eyes drifting away, his thoughts going to his earlier memories of tasting pie, when the sound of rushing footsteps alerted him to an approaching figure by the stone road.


    Turning his attention back to where the two dead bodies were, he could tell someone was heading right for them.


    ¡°Damn it, this is terrible timing. Who¡¯s even still prancing about this close to nightfall, anyway?¡±


    The answer to his question appeared, as a very tall man covered in black robes anxiously made his way closer to the dead wizard. He wore a mantled hood that framed his sickly white face, composed of thin lips, a flat nose, and two bulging eyes above deep dark circles that contrasted horribly against his pale skin, and gave him an even more manic look of someone who hadn¡¯t slept properly in a long time.


    As he arrived next to the body still firmly attached to the ground, he knelt down, pulling his bony hands with long, slim fingers ending in very dirty nails out of his robe¡¯s sleeves, and began carefully holding and checking the dead wizard¡¯s arm and wrist, almost as if checking its pulse.


    Balthazar observed the stranger from the side of the pond with an expression of slight disgust, as the man moved over to the other adventurer with a pep to his step, got down on his knees, the dirt all over his robes seemingly not bothering him, and let out an excited ¡°Oooh!¡± between the nervous smile on his face as he gently pressed and felt the dead adventurer¡¯s ribs.


    ¡°Great, is it weirdo hour now?¡± Balthazar said to himself.


    Turning his sight to get a better look at the figure, he noticed his monocle display a label above the man¡¯s head:


    [Level 9 Necromancer]


    "So this thing can examine more than just items, it can identify beings, too. That could be useful," Balthazar quietly said, while peering through the lens. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly thrilled about it, but I did ask for new adventurers to come by, so I guess beggars can¡¯t be choosers. Let¡¯s see if this works out.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Taking a deep breath and stepping forward, the crab approached the necromancer with a straight posture, hoping the speech skill really did what he was hoping it did.


    ¡°Hey there.¡±


    Balthazar winced as his words came out much more blunt than he intended them to sound. This was going to be awkward, he was sure of it.


    The pasty looking man turned abruptly to Balthazar, eyes bulging out even more than before, the nervous smile gone from his face, looking for whatever interrupted his careful toe examination. Locking eyes with the crab now standing at face level with his crouched figure, the necromancer spoke with a raspy voice.


    ¡°These yours?¡±


    He pointed his morbid looking index finger at the wizard, and then at the other dead adventurer.


    Balthazar dry swallowed, and felt a brief appreciation for not having a neck that gave it away in that moment. This guy not only seemed unfazed that a crab had just talked to him, but he was now interrogating him with uncomfortable questions.


    What was he supposed to answer to that? Was it some kind of accusation? Were they even his, technically? They were on his property, and it¡¯s not like anyone else was claiming them, but did he want to admit ownership of two adventurer corpses to another adventurer? Would he think Balthazar killed them? And would he react aggressively if so? Or maybe he would be intimidated. That could work in his favor.


    ¡°Yeah, they are,¡± he finally responded, his answer sounding far more aggressive than he had planned.


    ¡°How much?¡± the necromancer quickly replied.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°How much for the two of them?¡±


    The necromancer stood up, Balthazar¡¯s eyes following him, still dumbfounded.


    ¡°You want to¡­ take them?¡± he asked the tall figure, who seemed to grow impatient.


    ¡°Yes. How much do you want for them?¡± he responded, pulling a familiar-looking purse from his black robes, producing a clinking sound as he did it.


    As if something had clicked in his head, Balthazar abandoned his astonishment and changed demeanor. ¡°Ah, well¡­ how much are you willing to offer for them?¡±


    ¡°Fifty gold for this one.¡± The man pointed at the face down body under him. ¡°And forty for the other one. It has a lot of broken bones.¡±


    ¡°A hundred gold for both, take it or leave it,¡± Balthazar declared with determination.


    ¡°Argh, fine, take it,¡± the necromancer said, tossing the entire coin purse at the crab¡¯s feet. ¡°And you got anything to wrap them with?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I could work something out.¡±


    Balthazar walked across the pond¡¯s stones, to his loot pile at the center, and returned holding two rolled up rugs in his pincers, above his shell.


    ¡°Here. Five gold,¡± the crab said, while dropping the two rolls.


    The pale man produced another coin purse from his pocket and began counting coins out of it.


    ¡°Each,¡± Balthazar added.


    With a grumble, the necromancer took fifteen coins and dropped them in a pile in front of his pincers. ¡°And I¡¯m taking the shovel too.¡±


    ¡°All yours.¡±


    Balthazar was happy to see the dumb thing gone, anyway.


    Changing expressions with unsettling ease, the necromancer smiled creepily, with yellow teeth peering between his purplish lips, as he began unrolling one of the rugs and moving the body of the first adventurer Balthazar had seen that day over it.


    After dislodging the wizard¡¯s corpse with some difficulty and a few bone cracking sounds, he now had both adventurers firmly wrapped into their respective rugs. Standing up, visibly satisfied, he wiped his dirty hands on his already filthy robes and his forehead on the sleeve.


    ¡°I should get going,¡± the man said nervously. ¡°These aren¡¯t getting any fresher.¡±


    ¡°For two more gold, I¡¯ll throw in a couple of fresh pine cones for the smell.¡±


    The necromancer looked at the crab, the corpse rolls, and then his pocket.


    ¡°Give them to me,¡± he agreed, tossing another two coins.


    After placing a pine cone inside each rug, the necromancer picked both up with difficulty and put one over each of his shoulders, before starting to make his way off the road and into the quickly darkening plains.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say it was a pleasure doing business with you, but so long, creepy fellow,¡± Balthazar said under his breath, as he watched the frail looking man zigzagging into the sunset, doing his best to balance the two corpses. ¡°Heh, that guy needs more points in Strength, I say.¡±


    [Items traded. Experience gained.]


    [[Corpse x2] traded for [100 Gold]]


    [[Embroidered Rug x2] traded for [10 Gold]]


    [[Shovel] traded for [5 Gold]]


    [[Stale Pine Cone x2] traded for [2 Gold]]


    [You have reached Level 4!]


    With excitement running through him, Balthazar scanned the lines of text in front of his eyes, nodding slightly as he read them. He couldn¡¯t avoid noticing that this time he had traded more things than before, yet still had only gotten a single level. It didn¡¯t help that this whole thing didn¡¯t exactly tell him how much experience was given or needed.


    After a moment of reflection, he figured each level would probably require more of it than the last. It made the most sense to him. Besides, none of these items were considered ¡°high-value¡± as his previous trade was. Only natural, as two dead bodies and some random crap he had lying around were in no way comparable to a priceless [Slice of Apple Pie].


    ¡°The pie!¡± Balthazar shouted, with a jump.


    He had forgotten to make any inquiries about the one thing he was doing all that for. But maybe that was a good subconscious decision, as he was not really sure he would want anything edible coming from a necromancer, especially one as eerie looking as that one was.


    What he didn¡¯t mind taking from him, however, were all these new shiny gold coins. A suitable consolation prize for his lack of pie.


    It must have been his lucky day, seeing as first he finds out adventurers do away with delicious pie in exchange for stupid swords, and then he also discovers there are some who will willingly clean up his backyard of inconveniences and pay him for it with beautiful, shiny coins to boot. He should have started taking advantage of those chumps long ago.


    Eager to look at his earnings, he swiped the notification out of his sight for the moment, as he hastily made his way to his hiding hole. Taking his other coin purse from his hiding spot, Balthazar painstakingly split the coins between the two purses, a slow and methodical process with his large pincers, but one he somehow enjoyed. Looking at his two coin purses through his monocle, he saw that he now had a total of 129 gold coins.


    ¡°I wonder how many more of these a slice of pie would be worth¡­¡±


    With the sun now no longer visible in the sky and darkness swiftly covering the land, Balthazar decided it was time to get some sleep. The level up screen would surely still be there in the morning and he could look at it with fresher eyes, rather than his currently sleepy ones. It had been a very long and eventful day, and if things went the way he was planning, tomorrow would be too, but with fewer abrupt deaths. Hopefully.


    Digging lazily into the sand, Balthazar began lulling himself to sleep.


    The cloudy sky concealed the moon behind it, only allowing its light to peer through for brief moments at a time, keeping the pond in a mostly quiet darkness.


    A soft rustling of feathers sounded from atop a tree, a pair of black eyes momentarily shining under the moonlight, attentively examining the crab and his surroundings with great interest.


    But the crab was none the wiser, as he was already snoring profoundly, with many thoughts of delicious pie and shiny coins populating his dreams.

 Chapter 6: Expanding Your Sights

    The sun began rising in the sky, while the birds started singing up on the trees. A groggy crab reached one arm out of the sand, feeling his way to a pile of junk next to him until he found an old shoe, and blindly threw it at the source of the singing above him.


    ¡°It¡¯s too early. Let me sleep a little longer!¡± a muffled voice said from under the sand.


    The shoe flew up in an almost vertical line, missed the bird perched up on a tree branch by a long distance, and promptly fell straight back down, hitting the top of the crab¡¯s shell.


    ¡°Aaaargh! Will you shut up?!¡± Balthazar said, emerging from the ground with his face covered in wet sand, as he turned to shake an angry claw at the bird who continued singing high up on the tree, ignoring the protests below.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m already up,¡± he said, turning back around to toss the shoe back on the pile. ¡°No point trying to go back to sleep. Not like you¡¯d let me, anyway.¡±


    Walking into the pond, he lowered himself to let the fresh water wake him up and wash away the sand.


    Making his way over to one of the smaller puddles that formed on the side, he lazily pinched a small fish out of the water and brought it to his mouth, eating it while looking down at something nobody else could see.


    ¡°Ah, if only this was a slice of pie,¡± Balthazar said with a sigh, as he chewed loudly. ¡°I guess I should see where I¡¯ll spend that level up point from yesterday.¡±


    [Level 4]


    [Attribute Points: 1]


    [Skill Points: 1]


    [Strength: 3] [+]


    [Agility: 2] [+]


    [Intelligence: 13] [+]


    [Skills]


    ¡°If it ain¡¯t broken, don¡¯t fix it,¡± he said, with a slight shrug, and pressed the button next to his Intelligence attribute, which changed from 13 to 14.


    Then he moved on to the skills and began pondering. The Speech skill had been a good choice, as he clearly managed to communicate with the necromancer, but he also felt like his speech was not exactly great. Things came out sounding more rude and blunt than he intended, and he felt as if he lacked a certain¡­ finesse.


    His Speech was only at C rank, so perhaps it made sense that it was still very basic, and it would require more investment in order to improve. Seeing as his goal required him to butter up adventurers for information, good speaking manners seemed like a must.


    Feeling confident with his decision, he pressed the upgrade on his [Speech] skill, raising it to a B rank. Then, looking back at the details of the skill, he noticed the new requirements for the next rank.


    [Next Rank Requirements: Level 10, Intelligence 20]


    ¡°That¡¯s a steep requirement. Why couldn''t this thing let me see those before I took the upgrade? Bah, guess I¡¯ll have to make do with a B-rank Speech skill for now. Just hope it will be enough to get the job done.¡±


    Minimizing his status screen, Balthazar finished his breakfast fish and faced the sunrise, the warmth of it hitting his softest parts with a pleasant feeling.


    The annoying bird had stopped its singing and flown off to parts unknown, leaving a pleasant silence around. The only thing left on the tree branches was the piece of undergarments that somehow still hadn¡¯t been blown away during the night.


    Heading back over to the pile of items he had gathered the day before, Balthazar gazed at it, slowly scratching his chin with a pincer. Not exactly the best sorting system, nor the most aesthetic one.


    Figuring presentation is key, he picked up a horned metal helmet and a shoe-polishing brush he had found in the many random things the adventurer from the previous morning had in his pack, and took them to the entrance of his pond.


    He gave the front of the helmet a quick brushing and checked its shine against the sunlight, before trying to prop it up on top of a pile of rocks that adorned the access from the stone path to the front of the pond. But the stubborn piece of headgear kept tilting, either too much to the right, or too much to the left, always looking crooked.


    ¡°No one is going to want to trade with a crab who can¡¯t even put effort into his wares, Balthazar,¡± he mumbled to himself. ¡°Get it right.¡±


    Finally satisfied with the position of the helmet, Balthazar took a step back and eye measured its angle for a moment, before hearing a soft whistle in the distance. Thinking the damnable bird was back, he turned around, polishing brush ready to be flung at it, when he realized the source of the whistling was a young man in white and green clothes walking down the road.


    Quickly tossing the brush behind a larger boulder, Balthazar took a step back to observe the approaching figure. ¡°Please don¡¯t be another creep.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The young man kept leisurely walking towards the direction all other adventurers had come from the previous day. He carried a large hunting bow across his back, accompanied by a quiver with around a dozen arrows sticking out of it. He wore pieces of leather armor over his regular clothing, protecting parts of his body like arms and thighs, as well as fingerless gloves and tall laced leather boots. His face was fair and jovial, hair a dark blond that was almost brown, tucked behind his ears, and he had a content smile with eyes semi-closed, enjoying the light of the sun hitting his skin as he went.


    Peering through his Monocle of Examination, Balthazar saw the label over the boy¡¯s head:


    [Level 6 Archer]


    The archer part he had already deduced, given the hard to miss bow on his back, but the fact he was level 6 meant he was probably less of a threat than the necromancer from the night before, and even less dangerous than the levitating wizard. Seeing as the archer was seemingly just going to walk by the pond without noticing the big crab standing right there, looking at him through a monocle, Balthazar decided to take the initiative. Clearing his throat, he greeted the distracted traveler.


    ¡°Hello there!¡±


    The archer broke out of his sunny trance and looked around, confused, before his eyes landed on the large crab walking towards him.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m talking to you, boy.¡±


    ¡°What the hell!¡±


    With a stumble backwards, the young man fell on his own rear end, a shocked expression replacing his smile from before. At least this one didn¡¯t fall on his face. That was some progress.


    ¡°Did¡­ did you just speak?¡±


    That was more in line with the reaction Balthazar expected last night.


    ¡°Of course I did. This is me talking, right? At least I think it is. I don¡¯t see anyone else around here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a talking crab?!¡±


    ¡°Sure. That¡¯s what I said? Did I stutter or something? Read. My. Lips.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have lips.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, mouth parts! Are you gonna sit there all day, or do you need some help standing up?¡±


    Regaining some of his composure, the young archer stood up and shook the dust off his trousers with his hands.


    ¡°Sorry, you just took me by surprise. You¡¯re the first talking crab I¡¯ve encountered.¡±


    ¡°And probably the only one you will! I¡¯m one of a kind. You can bet that backside you just bruised on that!¡±


    The archer gave him a nervous smile while readjusting the strap of his satchel. These friendliness skills really needed some work.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± the young man said, ¡°what are you doing out here?¡±


    ¡°Me? Why, I live right there,¡± Balthazar responded, pointing a pincer at the pond behind him.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know there was a pond here.¡±


    ¡°What about you, young fella?¡±


    ¡°I was just coming down from town, heading to the forest to do some hunting.¡±


    ¡°From town?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you know, that town over there, up the road.¡± He turned and pointed towards the end of the road he had arrived from.


    Balthazar leaned slightly to look behind him, following the road with his eyes, up a winding path that climbed a small hill, leading into a distant double gate at the center of an imposing fortified wall made of rough stone and wooden parts, the construction stretching out of sight around buildings of many sizes and shapes that hid behind its protection, their roofs peeking over against the light blue sky.


    ¡°Huh¡­ I guess I never really noticed that was there.¡±


    ¡°You live right down the road from Ardville and never noticed it?¡±


    Balthazar produced a shrug, or whatever equivalent a crab could produce with its anatomy. ¡°I don¡¯t go out much.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± the young man asked, a smile forming on his face. ¡°There¡¯s so much to see in this world!¡±


    ¡°You mean so much trouble to get yourself into,¡± the cantankerous crab responded. ¡°This is my territory, and it¡¯s where I like to be. Crabs like me weren¡¯t made to be trekking about like you adventurers do.¡±


    ¡°Mate, you have to expand your horizons,¡± the archer said, ¡°see the sights, explore what the world out there has to offer. You would find you love it, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no thanks, I¡¯m very content with my little pond.¡± Balthazar dismissed his enthusiasm with a wave of his claw. ¡°But I suppose it doesn¡¯t hurt to know what¡¯s around me.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you care to know, to the north you have Ardville, the big town I just mentioned up there,¡± the adventurer began, ¡°and to the west here you have mostly plains all the way to the seaside. To the east, behind your pond, there¡¯s the big Semla mountain that I¡¯m sure not even you could have missed. And finally, to the south, you have the great Black Forest, leading into the marshes and the badlands.¡±


    Balthazar pondered over what he was being told, realizing just how little he had bothered thinking about the world beyond his little pond until that moment. Was it the scroll that gave him a new perspective on things? Was it because of his new levels of Intelligence? Or was it the slice of pie experience that changed him? He did not know, but his gut told him it was probably the pie.


    ¡°Interesting. Thanks for the information,¡± he said, still reflecting.


    ¡°Hey, no problem. I really enjoy exploring this world ever since I arrived, so I¡¯m always glad to share what I know about it. My name¡¯s Rye, by the way. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    The archer extended his hand at the crab in a friendly manner. Nobody had ever asked his name, and it felt slightly odd, for some reason.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Balthazar,¡± he responded. ¡°And let¡¯s maybe not do that, for your own good.¡±


    Opening his eyes from his wide smile, Rye looked down at his own hand and then at Balthazar¡¯s claws. ¡°Oh, yes, maybe you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Say,¡± Balthazar started, looking up at the young man still smiling at him, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t be interested in trading some goods, would you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t just talk, you also sell stuff?¡± Rye said, with a hint of surprise.


    ¡°I sure do. Come with me.¡±


    The boy followed the crab across the shallow part of the waters, tip-toeing his way carefully over the rocks to avoid setting foot in the water.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I have something here that will interest you,¡± Balthazar said, while rummaging through his pile of items. ¡°There we go. What do you think of these?¡±


    Held carefully between his pincers were ten finely crafted arrows made of smooth wood and ending in perfectly finished steel tips.


    ¡°My, these are some quality arrows,¡± the archer said, as he carefully inspected their make. ¡°Where does a crab even acquire something like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ have my sources,¡± he replied, trying to disguise his nervousness.


    ¡°I certainly wouldn¡¯t mind having these, but I¡¯m not exactly the richest of customers, you should know.¡±


    ¡°Well, you see, I am looking for one item in particular.¡± The crab¡¯s eyes began widening. ¡°And if you happened to have one for trade, some of these could be yours.¡±


    ¡°What would that item be?¡± Rye inquired, his eyebrows rising slightly.


    ¡°Have you perhaps, in your travels, ever encountered, or at least heard about the¡­ Slice of Apple Pie?¡± Balthazar finished with a dramatic flair.


    ¡°The¡­ you mean if I¡¯ve ever seen a slice of apple pie?¡± the young man said, with slight confusion in his tone.


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    ¡°I mean, sure, I¡¯ve seen plenty of pies, eaten some too.¡±


    ¡°You jest?!¡± the crab accused with disbelief.


    ¡°No, not at all. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve even seen some for sale at the market in town yesterday.¡±


    ¡°You know of their source and who creates them?!¡± Balthazar¡¯s eight legs were outstretched, and he was standing as tall as he could make himself, his monocle almost reaching the young man¡¯s chin.


    ¡°You mean a baker? Not exactly, but I¡¯m sure I could find one.¡±


    ¡°Please, you must find them,¡± the crab pleaded, his face pushing up as close to the archer¡¯s face as possible, ¡°you may have all ten of these arrows if you arrange for them to come and meet me!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I can do that, no problem, but please, calm down. Your breath really stinks of fish.¡± Rye placed both his hands up in front of his chest, palms out, while taking a step back.


    ¡°Fantastic! Here, you may have the arrows. Now find the maker of pies.¡± Balthazar shoved the arrows into Rye¡¯s quiver and began leading him back to the road.


    ¡°Hey, woah, hang on, I was actually heading the other way and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Now, now, a deal¡¯s a deal, so get to it, find the baker!¡± The crab gave him a gentle tap on the back and turned around, walking away.


    ¡°I¡­ fine, I guess I¡¯m heading back into town,¡± Rye said, accepting his change of plans.


    A baker. So that was the name of the maker of those most heavenly creations. Balthazar figured something like ¡°pier¡± would make more sense, but for some odd reason, that word was already taken for something else. He hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility of finding the pie creator, he was just hoping he could find more slices.


    Filled with excitement¡ªand a fair amount of gluttony¡ªBalthazar returned to his wares with renewed enthusiasm. If he was going to purchase more pie, he was certainly going to need much more of their gold currency. Exquisite things don¡¯t come cheap, and that meant he had to start selling junk.

 Chapter 7: Shrewd Businesscrab

    The sun was almost halfway to its highest point in the sky, and Balthazar had been busy propping up his goods around the pond. This crab always knew he had a knack for decoration, but he had impressed even himself today. Putting his pincers on whatever equivalent of hips a crab might have, he looked around with pride.


    Two pieces of chest armor were leaning against a large boulder on the way to the shore, with two matching helmets sitting above them on the surface of the rock. Neatly lined up around a bush was a small collection of different types of shoes, each carefully stylized in their pose. Over by a fallen and hollow tree trunk that rested between the road and the water, Balthazar had displayed a select lineup of bottles in size order, from bright red potions to dense looking wines, all sitting on top of the trunk as if it were a shelf. On a clearing near the stone path, he had laid out a rug similar to the ones he sold to the necromancer, carefully displaying some of the smaller trinkets over it, such as necklaces, some crude rings, and random cutlery.


    ¡°If I could reach it, I¡¯d be patting myself on the back.¡±


    As Balthazar meticulously removed some bits of dirt from the edges of the rug, he heard approaching voices.


    ¡°Clients!¡± the crab said with excitement.


    Correcting his posture and adjusting the lens in front of his left eye, Balthazar turned to face the two men approaching from town.


    ¡°Morning, fellas!¡± he greeted, in his best attempt at being cheerful.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned. The boy wasn¡¯t lying,¡± the larger of the two men said, tipping the edge of his helmet up slightly. He wore mostly steel plating over his body, of mismatched variety, much of it with visible signs of wear, and attached to his back he carried a long spear. Even with the added volume of his armor, it was clear he was a robust man, especially his face, which also had a look of not seeing any shaving for a few days. Balthazar looked at him through his monocle.


    [Level 12 Spearman]


    ¡°You think there¡¯s some kind of important meaning to a talking crab out here?¡± the other man said to the first. He was smaller in frame, wearing far less weight in terms of his armor, and sporting a large crossbow on his back. He had an oddly long face that reminded Balthazar of a particularly ugly fish he once saw long ago.


    [Level 11 Crossbowman]


    ¡°Hey, crab, what are you doing out here?¡± the robust man shouted at Balthazar. ¡°You got any quests needing doing or something?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to shout,¡± he responded, no longer attempting to sound cheerful, ¡°I might not make a big show out of it like you people do with your big ugly ears, but I can hear you just fine.¡±


    ¡°Hah! This guy¡¯s funny, I like him already,¡± the large man barked, followed by some laughter, as he walked closer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything needing doing right now. What I do have are things for sale to adventurers such as yourself, if you¡¯re interested.¡±


    ¡°We just came from town,¡± said the fish faced man, ¡°there¡¯s plenty of shops there, why would we need to buy anything from you all the way out here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, you see,¡± Balthazar started, attempting to come up with a good response, ¡°I have many unique goods that you will probably not find anywhere else. Like¡­ this helmet right here!¡±


    He directed their attention to the horned metal helmet he had spent so long placing on top of the rocks earlier that day, and that he had just now noticed was crooked again.


    ¡°Bahaha, that?¡± The louder adventurer laughed. ¡°Cheap iron helmets like that are plentiful at any armorer everywhere, lad.¡±


    ¡°This archer boy back in town was telling everyone who¡¯d listen to him how there was this awesome talking crab out here selling items out of his pond, but I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re kind of a scam, aren¡¯t you?¡± the other man said, his face really starting to give Balthazar an urge to pinch it.


    ¡°First of all, rude,¡± he said, doing his best to restrain himself. ¡°And second, I take it you two are heading out into the Black Forest, are you not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what of it?¡± said the fish face, with an eyebrow rising.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous place, as I¡¯m sure you two know. And I¡¯m sure you also bought plenty of supplies in town for the trip, including¡­¡± Balthazar took a glance around at his items. ¡°Poison cure potions, right?¡±


    ¡°Poison cure?¡± the burly man asked. ¡°Why would we need them?¡±


    ¡°Ah, see, not sure if the people up there in your town are in the know about it,¡± Balthazar said, with a knowledgeable air, ¡°but this time of the year the forest is crawling with giant venomous spiders.¡±


    The crab had never so much as set foot inside the forest, it was too far away from his pond, but he was certain there would be spiders in there, and they¡¯d surely be big too, so it¡¯s not as if he was making things up. It was just sensible conjecture, and warning them was the right thing to do, obviously.


    ¡°Did you bring any poison cures?¡± the spearman hurriedly asked his partner.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know we might need any,¡± the crossbowman responded.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°They grow huge over there,¡± Balthazar continued, casually. ¡°Fangs bigger than my claws.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, you know I hate spiders, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going back into town now after making it all the way out here,¡± the slimmer adventurer said.


    ¡°You fellas are in luck!¡± Balthazar interrupted. ¡°For I just so happen to have two bottles of Poison Cure left right here.¡±


    Reaching towards the tree trunk, Balthazar grabbed two small bottles of a dense white liquid.


    ¡°Alright, alright, fine. How much?¡±


    Balthazar took a moment to think. He had no idea what to ask for any of those things, and he couldn¡¯t keep relying on telling every adventurer to make an offer. What if they try to low-ball him?


    ¡°Twenty gold each,¡± he finally said, hoping for the best.


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± the smaller of the two exclaimed. ¡°Those cost ten coins or less back in town.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to walk back up there and buy them then,¡± Balthazar said, maintaining a straight posture.


    Maybe they wouldn¡¯t even encounter any spiders on their travels, but the peace of mind of having those potions was certainly worth it. You can¡¯t put a price on being prepared. Or, well, you could, this crab had just done that, but no price is too high to pay for things you might not need later.


    ¡°Just pay the crab and let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll split the cost with you,¡± the other told his travel companion, pulling a coin purse out of his pocket. ¡°And get me one of those wine bottles you got there too. I¡¯m going to need them if we¡¯re going to encounter any spiders.¡±


    ***


    Morning had passed, and Balthazar had kept busy satisfying the curiosity of the many adventurers who came down from town, investigating the rumor of a talking crab trading items out of his roadside pond. And also making them buy something whenever possible, because he was there to make business, not be a sideshow attraction.


    And then there were also those who were heading back to town from their adventures, like the lady Balthazar was trying to haggle with at that moment.


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is,¡± the woman said, ¡°what reason do I have to even trust you, crab? You¡¯re not a real merchant like the ones in town. How do I know this isn¡¯t a scam, or that I¡¯m not falling for a trap, huh?¡±


    The woman wore a simple brown dress and had messy gray hair, both in dire need of a wash. She carried a huge burlap sack on her back, and two slightly smaller ones in each of her hands, which she seemed reluctant to put down, despite how full they were and her clear struggle to carry them.


    ¡°I¡¯m here and I got coin. How much more legitimate do you need me to be? My offer is more than fair. You should take it.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s patience was running low. As much as he liked his shiny new gold coins, he was quickly realizing that soon enough he would run out of things to sell, and counting on dead adventurers filled with loot to fall from the sky around his pond would not be a reliable source of merchandise, despite the previous day¡¯s examples.


    He was going to have to invest, even if that meant buying some new junk from those passing fools. So long as he could turn it around for a profit, he would still come out on top. Give one coin with one pincer, take two with the other. It¡¯s what he called crab economics.


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I just go into town and sell all my stuff there, like everybody else does?¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± the crab began, ¡°of course you could do that, and they might even pay you a few more gold coins than I do. But think about it, how much is your comfort and well-being worth?¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?!¡±


    ¡°No! No, of course not. That¡¯s not what I meant. But just think about it.¡± Balthazar moved next to the woman and turned to the uphill road. ¡°Look at that road, at that treacherous path, all those holes and loose stones, the incline. And then look at how much weight you are carrying. It¡¯s downright unfair that they expect hard working adventurers to make the trek up there with all your goods. And for what, a few measly extra coins? Meanwhile, here I am at the bottom of the hill, happy to provide a public service, make everybody¡¯s life easier, and then I get accused of not being a legitimate trader? All because of what, me being a crab, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s not what I meant,¡± the embarrassed lady quickly said. ¡°I have nothing against your kind. I mean, against crabs. I would never¡­ I¡¯m not like that. Some of my best friends are¡­ well, not crabs, but you know¡­ I just meant¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all right, I understand,¡± Balthazar calmly said, one pincer softly patting her arm. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not like some other adventurers. You¡¯re reasonable, and you can appreciate someone trying to make a living while providing a service to others.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes, of course. Now that you mentioned it, it is quite nice of you to set up here.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I was sure we¡¯d understand each other. Now, about all that bothersome extra weight you¡¯re burdening yourself with¡­¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± the disheveled woman said, ¡°I guess I could sell you one of these sacks, and it would make my trip up the road a bit easier. To be honest, it would be a good help. My bunions are killing me. I got blisters like you wouldn¡¯t believe. Here, I¡¯ll show you¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll take your word for it! Let¡¯s just stick to business,¡± Balthazar quickly said, stopping the woman halfway through taking her shoe off, and possibly eradicating half of the local fauna.


    ¡°Fine then, how much you said you¡¯d give me for this sack?¡± she asked, landing the largest bag in front of the crab with a loud rattling sound.


    ¡°35 gold coins.¡±


    ¡°Ah well, I guess it beats breaking my back, taking it up to the gates. Deal.¡±


    After giving her the money, Balthazar watched as the strange woman carried on up the road, slightly faster pace, having only two sacks over each shoulder now.


    ¡°Question now is,¡± he said, while looking inside the sack, ¡°how am I going to convince someone to buy a bunch of small animal bones?!¡±


    Deciding that was a problem for later, the straining crab dragged the sack away from the road and next to his other wares.


    Moving over to his hiding hole, he brought his trading logs in front of his eyes and gleefully counted his earnings from that morning that now rested next to his scroll.


    [Coin Purse (100)]


    [Coin Purse (88)]


    Nearly 200 gold already. He wasn¡¯t sure how much or little that was exactly yet, but seeing the glint of all those coins was already filling him with satisfaction. And also a reinforced desire to get even more. He wanted enough shiny coins to fill a whole pond with them, enough so that he could swim in them. Not that swimming in coins would really be very comfortable or even possible. Any water-dwelling creature like him would know that wasn¡¯t feasible. Except for ducks, maybe. A duck would be dumb enough to try it. But the point remained: he craved more of the little things.


    While thinking about cravings, Balthazar felt a rumbling in his stomach. Until then, he had led a pretty lazy daily life, and starting a trading post was a lot of busy work, so while the time had flown without him noticing it, his belly sure did, and it demanded sustenance. Figuring it was time to take a short break for lunch, he started heading to his usual fishing spot.


    Staring down at the tiny little fish swimming around in the water, he let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°If only one of you tasted like pie¡­¡± the crab lamented.


    It had been about half a day since he sent that boy into town to fetch him the legendary baker, yet adventurers came and went, and no news so far. Could he have been swindled? Did he take the arrows and simply never looked for the baker? Or perhaps the archer had just been pulling his leg the whole time and didn¡¯t really know anyone who produced slices of pie? After all, what are the odds some random town would have such a mythological figure within its walls?


    All he knew for now was that he spent all night dreaming about that slice of pie, its texture in his mouth, the flavors, the smell. Oh, the smell of it. It was so wonderful, so captivating. He could almost feel it right there at that moment. In fact, it was so strong, so real, he realized he wasn¡¯t just imagining it, he was actually smelling it in the air!

 Chapter 8: The Baker Girl

    Turning around with a jump, eye stalks shooting forward, Balthazar smelled the surrounding air. There was no mistaking it, that was the wonderful smell he had experienced the day before, but somehow even stronger and more delicious.


    Tripping over his own legs, he rushed towards the road, and looking up in the town¡¯s direction, he saw the small frame of a girl with a basket hooked to her arm. She was a young woman, but her sun-kissed skin and slightly toned arms implied she was no stranger to labor, as did her peasant outfit, composed of simple shoes, a common white dress, and a headscarf tied above her forehead, keeping off her face any stray hairs not tied in the strawberry blonde braid that was draped down her back. She was clearly not like the adventurers Balthazar was used to seeing around. Quickly peering through his monocle, he confirmed what he already suspected.


    [Level 5 Baker]


    ¡°Hello.¡± The girl waved at him with a friendly smile. ¡°Are you Balthazar?¡±


    Standing on the side of the road with a dumb expression and eyes fixated on the basket she was carrying, the crab only managed an attempt at mouthing a few words, except instead of sound, they produced small bubbles.


    ¡°Oh no, I hope I didn¡¯t get the wrong crab.¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± the crab shouted, snapping out of his trance. ¡°Me, Balthazar, that¡¯s me, yes, I¡¯m me!¡±


    ¡°Oh good, I was worried there for a moment,¡± the girl said, smile back on her face. ¡°I heard you were looking for a baker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Are you the one? Do you create... Slices of Apple Pie?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s tiny eyes were shiny, like the ones of a small child pleading to their parents.


    The girl looked at the crab with a blink before letting out a hearty laugh.


    ¡°Well, I do make pies, and some of them are apple pies. And I suppose I often cut them into slices too, so yes, I guess that¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Magnificent!¡± Balthazar exclaimed.


    ¡°The nice man that told me about you mentioned the part about the pies, so I figured it was a good idea to bring some with me.¡±


    Taking the wicker basket off her arm, she leaned over slightly and lifted one lid, revealing not just a slice, but an entire perfectly circular fresh apple pie.


    Balthazar felt all eight of his legs going weak, but trying to hold himself together, he signaled the girl. ¡°Not here. Come, follow me.¡±


    Quickly crossing the water to his inner islet with the baker close behind, doing her best not to get her shoes wet¡ªnot very successfully¡ªor fall in the water, they both sat down next to a wooden board with some recently purchased items on it that Balthazar had been sorting through.


    ¡°Can never be too careful,¡± he began, scouting the surrounding skies with a slightly paranoid look. ¡°They might show up when you least expect them.¡±


    ¡°They?¡± the girl inquired, trying to look for something in the air that wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Yes, the birds, tricky little beasts. Never trust one if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡± He quickly changed demeanor. ¡°But never mind them now, please, would you mind¡­¡±


    His eyes were greedily staring at the basket she had laid down in front of her knees.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said, with a warm smile, while opening the basket.


    Pulling the plate with the pie and a knife from within it, the girl placed it on an empty area of the wooden board and carefully carved out a generous slice, its moist apple filling glistening as she brought it up from the main piece, and handed it over to the crab¡¯s awaiting pincers.


    With no hesitation, Balthazar took the tip of the triangular slice and bit into it. There were no words he could find to express the joy he felt in that moment, finally tasting that delicious treat again. It was even better than the one he had received from the adventurer, probably because this one was much fresher than the slice that, most likely, spent a couple of days or more traveling inside a bag. Each thinly sliced piece of apple covering it perfectly caramelized, its filling was the sweetest thing he had ever experienced, and even the crust was soft and the right amount of crumbly.


    ¡°Itsh justsh sho good,¡± Balthazar said, with his mouth full, between loud chewing. The girl smiled and chuckled at the crab, a satisfaction painted on her face despite his poor manners.


    ¡°I¡¯m really glad you like it,¡± she said. ¡°It really makes my day to watch someone truly enjoy something I made.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t just like it, I love it!¡± he responded, tossing the last piece of his slice into his mouth.


    ¡°Where are my manners? I just realized I haven¡¯t properly introduced myself,¡± she suddenly said, clapping her hands together. ¡°I¡¯m Madeleine, pleased to meet you. "


    ¡°Oh right, nice to meet you, Madeleine,¡± he said, while clearing the crumbs around his mouth with his pincers. ¡°I¡¯m Balthazar, but I suppose you already knew that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your envoy told me your name,¡± Madeleine explained. ¡°And that¡¯s a very nice name, Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. But may I ask you, how do you create these?¡±


    ¡°The pie?¡± she asked, looking at the plate between them. ¡°I just bake them myself, you know, get ingredients, make the dough, add some love, put it in the oven, all that. I started when I was little. It was my grandmother who taught me.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Balthazar pondered, rubbing his chin which still had some crumbs on it, ¡°it makes sense this would be an ancient knowledge passed down through the generations and required years of practice.¡±


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°You¡¯re a funny crab, you know that?¡± Madeleine laughed. ¡°It¡¯s just baking. Plenty of people do it. I¡¯m no one special. Even in town, there are many others who bake things, pies, other cakes, bread, cookies, you name it. At most, I might be the only one who does it as her full-time job, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°You joke, surely?¡± the crab asked in disbelief. ¡°There are others who produce these treasures, and there¡¯s other varieties besides this one?¡±


    ¡°Of course. In fact,¡± the baker said, as she lifted the other lid of her basket, ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure which one to bring over, so I decided to bring both an apple and a pumpkin pie.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw a second pie, this one more orange in color and with no slices of fruit covering it, emerge from the basket.


    ¡°Would you like another slice?¡±


    ¡°You know I do, miss baker!¡±


    With a joyful smile on her freckled face, Madeleine served the crab a slice of pumpkin pie, before cutting a slightly smaller one for herself.


    They both sat under the sparse shade of the old tree, as the water calmly rolled from the creek and across the surface of the pond, gentle ripples fading before reaching the shore, the beautiful sound of no birds singing in the air, while enjoying their treat.


    ¡°So, tell me,¡± she said, between small bites of her slice, ¡°how did you discover pie in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you see, there were these two adventurers,¡± Balthazar began, between not so small bites, ¡°and one of them wanted this sword stuck in that stone over there. So, long story short, we made a trade, his slice of pie for the sword. A sucker, that one was, I tell you.¡±


    The girl looked at him with an amused expression of someone who wasn¡¯t sure if he was joking or not.


    ¡°Well, alright then. That¡¯s one way to earn a slice of pie, I guess.¡±


    ¡°And since then, I¡¯ve been looking for an opportunity to ask an adventurer where I could get more of it.¡± Balthazar took another big chunk of pie into his mouth. ¡°So, you¡¯re a trader too? You sell these in town?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call myself a trader,¡± she said. ¡°I just bake my little things and then sell them for a few gold coins at my little market stand in the town square. It¡¯s simple work, but I enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like trading to me. And you work alone like me, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡± Her smile died down slightly, but not completely. ¡°It used to be me and my mother. We had a much bigger market stall then, but sickness took her years ago, so now it¡¯s just me and my pans.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The crab stopped chewing, unsure how to handle the unfamiliar situation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, she always taught me not to let bad things get me down, and I¡¯ve been doing that ever since,¡± the girl said, her smile slowly returning in full. ¡°Me and my pans, staying busy every day, baking away!¡±


    ¡°Glad you enjoy what you do,¡± Balthazar said with an attempt at a smile, as he returned to his chewing, glad to have avoided an awkward moment.


    ¡°How did you learn to speak, anyway?¡± asked Madeleine.


    Interrupting his chewing, Balthazar did his best not to choke on the piece of pie that had just gone down a little too fast. He wasn¡¯t exactly looking forward to the explanation of how he touched a mysterious glowing scroll taken from an adventurer who died right in front of him the previous morning.


    ¡°I, uh¡­ just woke up like this one day.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, surprised.


    ¡°Yep. One day I was just doing normal crab stuff, and the next I wake up and I was like this. Weird, I know, but what can ya do?¡±


    ¡°The gods sure work in mysterious ways,¡± the baker said, pensively.


    ¡°Sure do. Anyway, since then, and once I realized I needed to find more of this delicious pie, I began trading goods with passing adventurers in order to earn some coin. Which reminds me¡­¡±


    Balthazar pulled out a coin purse and carefully opened it with the tips of his pincers. ¡°How much for these?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the girl said, ¡°you really don¡¯t have to. While I do sell my baking at the market in town most days, I can¡¯t really bring myself to take the money of someone who went to such lengths just to taste something I baked. The whole reason I came here in the first place was because I couldn¡¯t believe there was a talking crab asking for a pie baker, and I wanted to see it with my own eyes. Besides, you gave me an excuse to take a few hours off and come down to this beautiful pond and spend some time watching someone enjoy something I made more than I think I¡¯ve ever seen anyone do.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Balthazar insisted, ¡°I really don¡¯t want any rumors spreading around that I don¡¯t pay for my stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. You can keep your money and this stays just between us. I don¡¯t want anyone knowing I give out free pies either,¡± she said to him with a playful wink.


    ¡°Alright then, but just know that I¡¯ll be wanting more of these, and next time I will be paying.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Madeleine said, while standing up and doing a mocking salute.


    ¡°In fact, once I have a large enough fortune, I would be very interested in paying you for the secrets of your craft.¡±


    ¡°The secrets of my craft?¡± she repeated at him, stifling her laughter. ¡°They are just recipes. Here, if you want to get started, I¡¯ll even lend you one of my recipe books.¡±


    Pulling the satchel she was wearing across her torso to the front of her waist, Madeleine retrieved a thick book with a green checkered hard cover from within and offered it to the crab.


    ¡°I always carry one with me in case I get bored and want to do some reading. Don¡¯t judge, reading cookbooks is my form of entertainment!¡±


    Balthazar took the book into his pincers, feeling an unusual sense of humility.


    ¡°Are you sure? This must be of great value to you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have piles of different recipe books back home,¡± she assured him with a frank smile. ¡°Besides, this isn¡¯t another freebie. I¡¯m only lending you the book. You have to give it back when you¡¯re done reading it. And you¡¯d better take good care of it, if you get it wet I won¡¯t be bringing you any more pie!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Madeleine,¡± Balthazar said, with a smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, sir crab. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ve got my own business to return to.¡±


    ¡°Of course. And remember, if you need anything from my wares, just say the word. I¡¯ll even give you a friendly discount.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re friends now, eh?¡± she said playfully. ¡°Can¡¯t say I ever befriended a crab before, but I¡¯d be very happy to be your friend, Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Same here, baker girl. I hope we will continue this friendship for a long and sweet time!¡±


    As the pair crossed back to the edge of the pond, the girl stopped and looked at the assortment of items laid out on the rug.


    ¡°Hmm, you know, I do need a new wooden spoon.¡±


    ¡°Say no more!¡± Balthazar grabbed the wooden spoon that was displayed between a cracked ladle and a slightly rusty butter knife, and offered it to Madeleine. ¡°Let¡¯s consider this a trade for the two pies, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Fine with me,¡± she agreed, taking the spoon and putting it inside her basket.


    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°I will come back in a few days for the book and the plates, and I¡¯ll be sure to bring you something else for your sweet tooth.¡±


    Waving his claw at the girl as she walked back up the road, Balthazar felt a sense of satisfaction he wasn¡¯t familiar with until then. The previous day had been chaotic and full of great changes to his routine, but today was like a great pay-off, with his business plans beginning to take shape and his search for the source of delicious pie bearing fruits, he found himself excited for the coming days, and to find out what they would bring.


    [Items traded. Experience gained.]


    [[Wooden Spoon] traded for [Apple Pie] + [Pumpkin Pie]]


    [You have reached Level 5!]


    The notification startled Balthazar as it appeared, but he found himself more interested in something else instead. He was still holding the book of recipes the baker had given him, and he was wondering if even he, a crab, would ever be able to make such magical creations as the pies she had brought him today. As he opened the book to a random page and began looking through it, eyes darting from one page to the next, a frown began to form in his expression.


    ¡°I can¡¯t read any of this!¡±

 Chapter 9: Reputable Merchant

    With a yawn and a stretch, Balthazar emerged from the sand to a brand new morning. Scratching his backside with his pincer, he lazily sidestepped to the water to wash away the sand from his eyes, followed by a quick gargle and another stretch. Still feeling slightly grumpy, he put on his monocle and picked up the recipe book Madeleine had left him the day before.


    What good was a book if he could not read it? He had even gone through other books that were up for sale and they were all impossible for him to read. Attempting to look at it through his Monocle of Examination was also useless, as all it did was show him its name:


    [Recipes from Grandma, Vol. 3]


    But if he could read that, how come he could read nothing else? It made no sense to his crab brain, just like the characters on those pages. Perhaps he could only read things in that strange scroll¡¯s ¡°system¡± because they were exclusive to him? He had tried looking at the Scroll of Creation again, but it had remained dormant and lifeless since the day he used it, so that was of no help.


    Whatever this thing that kept assaulting his eyes was, it was starting to wear out his patience with its lack of explanations.


    "Where is a manager when you need one?" the grumpy crab said to himself. "Also, what is a manager, anyway?" He scratched the top of his shell in thought. "Bah, probably something useless."


    The whole thing had left Balthazar so annoyed that he hadn''t even felt like going through his level up screen the night before. He had invested so much in being ¡°intelligent¡± and what good did that do for him if he couldn¡¯t even read? Maybe if he had invested everything into more Strength he would have been able to smack the words out of the book.


    He began wondering if all those attribute and skill points even really did anything, or if they were just a placebo effect. But at the same time, he then also wondered how in the world he understood what a ¡°placebo effect¡± was.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Balthazar suddenly shouted. ¡°Skills! Maybe there¡¯s one that could help me.¡±


    Bringing back up his level up screen, he quickly bumped his Intelligence to 15 and moved on to the skills menu. Scrolling his eyes up and down, looking for something that looked relevant, he suddenly stopped and smacked the side of his claw to his shell. ¡°Of course, why didn¡¯t I think of checking here before?¡±


    [Reading: F]


    [The ability to read and write the common language]


    [Next Rank Requirements: Intelligence 6]


    [Upgrade]


    Having only one point to spend at that time, Balthazar pondered for a moment on whether he should spend it here. The ¡°common language¡± was almost certainly the one all the adventurers and Madeleine used, as it¡¯s so, well¡­ common. This was clearly the right skill for what he wanted to do, but would it be worth it? As he looked at the book in front of him once more and wondered about all the potential pie secrets within, he made the decision and pressed [Upgrade] on the skill.


    Waving the wall of text away with his eyes, he quickly opened the book and attempted to read from one of the pages.


    ¡°In¡­ in great¡­ in gradient¡­¡± Balthazar slowly muttered, with difficulty. ¡°Ah! Ingredients!¡±


    Readjusting his monocle, he attempted to continue through the next paragraphs.


    ¡°Flower? They eat flowers? Wait, no, it¡¯s¡­ flour. Huh, alright then.¡±


    Closing the book with a loud thump after a while, the crab sighed.


    ¡°This is going to be tough. Clearly a D rank in reading barely lets me understand what I¡¯m reading. How do the small human children do it? They must get extra skill points, I bet.¡±


    Bringing his status page back up, he felt a slight satisfaction in easily reading through it.


    [Status]


    [Name: Balthazar] [Race: Crab] [Class: Choose] [Level: 5]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 3] [Agility: 2] [Intelligence: 15]


    [Primary Skills]


    [Medium Armor: B] [Speech: B] [Fishing: C] [Slashing Weapons: C] [Reading: D]


    ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± Balthazar said, looking at the class field. He recalled seeing it there before, but it had always been marked as ¡°undefined.¡± Was this going to let him define one now?


    Focusing on it for a moment, a new menu popped up, not too dissimilar from the skills one, except this one seemed to list choices of classes. At the top of the long list floated a short piece of text:


    [Classes unlock access to certain skills unique to their type. Certain levels of skills will also only be available to specific classes.]


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Ooh, now you start explaining things, eh?¡± Balthazar exclaimed, as if talking to someone in front of him that wasn¡¯t there. ¡°It would have been nice if you did it from the start, you know?¡±


    Scrolling through the many choices of class, he felt lost as to what to pick. There were typical ones, like [Archer], [Fighter], or [Wizard], but also things like [Alchemist], [Miner], and even [Sailor], but none of them seemed like a proper fit for a crab like him. He tried thinking what his talents were, and looking around, he concluded he had been showing a good sense for trading, selling and buying things, making deals, and that¡¯s when he saw a class that caught his eye.


    [Merchant]


    [Specializes in trading, can sell and buy things for better prices, as well as start their own merchant business.]


    ¡°That¡¯s it, that¡¯s my pick!¡± Balthazar said, one pincer stretched forward.


    Confirming his selection, the screen returned to the status page, where it now showed [Class: Novice Merchant].


    ¡°A novice, is it? Not for long, funny words in my eyes. Not for long.¡±


    ***


    The day had been quieter than Balthazar was hoping, with few clients passing by. He had hoped that the rumors started by the archer boy the day before would have spread and attracted people curious about a talking crab trading things on the side of the road, but today there had been very few adventurers coming down from town heading to the forest or the plains.


    One possible explanation was the fact that Ardville also had another gate facing west, with roads leading both west and southwest, which was apparently much busier than the south one, as he had learned from an adventurer who stopped by and bought a couple of trinkets. Since there wasn¡¯t much else other than the Black Forest to the south, not as many people came that way.


    Taking advantage of the quiet afternoon, Balthazar had tried picking up on his reading skill, making it a few pages into Madeleine¡¯s recipe book before realizing he had no idea how most of what it described worked. He had always just eaten his food as it was, pick it up, put in mouth, eat. Simple.


    But these humans had entire rituals around their food preparation. They took things out of it, they added others, they heat it up, then cool it down, they cut it, then they mix it back together. It was madness to him. Why would anyone spend so much time playing with their food like that?


    But he also kept remembering the end result that was Madeleine¡¯s pies, so maybe there was a good reason behind it after all. He still couldn¡¯t conceive of ever doing half of the stuff described, however. Maybe cracking walnuts, that step he could see himself doing better than any human.


    Accepting that his calling was in coin making, he came to terms with leaving the baking to true artisans like Madeleine, and focus himself on gaining more money, in order to get more pies. He was going to earn that dough!


    There were still a few other books lying around that he could now understand, so he put himself to reading the ones that sounded like they¡¯d teach him useful information, such as a book with the local history of the area, a financial journal, and even a ¡°Guide to Windmill Maintenance.¡± That last one wasn¡¯t particularly useful to him, but it had lots of drawings and figures, which he liked.


    It was while deep in one of his reading moments that Balthazar heard a horse trotting up the road. Putting his book down, he moved over to the entrance of his pond and watched as a robust brown horse approached, pulling an open two-wheeled cart behind, surrounded by two adventurers slowly walking alongside it, plus another in front of the horse, leading it with one hand on the reins. All with tired expressions on their faces, mud and other unknown forms of goo splattered all over their armors and vestments. They were all different classes of adventurer, the one at the front was level 14, while the other two were level 12. The horse was just level 3.


    Seeing the leading adventurer hold his step and clutch the hilt of his sword when noticing the large crab staring at them on the side of the road, Balthazar quickly broke the tension. ¡°Hail, adventurers. Nice day for a stroll, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    While he thought his attempts at being friendly could still do with some more work, Balthazar was relieved to see the man relax his hand from the sword.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± the man said, in a casual but tired tone, ¡°I heard about a talking crab on this road. Guess that¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Sure am,¡± the crab confirmed. ¡°And not just a talking crab, but a merchant too, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Merchant, is it?¡± said one of the other two adventurers as they both joined at the front of the cart to see the crab. ¡°Sell us a couple of nice beds, would you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, I certainly would, if I had any, but I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m fresh out. I might be interested in buying some of the loot you fellas have there, though.¡±


    ¡°Loot?¡± said the front man. ¡°It¡¯s not loot we¡¯re carrying back to town, crab.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± Balthazar asked, with curiosity, while stepping around the cart to look at its back.


    ¡°No, just these two,¡± the man continued.


    The back of the cart had its lid dropped open, and two pairs of legs could be seen hanging from it, feet almost dragging on the road. Raising himself higher on his legs, Balthazar looked at the two men lying on the cart. One had a protruding belly, sticking out of his suit of very worn out armor, and the other a face that resembled an ugly fish, covered in scratches. He recognized them from the day before.


    ¡°Are they¡­ dead?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± said the third member of the group, while holding two fingers in front of the crossbowman¡¯s nostrils. ¡°Still breathing. Just passed out and pretty banged up.¡±


    ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°They got more than they bargained for,¡± said the leader. ¡°Went deep into the forest and got ambushed by some giant spiders.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, lucky we found them when we did,¡± continued one of the other two, ¡°or they might not have made it.¡±


    ¡°Also,¡± added the third adventurer, ¡°lucky for them they had those poison cure potions with them, or they¡¯d be two shriveled up corpses right now.¡±


    The man signaled towards two empty bottles sitting in the cart''s corner. Balthazar recognized them as the two potion bottles he sold the pair the previous day.


    He wondered to himself what were the odds that the story he made up on the spot about poisonous spiders in the forest in order to sell them the potions would turn out to be accurate. Pretty high, apparently.


    ¡°Yeah, in fact,¡± the higher level adventurer said to the other two, ¡°didn¡¯t the big guy say they bought them on the road on their way there while he was still conscious?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, he did say that,¡± confirmed one of the two companions. ¡°Even scolded the other one for trying to complain about their price.¡±


    ¡°There are no other traders down here,¡± the man said, turning to Balthazar, ¡°did they get those potions from you, crab?¡±


    ¡°That they did,¡± the crab responded, while adjusting his monocle and assuming a respectable pose. ¡°Those two passed through here yesterday. I warned them the forest was full of dangerous spiders, they didn¡¯t want to listen at first, but I convinced them to take the potions, nearly forced them into their hands for free, just because I didn¡¯t want the worst to happen, as apparently it nearly did.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± said one of the two lower levels, ¡°saved by a talking crab, who would have thought? That was mighty noble of you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, crab?¡± the leader asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to put in a good word for you with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild once we get back in town and drop those two off at the healer. They need to know there¡¯s a good merchant down here.¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s Balthazar,¡± the crab announced, puffing his front up. ¡°And any adventurer coming this way is welcome to trade with me. I¡¯ve got the best deals for their journey, guaranteed.¡±


    As the cart continued its way up the road towards the gates, Balthazar saw a new notification coming up.


    [Adventurer¡¯s Guild Reputation +1]


    Balthazar had no idea until that moment that there was some kind of reputation system, and he also wasn¡¯t yet sure how he had managed to stumble into the good graces of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild so easily, but he knew that if he had any hands in that moment, he would be rubbing them together.

 Chapter 10: The Goblin

    ¡°Can¡¯t you do at least 15 gold?¡±


    ¡°10 is all you¡¯re going to get, pal.¡±


    ¡°Come on, man, this is an alpha wolf pelt. It¡¯s definitely worth it.¡±


    ¡°I know very well this is a common wolf pelt. It¡¯s 10 gold, and if you try to fool me again, it will be nothing at all.¡±


    Balthazar adjusted his monocle with the top of his claw as he looked the clearly novice adventurer over. Most of them knew better than to haggle with a stubborn crab, but there would always be some that needed to learn the hard way.


    His reputation boost with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild was proving fruitful, as more of them were choosing to drop by during their outings, to check his wares, or sell their excess loot. But with more customers also came the annoyance of ¡°newbies,¡± as he heard higher level adventurers call them.


    ¡°Come on, at least do 12 gold, that¡¯s what they¡¯d pay for it up in Ardville,¡± the young adventurer insisted.


    This one was only level 3 and was desperate for coin, after apparently having spent all of his money buying the huge mace hanging next to his hip from a shop in town, despite not meeting the required Strength to actually use it.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go sell it there?¡± the crab asked, with a glance.


    ¡°Because, well¡­¡± the boy started, while rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at his own feet. ¡°I¡¯m trying to stay away from the market for at least a couple of days. Let things cool down a little. I¡­ may have accidentally failed a seduction attempt on the blacksmith¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sounds to me like it¡¯s going to be 10 gold then,¡± the crab declared, with a hint of smugness.


    ¡°Oh, fine!¡± the adventurer finally conceded. ¡°You¡¯re terrible, you know? And on top of it all, I had to get my boots all wet just to get here.¡±


    Balthazar handed him the ten gold coins and watched the young adventurer splash his feet as he walked away from the inner islet. He had a point, and he wasn¡¯t the first one to complain about it. Many of the clients had brought up the inconvenience of having to skip over slippery wet rocks in order to do business with him. While it did allow him to sell at least a couple of pairs of dry socks, it wasn¡¯t really a good look.


    Looking around at his pond, he also realized things were getting out of hand in terms of his inventory management. He purchased a large, heavy iron chest a group of adventurers were carrying from some local dungeon, and was now using it as storage for his gold coins, leaving just his old belongings and the Scroll of Character Creation in his previous hiding hole. But that hardly mattered for the many larger items he now had scattered all over his home. He needed better organization, storage, and also some more convenient access to his central spot.


    Skittering around his piles of random goods, Balthazar picked out some basic materials and brought them over to where his chest was, under the central tree. He knew eventually rain would come, and that would be a problem for some of his products, so he figured some form of shelter would be necessary.


    Carefully balancing it between his claws, he upheld a wooden stake about as tall as an adult human, and firmly stuck the pointy end into the soft soil. After repeating the process another three times, making a square of wooden stakes, Balthazar unfolded a large tarp and awkwardly attempted to throw it over the construction. A few pulls and corrections later, he stepped back and looked at the result of his efforts. The stakes were at uneven heights, as well as not entirely straight, the tarp was dragging on the ground on one side, but leaving the opposite area partially exposed to the sky, and while attempting to lay it out, Balthazar had accidentally made a tear in the fabric with his claw, leaving a large hole in it.


    [Item crafted. Experience gained.]


    [[Makeshift Shelter] created.]


    [You have reached level 6!]


    ¡°That¡¯s very funny, ha-ha,¡± Balthazar said, with a blank expression, as one of the stakes holding up his improvised tent fell, bringing the whole structure down on itself.


    ¡°This is a waste of my talents.¡± He sighed, while opening up his level up screen. ¡°I¡¯m clearly not made for this kind of manual labor.¡±


    Seeing as most of the skills relevant to his Merchant class were related to Intelligence, he had decided to continue putting points into that for the time being. After increasing his Intelligence from 15 to 16, he moved on to the skills screen, eager to upgrade his Reading skill from a D to a C rank.


    ¡°Hopefully this will let me read faster than before,¡± Balthazar said, while picking up the geography book he had started on earlier.


    Looking at each of the words on the page, he found them coming together and making sense much more easily, only stumbling on those with many syllables.


    He also noted he now understood what a syllable was, despite not recalling ever hearing about it. He figured that¡¯s just what being intelligent was like. He just knew stuff naturally, because learning was so last week.


    Closing the status screen and tossing the ruined tarp and stakes to the side, he began contemplating the area between the islet he was on and the edge of the pond leading to the road. Some kind of bridge would be ideal, so that his clients could walk across without getting wet. He didn¡¯t understand their aversion to water, but who could understand humans, anyway?


    Going through some more of his materials, he picked up some wooden boards he had bought recently. They would make for a decent floor, but not as they were now. Eyeing the hacksaw next to him with suspicion, and then his own pincers, he dropped the wooden boards and turned around to return to his book. ¡°Nope, not even gonna try that.¡±


    ***


    Flipping the last page of his book, Balthazar slammed it shut with satisfaction. While it wasn¡¯t very fluent yet, he could tell his reading had improved considerably. So much, in fact, that he would soon run out of books to read, and would need to rely on adventurers returning to town from their exploring with more.


    Taking the book in his claw, the crab crossed the water to the front of the pond and placed it next to all the others he had neatly displayed in a row over the rug with the trinkets and baubles. Looking up at the sky, Balthazar was pleased by the lack of birds, even if it made him feel a little suspicious.


    They had been very absent lately, and while he would like to believe it was because of some kind of migration, or simply because of all the new commotion around his pond, his instinct told him they must have been up to something, perhaps something nefarious.


    As he pictured dozens of songbirds descending upon his home to pick up his storage chest and fly away with it, something caught his attention in the distance. A small black dot on the horizon, approaching from the plains.


    Shaking off some grains of sand from the edges of the rug and readjusting his monocle, Balthazar readied himself to greet his potential new client. But as the figure became clearer in the distance, he began having a feeling of slight unease growing inside him.


    It was a man, straight posture and determined walk, all his clothing black, from his expensive looking shiny boots to his silk shirt, covered over the shoulders by a long cloak, dark as a moonless night. Standing out from all the darkness of his clothing was his long straight hair, of a nearly white silver color, despite his still young facial features, which surrounded two piercing icy blue eyes.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    As he approached, Balthazar looked at him through his monocle.


    [Level 19 Dark Mage]


    Whoever this Dark Mage was, he radiated an aura of dread that made Balthazar uncomfortable. But he was still a merchant, and not one about to be intimidated out of a possible business transaction. After all, this guy looked like he could afford expensive stuff.


    ¡°Good day to you, mister. Would you perhaps be interested in some charmed necklaces?¡± Balthazar said, with one arm stretched towards the items on display over his rug.


    The mage looked down at the crab from the corner of his eye, without even turning his head, and with a slight scoff, continued walking.


    ¡°I have many things that could be of use to a mage such as yourself,¡± Balthazar persisted. ¡°Mana potions, a few enchanted rings, perhaps this Tome of Levitation?¡±


    Coming to a sudden halt, the man raised his black gloved hand, as if signaling to someone behind him to hold.


    ¡°Did you say you have a Tome of Levitation?¡± he asked, with a clear, calm, yet commanding voice.


    Intrigued by his gesture and the noises coming from behind his cloak, Balthazar leaned slightly and saw a small figure, its head barely the same height as the mage¡¯s waist, very thin, almost skin and bone, the skin of a grayish green tone, large pointy ears, wearing only a pair of ragged pants, and holding a large sack on his back. It was a goblin.


    ¡°I asked you a question, crab,¡± the man said, a hint of impatience and irritation in his voice now.


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes, that¡¯s right, I got one right here,¡± Balthazar said, pointing at his selection of books, but still more interested in the creature behind the man.


    He had seen goblins before, rarely, they mostly lived in caves, or deep in the forest, and avoided places where adventurers dwell, but there had been a couple of times in the past where Balthazar had been bothered by young goblins throwing rocks at his shell from up a cliff behind his pond, before running away laughing as he snapped his claws threateningly at them. They were wild and primitive creatures that lived in small tribes, and weren¡¯t particularly liked by anyone, but something about this goblin seemed different.


    He was smaller, despite not being a child, and he seemed weak, almost emaciated, with a miserable look on his face, probably in part because of the massive weight of the sack he was struggling to hold on his back with both hands. As he shifted the weight on his shoulders slightly, a thick black iron collar became visible around his neck, with runes engraved on its surface. Balthazar scanned the goblin through his monocle and saw he was only a level 3.


    ¡°Let me see that,¡± the Dark Mage demanded with an outstretched hand.


    ¡°Say, that¡¯s a peculiar traveling companion you have there,¡± Balthazar said, while handing the tome to the man.


    ¡°That? It¡¯s just a goblin I collected off the side of a road a few weeks ago, to carry my things. Stupid thing can¡¯t even fight.¡± The silver-haired man was scanning the cover and back of the tome, as if looking for signs of it being a fake. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 100 gold for this.¡±


    Balthazar pondered for a moment, his eyes still on the goblin, who seemed ready to collapse to his knees at any moment.


    ¡°Tell you what, it doesn¡¯t seem like you have much use for the little guy anymore,¡± the crab finally said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you trade me the goblin and the tome is yours?¡±


    ¡°This pathetic thing?¡± the mage said, with a mocking disbelief. ¡°He¡¯s barely good for carrying things anymore. I doubt I¡¯d keep him for much longer. You can have him.¡±


    The Dark Mage snapped his fingers, and the collar dropped to the ground, open. As it did, the goblin immediately fell to his hands and knees, letting go of the loot sack.


    ¡°You belong to the crab now, understood?¡± the man said, while picking up the collar and handing it to Balthazar.


    ¡°No thanks, the deal was just for the goblin, you can keep that.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± the mage responded with an arrogant look, as he pocketed the collar and scanned through the first pages of his new tome.


    ¡°And do me a favor. Don¡¯t cast that on yourself anywhere near my place, will you?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I don¡¯t want you falling to your death and devaluing my products.¡±


    The Dark Mage looked at the crab with a disdainful scoff, but didn¡¯t respond. Finishing his quick scanning of the tome¡¯s pages, he threw it inside the bag and snapped his fingers once again, this time causing the bag to lift itself off the road, hovering in place, before steadily following behind the man as he walked away.


    Turning to the goblin that had now stood back up to his feet, Balthazar approached him slowly. ¡°Hey there. You alright? Need anything?¡±


    ¡°Thirsty!¡± the goblin pleaded, with a raspy voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s a pond right over there. You can drink from it.¡±


    With surprising speed, the goblin dashed to the edge of the water and fell to his knees, desperately using both hands as cups to bring water to his mouth and drink.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, there¡¯s plenty of it and it¡¯s not going anywhere,¡± the crab said, walking up to where the goblin ran. ¡°There¡¯s some jerky in the crate over there too if you want it once you¡¯re done. Sure looks like you need it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the goblin said, gasping for air between large gulps of water, ¡°silver man evil, give no food!¡±


    The creature seemed capable of understanding basic human tongue just fine, as Balthazar expected, even if his speech appeared somewhat limited.


    The crab wasn¡¯t particularly fond of goblins. Or anyone else, for that matter. But while 100 gold was a lot of money, it would pale in comparison to what a pair of opposable thumbs could do for his trading spot in the long run. And he also found starving someone while forcing them to work for you to be particularly distasteful. If you¡¯re going to work someone to the bone, at least keep them fed, so they last longer. That¡¯s just common sense.


    ¡°You got a name, goblin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the small creature responded, standing back to his feet. ¡°Druma!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a name, I guess. Nice to meet you, my name is Balthazar,¡± the crab said, while the goblin took some slices of beef jerky from the crate and began eating them ferociously. ¡°Would you be interested in a job as my assistant, Druma? Great conditions, competitive pay. Mainly food, but you seem to need that.¡±


    ¡°Druma no have tribe no more,¡± the goblin started, while nodding his head between chewing. ¡°Crab free Druma from evil man. If crab give Druma meat, Druma follow crab now.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a fair deal to me,¡± said Balthazar, as a prompt appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Add Druma to your party?]


    [Yes | No]


    ¡°Why the hell is this system throwing me a surprise party?!¡±

 Chapter 11: Meat and Greet

    Another morning began, and Balthazar was up and ready to start his day. Druma had spent the night sleeping on a small stack of hay covered with a discarded tarp, with a belly full of meat, which had shown an effect on him already, as his skin looked a more vivid green, and even his ribs seemed less protruding than the night before.


    While he knew the goblin needed a good night¡¯s rest to regain his strength, Balthazar also didn¡¯t plan on spending precious food he could sell to adventurers on a lazy assistant that didn¡¯t help him at all.


    ¡°Time to wake up, meat lover,¡± Balthazar said, while holding two pieces of beef jerky next to his new assistant¡¯s bulbous nose.


    The goblin lazily rubbed his eyes as he stood up from his makeshift bed, looking around for the source of the smell.


    ¡°Like I told you yesterday, you¡¯re not a slave anymore, and I¡¯ll give you food and let you stay here, but you will have to be willing to work for it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Druma agreed, nodding vigorously as he took the jerky.


    ¡°So, come with me,¡± said Balthazar, while stepping closer to the shallowest part of the pond, where he left some wooden boards. ¡°See these planks? I want you to build a walkway over this water, so we don¡¯t have to step on the rocks to cross here. Got it?¡±


    The goblin stared at the planks with his mouth slightly open, half chewed pieces of meat still in it, while scratching the top of his hairless head.


    ¡°What crab want??¡± the confused goblin finally asked.


    Balthazar let out a deep sigh. He knew it would not be easy, but he still had some hope the goblin would at least understand enough to try. He had hands, surely he would do a better job than someone with pincers for fingers ever could.


    Bringing up his status screen, he checked his party page again. As he had learned the previous day, the two of them could form a party (which did not involve any cake, much to Balthazar¡¯s disappointment), and that linked them into the same group. He could now freely see the goblin¡¯s stats, and they weren¡¯t particularly impressive.


    [Party Members]


    [Name: Druma] [Race: Goblin] [Class: None] [Level: 3]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 2] [Agility: 4] [Intelligence: 2]


    He couldn¡¯t help but notice the fact that the screen showed no skills. Could it be because the goblin was too low level? Could he even level up?


    Balthazar had even taken the Scroll of Creation during the night and attempted to poke the sleeping goblin¡¯s hand with it, just out of curiosity, but the scroll remained dormant as it had been since the first day.


    ¡°If only you were a little bit more intelligent, buddy, maybe you¡¯d understand things beyond basic commands, eh?¡±


    The goblin tilted his head and gave the crab a bemused look as he gnawed on his piece of jerky.


    ¡°More intelligence!¡± Balthazar suddenly shouted. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    Rushing towards a pile of mixed clothing he had been slowly amassing and promising himself he¡¯d soon fold, the crab frantically searched through it until he found an old pointy gray hat. The same one the fallen wizard had been wearing before his untimely death.


    ¡°Here, you have a proper head, unlike me. Try putting this on, Druma.¡±


    The goblin gave him an even more confused look, but obliged, taking the Hat of Enlightenment with both hands and putting it on. It fit around his large head, despite still looking quite oversized for how small the rest of him was.


    Seeing no visible changes, Balthazar looked at the status screen again.


    [Party Members]


    [Name: Druma] [Race: Goblin] [Class: None] [Level: 3]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 2] [Agility: 4] [Intelligence: 2 (+2)]


    The number was there, and the hat hadn¡¯t automatically fallen off like it did with Balthazar, but would it make enough of a difference?


    ¡°Druma,¡± he called, breaking the goblin¡¯s attention away from his last bit of meat, ¡°can you try to build a path with these planks from here to the other side?¡±


    The goblin looked at the wood, and then at the space between their side of the water and the shore by the entrance before nodding. ¡°Druma will build, boss!¡±


    With a quick step to it, the goblin began laying out the wooden boards and moving small rocks around, preparing his work place.


    It worked. Or at least it seemed like it would. Who knows how good a goblin is at building bridges. But for now Balthazar was satisfied with his progress, and so he started heading out to the side of the road, where the first adventurers of that morning were already approaching.


    ***


    Balthazar looked up at the sky. The sun had just begun its way down from its highest point, which, according to the strange clicking device a peculiar mage had traded him that morning, meant it was just past midday.


    He figured whatever kind of magic was in his Monocle of Examination must have been like what this item had. Except it must allow it to look at the sun¡¯s position from behind its glass, instead of items or people, hence why they call it a ¡°watch.¡± Clearly, not even their mysterious arcane artifacts were a match to his superior intellect anymore.


    Deciding he would still put it up for sale, Balthazar laid out the small watch next to his other trinkets and pieces of jewelry. After all, why would he need it when he could look up at the sun and tell the time just fine?


    If it was night and there was no sun, then it meant it was sleep time, and he had no need to know the time while sleeping. And if it was just too cloudy or rainy to see the sun, then it meant it was nap time, which also didn¡¯t require knowing the time. Crabs had it all figured out, and humans were silly. That was the lesson to learn there.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Turning to his pond, Balthazar was impressed with Druma¡¯s work. He might be small, but he was quite nimble and willing to work.


    After spending all morning working a stone foundation and nailing wooden boards, the unlikely assistant had constructed a reasonably sturdy walkway from the edge of the pond all the way to the inner isle, eliminating the need to wade through water, or jump from stone to stone.


    The goblin was now doing his best to drag a large wooden stake around the central area in front of the old tree, preparing to make the shelter Balthazar had attempted¡ªand failed¡ªto create before.


    It had somewhat of a comedic aspect to it, watching a scrawny goblin in ragged pants going around doing manual labor while wearing a large wizard hat. But whatever got the job done, Balthazar figured.


    Turning around to move some boxes away from the road, the crab saw a familiar figure coming down from town. The white attire, long braid dropped over her shoulder, and the large wicker basket in hand filled Balthazar with excitement.


    ¡°Madeleine!¡± he greeted loudly, vigorously waving one claw at her.


    ¡°Hello again, mister crab,¡± she responded, with an open smile.


    Carefully grabbing them from behind some rolled up towels, Balthazar offered two plates on top of a book to the baker. ¡°I washed them for you. The plates, of course! Not the book.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s nice of you,¡± Madeleine said, with a laugh, as she received the three objects. ¡°I knew they would be in good hands. Well, good pincers.¡±


    Putting the plates and book in her basket, she opened the other lid and retrieved something flat and circular, of beige color, with browned edges, and covered in what looked like fine white sand.


    ¡°Try this,¡± she offered.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a cookie. A butter cookie. Go on, give it a taste.¡±


    Intrigued, Balthazar held the small and fragile cookie in his pincers. It smelled quite nice once it was closer to him, just not as intense as the pies. He gave it a nibble, and tiny pieces of it crumbled in his mouth, less dry than he expected from their texture. The sandy substance covering it was very sweet, and he suspected it to be what the recipe book had listed as ¡°sugar.¡±


    ¡°This is very good,¡± Balthazar finally said, with a thoughtful expression, while shoving the rest of the cookie in his mouth.


    ¡°But¡­?¡± Madeleine said, with an eyebrow raised.


    ¡°But I could see myself eating many of these in a day, and they are¡­ well¡­ kind of small, compared to a pie.¡±


    The girl laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°Oh, you are a funny crab. These are cookies. You don¡¯t bake just one of them at a time like pies.¡±


    Reaching into her basket, Madeleine retrieved a large glass jar, filled all the way to the top with many cookies identical to the one Balthazar had just eaten.


    ¡°Oooooh, my baker,¡± the crab exclaimed, with an expression of awe at the transparent jar held in front of him. ¡°Are these all for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I brought them for you. But it seems like you¡¯ve been busy making more friends?¡±


    Madeleine was looking over the crab¡¯s shell at the goblin wrestling a tarp by the tree.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± Balthazar said, breaking away from his jar gazing. ¡°You haven¡¯t met him yet.¡±


    Signaling the girl to follow him, he crossed the small bridge and called for the goblin. ¡°Hey, Druma, you can take a break now. Come over here.¡±


    Putting his stone hammer down, the goblin readjusted his hat and wiped the sweat off his forehead as he joined them.


    ¡°This is Madeleine. She is the nice baker I told you about earlier, remember? And Madeleine, this is Druma, my new employee. He started this morning.¡±


    ¡°Well, hello there, Druma. I would say I¡¯m surprised to meet a friendly goblin, but after meeting a talking crab, I think nothing shocks me anymore. That¡¯s a nice hat you have there, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Thank. Boss give Druma hat. Druma feel more smart with hat,¡± the goblin said, with a wide grin, while tapping his feet in place.


    ¡°That was nice of you,¡± Madeleine said to Balthazar. ¡°How did you two meet? I¡¯ve never seen goblins come anywhere near this area, and something tells me you didn¡¯t go out there and start looking for friends.¡±


    ¡°I just traded some old tome for him with a rich guy,¡± Balthazar responded with a casual shrug.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Madeleine asked, puzzled. ¡°You bought him? Like a slave?!¡±


    ¡°Silver man very bad!¡± Druma interjected. ¡°He starve Druma. Hurt Druma. Make Druma carry stuff. Crab boss make silver man free Druma with magic book. Druma work for crab boss now. Boss let Druma have meat and sleep. Druma like to build. Druma happy now.¡±


    Madeleine stared at the goblin with an expression of pity and concern. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry that happened to you, Druma. I didn¡¯t know. No creature should ever be treated like that. But what about family? Don¡¯t you have anyone to go back to? A tribe?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The goblin tilted his head down slightly, the rim of his hat covering part of his face as he stared at his own feet. ¡°Old tribe boss send Druma away. Say Druma too small. Too weak. Good for nothing. Big goblins throw Druma out into forest. Food for spiders. Then silver man find Druma. Put iron thing around neck.¡± He rubbed the side of his neck, a noticeable shiver running through him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine what you have been through,¡± Madeleine said, in a low and plaintive voice, while placing a hand on the goblin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Nobody deserves that. And I hope that now that you are free, you will find new joy in doing what you love. Whether it¡¯s building or annoying a cranky crab.¡± She gave him a sincere smile, and the goblin did his best to return it as he let go of his neck.


    ¡°You know what you are?¡± The baker turned back to Balthazar, who had been quiet so far, unsure of what to say. ¡°You are a big softie. Under that hard shell and grumpy mood, you are softer than the butter I use for my baking.¡±


    Balthazar looked up at the branches of the tree. Seemed like the weather was going to hold. Perhaps a bit windy. Maybe he should wash some clothes later.


    ¡°Did your new assistant make this bridge, too?¡± Madeleine asked him, seeing his attempt at looking distracted. ¡°I don¡¯t remember it being here last time. It¡¯s pretty nice work.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Balthazar quickly said, thankful for the change of subject. ¡°Turns out he¡¯s pretty handy with these things.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Madeleine began, with a sly tone, ¡°your employee seems to have been working really hard all morning. Don¡¯t you think he deserves something?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Balthazar responded, confused. ¡°Oh, you mean the cookies? But I thought they were just for¡ª¡±


    Madeleine gave the crab¡¯s shell a nudge with her elbow. It didn¡¯t physically hurt, but it still caused some pain. To his spirit.


    ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Balthazar conceded. ¡°Would you like to try a cookie, Druma?¡±


    The baker opened the lid of the jar and took out a cookie, offering it to the goblin.


    ¡°Meat?¡± Druma asked, while sniffing the air around the strange new thing being held in front of him. ¡°No meat! Bah! Sweet! Druma no like sweet!¡±


    The goblin pulled away as if he was afraid of the cookie, while making a bitter face and sticking his tongue out in disgust.


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s rude!¡± Balthazar scolded.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. He doesn¡¯t like sweet things. Don¡¯t worry, I will find a way to win him over,¡± Madeleine said, with a wink.


    ¡°Well, fine. You should go have a lunch break now,¡± Balthazar said to the goblin. ¡°There are some cured meats over by the sacks over there. Just don¡¯t eat my whole supply.¡±


    Druma happily made his way to his lunch, licking his lips.


    ¡°Your business is growing well, I see,¡± Madeleine said, looking around. ¡°You got lots of¡­ stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yes, these adventurers might be a nuisance sometimes, but they¡¯re also an endless source of, well, stuff.¡±


    ¡°Come now, they¡¯re not that bad, really. Most of them are nice people. Plus, they help complete all sorts of jobs and save the town from dangers all the time.¡±


    ¡°Look at you. Someone¡¯s an adventurer fan girl, eh?¡± Balthazar teased, nudging her leg with one claw, while grabbing a butter cookie with the other.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± Madeleine said, still smiling. ¡°I just think things were worse back before they started showing up. Roads were more dangerous with wild animals, people would be taken by bandits, or worse things, and even inside the city walls, we weren¡¯t always safe. Now, at least, there¡¯s someone fighting back and actually making a difference.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and greedily looting everything that isn¡¯t nailed down while they¡¯re at it,¡± said the crab, with his mouth full of cookie. ¡°They just start showing up one day, solving everybody¡¯s problems, going around doing quests, or whatever. Where did they all come from, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure anyone really knows. Some say they came from across the ocean, heroes from a land far away and very different from ours. Others believe they are champions of the gods, sent down before times of great need.¡±


    The girl shrugged and took a cookie into her mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. All of it is way above my pay grade. But never mind that. Why don¡¯t you tell me what you¡¯ve been up to around here?¡±


    ***


    The goblin was lying on his back, his hat still on his head, partially covering his eyes, mouth open, a protruding belly stretching the waist of his pants. Balthazar himself felt the calling of a good nap, after having stuffed himself with cookies while chatting with the baker girl.


    ¡°Right, I think my lunchtime is over,¡± Madeleine said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯ve got lots of orders to prepare back home.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait. I said I¡¯d pay you next time, and this is next time,¡± Balthazar said, while fetching a small coin purse.


    ¡°No, really, Balthazar, I don¡¯t feel right taking your money. I enjoy the walk down here, and the time spent at this beautiful pond.¡±


    The crab gave her the side eye.


    ¡°I even enjoy our conversations, despite your grumpiness, if you can believe that,¡± the girl joked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just keep giving your products away for free, that¡¯s no way to run a business. Trust me, I would know, I¡¯m a merchant!¡± Balthazar said, leaving the novice portion out.


    ¡°Alright, fine. How about we do like last time? I really need a new bowl to mix my ingredients, and since I got here, I¡¯ve been eyeing the one you have over there.¡± She pointed at a large bowl resting on top of the fallen tree trunk next to some potions. ¡°What do you say, my cookies for the bowl, and next time I¡¯ll bring something made in it?¡±


    ¡°Girl, if I wasn¡¯t so full and ready to fall asleep, you wouldn¡¯t be walking out of here without a good haggling. But have it your way, the bowl it is.¡±


    ¡°Much obliged!¡± the young girl said, with a smile and a twirl, grabbing the bowl on her way out. ¡°See you next time, Balthazar. Bye, Druma!¡±


    The goblin only managed to briefly raise an arm in a wave before dropping it and falling back into his food coma.


    ¡°That premium quality cured ham was worth at least 50 gold. That goblin better build a goddamn castle around the pond once he wakes up.¡±

 Chapter 12: A Spider Problem

    It was another sunny summer morning at Balthazar¡¯s pond, and the crab prepared himself for another day of trading by happily munching on a butter cookie.


    Druma had already chomped down his own breakfast and was hard at work assembling another set of makeshift shelving, the wizard hat still firmly fit around his head. Despite still being quite small, even by goblin standards, he was beginning to bulk up, looking considerably less skinny and becoming slightly toned, thanks to all the hard labor and the plentiful meals of meat he kept having every day. While costly, Balthazar would have a hard time denying it was a good investment, as the goblin¡¯s work around the place was becoming very noticeable.


    There was a footpath between the shore and the center islet, which itself contained a large tented area, with the heavy iron chest where the gold was stashed at the back, an exquisite rug at the center where Balthazar rested, as well as sacks and crates with food on each side.


    The small assistant had also finished crude tables and shelves to better organize and display the items for sale, slowly reducing the clutter around the place, and bringing organization to the trading post.


    ¡°Hey, Druma,¡± Balthazar called. ¡°I¡¯ll be out here by the road. The morning¡¯s pretty hot, so don¡¯t forget to take some breaks.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡± the goblin responded, while nodding vigorously, before turning back to his hammering.


    As Balthazar reached the side of the road, an adventurer was already approaching, with a bag over his shoulder.


    ¡°Morning,¡± the man said. ¡°You open for business yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always open, if the business is worth making. What can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been making my way back to town all night, and I¡¯m pretty spent. I sure would like a stamina potion or two right now, if you got some for sale?¡±


    ¡°Ah, unlucky, I¡¯m fresh out at the moment,¡± Balthazar said, while discreetly using one of his back legs to push a crate full of shiny green potion bottles behind a stack of bigger boxes, and out of sight.


    ¡°Dang it, just my luck,¡± the adventurer said.


    It was not as if Balthazar didn¡¯t want to sell the stamina potions he had, it was just that he had quickly learned adventurers returning from their travels will feel much more inclined to sell some of their heavy loot to him there if they¡¯re exhausted and about to head uphill to the town gates.


    ¡°Unfortunate indeed,¡± Balthazar said, attempting to sound sympathetic. ¡°I could always help you out by giving you a good deal for some of that loot you got there, so you at least lighten the load before heading up the road.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess I could drop some weight. Let¡¯s see here¡­¡±


    The adventurer began searching through his bag, a loud clanking coming from within it.


    ¡°No, not this. Not that either. I need it for crafting later. Maybe¡­ nope, that¡¯s a quest item. Aha! This is pretty heavy, and it¡¯s not like I really need it.¡±


    Pulling his hand out of the bag, the adventurer revealed a large block of metal. Looking it over with his monocle, Balthazar identified it.


    [Iron Ingot]


    ¡°Hmm, interesting,¡± the crab said, looking the nearly perfect slab of solid metal over closely. ¡°I see adventurers with pieces of iron ore often, but not ingots.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got this off a bandit hideout, was a pretty tough fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 20 gold for it. How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll take that. I don¡¯t even use iron weapons anymore. What am I going to upgrade with it, anyway?¡±


    As the adventurer took off on his way up the road, Balthazar pondered on what he had said. Upgrade. What exactly could he mean by that? The thought of asking occurred to him, but then he¡¯d be risking sounding dumb if it turned out to be something really basic. And he can¡¯t have other adventurers catching rumors about him being an uneducated crab with very little knowledge of the world outside his pond. Sure, he might be exactly that, but he wasn¡¯t about to admit to it, was he?


    Looking up at the sky, Balthazar saw a handful of dots circling above. Damnable birds were back, it seemed. Probably looking for food, the lazy freeloaders. Trying to ignore them and not let it ruin his mood, he focused back on his new item.


    Holding the ingot with both pincers, he noticed how heavy it was, and wondered what use could something like that have. It wasn¡¯t even all that shiny.


    Suddenly, a sound interrupted Balthazar¡¯s thoughts on what to do with the ingot. Leaves rustling. Coming from a nearby group of bushes that extended off the edge of the forest.


    Standing still for a moment, he observed the bushes quietly, waiting for any movement. But nothing happened.


    ¡°Must have been the wind,¡± the crab said with a shrug, to the completely motionless air around him.


    Turning around to head to his center islet, returning his attention to the ingot, he heard sounds from the bushes again, but louder this time.


    He looked back and only had time to drop the ingot before quickly sidestepping away from the hideous leg that was coming at him.


    ¡°WHAT THE HELL!¡± Balthazar shouted, with a mix of horror and disgust at the creature that had just jumped out of the bushes.


    A giant spider, nearly the height of a horse, was standing in front of him. All eight dark, hairy legs flexed, ready to pounce at any moment. Its two massive fangs dripping with either drool, poison, or a mix of both. The creature looked terrifying and extremely mad.


    Forgetting all his composure, Balthazar skittered and stumbled away from the spider¡¯s reach, towards the bridge.


    The creature hissed and tried to take a jab at him with the tip of one of its legs.


    It barely missed.


    Now halfway across the bridge, Balthazar took a moment to regain his breath. The bridge was not wide enough to fit all the giant spider¡¯s legs properly, and it seemed hesitant to step on water.


    Taking the opportunity, he grabbed the dangling monocle that had fallen off when the monster tried to jump him and adjusted it back into its usual spot.


    [Level 11 Giant Spider]


    ¡°This is definitely a problem,¡± Balthazar said, his panic increasing, as he looked around for a solution he didn¡¯t have.


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    ¡°Ugly creepy crawly! Leave boss alone!¡±


    Feeling a small rush of wind passing next to him, Balthazar saw Druma charging at the spider. His hat barely holding on, both of his hands were tightly holding a wooden stake with the sharp end pointed at his foe.


    ¡°Druma! Get back! Don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, the spider kicked the goblin to the side with one of its legs, sending him crashing through a pair of wooden shelves, his wizard hat falling limp in front of his feet.


    Fearing the worst, Balthazar quickly brought up his status screen, and checked his party info.


    [Party Members]


    [Name: Druma] [Race: Goblin] [Class: None] [Level: 3]


    [Health: 20/60]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 2] [Agility: 4] [Intelligence: 2]


    He had never seen a health stat on any of his screens, but in that moment he was just thankful it wasn¡¯t displaying a zero.


    Focusing back on the spider, Balthazar realized it had now turned its gaze to the goblin lying on the ground.


    ¡°Hey, you! Over here! Why don¡¯t you stick to someone with as many legs as you?!¡± Balthazar shouted, waving both claws up in the air and making as much noise on the floorboards as he could.


    Turning its eight dark, beady eyes back to the crab, the spider cautiously started stepping in his direction.


    ¡°Ah, damn it. Why did I open my big mouth?¡±


    Balthazar quickly made his way across the bridge and to the center of his islet, but the spider was no longer held back by the water. After having tested the depth with one leg, it was now slowly crossing its way to the other side.


    Balthazar started frantically looking around for something, anything that could help him.


    There was a shortsword on a wooden rack, but he didn¡¯t have hands to wield it.


    There was a bow next to it, but Balthazar had no idea how to shoot it, and that was not exactly the best time to learn.


    There was also a small bottle of poison on a shelf, but all he could do was groan at the pointlessness of it in that moment.


    With the spider now nearly through to his side, Balthazar put his arms up, opened his pincers, and with a quick thrust, putting all of his skills gained from snatching up unaware fish off the water, wrapped a pincer around one of the spider¡¯s legs, closing it with all of his might.


    To his surprise, it did nothing, not even a dent. At most, it served only to anger the beast even more.


    [Giant Spider resisted Chitin Claw]


    Pulling away quickly, the crab hoped to everything his shell was hard enough for what was coming.


    ¡°Oi! What¡¯s a big bugger like you doing here?!¡±


    The voice came from the road, followed by the sound of multiple footsteps rushing in.


    The noises caused the spider to turn around, and when Balthazar looked behind it, he saw three adventurers rushing in, each taking a different position around the creature.


    ¡°Pretty sure this pond already got enough multi-legged ugly bastards in it. Ya shoulda stayed in your forest, big mother!¡±


    The stocky man kept shouting at the spider, steel shield held high in front of him, sword at the ready in his other hand.


    The other two carefully closed the distance from different sides, causing the spider to grow even more aggressive, unable to back away into the deeper waters of the pond without losing its footing.


    ¡°YAAAH!¡±


    With a loud shout, the adventurer charged his shield up at the spider, making it snap its fangs at him, and allowing the man to smack its face dead center with the steel.


    Taking the opportunity, the other two adventurers charged in from the sides.


    The woman on the left used her axe to swiftly cut off one of the spider¡¯s legs at the joint.


    With a splash of water around his submerged feet, the man on the right swung his warhammer with huge force, breaking another two legs.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Balthazar cheered. ¡°That¡¯s what you get! And stay out of my pond!¡±


    Looking around, he grabbed the first thing that came to his pincer, a boot, and hurled it at the spider. The old piece of footwear hit its huge abdomen and bounced off into the water.


    The spider screeched in pain (because of its lost legs, not so much because of the boot), turned for a moment, and then stumbled back, falling on the sand, its massive body no longer able to sustain itself on its remaining legs.


    Without hesitation, the largest of the three brought his hammer down with all his strength, crushing the spider¡¯s head, and putting a stop to the horrible screeching sounds.


    [Giant Spider slain, assistance experience gained]


    [You have reached Level 7!]


    Balthazar glanced at the boot that was still slowly floating away and decided to just shut up and not question anything in that moment.


    The shielded adventurer cautiously poked one of the spider¡¯s legs with the tip of his sword. Content with its lack of reaction, he sheathed his weapon.


    ¡°Phew, lucky we were traveling this road today. That was a close call, wasn¡¯t it, crab?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you could say that,¡± Balthazar said, while avoiding stepping too close to the spider¡¯s remains.


    ¡°What was a giant spider doing all the way out of the Black Forest, anyway? They don¡¯t usually step out of their territory like this,¡± the axe wielder asked.


    ¡°Dunno,¡± the apparent leader of the group responded, checking the front of his shield for damage. ¡°Maybe all the hunting people been doing around their lairs lately has them all stirred up, or something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a broodmother,¡± grumbled the third adventurer, while ripping out one of the spider¡¯s fangs, and attaching it to a chain around his belt.


    ¡°Oooh, lucky,¡± said the other man. ¡°That should finish that quest we took last week.¡±


    Balthazar diverted his attention away from the adventurers and turned to the goblin that was crossing the bridge, hat in hand, rubbing his head with a pained expression on his face.


    ¡°Look alive, boys, we got a goblin now!¡± the woman with the axe shouted, grabbing her weapon again.


    ¡°Wait! Hold on! He¡¯s with me, he¡¯s my worker, he¡¯s not a threat!¡± Balthazar hurriedly said, while moving in front of them.


    ¡°This goblin¡­ works for you?¡± the adventurer said, with an expression of confusion on her face.


    ¡°Yes, he does, and I¡¯d appreciate it if you guys didn¡¯t go chopping up my employees, alright?¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± the leader of the pack started, ¡°I¡¯d usually find a goblin doing honest work weird, but when he¡¯s working for a crab who is a merchant, it makes as much sense as anything else. But speaking of appreciation, we did just save your hide, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a hide,¡± Balthazar said, begrudgingly, ¡°but yes, I guess you did. And I suppose you expect some sort of reward for it now.¡±


    Balthazar wasn¡¯t too keen on giving free stuff to adventurers, as it might spread the wrong impression about him. Or worse, they might start coming around thinking he¡¯s one of those quest giver chumps. But he also didn¡¯t want the bad reputation that would come with being ungrateful.


    ¡°Here,¡± Balthazar said, grabbing several bottles off a shelf with both pincers, ¡°a cure poison and a health potion for each of you, for the valiant risk you took, blah, blah, blah, I thank you, and so on.¡±


    ¡°Appreciate ya,¡± the stocky shield user said, taking the potions into his pack. ¡°You¡¯re not so bad, for a crab. And don¡¯t you worry, we¡¯ll be taking this nasty thing off your property now, so we can present it to the guild as proof of completion for a quest.¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± the crab responded, ¡°before some creepy necromancer shows up here and starts fondling its legs.¡±


    Watching the trio drag away the remains of the spider¡ªand its three unattached legs¡ªup the road, Balthazar turned to Druma, who seemed to be recovering well after drinking a health potion the crab had given him while the adventurers were still tying up the spider¡¯s legs for transport.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty big bruise you got there,¡± he said, while the goblin put his hat back on, in shame, attempting to cover his bruised forehead. ¡°I appreciate the effort, but next time don¡¯t go charging in like that and risking getting yourself killed, alright?¡± Balthazar looked away from Druma. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to hire new manual labor every other day, you know?!¡±


    The crab glanced at his assistant from the corner of his eye. He was just standing there looking mopey.


    ¡°Now go take the rest of the day off, you need to recover. You can continue what you were working on tomorrow.¡±


    Druma nodded, with far less enthusiasm than usual, and walked down the bridge, to his bed of hay.


    Feeling thankful that goblins did not have an understanding of work insurance yet, Balthazar picked up the iron ingot he had dropped earlier, wondering once again what he should do with it. Maybe it would have been a good throwing weapon against the spider.


    That encounter had taught him how powerless he really was against a real threat. Even his mighty pincers were no match against a scrawny spider leg.


    As he contemplated his woes while staring down the brick of metal, a prompt came up in front of him:


    [Upgrade Right Claw with [Iron Ingot]?]


    [Yes | No]

 Chapter 13: The Town Merchant

    Balthazar was very fond of his pincers. He had them ever since he could remember. They were always there with him, never let him down. Whether it was for catching fish, snapping branches, or scaring away birds, they always got the job done. Even when it came to teaching a rude adventurer a lesson, they still stood up to the challenge.


    But on that day, when up against an angry giant spider, his mighty claw was no match for it. Was he really that weak? Did he really need an upgrade?


    Staring at the words in his eyes, and then at the iron ingot he was holding, Balthazar weighed his options. His chitin was strong, but definitely not as strong as the iron he had in front of him.


    But what exactly would this upgrade do for him? And how come this strange system of menus and prompts always seemed to pop up with something new exactly at the most convenient of times?


    Deciding to set aside all those questions for the moment, he confirmed the upgrade, hoping to at least get one answer out of it.


    [Imbuing rank D required for upgrade]


    ¡°Oh, come on! Really?¡± Balthazar said with frustration.


    Checking his list of skills, he found the Imbuing skill and opened it.


    [Imbuing: F]


    [The ability to infuse materials into other objects in order to upgrade them.]


    [Next Rank Requirements: Level 5, Intelligence 17]


    [Upgrade]


    Balthazar noticed that to upgrade that skill, he would need to get exactly one more point of Intelligence. That felt annoyingly specific. What if he wanted to invest into Strength now?


    After all, one of his main concerns right then was how powerless he had felt against the spider. All his Intelligence served him of little in that moment. Maybe that¡¯s why most of those adventurers who invested heavily into that stat were magic users of some type, so they could rely on magic to protect them.


    He had noticed an arcane skill before, which unlocked the use of mana, but he had no interest in messing with such forces, so there was no chance he would invest in it. He had seen his fair share of mages, and they hadn¡¯t left the best impression.


    Jumping to one of his other skills, Slashing Weapons, at rank C, he checked the requirements for the next rank. Strength 5 and Agility 5. That was even more out of his reach at that moment. It was almost like that annoying system was trying to force him into making decisions.


    He only had one available attribute point to use from reaching level 7, thanks to his heroic boot throwing contribution in the fight against the spider. Looking at his options and his now piqued interest about the iron ingot, Balthazar conceded that, once again, Intelligence was the way forward. He was destined to be a genius, so it seemed.


    Balthazar leveled up his Intelligence from 16 to 17 and used his one skill point to upgrade the Imbuing skill.


    [Status]


    [Name: Balthazar] [Race: Crab] [Class: Novice Merchant] [Level: 7]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 3] [Agility: 2] [Intelligence: 17]


    [Skills]


    [Medium Armor: B] [Speech: B] [Fishing: C] [Slashing Weapons: C] [Reading: C] [Imbuing: D]


    Returning to the ingot in his left pincer, he brought up the upgrade prompt once again, and selected yes.


    [Hammer required]


    Balthazar groaned, while turning around to look through a nearby crate for a hammer he remembered having somewhere.


    What was the logic in needing a hammer for that? Not that he really knew how this imbuing thing was supposed to work or even what it was, but it felt like he was being mocked. And why couldn¡¯t that thing just tell him everything all at once? It was always dripping information to him, as if he was too slow to comprehend more than one thing at a time. He was a smart crab, and he didn¡¯t appreciate this system¡¯s constant attempts at treating him like he was dumb.


    ¡°Alright, now how do I use this thing?¡± the crab said, pulling a ball-peen hammer from the crate and holding it upside down in his pincer.


    Balthazar awkwardly poked the iron ingot with the bottom of the hammer¡¯s handle.


    ¡°I thought I had already established my appendages weren¡¯t made to use stupid human tools, damn it!¡±


    Deciding to give the whole thing one last go, he brought the prompt up once more, and confirmed the upgrade while holding the ingot in one pincer, and the hammer in the other¡ªstill upside down.


    The Iron Ingot vanished without a trace or sound. It simply was there one moment, and gone the next. Balthazar looked around, under himself, and even up at the sky, but no sign of it. Then a new notification appeared in front of his eyes.


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    [Right Claw upgraded to [Iron Claw] (+5 damage)]


    Balthazar looked at his right claw, still holding the hammer. To his surprise, it was now shinier, with a metal finish to it, his pincers looking sharper and pointier. He dropped the hammer and gave it a couple of clacks, feeling the tension in its grip. It felt more powerful, and he liked it.


    Rushing to a bush on the side of the road, he picked a thicker branch in it, and with a quick snap, broke it in two with little effort.


    After a few more snapped branches, his attention turned to something that would provide a harder challenge: small loose stones from the road.


    Placing a rock the size of an apple between his pincers, he squeezed. Despite a moderate amount of effort required, he had smashed it into dust and tiny fragments.


    ¡°This is awesome!¡±


    The crab went on to snap, cut, and crush all sorts of things with great joy for the next few hours.


    ***


    Balthazar sat on a rug by the road, under the afternoon sun, watching the wild rabbits running and jumping across the plains, a cracking sound making them stand up and perk their ears every few seconds. The sound came from the crab¡¯s right claw every time he cracked open another walnut.


    He did not actually like walnuts, they were dry and tasteless. But he took great joy in cracking them open.


    As he cracked each, he would then carefully place their contents inside a little baggie, which he intended to give to Madeleine next time she visited. He had read a recipe for a type of cake in her book that required walnuts as one of its ingredients, so he thought it would be a nice offer.


    Luckily for him, you could always trust an adventurer to take the strangest of things from a bandit hideout, even a huge sack of walnuts. Maybe the fact that Balthazar kept buying their stuff was part of the problem, further enabling their weird behavior, but so long as the merchandise kept moving, who was he to question the invisible pincer of the market?


    Happily continuing to crack nuts open, Balthazar looked in the town''s direction and spotted a figure walking down the road. He was used to seeing lots of adventurers walk up and down that road every day, but something about this figure struck him as different.


    As the man approached, the first thing that stood out were his clothes. Not a single piece of armor, nor magical robes of any kind. Instead, he wore bright clothing of clearly exquisite quality. Reds mixed with yellows and blues, their silky material immaculate, without a hint of wear or tear. On his head he wore a yellow cap, adorned with a feather. He was clearly not coming from field labor, or heading out for monster slaying.


    Once close enough, Balthazar looked him over through his monocle.


    [Level 12 Merchant]


    ¡°Good afternoon. What can¡ª¡±


    ¡°So you must be the talking crab I¡¯ve been hearing so much about,¡± the man said, completely ignoring Balthazar¡¯s first words.


    ¡°And you¡ª¡±


    ¡°This must be your little trading post,¡± he continued, interrupting once more, while looking down at the trinkets on the rug and over to the shelves and tables displaying multiple types of items. The man scoffed loudly.


    ¡°Yes, I am, and yes, it is. And who are you?¡± Balthazar finally asked, with his last remaining shred of tolerance.


    The man drew an arrogant smile on his lips, framed by a thin pencil mustache. ¡°I am Antoine, and as you must know by now, I am the largest trader of goods in Ardville, owner of Antoine¡¯s Emporium, as well as the local master of the Merchant¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of you,¡± Balthazar said, with a dry tone, before casually crushing another walnut with his pincer.


    The smile vanished from the merchant¡¯s face for a moment, before his previous smug air returned. ¡°Unsurprising. Not much culture can be expected from a crab.¡±


    ¡°Been doing fine so far without that knowledge,¡± Balthazar responded, while grabbing one of the coin purses behind him, opening it, and casually starting a count of its contents. He found that was the perfect time to perform his daily earnings count.


    ¡°Right,¡± Antoine began, a hint of annoyance in his voice, ¡°that was part of the reason I decided to come down here myself. I wanted to see this so-called merchant crab with my own eyes, and try to understand why our town¡¯s great adventurers would lower themselves to do business with a wild creature.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my charming personality. Maybe it¡¯s my convenient location. Who knows.¡±


    The man was no longer smiling. ¡°I assure you, if you ever were to visit the emporium in town, you¡¯d understand how none of¡­ this can really compare to a proper fine establishment. Not that the guardsmen would ever allow you through the gates, of course. Any unpleasant creatures attempting to enter the city would promptly be dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, how will you ever go back home now,¡± Balthazar said, in his most casual and in no way sarcastic tone, while closing the coin purse.


    The smugness had mostly vanished from the merchant¡¯s face, quickly being replaced with irritation.


    ¡°Look here, crab. I don¡¯t know how you came to be a talking crab, and neither do I care to know. But what does concern me, as the Guildmaster of the merchants in this region, is how a mere crab came to possess money, purchase goods, and set up a trading operation out of a¡­ a pond, on the side of a road!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple. You see,¡± Balthazar began, no longer willing to play nice, ¡°the starting money and items I got off a pesky, annoying human who thought he could step on me, after I gave his leg a good snap with this here claw.¡±


    He showed the man his iron claw, giving it a couple of audible snaps.


    ¡°As for everything you see around you, that was mostly built by my loyal assistant,¡± Balthazar said, while turning to face the central area of his pond. ¡°Hey, Druma, come here for a moment.¡±


    The goblin put down the saw and plank he was working with and trotted his way to them.


    ¡°This is Antoine, a fellow merchant. Say hello to Antoine, Druma.¡±


    ¡°Hello,¡± the goblin said, with a wave and a wide grin that revealed a set of yellow, serrated teeth.


    ¡°A¡­ a goblin?!¡± the man said, holding his hand up in front of his mouth in a dramatic manner, a mix of horror, outrage, and disgust going through his face. ¡°That is a vile a creature, a menace! How dare you bring it to my presence!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You seemed to have no problem bringing yourself to mine.¡±


    ¡°I came here,¡± Antoine started, while taking two steps back, ¡°thinking that, perhaps, a creature who had developed the ability to speak could be reasoned with. But I see now that was foolish thinking. You are a wild beast, and this little circus you call a business is an affront to all the fine merchants of Ardville. Not to mention how dangerous it is to be allowing wild beast such as goblins and openly violent crabs to prowl this close to town!¡±


    ¡°Right. I¡¯m sure this is not because you¡¯re feeling a cut in your profits when all these adventurers get to your store with much less loot than they used to, is it?¡±


    The merchant huffed, his mustache twitching slightly.


    ¡°I will give you this warning only once, crab,¡± Antoine said, wagging a finger in front of his own face. ¡°Cease this¡­ this poor excuse of a trading post at once. You are not a member of the Merchants Guild and thus are operating illegally. Ignore my words and I will have this place cleared of your presence.¡±


    Leaving no room for response, the fuming merchant turned around and started walking back up the road at a fast pace, only slowing to take a quick glance from the corner of his eye and make sure the goblin was still standing next to the crab.


    Druma stared at him while scratching his head under his hat, as the man made his way up the road, swaying his arms in an exaggerated manner.


    ¡°Druma don¡¯t like funny looking human, boss.¡±


    ¡°Me neither, buddy. Me neither,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°And something tells me he¡¯s going to be a pain in the shell soon enough.¡±

 Chapter 14: Silver Tongue, Silver Claw

    ¡°Bloody hell, mate! Will you get on with it already?"


    ¡°Yeah, hurry up, we¡¯re burning daylight here, and I need some potions!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush me! I¡¯ll be done when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Fellas, fellas, please, no fighting at my trading post,¡± Balthazar said, attempting to calm the line of adventurers in front of his pond.


    That morning was proving particularly busy, with plenty of them coming and going through the road. From what he could gather, activity in the Black Forest and beyond was at an all-time high.


    Unfortunately for Balthazar, he was still having little success convincing most adventurers to part with their higher value items, which he now figured had something to do with him being only a novice merchant. Good enough to offload the occasional animal pelt, or low tier metal, perhaps some cheap consumables, but anything actually worthwhile they saved for the specialized merchants in town, with deeper coffers and willing to pay more.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take the red one,¡± the adventurer currently in front of Balthazar finally said.


    ¡°Are you sure this time?¡± Balthazar asked, a hint of frustration in his voice.


    ¡°Yes, I am¡­ well, the blue one is quite nice too, but¡­ no, no, definitely the red one.¡±


    ¡°Deal. Here you go. Thank you, please come again. Now get out of here before those guys start throwing their shoes at us,¡± Balthazar quickly said, while taking the man¡¯s coin purse and shoving a crude silver necklace with a red medallion into his hand. ¡°Next!¡±


    ¡°Morning, Balthazar,¡± a young man said, his face and clothes dirty from what seemed like a mixture of dirt, soot, and blood.


    ¡°Damn, what happened to you?¡± Balthazar asked. He recognized the kid as one of the adventurers who passed through regularly. He had seen him just the day before, in much better shape, despite his still cheerful mood today.


    ¡°Bandit ambush,¡± he answered, a proud smile on his face. ¡°They were four, but this time I was ready and took them all out. Got some good stuff off them, too!¡±


    ¡°Great. Anything you¡¯d like to sell to me? You know I¡¯ll give a fair price to returning customers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let me see here,¡± the battered boy said, kneeling down and opening up his backpack in front of him. One by one, he started removing some of his items. ¡°I¡¯ll keep this one for myself, this one I¡¯ll save to sell in town, this one is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold on, that thing you got there,¡± Balthazar interrupted, his eyes fixated on a large bar of very shiny metal. It resembled the iron ingot he had used before to upgrade his right claw, except the metal composing this one looked much nicer and shinier. When looking at it through his Monocle of Examination, he found it was indeed not the same material.


    [Silver Ingot]


    ¡°Do you not want to sell it?¡±


    ¡°This ingot?¡± the kneeling adventurer said. ¡°Hmm, I do, but I think I¡¯ll sell it in town. Both jewelry makers and blacksmiths always pay well for those. No offense, of course.¡±


    ¡°None taken,¡± Balthazar said, with mild frustration.


    It was no good. No matter how many times he tried, they wouldn¡¯t sell him anything beyond junk. Not unless he was willing to offer a ridiculous price, which he was obviously not going to do, as he had mouths to feed. Two mouths, to be precise. But one of them seemed to be developing a taste for expensive cured meats.


    ¡°How much can you give me for this?¡± the young adventurer asked, presenting him with a dented metal tankard.


    ¡°Seriously, why would you even take¡­ you know what? Never mind, just take a gold coin and put it there by that crate. Druma keeps breaking all the glass bottles and cups he drinks from. Hopefully, this thing will last him longer.¡±


    Balthazar dropped a gold coin into the boy¡¯s hand, and a new pop up appeared in front of his eyes.


    [100 trades completed! Adept Merchant rank reached.]


    ¡°Seriously?! From an old tankard?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the boy asked, freezing in place, confused at the crab¡¯s outburst.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, kid. Don¡¯t worry about it, just crab things,¡± Balthazar said to him, with a wave of his claw.


    So that¡¯s how he could reach higher ranks as a merchant, by selling and buying enough things. Made sense, just would have been nice if someone had explained that to him sooner. Maybe through some text in his eyes. Apparently that was asking for too much. But maybe this meant he had more bargain power now?


    ¡°Hey, hold on,¡± the crab called to the adventurer, who was closing his backpack. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to sell that ingot of silver? I¡¯ll give you¡­ five potions of stamina for it. They¡¯re my last ones too!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but I could really use those potions later, probably.¡± The young man pondered for a moment. ¡°Ah, fine, you convinced me. I doubt whatever they¡¯d give me in town would cover those potions, so you got yourself a deal.¡±


    Exchanging the items, Balthazar smiled at the ingot, which reflected the light of the sun as he slowly turned it. It wasn¡¯t quite gold, but it was shiny enough to make this crab feel tingly inside.


    ¡°Hey, you gonna buy our stuff today or what?¡± a man shouted from the back of the line.


    Placing the silver ingot under some linens, Balthazar called for the next customer. He would have to wait for a quieter time to appreciate his new treasure properly.


    ***


    Alone at last, Balthazar retrieved his new silver ingot from its hiding spot. Movement had calmed down now that it was lunchtime, and most adventurers were busy filling their bellies up before their next stop. This crab, however, had more pressing matters.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Holding the ingot, he looked at his left pincer. Compared to his new right iron claw, his left one felt quite lackluster. No shine, no polish, just plain old crab chitin.


    Focusing on the ingot, Balthazar wondered if he could use it in a similar way as he had the iron one.


    [Upgrade Left Claw with [Silver Ingot]?]


    [Yes | No]


    ¡°Excellent!¡±


    Already knowing what to expect, he picked up the hammer he had brought along. A confirmed prompt and a clinking sound later, the ingot was gone and new text appeared in front of his eyes.


    [Left Claw upgraded to [Silver Claw] (+4 dexterity)]


    ¡°Huh? Dexterity? That¡¯s not exactly what I expected.¡±


    Balthazar looked down at his freshly upgraded claw. It was even better looking than the right one now. A shinier, more polished look to it, edges ending in perfectly trimmed pincers, and small patterns across it that resembled artistic engravings. Comparing the two, he noticed the iron one looked visibly larger than the silver counterpart, giving it a much more powerful aspect, while the left was thinner, more delicate and agile looking.


    With a theory in mind, Balthazar scurried his way to where some coin pouches from that morning¡¯s sales were waiting to be counted and stored. He opened one, and with his right pincer, attempted to grab each coin and count the pouch¡¯s contents. As he already expected, it was a painfully slow task. The iron appendage was far too big and lacked the finesse to handle the small coins quickly.


    Switching to his left pincer, he attempted the same task. The difference was night and day. With his silver claw, he could swiftly pick, flick, and accurately place each coin into a neat pile without a hitch.


    That was what the prompt system meant by dexterity. His left appendage could now deftly handle precision tasks in a way that he could never do before.


    ¡°Well, well, looks like someone got their manicure done.¡±


    Startled, Balthazar turned around to face the figure who had approached from the road without being noticed. The baker girl was standing behind him, the usual friendly smile on her face, one hand on her hip, and another holding a noticeably bigger wicker basket, compared to the one from her previous visits.


    ¡°Madeleine!¡± the crab enthusiastically greeted, both arms open in childlike joy. ¡°You like them? One is made of iron, and the other silver.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re quite something, that¡¯s for sure,¡± she responded, in a tone resembling a parent attempting to show approval to a child presenting them with a drawing they don¡¯t understand in the slightest.


    ¡°Watch this,¡± Balthazar said, quickly fetching a small bag of walnuts from a nearby table.


    With great ease, he grabbed three perfectly round walnuts into his left pincer, and with a quick movement flicked one up into the air, where he caught it with his right claw, crushing it in one quick snap, before repeating the process for the second and then third one, leaving nothing but tiny fragments of crushed walnut on the ground.


    ¡°Very impressive!¡± Madeleine said, giving him a small clap. ¡°Kind of a waste of good walnuts, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that. I actually got you something.¡± Balthazar picked up the small baggie where he had been putting all the walnuts he recently opened, and offered it to Madeleine. ¡°I bought a lot of those, and have been practicing my nut cracking, so I figured you could use them. I read some of your recipes require them.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a thoughtful crab? Thank you,¡± she said, taking the baggie into her hand. ¡°But we both know I didn¡¯t come here empty-handed either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on it!¡± the crab said, foam forming in the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait your turn, however,¡± Madeleine said, her eyes looking beyond Balthazar, with one arm raised. ¡°Druma! Can you come here for a moment?¡±


    The goblin looked over from the other side of the bridge, put down the folded tarps he was carrying, and ran over to join them.


    ¡°Hello miss baker,¡± he said, with an attempt at tipping his oversized hat, which nearly fell over his eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s this, you¡¯re bossing my hired hand around now?¡± Balthazar said, with an imaginary eyebrow raised, for lack of a real one.


    ¡°Hush now, I¡¯m not bossing him,¡± she said in a lighthearted tone. ¡°I didn¡¯t make a good impression on him last time, so I wanted to correct it now. It¡¯s well past midday, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been working him hard all morning, so he deserves a proper lunch.¡±


    Opening her basket, she produced a large pie in a tall dish. Or rather, something that vaguely looked like a pie, but different, as Balthazar did not recognize any of the expected sweet smells from it, and its top layer did not resemble the previous pies he tried. This one was yellow, more mushy, and had no crust.


    ¡°This is for you, Druma,¡± Madeleine said, offering the whole thing to the goblin. ¡°It¡¯s called Shepherd¡¯s Pie, and don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not sweet. Instead, it¡¯s made with potatoes and meat.¡±


    With a big sniff, the goblin took the dish into his hands, his eyes turning watery.


    ¡°For Druma?¡±


    ¡°All for you. We leave the sweet stuff for the bitter crab over here.¡±


    The goblin broke into a sprint across the bridge, laughing with happiness the whole way, the dish held high above his head like some kind of victory trophy.


    ¡°Hey! Say thank you, at least!¡± Balthazar shouted, but the goblin was already digging into his pie, like a hungry wild animal. ¡°You¡¯re going to spoil him that way.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see you worrying that I¡¯ll spoil you, mister.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s completely different!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± she said, nodding. ¡°How would you like to try a freshly baked tart?¡±


    Opening the wicker basket again, Madeleine revealed a round pastry, big enough to fit her palm. A soft-looking base, covered with a white cream topping, strawberry halves laid over it.


    ¡°They¡­ they are beautiful,¡± Balthazar whispered, both pincers together in front of him, as if praying thanks to the pastry gods.


    ¡°Strawberry tarts. I hope you like them, as strawberries are in season now, so I¡¯ll be making lots of things with them.¡±


    ¡°I love strawberries. They were my favorite fruit to nibble on when I was a baby crab.¡±


    ¡°Aww, now that¡¯s just adorable. I bet you were a very cute baby crab,¡± Madeleine said, tilting her head slightly. ¡°And far less cantankerous, too!¡±


    Balthazar would have argued there, had he not already taken a bite into the tart and gently floated away to a different realm of thought. One where strawberries floated down a waterfall of sugar and cream, and crabs slept on beds of soft dough.


    ¡°Hey you! Did you hear anything of what I said?¡±


    Shaking himself out of his daydream, Balthazar stared into the baker¡¯s big green eyes, as she leaned down in front of his face, hands on her hips, mouth pouting slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been talking to you for ten minutes and you didn¡¯t hear a word of what I said!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, never mind, you silly crab. At least I know you¡¯ll enjoy the tarts. I left them there on the table. I need to get back to town, got supplies to buy, and things to bake.¡±


    Finally snapping out of his tart stupor, Balthazar called out. ¡°Wait!¡±


    With a swift move of his left pincer, he grabbed one of the coin purses sitting on a rug behind him.


    ¡°You will take payment for your products this time, and I will not accept any excuses. This is a fair payment for your time and resources, and since I want you to keep bringing me¡­ I mean, us, more of them, I can¡¯t have you go broke and unable to afford ingredients. Take it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ alright. I guess I can¡¯t argue with that. Thank you.¡±


    Taking the coin purse, Madeleine stored it in her satchel before turning back to the crab.


    ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I got someone waiting to walk me back to town.¡±


    Confused, Balthazar looked behind her, towards the road.


    [Level 9 Archer]


    Looking closer at the boy standing there, with a bow and quiver across his back, he recognized his jovial face, save for the hint of blond facial hair growing on it now. It was Rye, the adventurer who found the baker for him.


    ¡°When did he get here?!¡± Balthazar asked, bewildered.


    ¡°Five minutes ago. He said hello to you, but you were too busy making bubbles with your mouth.¡±


    ¡°You two are friends or something?¡±


    ¡°Well, sort of, I guess?¡± Madeleine adjusted her braid and looked around at nothing in particular. ¡°I didn¡¯t know him until you sent him on a baker hunt, and since then he¡¯s visited my stand in town a few times, bought some sweets, we chat sometimes, and now he was passing by on his way back to town and offered to accompany me. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the baker with piercing eyes.


    ¡°What?!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I have to go. I¡¯m late already. Bye, see you soon!¡±


    Taking off with a little run, Madeleine joined Rye on the road, where they gave the crab a quick wave, before starting their walk up the road, smiling and chatting.


    Balthazar watched as they disappeared in the distance, a sneaky feeling building up inside him. It wasn¡¯t a nice sentiment, but he was still feeling it, regardless. He couldn¡¯t help it, even if he tried to ignore it, it wouldn¡¯t shut up in the back of his mind. A polite crab shouldn¡¯t be thinking such thoughts, yet the thought remained.


    ¡°Son of a mule took one of my tarts while I wasn¡¯t looking, didn¡¯t he?!¡±

 Chapter 15: Red Handed

    ¡°Dirt, dirt, dirt, everywhere, dirt!¡± the crab complained. ¡°And who put that there?¡±


    Balthazar was hard at work, sweeping around his jewelry pieces with a feather duster, taking advantage of his skillful new silver claw. He had bought the duster off some adventurer hours before. Not so much because he saw the utility in it, but mostly because its making had clearly involved a lot of birds being plucked and that gave him great satisfaction. But once he had actually tried the thing, it did prove useful for sprucing up his displays.


    Looking south, he saw two figures approaching.


    The one farther back, a woman, wore mixed fighter gear from head to toe, parts of it leather, others steel. Despite looking able-bodied, she was struggling to pull the sled behind her, tied by a rope going over her shoulder. Sitting on top of the sled were multiple sacks, bags, and a couple of small wooden boxes, all visibly full to the brim.


    In front of her walked a man, straight back, proud posture, no baggage in his hands or back. All he had was a set of light leather armor protecting his torso, arms, and legs, with simple boots on his feet, and his head free of any helmet, letting his dark brown hair flow in the breeze. Peeking over his shoulder was the hilt of a sword strapped to his back. Balthazar thought there was something familiar there, but he wasn¡¯t exactly sure what.


    ¡°You know, you complain too much, Leah,¡± the man said to his companion. ¡°Look at this beautiful weather around us. Take it in, seize the day. Life is great!¡±


    ¡°Maybe for you,¡± the struggling adventurer responded. ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s been pulling this damn sled for days, and it only keeps getting heavier while you carry nothing at all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. I carry the most important of our belongings. And you know that if I don¡¯t carry any of the loot it¡¯s not because I don¡¯t want to, it¡¯s because I must remain burden free and able to fight anything that comes our way.¡±


    ¡°You know who¡¯d love to do some fighting too? Me!¡± the young woman said bitterly.


    ¡°Hello there, adventurers,¡± Balthazar greeted, as the two of them reached his spot by the road.


    ¡°Jack¡­ am I hallucinating from the heat, or did that crab just talk to us?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no, you¡¯re not. He really just talked,¡± Jack said, bewildered.


    ¡°New around here, eh? I¡¯m Balthazar, and this is my trading post.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute! Jack, I remember this place. Isn¡¯t this where you found that stupid sword?!¡± Leah said to her partner, pointing at the sword on his back.


    ¡°And this crab! This is the crab I gave that slice of pie to!¡±


    Balthazar glanced at the sword in its sheath through his monocle, as realization started hitting him too:


    [Sword of Heavy Might]


    ¡°That sword! I remember you two!¡±


    Balthazar focused on the pair through his lens.


    [Level 12 Swordsman]


    [Level 11 Fighter]


    ¡°What are you guys doing back here?¡± Balthazar asked. ¡°You¡¯d better not be looking to get the pie back. I don¡¯t do refunds!¡±


    ¡°What? No, why would we¡­ never mind that,¡± said the swordsman. ¡°How come you can talk now?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I always could, and I just didn¡¯t want to talk to you?¡±


    The girl stifled a laugh.


    ¡°You know, I think I liked you better when you didn¡¯t speak,¡± the man said, unamused.


    ¡°Oh, cheer up. I¡¯m not here to chatter. You got plenty of loot there, and I¡¯m always open to buy it, so why don¡¯t we do business?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Jack! Listen to the crab. I really wouldn¡¯t mind losing some of this weight before heading up that road.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess if they put a merchant on the road here, we might as well make use of it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who ¡®they¡¯ are supposed to be, but let¡¯s just get down to business already. I got accounting to do.¡± Balthazar said, while moving next to the sled.


    ¡°Please tell me you¡¯ll buy this,¡± Leah said, pulling a massive piece of dark tree trunk from one sack, a strange purple sap still dripping from it. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of the smell.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure¡­ I can think of at least one or two alchemists who¡¯d probably buy that.¡±


    ¡°Hah! And what do you think of this, crab?¡±


    Jack retrieved a staff from a box. It was made of crude wood, twisting into a knot at the top, wrapping around a perfectly smooth and opaque green orb.


    [Staff of Magic Bolts]


    ¡°Very fancy. I¡¯ll take it. But please, just put it down over there, no magic around my place.¡±


    ¡°Not a fan of arcane stuff, eh?¡± Jack said, a sly smile on his face. ¡°Can¡¯t blame you. The creep we got this from was some necromancer who took over an old fort southwest from here.¡±


    The adventurer stood up from the sled, and his friend rolled her eyes. ¡°Here we go again.¡±


    ¡°He had a bunch of skeletons posted around the place,¡± he began, one foot up on a rock. ¡°But we came in and made short work out of them. I took out at least a dozen.¡±


    ¡°There were at most ten skeletons, and of those, half were cut down by me,¡± Leah said, with a bored expression. ¡°And it wasn¡¯t short work. It took us over an hour to even get inside.¡±


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    ¡°Ah! Because the necromancer was cunning and kept reanimating the skeletons from within his lair.¡± Jack opened his eyes wide as he wiggled all his fingers in the air.


    ¡°That was one skeleton. And it wasn¡¯t reanimated. You just didn¡¯t kill it properly in the first place, so it put its leg back on and got up.¡±


    ¡°And once we finally made it inside and down to the main chamber,¡± Jack continued, ignoring his friend, ¡°we found the fiend, with his two bodyguards by his side. Not skeletons, proper reanimated dead, much tougher than dusty old bones.¡±


    Jack jumped on top of the rock, puffing his chest out and attempting a heroic pose.


    ¡°I wasted no time! Quickly rolling under the table before he could use any magic, I put my sword through the chest of the undead wizard and finished him off with a blow to the head. I must have used more strength than I had planned, as he fell down like a sack of broken bones from just a head impact. The other one was tougher, however. His face was all mangled up, real nightmare stuff, no idea what kind of weird stuff that creep had done to him, but the walking corpse actually managed to charge me and bring me down to the floor, my sword flying out of my hand. I wrestled him with all my might, but the thing felt no pain, and wouldn¡¯t go down. Thankfully, I¡¯m a keen eye, and I spotted a weak point. His right ankle was all twisted and nearly broken, so once I kicked it and finished the job, he could no longer stand. I rolled again, grabbed my sword, and took him out with a clean cut to the neck.¡±


    Balthazar stood there, staring at the adventurer¡¯s awkward pose. He wasn¡¯t really sure he should say anything, which wasn¡¯t a common feeling for him.


    Leah had her face buried in her palm, slowly shaking it in shame.


    ¡°They were both level sixes, or something,¡± she finally said, lifting her head from her hand. ¡°Meanwhile, the necromancer was higher level than us, and I¡¯m trying my best to not get hit by some death blast from him, so I don¡¯t become his next play thing. Until I finally put an arrow through his eye.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Leah, great assist, a trusty companion, as always,¡± Jack said, jumping down from the rock and giving her a pat on the shoulder.


    ¡°He was on the floor, blind and bleeding out. You totally stole my kill by putting your sword through him!¡±


    ¡°Come now, let¡¯s not argue. Partners share experience. And it would be immoral to leave our foe suffering unnecessarily.¡±


    Leah opened her mouth, but words failed her and she huffed in frustration, giving up on the pointless exercise.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°But can we just get back to business? I¡¯m not an adventurer, so I don¡¯t actually have my whole day free, you know?¡±


    Finalizing a few more deals, the pair headed their way, sled visibly lighter, a fair share of its contents now piled next to Balthazar.


    ¡°Hey, Druma,¡± he called out to the goblin, who was nearby, drinking from a dented tankard. ¡°Help me out with moving all this junk to the crates back there. You take these sacks while I sort through these small items.¡±


    Druma slammed the tankard down on the table with great force, before cheerfully running his way over to pick up the sacks.


    Balthazar used his silver pincer to pick up one of the precious gems the two adventurers had just sold to him, and looked at it carefully through his monocled eye.


    ¡°Emerald. Good quality, very pure. Should sell for a nice price.¡±


    He carefully placed the green stone on an empty table to his side before grabbing the next one and repeating the process.


    ¡°Hmm, sapphire. Good size.¡±


    He put the gem down on the same empty table, too.


    ¡°Another emerald. Not as pure, but still worth something.¡±


    Reaching with his left pincer, he once again placed a gem on the empty table.


    Then he stood still for a second.


    Empty table.


    Place a gem, then another, and another.


    But still, empty table.


    Balthazar put all of his Intelligence points to work and really pondered on that line of thought. One time, and then another, until he finally turned to the table with a sudden motion.


    A hand was emerging from within a bush behind the table and carefully plucking the emerald from its surface.


    ¡°HEY!¡± Balthazar shouted, while swiftly reaching for the hand with his iron claw, giving it a pinch and making it drop the gem back on the table.


    ¡°AHHHH!¡±


    A loud scream came from the bush, and a man emerged from it, grasping his right wrist with his left hand, and sending leaves flying everywhere.


    ¡°My hand! You broke my hand!¡±


    The slender men kept screaming, the black hood he wore on his head falling back from all the jerking motions he made while crying in pain.


    Had he any ears, Balthazar would plug them with his fingers at that point.


    That is, if he also had any fingers.


    Which he didn¡¯t.


    The point being, the thief¡¯s screaming was very loud.


    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t be using it to steal. Now stop screaming, before I do the same to your windpipe!¡±


    Druma came running from the other side of the bridge, his improvised spear in hand. ¡°Thief? Thief! Boss want Druma to poke thief with pointy end?¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Druma, I got it under control. No poking¡­ for now.¡±


    The man had ceased screaming, and was now only sobbing, while continuing to grasp his limp hand, which was quickly turning red and swelling. Balthazar didn¡¯t necessarily intend to break his hand, but he was also clearly not fully used to his new iron claw yet. Perhaps a little less force next time.


    ¡°Come out of that bush,¡± he told the thief. ¡°And no sudden movements, or it will be your ankle next.¡±


    With two thick tears running down his face, the thief slowly stepped out of the bush. He was fully covered in black leather armor, tightly fitting his scrawny physique, his hands and head being the only exceptions. His attire had pockets all over, from his chest, forearms, and even over his thighs, but nearly all of them appeared completely empty.


    [Level 8 Thief]


    ¡°You know what you took,¡± Balthazar said to the thief, eyeing him through his monocle. ¡°Now put them back.¡±


    With a sob, the man retrieved the two gems from a chest pocket and sheepishly placed them back on the table.


    ¡°So you thought you could rob me, huh? What¡¯s your name, thief?¡±


    ¡°Rob.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said, rob. Now, are you going to tell me what is your name, or what?¡±


    ¡°No, my name is Rob.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the thief for a moment.


    ¡°Seriously? You¡¯re a thief, and your name is Rob?¡±


    ¡°Y¨Cyes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for the love of¡­ forget it. Why were you trying to rob from me, Rob? There¡¯s got to be far wealthier merchants up in town, with much more valuable goods.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they also got security. And if they catch you, there¡¯s also the city guard who¡¯ll throw thieves like me in a cell. Here there are no guards, and no jail.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you thought I was easy pickings, was it? Well, look where that got you. Bet the city guards wouldn¡¯t snap your hand good like that, would they?¡±


    ¡°Hey man, come on, you can¡¯t blame a guy for trying. You¡¯re all the way out here, isolated, no guards, lots of stuff lying around, ripe for the taking. It was only a matter of time. If not me, someone else would try, eventually.¡±


    As much as he hated to admit it, the thief had a point. He should have expected that someone would try to steal from him, even if just the petulant birds trying to take the crumbs from his pastries. He couldn¡¯t both be merchant and security at the same time, and Druma already had his hands full enough as it was with all the work he did. Not that a small goblin is a very intimidating guard, either.


    ¡°I get it,¡± Rob said, between sobs, ¡°I messed up, I shouldn¡¯t have listened to that guy, you¡¯re not some easy mark. Just please don¡¯t let your goblin stab me.¡±


    ¡°Hold on. What guy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, some guy wearing a long coat and a hood came up to me in an alley, put a coin pouch in my hand and told me about this merchant crab over by the south road, and how easy it would be to steal from him. I thought it was bunk, but if he was gonna put money in my hand for it, why not check it out?¡±


    ¡°What did he look like, did you catch a good look at him?¡±


    ¡°Not really, he kept his head down most of the time, wouldn¡¯t look me in the eye. But I noticed he had this ridiculous mustache, very thin, kinda stupid looking.¡±


    ¡°Son of a¡­ I know who he was. His name is Antoine.¡±


    ¡°Whatever that means to you, but can you please let me go now? This thing is really starting to swell, man. I don¡¯t wanna lose my hand.¡±


    Balthazar reflected for a moment. So the town merchant wanted to play dirty.


    ¡°Why should I let you go? Maybe I ought to turn you in to the city guard.¡±


    ¡°Oh man, please no.¡± The thief¡¯s face started turning back into an ugly crying expression. ¡°Come on, look at me. I¡¯m not made for prison life. Don¡¯t do that to me!¡±


    ¡°Then why the hell did you become a thief, you moron?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. I didn¡¯t really wanna fight monsters and stuff. I¡¯m too much of a coward, so getting rich by just stealing stuff sounded like an easy life in comparison. Plus, I had already invested too much into agility, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, Rob, I¡¯m a deal maker, so I¡¯m going to offer you a deal. You go back to town. I¡¯ll even give you something for your hand before you go. But once you get there, you¡¯ll be working for me. I want you to be my eyes and ears. The guy who paid you is called Antoine. He owns the biggest general store in town, and if he had you come here to rob me, he will surely send more trouble my way. I want you to keep track of what goes on in your little criminal circles, and then come back here and give me all the details of what you find. In return, I¡¯ll even pay you, handsomely, but most important, you¡¯ll get to keep both hands, won¡¯t get holes poked into you by an angry goblin, and won¡¯t be going to jail. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah, sure, man. I stay in one piece, get paid, and all I gotta do is rat people out without risking my skin? Sign me up, probably most honest job I¡¯ve ever taken since I got here.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Balthazar said, as he retrieved a small bottle containing a red liquid from a crate. ¡°Here¡¯s a health potion to fix your wrist. And remember, if you try to swindle me¡­¡± the crab gave his iron pincer a couple of threatening snaps.


    ¡°I got it, I got it! I felt that pincer once. I never wanna risk feeling it again,¡± the thief said, while cowering and accepting the bottle with his left hand. ¡°Now, do I, like¡­ pour this over my hand, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Just drink it. I know it doesn¡¯t make sense, but don¡¯t think too much about it. That¡¯s just how it works.¡±

 Chapter 16: Friend

    Stretching his arms up to the sky, Balthazar let out a big yawn before closing his book and tossing it on the pile of already finished literature. They were one of his favorite items to trade. He could buy most books adventurers looted from all those old dungeons, ruined fortresses, and ancient libraries, read them in their entirety, and then still be able to sell them for full price, so long as they weren¡¯t damaged (some lessons had been learned about eating creamy pastries in front of open books).


    They were great value, and he bought them in large quantities every chance he got. If only the way adventurers felt about buying books applied to other things, like buying used loincloths. Both things had been previously used by someone. There wasn¡¯t much of a difference. But no, humans had to be erratically picky about those things.


    Skittering his way down one of his many sunbathing boulders, Balthazar lazily scratched his chin. He had been doing plenty of learning, growing his knowledge about all sorts of things, and while reading a book under the sun was nice and all, quiet days like that one still displeased him as they would have been much more productive if spent making deals and earning more money.


    Not that he lacked coin now. The reinforced chest sitting behind his sleeping spot was nearly full to the brim with them, and he was already keeping an eye out for a new container to fill. But there was something so very satisfying about amassing large quantities of money, more than just the ever captivating shine of their gold against the sunlight. Something about looking at his money chest through his monocle and seeing that number.


    [Reinforced Iron Chest:]


    [Gold Coins (3812)]


    It gave him a sense of satisfaction. He wanted to make it grow. He wanted it to increase. He didn¡¯t know why, or exactly what for, he just knew that the number must go up.


    Crossing the bridge, Balthazar made his way to the road, sticking to the beaten dirt path, as to not touch the grass that adorned it.


    Summer was now past its peak. The plains stretching out in front of him had a golden tone under the hot sun, and the sweet aroma of the blooming fruits from the forest was in the air. The crab closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    ¡°HEY, YOU, CRAB!¡±


    The shouting startled Balthazar in the middle of inhaling, making him choke up. Coughing and with watery eyes, he looked around for the source of the yelling.


    A rickety old man with a long white beard reaching down to his knees was approaching with quick steps. He had a pointy hat resembling Druma¡¯s, except more elaborate and purple, and for some reason he was shirtless, wearing the bottom part of a purple robe, with what seemed to be the top half tied around his waist.


    ¡°YA GOT ANY MANA POTIONS?¡±


    The old man looked completely deranged, his bushy white eyebrows twisting and arching wildly as he looked at Balthazar, and his eyes were bloodshot, with one pupil much bigger than the other.


    ¡°Holy hell, calm down, you don¡¯t have to yell!¡± Balthazar said, trying to recover his breath while readjusting his monocle.


    [Level 66 Arcane High Wizard]


    ¡°Oooooooooh, that¡¯s a nice Monocle of Examination ya got there,¡± the wizard said, bending over at the waist and putting his face uncomfortably close to Balthazar¡¯s. ¡°But are ya going to examine me all day, OR ARE YA GONNA ANSWER ME? MANA POTIONS, YA GOT THEM?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I got mana potions! Hold your horses, old man.¡±


    Skittering back from the insane looking man as fast as he could, Balthazar pulled a wooden box from under a table and retrieved two bulbous glass bottles filled with a glowing blue liquid.


    ¡°Here, mana potions, there was no need for all that yell¡ªHey! You have to pay for those!¡±


    Standing on no ceremony, the wizard snatched both potions, popped the cork of one with his thumb, and started chugging it with loud gulps. Before Balthazar could even get another word out, he was already turning the second bottle upside down on his lips, blue liquid rapidly disappearing from the flask.


    The man smacked his lips and let out a loud burp. ¡°Ahhh! That hits the spot.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is your problem?!¡± Balthazar finally let out, in an outraged outburst.


    ¡°What?!¡± the High Wizard said. ¡°I was down in the forest, going at it with a bunch of fairies, you know, tricky things, those ones. And next thing I knew, I was all out of mana, and no potions either. And at my age, my mana regeneration is complete crap.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know about your fairies! You still got to pay!¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get your pinchers in a twist. I¡¯ll pay. What do you want for those?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 25 gold coins each,¡± Balthazar said, trying to regain his calm.


    The wizard reached behind his back and produced a large purple bag out of seemingly nowhere. The crab decided, for his own sanity, not to question where he was keeping that.


    ¡°Err, gold coins¡­ gold coins,¡± the old man said, while shoving his whole arm down the sack, far deeper than it should be able to accommodate, given its size. ¡°Didn¡¯t think we were still using those.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not tell me you can¡¯t pay.¡±


    ¡°Ah, worry not. I¡¯m sure I got something here worth trading for the potions.¡±


    With a sudden pull, he produced a hardcover book from the sack, the front of it filled with strange glyphs. ¡°How¡¯s this? A Tome of Levitation. First edition too, I think.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Balthazar shouted. ¡°You put that back!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Not the scholarly type, I see.¡± He put the book back in the bag and continued rummaging, one eye shut, and tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth. ¡°Oh, this should do it.¡±


    Pulling his arm out one more time, the wizard revealed a dark red orb, big as his head, with a perfectly smooth, stony surface.


    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Balthazar asked, cautious curiosity on his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one with the monocle. Why don¡¯t ya tell me?¡± the eccentric mage answered, a slightly crazy smile under his white mustache, irises still disturbingly uneven.


    [Golem Core]


    ¡°What in the world is a Golem Core? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s some kind of weird magical exploding thing?¡± the confused merchant said.


    ¡°Exploding? Nah. At least I don¡¯t think so. Might have to try that sometime,¡± said the wizard, looking at the orb, pondering. ¡°As for magical, isn¡¯t everything around us magical, my talkative crab friend? If you mean arcane, then no, this thing doesn¡¯t require any mana or arcane abilities to use.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure I want to accept that as payment.¡±


    ¡°Bah, don¡¯t be ridiculous. I have no idea how much this thing is worth out here, but I¡¯m positive it¡¯s far more than two mana potions. Here, I¡¯ll even throw you this as a bonus.¡±


    Putting the Golem Core down on the ground in front of Balthazar, the topless man reached into his sack once more, this time revealing another book, of a light brown color, and presenting it to the crab, the title ¡°Golemancy for Dummies¡± written on its cover.


    Balthazar wasn¡¯t sure what the mysterious item was exactly, but he had a clear feeling it was quite valuable. And looking at the ancient book, he felt a growing curiosity about what was written within it.


    ¡°Alright, this seems fair. I¡¯ll accept the deal,¡± Balthazar finally said, carefully taking the large orb into his claws and turning around to place it safely on a pillow.


    ¡°Excellent! Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I got some fairies to get back to. Toodles!¡±


    Balthazar heard a crisp ¡°POP¡± sound, and by the time he turned around, the strange wizard was gone, not a trace of him either up or down the road.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Balthazar said, looking left, right, and then up at the empty sky, where no cloud or even bird could be seen.


    Deciding to just not question any more adventurer oddities for the day, he turned his focus to the brown book on the ground.


    Balthazar took it in his pincer and sat next to the peculiar orb, beginning to leaf through its pages. Despite the slightly insulting implication of the title, he found its contents to have little of ¡°dummy¡± to them, instead describing concepts, theories, and procedures that were far beyond the crab¡¯s understanding. Not that he would ever admit to it, but thankfully it¡¯s not as if anyone could know half of what he was reading was going over his head.


    His thoughts safe inside his shell, the crab focused on the one portion he managed to grasp. Most of the book described the complex process of making such cores, but once one was completed, as the one resting next to him was, its application was apparently quite simple.


    Golems were constructs, that much Balthazar had already read in other books and bestiaries, but they were also a form of artificial life. An artificial soul imbued into an artificial body, usually made up of some sturdy or powerful material, the will of their creator sparking it into being.


    By all accounts he had read, golems were impressively strong beings, almost always employed with guarding something or someone, because of their limited intellect but mighty combat capabilities.


    Balthazar looked at the orb, thinking back to the thief who tried to rob him, and the rival merchant up in Ardville, plotting to ruin his business. He remembered the intimidating Dark Mage who had enslaved Druma, and all the other adventurers who tried to squeeze him out during trades because they thought he was just a lowly crab who could be pushed around.


    If he had a bodyguard, a proper, powerful bodyguard, everyone would have to think twice before messing with him. He might not be too fond of magic, but this wasn¡¯t even like casting spells. Using a finished core was very basic. Even he could do it with no training, he was certain of it.


    Making his mind up, Balthazar jumped back up on his eight legs and took the Golem Core into his pincers. The book said a core should be imbued into a vessel, preferably a single piece of one material type. Some examples were golems made of pure iron, but he didn¡¯t have anywhere near enough metal for that.


    Other golems were made of more volatile elements, like fire, but Balthazar wasn¡¯t exactly keen on the idea of setting fire to his trading post while performing his crazy experiment. What he had plenty of were rocks. Rock golems were described as slow, but extremely strong and resistant to most forms of physical blows, and even magic.


    Looking around at the many large boulders that surrounded his pond, Balthazar tried to find the one that best fit his measurements for what his future bodyguard should be.


    Many of them had been simple sunbathing platforms for him for as long as he could remember, but there was one that stood out. One peculiar boulder, green moss covering its lower half, an odd shape to its tip that resembled a square head, and on its flat surface, a tiny inscription, made long ago by much tinier pincers. Not a letter, or even a symbol, just a crudely made ¡°X¡± to mark it as the favorite spot of a small crab who had no one else as company other than a funny-looking boulder.


    Breaking away from his nostalgia trip with a sniff, Balthazar climbed up to the stone surface. He hadn¡¯t realized how long it had been since he last stood atop this particular boulder, probably not since he had become too large to sit on it.


    He looked down at the scratched mark on the rock, slightly faded and much smaller than he recalled, reminiscing on the silly name he had given his made up friend: Bouldy.


    Shaking his shell at the thoughts of all the silly things he had told that rock in his youth, but still with a slight smile to his face, the crab got on with his experiment.


    Holding the Golem Core over the rock surface, he remembered the book¡¯s instructions, and tried to focus on his wish to imbue life into that vessel through the offered core.


    To his surprise, the orb began glowing and vibrating. Opening his arms, he let go of the core, which stood perfectly still on the boulder, despite its round shape and the inclination it was on.


    With expectation in his eyes, Balthazar watched as the core started sinking into the stone as if it was a liquid surface, until it fully vanished within.


    Standing still in anticipation, he waited for something to happen.


    ¡°Well, damn it. I should have known better than to take a deal from a crazy old wizard.¡±


    As Balthazar turned around to leave his failed golemancy experiment, he froze in place as he felt a slight vibration from underneath.


    The vibration quickly grew into a rumbling as the rock under him began shifting in place, forcing the crab to jump off the boulder.


    Looking up with his jaw dropped, Balthazar watched in awe as the huge boulder rose from the ground, unearthing parts of itself long hidden beneath the surface, dirt and roots pulled with them, segments of the freshly uncovered rock taking shape under it as two massive legs. From its sides a pair of arms began forming from the main body, hard rock turning liquid once more, before settling back into its intended new shape. The top of the now standing stone, which used to be its front platform, where a tiny crab had once stood valiantly snapping his pincers at the flying birds for the first time so many seasons ago, was slowly turning in place, its squarish shape settling into a vague semblance of a head, as two small glowing orbs of a dark red color surfaced where its face would be, with a horizontal gap opening under them to complete a mouth.


    The golem finally stood upright, eyes slowly gaining life and scanning the horizon, before looking down at the perplexed crab it was towering over. Its mouth formed a crude attempt at a smile before opening and speaking in a deep, reverberating voice.


    ¡°Friend.¡±

 Chapter 17: Bould Assumptions

    The crab stood slack-jawed, his eyes looking up at the imposing golem standing in front of him, easily three times his height, as the newly formed being slowly extended one of its massive stone hands towards him, a smile still carved on its crude face.


    ¡°Boss! Boss! Danger! Run!¡± Druma shouted from the bridge, one hand holding a hammer, the other trying to hold his hat as he ran towards them.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Balthazar said, signaling to the goblin approaching from behind with a pincer, while keeping his eyes on the golem. ¡°He¡¯s not a threat. I think he¡¯s¡­ friendly.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± the golem said, his smile widening even more on its rough stone face as it turned its gaze to the goblin standing next to the crab.


    Balthazar briefly glanced at Druma, who was looking at the living construct with a mixture of apprehension and suspicion on his face, before turning back to the golem.


    ¡°Yes, this is Druma, he¡¯s a friend,¡± Balthazar said slowly, while pointing at the goblin. ¡°And I¡¯m Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Friend.¡± The big rock¡¯s eyes closed as he smiled even more.


    ¡°Yes, and you are¡­ Bouldy, I guess. And we are all friends.¡±


    Balthazar extended his right pincer to touch the golem¡¯s outstretched hand, which was even larger than the crab¡¯s iron claw.


    [Add Bouldy to your party?]


    [Yes | No]


    Balthazar smiled, and with a nod, confirmed the prompt.


    ***


    ¡°Be careful!¡± Balthazar yelled, exasperated. ¡°You¡¯re going to break something!¡±


    It had only been a couple of hours since the golem had taken form in front of them, but Druma¡¯s initial suspicions about the giant walking boulder had quickly dissipated once it became clear he was friendly.


    They had both been happily playing with one another for the past hour. Except a goblin and a golem¡¯s version of ¡°playing¡± consists of one throwing small rocks at the other, who catches them in his gaping maw and crushes them with a smile every time.


    It would seem like, whether big or small, every goblin had a love for throwing rocks at others.


    One pebble went a little too high for Bouldy to catch in his mouth and hit him square between the eyes. Thankfully, the creature had so far been completely peaceful, and the tiny amount of damage it took seemed to get nothing more than a laugh and another smile out of him.


    Being in his party, Balthazar could now see the golem¡¯s stats, and while a powerful bodyguard was what he wanted, those stats still caught him off guard.


    [Name: Bouldy] [Race: Stone Golem] [Class: None] [Level: 30]


    [Health: 499/500]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 40] [Agility: 3] [Intelligence: 1]


    The construct had everything Balthazar had hoped for. He was high level, at least compared to most adventurers he¡¯d see every day. He had lots of health points, especially when compared to the small goblin assistant. And his Strength stat was impressive.


    Unfortunately, his Intelligence was¡­ not as impressive.


    He already knew golems weren¡¯t exactly known for being very intelligent, but this one was really keeping it strictly to the minimum.


    He understood the basics of what Balthazar said, or at least it seemed like he did. It was hard to tell when the only word that came out of his mouth was ¡°friend.¡±


    But could a merchant really rely on that creature to protect him if push came to shove?


    ¡°Druma!¡± Balthazar shouted, as a pebble flew right above his shell and landed in the water with a loud ¡°plop¡± sound.


    ¡°Sorry boss!¡± the goblin said, shrinking his shoulders and rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided eye contact.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time you go back to work now. I need our new friend¡¯s attention for a bit.¡±


    Bouldy looked at Balthazar with curiosity as he sat down on the dirt, a tiny quake making the ground shake around him.


    ¡°Right, Bouldy, I need to find out if you can perform certain¡­ duties for me.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± the big rock said, tilting his head slightly.


    ¡°Yes, exactly. I am your friend. We are friends. And you know what friends do? They watch each other¡¯s backs.¡±


    Bouldy looked as if he was struggling to concentrate a thought for a moment, and then, with a quick movement, promptly stood up and took a big step, moving behind Balthazar.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± the confused crab said, following the tall figure as it walked around him.


    The golem put both hands on his knees as he bent them and put his head forward, attentively staring at the back of his friend¡¯s shell.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    ¡°Why are you¡­ oh for the love¡ªthat¡¯s not what I meant! I don¡¯t need you to watch my back like that!¡±


    The confused boulder stood upright again, eyes fixed on Balthazar.


    The golemancy manual contained a brief mention of how constructed golems would inherently be obedient and follow their creator¡¯s orders no matter what, but when Balthazar read that, he didn¡¯t expect things to be so¡­ stiff.


    A glaring lapse for a hard-shelled crab to make about a giant made of stone.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try to be more specific here,¡± Balthazar said after a long exhale. ¡°I need you. To protect. Me.¡±


    Bouldy looked at his creator, looked around, then behind himself, and finally up at the sky, before returning his confused stare to the crab and shrugging.


    ¡°No. I mean¡­ not right now, obviously. There¡¯s no danger right now,¡± Balthazar said, frustration in his voice. ¡°I mean, in general, in the future, possibly, if something were to happen.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± The golem bent down to get his face closer to the crab¡¯s, a concerned frown forming above the orbs that served as his eyes.


    ¡°Argh! No, it¡¯s not like something bad is going to happen to me necessarily! But just in case it does, I need to know if you¡¯d be able to protect me?¡±


    As was to be expected, the golem had no conclusive answer to give him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s maybe try something different. Follow me.¡±


    Balthazar walked across the small bridge connecting to the pond¡¯s entrance, while the lumbering bodyguard followed from the side, unbothered by the shallow waters that barely covered his feet.


    ¡°See this whole area, everything around the pond? From that big tree at the center, all the way around to all the boulders and up to this entrance here leading to the road? All of this is my territory. Our place. Anyone inside it is a guest or a client until I say otherwise, and they shouldn¡¯t be harmed. But if they become a threat, they are no longer welcome, and I need you to make sure that if things go south, you¡¯ll be ready to intervene. Can you do that?¡±


    Bouldy took a moment to¡ªprobably¡ªprocess everything Balthazar had just told him and then gave him a nod before starting to walk down the road.


    ¡°Hey! Where are you going?!¡± Balthazar shouted. ¡°Get back here!¡±


    The golem stopped, turned around, and started walking back.


    ¡°Oh, give me patience.¡± Balthazar let out a long sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to literally go south. Just¡­ be around and look big, you can do that, can¡¯t you?¡±


    Just as Balthazar finished his sentence, an arrow whizzed above him and hit the golem¡¯s head, bouncing off and falling to the ground. Bouldy looked down at the object that had just hit him, no apparent reaction on his face other than curiosity.


    ¡°Hey, Balthazar, quick, get away, I¡¯ll distract it!¡±


    Turning around, the crab saw the archer, Rye, bow in hand, another arrow already nocked and ready to shoot. A few steps behind him was Madeleine, rolling up a sleeve with her left hand, while the right one held a thick wooden rolling pin.


    ¡°Move your butt already!¡± the baker yelled at the crab. ¡°Before that thing smashes your shell!¡±


    ¡°Guys! Guys!¡± Balthazar said, both arms open. ¡°Calm down. He¡¯s not a threat. He¡¯s with me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Rye said, lowering his bow slightly. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®he¡¯s with you¡¯?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my golem. Watch. Bouldy, wave hello to Madeleine and Rye.¡±


    The golem moved his attention away from the fallen arrow and waved at the pair up the road, a dumb smile carved on his face.


    ¡°You scared the living lights out of us, you know that?¡± Madeleine said, as she walked towards the crab, some of her previous battle anger still visible. ¡°We saw this big thing in front of you and thought you were about to be turned to pulp!¡±


    Balthazar couldn¡¯t help but notice the large rolling pin she was still waving around in her hand as she talked. He felt more intimidated by it than he ever was by any blade or club any of the adventurers he saw every day carried, for some reason.


    ¡°Yeah, I had to hold her back from rushing in first,¡± Rye said as he joined them, a large basket in each of his hands. ¡°I thought we were screwed once my arrow did nothing to it.¡±


    ¡°Yep, glad I got to at least test that out,¡± Balthazar said, keeping a cautious eye on the large rolling pin as the baker put it away. ¡°What do you think? He¡¯s my new bodyguard. He¡¯ll be keeping my trading post safe.¡±


    ¡°How did you even get a golem all the way out here?¡± Madeleine asked, visibly calmer. ¡°I really doubt you went out there and found one.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, golems are supposed to be pretty rare,¡± Rye said, staring up at the golem that was still smiling at them. ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered one before myself, and I¡¯ve explored a lot of places.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find him, I created him,¡± Balthazar said, with a fancy adjustment to his monocle.


    ¡°You what?!¡± said Rye. ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Ah, those are secrets of the trade, my friends.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± the golem said, startling the two humans.


    ¡°Uh, yes, that¡¯s right, Bouldy,¡± Balthazar said, looking back at his guard. ¡°These are Madeleine and Rye. They¡¯re friends. Not threats. Just remember, I only want you to smash threats, not friends.¡±


    The golem nodded and smiled at them. ¡°Friend.¡±


    ¡°Did you just call your golem¡­ Bouldy?¡± Rye asked, both of his eyebrows raised.


    ¡°I¡­ it already came to life with that name. It¡¯s just a name, like any other!¡±


    ¡°What is that mark?¡± asked Madeleine, pointing at the small ¡°X¡± mark on the golem¡¯s chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know! You expect me to know every random mark on every rock around my pond?!¡±


    The baker and the archer exchanged looks of suspicion with each other.


    ¡°Never mind that!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°Why are you two together again? Just happen to come through the road at the same time again, was it?¡±


    Rye looked up at the sky in a (poor) attempt at looking casual. ¡°No, no. I¡­ you know¡­ was just¡­¡±


    ¡°I was heading down here with more pastries for you,¡± Madeleine interjected, putting her hands on her hips, ¡°and Rye here, seeing me carrying these heavy baskets, offered to carry them for me, like the nice gentleman he is. You know, good manners. You¡¯re familiar with those, aren¡¯t you, mister crab?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°It¡¯s usually adventurers who aren¡¯t very familiar with them.¡±


    ¡°You know, maybe we should take my pastries back to town and leave you to play with your rocks again.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes jolted at that mention. ¡°No, no! There¡¯s no need for that. You already came all this way. It would be a waste of poor Rye¡¯s effort to turn back now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Madeleine¡¯s usual smile returned as she dropped her hands from her hips and picked up one basket. ¡°Seeing as you seem to go through whatever I bring faster and faster, I brought a larger dose this time.¡±


    The baker opened the basket to reveal a cache of wonders. A large pie, yellow and with some kind of cream covering it, surrounded by many smaller pastries, little nuggets of soft looking dough with different kinds of creamy fillings bursting out of their sides.


    ¡°This is a lemon cream pie, and these are cream puffs. I didn¡¯t know what flavor to pick, so I brought you a few of each to see what you like.¡±


    ¡°Madeleine,¡± Balthazar said, holding back the waters in his mouth, ¡°I can assure you, with no doubt in my mind, that I will love each and every single one of them like I love each gold coin I own.¡±


    ¡°The other basket has some meat treats for Druma.¡± Madeleine looked up at Bouldy. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should bring something for your new friend next time, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± Balthazar said, while shoving a cream puff in his mouth, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s on a strict diet of pebbles only. From what I read, golems don¡¯t require food.¡±


    ¡°Ah, alright then. I think I¡¯ll go say hello to Druma and give him this basket.¡±


    As the baker headed towards the bridge, Balthazar turned to the archer and gave him a piercing gaze.


    ¡°So, boy,¡± the crab began, pink cream all over his mouth, ¡°what¡¯s the deal between you and Madeleine?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ what do you mean?¡± Rye said nervously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, because I¡¯m not. I can see you two are spending a lot of time together. Is there something I should know?¡±


    ¡°Hey, man, you¡¯re the one who sent me looking for her. If it wasn¡¯t for that, I might never even have crossed paths with her. You know her too. She¡¯s a nice and kind girl. I just try to be nice and friendly back.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Balthazar said, getting closer to the archer¡¯s face. ¡°Cut the crap and tell me, what are your intentions with her?¡±


    ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± the boy asked with a gulp. ¡°I just think she¡¯s¡­ nice¡­ and very pretty, and¡­ I¡­ I like her.¡±


    Balthazar pulled away from Rye¡¯s face with a slightly confused look. ¡°Oh. So you just like her? You¡¯re not trying to get free pastries?¡±


    ¡°N-no? Why would I?¡±


    ¡°Oh, phew, that¡¯s a relief,¡± the crab said, relaxing his shell. ¡°I thought you were going to disturb my supply.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the young adventurer said with nervous relief. ¡°You thought I just wanted free food? Ha ha, no, no, don¡¯t worry. While her baking is amazing, I promise you, my interest is her heart.¡±


    With a sudden movement, Balthazar turned around and got very close to Rye¡¯s face again.


    ¡°Good. But you should be careful. Because if you ever broke it, I don¡¯t think we could be friends anymore.¡±


    Rye glanced over the crab¡¯s shell at the golem still towering over them, who looked back with a friendly smile.

 Chapter 18: Staff Meeting

    It had been another scorching hot morning, and Balthazar had just emerged from the pond¡¯s waters where he was attempting to cool himself off.


    A few paces to the side, Druma stood with his feet submerged, using a wooden bucket to pour water over himself, his wizard hat resting on the shore behind.


    ¡°We need to get some shelter built for those crates,¡± Balthazar said to the goblin. ¡°Or else the heat from the sun is going to spoil all the fruit. Think you can put up some tarp shelter there for shade this afternoon?¡±


    Druma squinted at the crab, water rolling off the sides of his hairless head.


    Balthazar rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Put the hat on,¡± he said, pointing a pincer at the hat behind the goblin.


    ¡°Oooooh,¡± said the assistant, as he fit the oversized hat on his head. ¡°Yes, yes! Druma can do!¡±


    A loud grumbling came from Balthazar¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°But for now, I think it¡¯s time for a lunch break.¡±


    The crab and the goblin joined the large golem who sat on the ground next to Balthazar¡¯s tent, back straight, hands on his crossed legs. It was yet unclear how effective Bouldy would be if things got ugly, but at the very least, in terms of looking big and imposing, he was doing a fine enough job.


    Balthazar adjusted himself into the large cushion that lay in front of his tent. It was his place of choice to look over his pond. Perfect view of the whole area, allowing him to keep an eye on any adventurer who came in from the road and browsed his wares displayed on the many wooden shelves and tables Druma had been dutifully building for the past few weeks, and best of all, sitting on it made him look very regal.


    Or at least he felt so. He had never actually seen a king in person, but he felt sure they had a lot of common tastes. Living a life of luxury, surrounded by gold and servants, eating delicious food all day, that certainly sounded like a good deal. Not so much the part about having to put up with a whole kingdom of annoying people, though.


    With careful precision, Balthazar carved a generous slice of lemon cream pie with his silver claw, and took a bite at it. Sitting on a small pile of hay, Druma was already munching on one of the meat pasties Madeleine had made for him.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Balthazar asked, noticing the goblin¡¯s concerned look towards Bouldy.


    ¡°Boss sure big rock don¡¯t want food?¡± Druma responded between loud chewing.


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry about it. I told you, golems don¡¯t need food. It¡¯s magic stuff, or something. You wouldn¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Big rock don¡¯t need food, but maybe big rock still want food?¡±


    Balthazar looked up at Bouldy¡¯s permanently smiling expression, which was currently fixed on the goblin eating beneath him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s food he wants,¡± the crab said, sending crumbs flying from his mouth as he spoke. ¡°He just wants to watch over his friend.¡±


    Druma squinted his eyes in deep thought. ¡°Boss never have tribe? Other crabs?¡±


    ¡°Who, me? No, no. None of that,¡± Balthazar said, slowing his chewing. ¡°Crabs don¡¯t do tribes like you goblins do.¡±


    A pigeon landed on Bouldy¡¯s head, who seemed entirely unaware, or at least unbothered by it.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, spewing pieces of pie from his mouth. ¡°Get that thing off your head, Bouldy!¡±


    The golem moved his head in order to look up, causing the bird to flutter away.


    ¡°Did you¡­ used to like it in your tribe?¡± Balthazar asked, returning his attention to the goblin.


    Druma produced a shrug. ¡°Druma too small next to other goblins. Druma like to build stuff. Other goblins like to destroy stuff.¡± The small assistant swallowed and stared at his pasty without going for another bite. ¡°Big goblins call Druma ¡®smarty pants¡¯ and throw rocks at Druma.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Balthazar said, deciding it probably wouldn¡¯t do much good to point out the goblin¡¯s low Intelligence in that moment.


    ¡°One day humans attack tribe village,¡± Druma continued, with a vacant gaze. ¡°Many goblin die in fight. Druma too small to help. So Druma hide. Tribe chief say Druma coward. Druma don¡¯t help tribe.¡± The goblin frowns. ¡°Druma don¡¯t hide no more.¡±


    Balthazar looked down at the crumbs underneath him, feeling unsure about what to say.


    ¡°Oh, for crying out loud!¡± the crab shouted. ¡°The damn pigeon is back!¡±


    The round bird landed in front of the tent and began frantically pecking the ground for pie crumbs.


    ¡°Shoo! Get out of here! They¡¯re my crumbs!¡± Balthazar yelled, as he unsuccessfully attempted to swat the winged menace, who kept fluttering and dodging.


    ¡°Druma help boss!¡± the goblin said, while grabbing his pointy stick.


    Joining the fray, he started trying to poke the pigeon while the crab continued to snap at it with his claws. Neither one of them being able to stop the determined bird in his mission to gobble up every single crumb it saw.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Bouldy watched from above, smiling at the scene like it was all friendly playtime.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just sit there smiling!¡± Balthazar shouted at the golem. ¡°Help us!¡±


    The lumbering stone got up to his feet, causing the ground to shake. The pigeon flew back and away, scared by the vibration, but still hovering above the tent.


    ¡°Stupid bird!¡± Druma yelled, taking his spear over his shoulder and throwing it at the bird.


    The stick barely gained any altitude before dropping back down and splashing into the pond. The pigeon continued hovering above them, unafraid.


    Balthazar decided it probably wouldn¡¯t do much good to point out the goblin¡¯s low Strength in that moment either.


    ¡°Bouldy! Grab it!¡± the crab told the golem, while pointing his pincer at the damnable bird.


    The big rock smiled and slowly moved a hand in the bird¡¯s direction, slowly closing it around nothing, as the pigeon had already steered away from it, now hovering slightly lower.


    ¡°Druma got you now!¡± the goblin said, blindly reaching for another stick atop a table nearby, eyes fixed on the bird just within reach above him.


    Balthazar looked back at what his assistant was grabbing. ¡°Druma! That¡¯s not a spea¡ª¡±


    The goblin thrust his stick upwards at the bird and a stream of glowing green orbs shot out, pummeling the bird, who fell down on the ground, leaving a trail of feathers floating above it.


    Druma stood dumbfounded, looking at the Staff of Magic Bolts in his hand. ¡°Boss¡­ is Druma¡­ wizard?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ no, of course you¡¯re not,¡± Balthazar began, unsure of what to tell him. ¡°Now put that back before you hurt someone with it.¡±


    The goblin looked at the staff with curiosity while scratching his head under his wizard hat before putting it back on the table.


    ¡°Is bird dead?¡± Druma asked, joining the other two in a circle around the pigeon, who laid on its back on the ground, wings spread, tongue sticking out the side of its beak.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Poke it, see if it reacts.¡±


    ¡°Druma don¡¯t want to touch bird,¡± the goblin said, sticking his pointy tongue out in disgust.


    ¡°Oh, you big¡­¡± the crab said, annoyed. ¡°Bouldy, check if it¡¯s alive.¡±


    The golem stuck one of its massive fingers out and, as gently as its size allowed, poked the bird¡¯s chest. No reaction.


    ¡°Seems dead to me,¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°What we do with bird now?¡± asked Druma.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t want it rotting away here,¡± Balthazar said, scratching the top of his shell with the tip of a claw. ¡°Bouldy, you take it and toss it out of here.¡±


    With a nod, the golem took the dead bird in his hand, and before Balthazar could react, pulled his arm back, put one foot up, and flung it at full force towards the open plains to the east, causing a rush of wind that nearly made Druma¡¯s hat fly off his head.


    Balthazar stood with his mouth open, staring at the lingering trail of feathers left in the air. ¡°What¡­ the hell?!¡±


    The crab put one pincer up to his face in an attempt to facepalm. Except he did not posses palms to face.


    He attempted to facepincer, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same thing.


    The point was that Balthazar was quite exasperated at that moment.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean ¡®toss¡¯ like that, you big dumb rock!¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± the puzzled golem said.


    ¡°Oh, forget it. At least we won¡¯t have to worry about that anymore.¡±


    ***


    A few hours had passed in the day, and soon the sun would set, which meant it was time to pack in.


    Balthazar was carefully folding a towel with necklaces displayed on it when he heard wheels pulling up to the entrance of his pond and stopping. Heading towards the source, he saw an adventurer in leather and steel armor jumping off her small one-horse cart.


    ¡°Good day!¡± the woman said.


    ¡°Almost night,¡± the crab responded, with a not very convincing forced smile.


    Balthazar loved to make money, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t dislike last minute clients.


    They were some of the worst. They¡¯d always show up right as he was about to close up for the day and head to sleep, maybe have a late night pastry, perhaps take a nice bubble bath to relax after a hard day of trading.


    But no, because some annoying adventurer with no one to put up with them at that hour felt like it, he would be stuck watching them leisurely browse through his wares as if it was still the earliest hours of the morning and they had all day.


    And Balthazar would love nothing more than to shove them out of his pond, but they always had to be the ones who looked like they had the most coin to spend, for whatever reason. Money doesn¡¯t buy friends or hobbies, he figured. Thankfully, the crab didn¡¯t need either of those things, so just money was fine with him.


    ¡°Say, friend, you wouldn¡¯t happen to have some nice helmets for sale, would you?¡± the adventurer asked, running a hand through her long dark curls.


    ¡°Of course I do. Helmets, right here. Just take your pick. Anything in particular you¡¯re after?¡±


    ¡°No, not really,¡± she responded, looking over the small shelf with about a dozen headpieces displayed on it. As her eyes perused the items, what until that moment had just looked like a normal boulder behind the furniture turned its head and looked at the woman. ¡°Uh¡­ what is that?¡± the apprehensive client asked, hand on the pommel of her sword.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s just my guard golem,¡± Balthazar responded, in a casual tone.


    ¡°Is¡­ is it friendly?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. In fact, I think friendly is all he is,¡± the crab said, with a hint of disappointment.


    The big rock smiled at them. ¡°Friend.¡±


    Relaxing her hand from the sword, she attempted to focus her attention back to the helmets.


    ¡°Anyway, as I was saying, whatever is affordable and sturdy. You know, it¡¯s dangerous out there, can¡¯t afford to be fighting baddies with an exposed head. That¡¯s for the big stars, ha ha.¡±


    Balthazar decided to ignore his questions about how the stars in the sky would ever wear helmets in the first place, and instead try to get on with his business, so he could attend his next meeting with a very important cream puff.


    ¡°Got just the thing for you here!¡± Balthazar said, holding up a horned iron helmet in his pincers and presenting it to his client. ¡°Very sturdy and at a good price. My last one of this kind, too. You should grab it before someone else does.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ right,¡± the adventurer said with hesitation. ¡°I was hoping for something a little more¡­ higher level.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    Balthazar would sell that helmet. Eventually. Some day. Maybe.


    Pulling a much more solid steel helmet from the bottom of the shelf, he presented it to her. ¡°Pure steel, with a fine finish, and brand new too, not a scratch on it.¡±


    ¡°This is more like it,¡± she said, with a more satisfied expression. ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°For my last client of the day? How about 40 gold?¡± Balthazar said, omitting the fact that any other earlier client would have been offered a price of 35 gold coins.


    ¡°Well, I guess there are not a lot of other places open at this hour, so that will have to do,¡± the woman said, pulling out her coin purse. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be willing to take my old helmet for a discount, would you?¡±


    ¡°Depends. What state is it in?¡± the crab asked, one eye stalk rising higher than the other.


    ¡°See, that¡¯s the thing. It¡¯s a bit¡­ used now,¡± the adventurer admitted, with a bit of awkwardness on her tone, as she pulled a bronze colored helmet from the back of her belt. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d be fine with just a couple of coins for it.¡±


    She turned the helmet on her hand to Balthazar, revealing a large dent on the forehead, covered with a splatter of red and a few feathers still stuck to it.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t ask me what happened to it. You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you.¡±

 Chapter 19: Black Velvet

    ¡°4498¡­ 4499¡­ 4500.¡±


    Balthazar finished counting the coins in his iron chest behind his sleeping pillow, feeling both satisfaction and concern.


    He loved counting his money and seeing its number grow larger and larger every day, but by his estimations, that chest would be full once it reached 5000 gold coins, and that was a problem.


    Not only had he not been able to find any adventurers carrying large containers they were willing to sell lately, but even if he had, he wasn¡¯t sure where he¡¯d put it.


    He liked to keep his treasure close at night, but there wasn¡¯t much room left in his tent, between the chest, his pillow, and all the many baskets of pastries surrounding it, there just wasn¡¯t anywhere to store large sums of money like that.


    Madeleine had told him during one of her recent visits that people in town with lots of money keep their valuables in places called ¡°banks¡± in exchange for a small fee. That sounded like complete nonsense to the crab.


    Paying someone to keep your coins? The whole point of having them was the satisfaction of holding them, counting them, playing with them, hugging a pile of them at night before falling asleep.


    And even worse, what if they lose your precious coins? No, smart crabs don¡¯t trust banks.


    The problem was not just the coins, either. Adventurers were selling more and more loot every day, and no matter how fast Balthazar tried to offload it to the next adventurer who came around, his stock of junk continued growing, and slowly taking over the pond, crates and shelves being filled faster than poor Druma could put them together.


    Truly, Balthazar was a crab suffering from success.


    As he sighed, the bright yellow reflection of his many coins shining on him, Balthazar heard a woman¡¯s voice from across the bridge.


    ¡°Excuse me, is this the crab¡¯s trading post?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is the spot, and I am the crab,¡± Balthazar answered, stepping out of his tent.


    On the other side stood a middle-aged woman, long black hair with two white strands emerging from the center of her hairline, falling over her black vestments of many layers and folds. Her large blue eyes shot at the crab as he appeared, and a wide smile appeared on her face.


    Balthazar felt slightly uncomfortable.


    [Level 42 Alchemist Witch]


    ¡°Oh, excellent, excellent!¡± the woman said, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. ¡°Just who I was looking for.¡±


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Balthazar asked as he joined her on the other shore.


    ¡°Such a magnificent specimen, you are!¡± The strange woman began walking around the crab, looking him over, hands still held against her chest. ¡°And the stories were true. You really do talk!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do, and I¡¯d appreciate it if you stopped checking my behind now, please.¡±


    ¡°May I ask how that happened? Was it some kind of spell? Enchantment? Perhaps a curse gone wrong?¡± The witch gasped. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re actually a prince and if I give you a kiss, you will turn back into a human?¡±


    ¡°What?! No, why would that ever¡­ Look, I don¡¯t know what kind of weird stories your head is filled with, but I¡¯m here to do business, so if you¡¯re not here for that¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, come now,¡± she interjected, ¡°is that a way to treat a lady?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know, but seems to me like the way to treat witches who aren¡¯t here to sell or buy anything.¡±


    ¡°I am an alchemist,¡± the woman said, her smile quickly vanishing from her face for a moment. ¡°And you are wrong in your assumption. I am here to do business.¡±


    ¡°Great. Then what are you here to sell or buy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for rare alchemy ingredients,¡± she responded, a smile already back on her face.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Balthazar said, moving to a shelf filled with multiple clay pots and glass jars. ¡°I got plenty of flowers, mushrooms, plant leaves, and much more. What¡¯s it going to be?¡±


    ¡°The ingredients I seek are rather¡­ difficult to find.¡± She pulled a folded piece of parchment from her sleeve, opened it, and started reading it. ¡°Do you by any chance have¡­ troll¡¯s blood?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ no, I don¡¯t,¡± the crab said, hesitantly.


    ¡°A werewolf liver?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ªno!¡±


    ¡°Spider broodmother glands?¡±


    ¡°Why would I¡­ what the hell kind of poison are you planning to make?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no. No poison at all. Just some ingredients for some homemade recipes, nothing nefarious, I promise you.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I don¡¯t have any of those things, and I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d want to, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Such a shame, really. But say, on a different subject,¡± the witch said, moving around the crab again, trailing a black fingernail on the surface of his shell, ¡°this is a beautiful pond. I¡¯m sure it looks incredible at night, if you were interested in giving me a tour of it later.¡±


    ¡°Look, lady¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, let¡¯s not stand on ceremony,¡± she said, an intense smile on her face. ¡°My name is Velvet, but feel free to call me Velvie.¡±


    ¡°I will not, but thanks,¡± Balthazar said, increasingly uncomfortable, while sidestepping away from the witch. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else you''re looking to buy, I really got lots to do.¡±


    ¡°There is one more ingredient I am looking for,¡± Velvet said, taking another step closer to the nervous merchant.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not a common petal or some random fungus, I probably can¡¯t help you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I know for a fact you have. And being such a fine gentleman, you wouldn¡¯t leave a lady hanging, I¡¯m sure? I¡¯d be willing to pay almost anything to have it.¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ and what would that be?¡± Balthazar apprehensively asked.


    ¡°Nothing much, just one, maybe two giant crab legs,¡± the witch casually said, batting her eyes at Balthazar.


    ¡°You¡­ you want what now?!¡± the bewildered crustacean exclaimed.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°A crab leg, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You want one of my legs? Lady, are you out of your mind?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, come now, dear, it¡¯s just a leg. You got seven more. You could easily be a sweetheart and spare one for a girl in need.¡±


    ¡°No! They¡¯re my legs. I¡¯m very attached to them!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. We can take care of that without you even feeling a thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re nuts, get away from me and out of my pond, witch!¡± Balthazar said loudly, nearly shouting.


    ¡°I really, really need the contents of it,¡± the desperate alchemist pleaded, putting a hand on one of his pincers and looking straight into his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can reach some sort of agreement.¡±


    ¡°Are we interrupting?¡± a man¡¯s voice said from the road entrance.


    The crab and the woman turned to see a pair of figures standing by the pond¡¯s entrance. One had a bow on his back, a large basket in his arms, and a slightly embarrassed expression on his face, while the other carried a basket in each hand and looked at them with one eyebrow raised and an air of suspicion.


    ¡°Not at all!¡± Balthazar quickly said, moving away from the black clad woman. ¡°Madeleine, Rye, please, come in. This madame witch was just leaving!¡±


    The expressions on the archer and the baker changed, becoming visibly apprehensive. Rye put his basket down slowly and rested his hand on his waist to give him quick access to drawing his bow. Madeleine spoke first. ¡°Witch, you said? Your client¡¯s not causing any trouble, is she, Balthazar?¡±


    ¡°As I explained before, I¡¯m an alchemist,¡± Velvet said, no longer smiling, while sizing up the two arrivals. ¡°And I take it you two are his clients as well, yes? Well, I¡¯m not done yet, so if you don¡¯t mind waiting your turn¡­¡±


    A frown formed on Madeleine¡¯s face and she opened her mouth to speak, but Balthazar interjected before she could get a word out. ¡°Ha ha, no, no, they¡¯re not clients, they¡¯re here for¡­ a delivery. Yes, that¡¯s it, a delivery. So now, if you don¡¯t mind, I really have things to take care of.¡±


    ¡°My, that is so impolite of you,¡± the woman said, not moving a step. ¡°Not to mention unprofessional. I thought you were a merchant? We¡¯re not done haggling yet, are we?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are! I already told you I¡¯m not selling what you¡¯re after.¡±


    ¡°Balthazar, what is going on here?¡± Madeleine asked. ¡°What does this woman want?¡±


    ¡°She¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, now, now,¡± Velvet said, interrupting Balthazar as she turned to the baker. ¡°The adults are talking. You shouldn¡¯t stick your nose in, little miss.¡± She gave a sly smile. ¡°But if you want to know so badly, Balthie and I were discussing the price of¡­ parts of his body.¡±


    ¡°Balthie??¡± the crab repeated, befuddled.


    ¡°The price of¡­ what the hell?¡± the baker exclaimed, her face turning red. ¡°What kind of dealings are you making now, Balthazar?¡±


    ¡°Me? None! This crazy woman came in here and started trying to buy one of my legs!¡±


    ¡°Oh, darling,¡± the witch said in a dramatic tone as she bent a knee and grasped the crab¡¯s left pincer. ¡°I would take all of you, but if I cannot, even just a leg would satisfy my heart¡¯s desire.¡±


    Balthazar stared, perplexed, at the woman, and then at Rye and Madeleine. He was lost for words and actions. His face would be turning red at that moment if he had the skin for it.


    ¡°Mate, are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Rye said, a concerned smile on his face. ¡°Did she cast some kind of spell on you, or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Velvet exclaimed. ¡°I am the one who has been put under a spell. From the moment I laid eyes on you, Balthie, I knew I had found the one.¡± She placed the back of her hand against her forehead in an exaggerated pose.


    ¡°Guys,¡± Balthazar pleaded. ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t seriously think I have anything to do with this¡­ this witch, right?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Madeleine said, her face an even brighter red now. ¡°Maybe she offered you some nice sweets? That would probably sway you, wouldn¡¯t it? Maybe we should take these back to town, if you¡¯re already set here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you must be a baker, are you not?¡± Velvet asked, eyeing Madeleine¡¯s white blouse and skirt.


    ¡°So what if I am?¡± the girl responded, defiant.


    ¡°That¡¯s adorable,¡± the witch said with a wide smile, before turning back to Balthazar and placing her piercing blue eyes close to his. ¡°I could prepare you concoctions sweeter than anything you¡¯ve ever tasted, my dear. If you¡¯d just be a little more¡­ friendly with me.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ No!¡± Balthazar said, loudly, as he stepped away from her, trying to snap himself out of his befuddlement. ¡°You should leave. I want to trade nothing with you, and I definitely do not want to be your friend!¡±


    A large piece of rock with eyes appeared above a shelf and smiled at the group. ¡°Friend?¡±


    Velvet looked up at the golem towering above her from behind the shelf, and then at the pair by the entrance, one with a hand on his bow, and the other with her hands on her hips, her face looking ready to fume. A goblin wearing a wizard hat joined them from across the bridge too, attracted by the noise and commotion.


    ¡°Well,¡± the witch said, her smile no longer as smug, ¡°I can see there¡¯s no swaying you at the moment, and that your¡­ friends aren¡¯t going to let us conduct business. So maybe I will get going.¡±


    ¡°That would¡ª¡± Balthazar started saying, before a very loud baker interrupted him.


    ¡°Yes, that would be best. Good day to you. The road is over there. Be on your way.¡±


    The witch in black began calmly walking to the exit, taking a moment to turn her head back to the crab.


    ¡°We¡¯ll catch up on our business some other time, darling.¡± She winked at him before walking away, her dark vestments waving behind her.


    ¡°That was¡­ weird.¡± Rye said, taking his hand away from his bow.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me?!¡± Balthazar said, feeling as though he had been holding his breath that whole time and only now could finally exhale. ¡°I don¡¯t know where that one came from, but she gave me the weirdest feelings in¡­ Rye?¡±


    The archer was looking over the crab¡¯s shell with a scared expression. As Balthazar turned, he encountered the baker who was leaning down towards him, wrists against her sides, her freckled cheeks a bright crimson, green eyes shooting daggers at him.


    ¡°Would you like to tell us what was that all about?¡±


    The crab gulped, unsure why he was so intimidated by a small baker, but still sure he didn¡¯t want to find out either.


    ¡°I¡ªI¡ªI¡¯m not sure,¡± Balthazar stuttered. ¡°She first came here wanting some weird alchemy ingredients, and then she says she needs one of my legs for something she wanted to make. It was all very weird. I¡¯m just glad you two showed up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, ha ha, right, good thing we did. Who knows what your new suitor would have done to you otherwise,¡± Rye nervously said, attempting to lighten the mood. Unsuccessfully.


    ¡°Yes, Balthazar,¡± Madeleine said, tapping her foot on the ground rapidly, ¡°what would have happened if we didn¡¯t show up? Would you have let the witch do her weird stuff to you? You seemed very flustered in her presence!¡±


    ¡°Of course not! And¡­ I¡¯m not exactly used to some of your strange human behaviors! I just don¡¯t know how to act around them! There, you happy now?¡±


    Madeleine pulled back and exhaled, losing some of her ire. ¡°I was just concerned about you. I know about witches. They are evil and tricky, and you¡­ well, you¡¯re a grumpy crab, but you¡¯re our grumpy crab. I don''t want anything bad to happen to you.¡±


    Balthazar stared at her for a moment, confused. ¡°So, wait¡­ you were worried about me? And because of that¡­ you also get mad at me? What the hell kind of sense does that make?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Madeleine exclaimed, throwing her arms up. ¡°That¡¯s just what people do sometimes!¡±


    ¡°You humans are an irrational bunch,¡± Balthazar said, shaking his shell.


    ¡°Yeah, well, maybe so,¡± the archer started saying, with a sheepish smile, ¡°but at least we can make great pastries, right?¡±


    The crab and the girl continued looking away from each other, both with their arms crossed.


    ¡°Oh, come on, you guys!¡± Rye said. ¡°That was a witch. Their class¡¯s whole thing is being tricky, manipulative, and sowing discord. You two are friends. Are you really going to let her have the last laugh by staying upset at each other?¡±


    Madeleine sighed. ¡°Rye is right. I rarely get this upset at things, but¡­ I really lose it when it comes to the ones I care about being in trouble. I¡¯m sorry I got mad at you, Balthazar.¡±


    Balthazar looked at her from the corner of his eyes, without uncrossing his arms. ¡°Fine, I accept your apology.¡±


    Rye gave him a look of disapproval and nudged the crab¡¯s shell lightly.


    ¡°And fine, I¡­ I apologize too, for anything.¡±


    The archer groaned and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Madeleine said. ¡°I¡¯m sure that took a lot of effort from you, so I¡¯ll take it. Just please, promise me if you ever see that witch again, you¡¯ll run the other way, with all your eight legs!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to tell me,¡± Balthazar responded, finally relaxing, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go through that kind of discomfort ever again.¡±


    ¡°Hey now,¡± Rye started, with a smirk, ¡°maybe a witch would be the perfect match for your grumpiness, eh?¡±


    They both looked at the smiling adventurer with the same sour expression.


    Druma, who had been sitting on the ground under the golem''s shadow with his legs crossed and quietly observing since joining them, finally broke the silence.


    ¡°Druma hungry. Can eat now?¡±

 Chapter 20: Molting Gold

    It was the middle of the afternoon, and Balthazar was sitting on his cushion by himself, chomping away at one of the chocolate cookies Madeleine had brought him. Chocolate was something new to him, and delicious, yet another marvel of human foods he could never have imagined before, but despite the sweetness of it, his mood was still sour.


    Whoever that strange witch woman had been, she managed to catch him off guard. All his wit, cunning, and intelligence served him of little when she started acting so oddly around him.


    The archer and the baker kept teasing him during their visit about how he was ¡°flustered¡± because of her, whatever that meant, but all Balthazar knew was that there was something about her, something around her that made him feel¡­ disarmed. And a crab without arms is as good as a dead crab.


    Balthazar had been racking his brain for an explanation ever since that encounter. Surely it must have been some kind of magic, a spell, perhaps? She was a witch, after all. But also an alchemist, so maybe a potion? But he was sure he didn¡¯t drink anything around her. Maybe a potion sprayed in the air, like a perfume? He did notice she smelled quite nice, so maybe¡­ no, surely it was some kind of evil magic. It had to be. Damnable magic users and their stupid magic.


    Stuffing another whole cookie in his mouth, Balthazar tried focusing on something else and not think about Velvet and her waving black hair any more.


    A young girl with a small crude bow on her back was browsing his shelf of arrows nearby, and he decided to place his focus on her instead.


    ¡°Hey, you. Gonna buy anything or just wear all my items out with your eyes?¡± the crab said in a bitter tone.


    The adventurer looked at him with a slightly offended expression. ¡°For a merchant, you¡¯re kind of rude, you know?¡±


    ¡°And for a supposed client, you¡¯re kind of not buying anything, you know?¡±


    The girl huffed and turned around to leave. ¡°Keep your junk, crab.¡± She stopped for a moment and looked back. ¡°And maybe lay off the cookies. The way you¡¯re going at them soon you won¡¯t fit in that shell anymore.¡±


    Balthazar felt annoyance rising inside him. How dare she imply he¡¯s getting chubby? Does she not know crabs don¡¯t get fat?


    But he also felt a hint of guilt. He always disregarded everyone¡¯s accusations of being a grump, what do humans know about crabs anyway, but even he had a hard time not seeing it now. And for someone who fancied himself a merchant, that was not the best behavior to have. What good was his speech if he was using it to antagonize possible clients?


    He needed to get his shell back in the game.


    As the young girl was reaching the exit to the road, two other adventurers were arriving.


    ¡°Good day,¡± one of them greeted, with a nod to the girl.


    ¡°Maybe for you. That one over there seems to be having a bad one,¡± she responded, pointing her thumb back to the crab, ¡°and wants to make everyone else have the same, apparently. Don¡¯t let him snip you.¡±


    The two men¡ªboth level 25 fighters¡ªraised their eyebrows as they made way for the girl to leave, following her with their gaze as she passed. Once she was no longer within earshot, they turned their attention to Balthazar, who had gotten up and crossed the small path over the water to join them. ¡°Did something happen with that one?¡±


    ¡°Ah, just an unsatisfied customer. Guess not even I can keep a perfect record. But don¡¯t mind that, I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t come here to chat. So, what¡¯s it going to be, buying or selling?¡±


    ¡°Aye, you¡¯re right, we¡¯re in a bit of a rush,¡± the first adventurer said, while the other moved to the shelves and began browsing through them. ¡°As for your question, a bit of both. We heard a giant has been spotted somewhere to the west, in the plains, and we are going to head there, but don¡¯t got time to go into town. So we figured we¡¯d stop here, get some supplies for the task, and offload any unnecessary extra weight.¡±


    ¡°A giant? Just hope that doesn¡¯t come this way, that¡¯s not a client I¡¯d want. What kind of supplies will you be needing?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± the adventurer began, while rubbing his chin and looking around. ¡°Rope. The biggest coil of the thickest rope you got.¡±


    Balthazar skittered his way to a nearby crate and retrieved a large bundle of rope from within.


    ¡°A hook, too. Steel, extra large.¡±


    Putting the rope down, the merchant fetched a metal hook, larger than his right pincer.


    ¡°Oh, and a saw. Gotta be a strong one, though.¡±


    Placing the hook next to the rope, Balthazar turned and called out. ¡°Druma! Get the big saw, the one for big wood logs.¡±


    After a few moments, the goblin came running in his usual jumping pace, a huge, sturdy saw in his arms.


    ¡°Is that going to be all?¡± the merchant asked the adventurer, as his assistant hurried back to his tasks across the bridge.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the client said as he looked around some more. ¡°Oh, and four bottles of the cheapest wine you got, too.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it will be a gruesome party.¡±


    ¡°The wine isn¡¯t for us. Well, maybe a little after. But apparently giants like booze too, so that will be the bait.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Balthazar said, as he returned with four bottles of wine held in his pincers. ¡°Is payment going to be coin or trade?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. I mentioned we needed to drop any unnecessary weight. And I don¡¯t really see the point in heading out on a giant hunt with this heavy thing on me.¡±


    The adventurer opened his pack and reached inside with some effort, pulling out a solid piece of metal, its yellow shine reflecting the sunlight nearly blinding Balthazar as it hit his eyes. It was an ingot, similar to the iron and silver ones he had used to upgrade his claws, except this one was made of pure gold.


    Balthazar attempted to keep his jaw from dropping, as his greed nearly addled his brain. He had seen thousands of gold coins at that point, and while their novelty still hadn¡¯t worn off, a large slab of solid gold like that was a whole new thing for him, and he knew he had to have it.


    ¡°This would sell for a lot in town,¡± the man said, ¡°but we don¡¯t got time to go there, and it weighs a ton, so I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll accept this in exchange for all the supplies. We¡¯re kind of short on coin right now, too.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, yes, it¡¯s an interesting offer,¡± Balthazar said, feigning consideration.


    ¡°Ah, damn it, I get it. Maybe we should just run up to town. Why would you want this thing down here? Not like adventurers would wanna buy a gold ingot before going out.¡±


    ¡°No, no!¡± the crab hurriedly said. ¡°I understand your situation, and because members of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild are such good clients of mine, I¡¯m willing to accept this item as payment, just to help you guys out.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the adventurer asked, with a smile. ¡°Great! That will save us a lot of time. Appreciate it, crab! You really aren¡¯t as bad of a grump as everyone says.¡±


    Taking his new items and signaling for his partner to follow, the two adventurers left with quick steps, heading out into the plains.


    ¡°A grump. Hmph!¡± Balthazar muttered. ¡°These humans don¡¯t know how to appreciate a crab. I¡¯m a ray of sunshine. When they aren¡¯t making my life miserable.¡±


    As the usual listing of traded items passed through his vision, an extra line presented itself.


    [You have reached Level 8!]


    ¡°Oh,¡± the crab exclaimed, surprised. ¡°That hadn¡¯t happened in a while. Thought this thing had gotten tired of giving me experience. Not that I would know, since it doesn¡¯t show me that part!¡±


    Still annoyed at the system in front of his eyes, he begrudgingly upped his Intelligence as usual, from 17 to 18, but a sudden hunch stopped him before proceeding to the skills menu.


    Turning his attention to the gold ingot on the ground in front of him, Balthazar tried picking it up with his silver pincer. He struggled, the item being much heavier than he expected. With the aid of his stronger iron claw, he finally held the precious bar in front of his face, marveling at its beauty.


    ¡°I wonder if this one could be used for upgrades like iron and silver were¡­¡±


    [Upgrade Shell with [Gold Ingot]?]


    [Yes | No]


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes widened as he read the prompt in front of him. ¡°My¡­ shell?!¡±


    He had already upgraded both of his claws to great results, but his shell felt like a much more important thing to change. He took great pride in his shell, always keeping it well polished and free of any disgusting limpets. Changing it sounded almost scary to Balthazar.


    But then he took another look at the gold he was holding, with its scintillating glint, and his iron and silver pincers, and his doubts evaporated. His two previous experiments with imbuing gave him two fantastic claw upgrades, so this could be nothing but a great choice, surely.


    [Imbuing rank C required for upgrade]


    ¡°I knew it! Trying to trip me up, weren¡¯t you, little system? Too bad for you I¡¯ve got too many legs for that.¡±


    Wasting no time, the smug crab navigated to the Imbuing skill and upgraded it from D to C before returning to the upgrade prompt. Selecting ¡°Yes¡± on the message, Balthazar rolled his eyes at the system that yet again taunted and annoyed him.


    [Hammer required]


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Why oh why do I need a hammer,¡± Balthazar muttered to himself, as he crossed the bridge, ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to use it. Just a pointless requirement. I swear this thing is designed to irritate me.¡±


    Balancing the heavy ingot on his iron pincer, the crab took a hammer from Druma¡¯s toolbox with his silver one. ¡°Just going to borrow this for a moment. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The goblin looked at his boss with curiosity, but didn¡¯t question it. Even a goblin with 4 Intelligence knew better than to question the peculiar crab at that point.


    Returning to his purple cushion, Balthazar held the gold ingot and the hammer, prompt up and ready to be confirmed.


    ¡°Alright, here it goes. I can¡¯t wait to see what I get.¡±


    As he selected ¡°Yes¡± on the question, the gold ingot disappeared from his hand as the others had before.


    Clink!


    The same sound from before ringed inside Balthazar¡¯s shell, despite the hammer being motionless in his pincer, except this time the sound came accompanied by a sharp pain between his eyes, as if something heavy and blunt had just struck him.


    His vision blurring, the crab fell prostrate on his cushion, dazed by the invisible impact. Before he could string a coherent thought, a new sensation took over his body. Like a squeeze, he felt his entire body¡ªthe soft one inside his shell¡ªbeing pressed from all directions by an unseen force.


    ¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡± Balthazar yelled, the edges of his shell feeling as if cracking under an internal pressure.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± Druma shouted, rushing to the crab¡¯s aid. ¡°Why boss screaming?¡±


    ¡°Druma,¡± he tried saying, his voice faltering. ¡°Druma¡­ get¡­ Ahhh!¡±


    Balthazar felt his body pressing outwards, as if trying to escape his own shell, and slowly being squeezed out of it. His vision fading from the pain, he mentally cursed the stupid, unhelpful system, the hammer, and even that one last cookie he ate, before passing out.


    ***


    [Molting...]


    ¡°Wha¡­ what?¡±


    [Molting finished.]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    [Shell upgraded to [Golden Shell] (+5 Charisma)]


    Balthazar lifted his face from the damp sand, the world around him still spinning. A goblin wearing an oversized wizard hat stood above him, looking down with concern.


    ¡°Is crab boss alright?¡±


    Bouldy was on his hands and knees next to Druma, observing Balthazar too.


    Trying to stand back up, he found himself slightly heavier than he remembered. Damnable delicious chocolate cookies.


    ¡°I¡­ I think so. What happened?¡±


    ¡°Boss go to sleep from pain! Boss start squeezing out of shell! Gross!¡±


    Balthazar looked behind, realizing he had apparently dragged himself a few paces from the cushion he had been sitting on before passing out.


    With shock, he saw his own shell lying on the cushion, empty and cracked on the front, where his face used to be.


    ¡°Then boss come out yellow!¡±


    ¡°Yellow?¡± the disturbed crab asked. ¡°What do you mean, yellow?!¡±


    Trying to redistribute his strength around his newfound extra weight, Balthazar made way to the edge of the water and looked down at his reflection on the crystalline water surface.


    He had a brand new shell around him, shiny and polished, a golden finish over what looked like his old gray chitin.


    ¡°Wait. What did it say? Charisma?¡±


    Balthazar rushed his eyes to the status menu, to see what had changed.


    [Status]


    [Name: Balthazar] [Race: Crab] [Class: Adept Merchant] [Level: 8]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 3] [Agility: 2] [Intelligence: 18]


    [Skills]


    [Charisma: S(+5)] [Medium Armor: B] [Speech: B] [Fishing: C] [Slashing Weapons: C] [Reading: C] [Imbuing: C]


    ¡°What the hell is Charisma?!¡± the befuddled crab exclaimed, before navigating to the list of skills.


    [Charisma: S(+5)]


    [The trait of being likable and charming to people you interact with.]


    ¡°What?! This is useless! I¡¯m already naturally likable and charming!¡±


    Bouldy and Druma were staring at the golden crab, a mix of confusion and concern in their expressions.


    Balthazar paced around, still trying to get used to his extra weight. He looked at his iron and silver pincers, as well as his legs, all unchanged. This change had been a much harsher experience than the upgrades from before, and the result was not what he had expected at all.


    ¡°You had to get the last laugh, didn¡¯t you, system?¡± he muttered, sounding slightly deranged. ¡°Couldn¡¯t just tell me what the upgrade does before I take it, had to make me take the gamble. Well, joke¡¯s on you! I¡¯m going to do like Madeleine does and not let this get me down, ha! I love gold! Why wouldn¡¯t I want to wear it all over my beautiful shell!¡±


    ¡°B¡ªboss? Is boss alright?¡± Druma asked, looking mildly scared of the crab¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°Never better!¡± Balthazar said, giving a jump in place. ¡°Just need to move around a little, break this new shell in, get used to the weight of it, and I¡¯ll be perfect! Shiny and perfect!¡±


    Balthazar walked over to a jar next to his old empty shell and took a chocolate cookie from it.


    ¡°Who needs this old thing now, when I can be golden!¡± he said, with great confidence, as he chomped on the cookie.


    He didn¡¯t need this so called ¡°Charisma¡± for anything. He already had plenty of natural charm, he was sure of it, but so what if the upgrade was wasted on something he was absolutely sure he¡¯d never need? His brand new golden shell was more than enough of a reward. Fashion, baby!


    Leaving a confused goblin and golem on the islet, Balthazar walked across the bridge and to the road, facing the nearly setting sun and letting its warm rays bathe him with open arms, his new carapace reflecting the light like a beacon.


    ¡°Psst!¡±


    The crab broke out of his trance and looked around, confused.


    ¡°Psssst! Over here!¡±


    Balthazar tilted his shell and looked at a nearby bush.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    A head wearing a black hood and mask popped out of the bush. ¡°It¡¯s me, Rob.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± the shiny crab said to the thief. ¡°How¡¯s the hand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ better. Thanks¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait. You¡¯re not hiding there to steal from me again, are you? Hands off my shell!¡±


    ¡°No. No! I told you, I never want to feel that pincer again,¡± Rob said, wincing, before looking the crab up and down with raised eyebrows. ¡°But hey, that¡¯s a really nice shell you got now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­ I guess. But then, if you¡¯re here, does that mean you have some news to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it''s not good.¡±

 Chapter 21: Am Bush

    Night had long settled over the pond, its access road empty and in a silence only broken by the chirping of a cricket or the soft breeze passing through the rustling leaves of a nearby bush. The sky was overcast and hid the moon¡¯s glow from the land, leaving the small sparkles of fireflies that danced over the plains as the sole lights in the darkness, tiny dots of yellow so dim they illuminated little more than the blades of grass around them.


    Without so much as a footstep sound preceding it, light erupted from the dark over the stone road, a flame lighting a small iron lantern held by a figure dressed entirely in black leathers, with only a small window between the hood and mask revealing his eyes.


    From behind him, two other figures appeared, equally dressed in stealthy gear that muffled their movements and allowed them to blend in with their nighttime surroundings.


    One was a stocky man with very broad shoulders who wore nothing over his completely bald head, while the other was a slim woman of small stature, only made smaller by standing next to the man accompanying her.


    The one holding the lantern spoke first, in a hushed tone that reached no further than the ears it was meant for. ¡°Alright, this is the place. Remember, we can take whatever we want, but we gotta make sure we don¡¯t leave without planting the medallion somewhere.¡±


    ¡°And if the crab or the goblin wake up?¡± the other man asked, in a low and deep voice.


    ¡°Knock them out if necessary, but no killing. Client says that would get half the Adventurers Guild to look into what happened, and we don¡¯t need that kind of attention either.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the client and why do they care so much about this stupid crab, anyway?¡± asked the woman.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know,¡± the leader of the trio said, ¡°and considering how much gold he put in our hands, I don¡¯t care to know either. Now let¡¯s get in and get this done.¡±


    The man snuffed out the light from the lantern and the three of them quietly moved into the area surrounding the pond.


    Pointing two fingers to his own eyes and then to the center islet, the leader ordered the larger man to go there and keep watch. The other nodded and started crossing the bridge, a large club held tight in his hands, while doing his best not to make the wooden floorboards creak.


    The woman moved in between a group of crates, looking for one not sealed, while her boss began looking for a good spot on the shelves to place the gold medallion held in his left hand.


    As the lookout reached the center of the pond, he saw a very dim light coming from inside the tent. With careful steps, he approached and peered inside, where he saw the back of a gray carapace, quietly resting on a large purple cushion, barely illuminated by a small oil lantern sitting in the corner.


    As he began backing away from the seemingly sleeping crab, something caught his attention. Something that wasn¡¯t right about that shell, and as he squinted and tried looking closer amid the surrounding darkness, he made out the details on the edge of the chitin, like cracks and fissures. His eyes widened as he saw it hollow. The shell was empty.


    Meanwhile, the small thief was trying to quietly pry open a crate when a small shuffling sound made her turn around.


    But nothing was there.


    Still suspicious, she turned back to the crate, when the same noise came again, except much closer this time, and accompanied by a sudden orange light appearing behind her back.


    She quickly turned to the flame of a lit torch dancing in front of her, forcing the woman to take a moment to readjust her eyes to the sudden brightness. As she looked past the flame, she saw a goblin, its head barely higher than her waist level, but made to look slightly taller by a worn out wizard hat on its head. The creature smiled at her with sharp yellow teeth. ¡°Helloooo!¡±


    The woman yelled, disgust on her face as she rapidly drew a dagger and swiped at the goblin, but the creature was gone, leaving only the bright flame of the torch burning on the dirt floor.


    Alerted by the scream, the thief in command stood up from the shelves, looking for the cause of the commotion, when his attention was captured by the man on the other side of the bridge, waving his club up in the air. ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡±


    Quickly stuffing the medallion in one of his pockets, the thief noticed something moving around the tree behind his partner on the opposite shore. A strange glow, something reflecting the tiny amount of moonlight that passed between the clouds. Something shiny and golden.


    ¡°Behind you!¡± the leader shouted.


    The other thief turned to see the large golden crab appearing from behind the thick tree trunk that separated them, two large pincers held open, one much larger than the other, but both with a metal shine to them.


    ¡°We¡¯re closed now. You should come back tomorrow!¡±


    With a quick jab, Balthazar wrapped his iron pincer around the large man¡¯s shin and squeezed.


    The thief howled in pain and faltered, but did not fall down.


    ¡°Huh. Feels like steel plates under that. Lucky,¡± Balthazar said, before shouting past the thief holding his leg in pain. ¡°Bouldy, light the fire now!¡±


    With a quick turn, the thief¡¯s leader looked past the shelves, trying to identify what was causing such loud shifting noises. With fumbling fingers, the man lit his lantern back up, just in time to see a thick arm made of stone reach past him and hold its hand above a fire pit composed of several wooden logs covered with thick oil and surrounded by a circle of stones. The hand struck two of its rocky fingers together, producing several orange sparks that fell over the wood and set it ablaze with a fiery roar.


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    As the flames from the pit lit the surrounding trading post, the baffled prowler followed the length of the stone arm all the way up to its head, standing nearly twice as tall as his own. A wide face of stone looked down at him with two smooth orbs reflecting the orange brightness from the fire. The rock smiled, and the man stepped backwards, tripping on his own feet and falling on his back.


    Opposite of him, the small frame of the woman thief was frantically looking around, searching for the goblin. ¡°I freaking hate goblins! Where are you?!¡±


    ¡°Druma magics you!¡± the small creature yelled, as he jumped on top of a crate, staff in hand, pointed at his target.


    The nimble thief tried rolling for cover behind a rock, but the glowing green bolts that came shooting out of the staff hit her mid-jump, sending her flying straight into the pond with a loud splash.


    ¡°Yes! Druma magic! Druma get thief!¡± the goblin yelled, jumping up and down on the crate in celebration.


    Stumbling back to his feet, the leader of the thugs tried to run for the exit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him get away!¡± Balthazar shouted to the golem from the other side. ¡°Grab him!¡±


    As the panicking thief turned to face the road, a stone hand grabbed him by the foot and lifted him up with great ease, holding his upside down face in front of the golem¡¯s friendly smile. ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°No, you dolt, he¡¯s not a frien¡ª¡±


    Balthazar barely had time to skitter back and narrowly avoid the strike from the man who was no longer holding his leg in pain, and was now limping his way towards the crab with rage in his eyes, and a very thick club in his hands.


    ¡°That pincer¡­ really¡­ hurt,¡± the panting man said. ¡°Can¡¯t wait to rip it out of you and see how much it will sell for.¡±


    With a much quicker motion than his stature would suggest, the man lifted his club and smacked it down on the ground in front of Balthazar, who barely managed to dodge it.


    ¡°A little help over here?!¡± Balthazar yelled. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna become crab soup tonight!¡±


    Bouldy lifted his gaze from the man he was still holding upside down and looked towards the crab with his back against the tent¡¯s wall, and the burly thief approaching with his club held high, ready to bring it down once within reach.


    ¡°Friend!¡±


    Dropping the leader of the thieves on the ground like a sack of rocks, the golem broke into a sprint, making the ground shake with each step as he rushed to the center islet.


    Stumbling from the quickly approaching quake, the club-wielding man looked back just in time to see a huge backhand of stone coming right for his chest, swatting him away like a pestering mosquito, and launching him against the tree¡¯s bark with a loud crash that caused the old trunk to shake and several leaves to break off from their branches. The thief landed on his face, motionless.


    ¡°Wow, Bouldy¡­ you actually¡ª¡°


    A sloshing sound cut Balthazar¡¯s words short as he turned to see a soaked woman emerging from the shore, dagger in hand, blade held forward in his direction.


    She was moving too quickly and Balthazar had nowhere to back away to.


    ¡°You crabby son of a¡ª¡±


    The crab recoiled, putting his pincers up in front of his eyes and hoping she wouldn¡¯t strike anything vital.


    ¡°Hmmrph!¡±


    Balthazar peeked over his iron claw.


    The woman was clawing at her own face, struggling to untangle herself from a piece of tattered, worn out undergarments that had just fallen from the branches above them and right on the thief¡¯s head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe those bloomers were still up there!¡± Balthazar exclaimed.


    ¡°You leave boss alone, thief!¡±


    Coming out of the corner of his eye, Balthazar watched as Druma kicked the blinded thief on her shin, before smacking her knee with his wooden staff, causing her to fall to the ground, unmentionables still wrapped around her head.


    ¡°Druma got you now,¡± the goblin said, while taking a coil of rope off his shoulder and quickly beginning to wrap it around the thief¡¯s arms.


    Remembering there was still one thief left, Balthazar scanned the shoreline opposite the islet until he spotted the leader of the gang, trying to stand up and make his way to the road.


    ¡°Bouldy, don¡¯t let him get away. Grab him!¡± Balthazar ordered, pincer firmly pointed at the man.


    With a nod, the walking boulder quickly crossed the water to the other side and pinned the fleeing criminal to the ground with one rocky hand.


    ¡°Yes! Good job!¡± Balthazar cheered, both pincers held high in victory. ¡°We got them. Druma, help me tie the big one before¡ª¡°


    As the crab rotated to face the previously unconscious man under the tree, he saw a shadow loom over him, a bulky figure rising with one arm up, club in hand.


    ¡°Screw this job.¡±


    Before Balthazar could react, the blunt weapon fell upon him, hitting his shell right above the eyes, and the world went spinning away.


    [Health: 5/100]


    [He~?th: #/?0$]


    [System Failure]


    [¡­]


    Balthazar couldn¡¯t see anything other than the text in his eyes.


    [System Restoring¡­]


    All he could hear was the familiar sound of his pond¡¯s waterfall, always present in his daily life. Except more distant, and somewhat¡­ distorted.


    [System Error]


    ¡°Ow¡­ shut up, stupid system thing, my head hurts.¡±


    [System anomaly detected]


    ¡°No, you¡¯re an anomaly!¡±


    [Unidentified parameters]


    [Checking System¡­]


    ¡°Why do you gotta be so chatty now of all times? When I actually want information, you never explain anything!¡±


    [System version out of date]


    Balthazar could swear he was feeling the smell of fresh pie.


    [Attempting update¡­]


    ¡°Yes, please. Some pie would be great right about now...¡±


    [Update failed]


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    [System connection failed]


    Balthazar strained to see through the darkness around the text, but nothing was there, only an approaching sound, like tiny feet... no, nails, tapping their way closer.


    [¡­]


    ¡°Ow!¡± Balthazar felt something¡­ pecking at his shell.


    ¡°Oh no, anything but the stupid birds!¡±


    Still unable to see anything or move, Balthazar listened closely, until a sound of rustling feathers took off, followed by the fading sound of wings flapping away.


    [System Rebooting...]

 Chapter 22: Good Samaritan

    ¡°BLARGH!¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes shot up as he awakened, coughing and weaving, with red liquid spilling from his mouth.


    Thankfully, it was not blood, as crab¡¯s blood is not red.


    How did Balthazar know that when he had never so much as suffered a scratch in his entire peaceful pond life? He wasn¡¯t sure.


    Just as he wasn¡¯t sure why he was finding that to be the time to ponder about the color of his blood, seeing as he was also lying upside down on his shell.


    Rocking from side to side, Balthazar propped himself back onto his eight legs. He still had them all, which he found to be a good start.


    Trying to focus his blurry vision against the bright light of what seemed to be the sunrise, a familiar set of words appeared in front of his eyes.


    [You have reached level 9!]


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re still here,¡± the crab complained. ¡°I was half hoping you¡¯d be gone for good once I woke up.¡±


    ¡°Boss¡­ boss want Druma gone?¡±


    Balthazar turned around, his senses still trying to figure out his surroundings. He was in front of the tent, with Druma standing nearby, his hands clasped around an empty glass vial in front of his shirtless chest. He had an expression of great sadness in his eyes. ¡°Is because Druma use magic?¡±


    ¡°What¡­ no! No, no, I wasn¡¯t talking about you, Druma! You did nothing wrong. On the contrary, you did great¡­ uh, last night, I think? How long was I out?¡±


    The goblin¡¯s long ears perked up and a joyful grin opened across his face. ¡°Thank! Druma no run this time! Druma get thief!¡±


    He jumped in place with glee, empty bottle still in his hands.


    ¡°And boss sleep for many hour. Druma start to think boss no wake up no more. So Druma get heal potion and give it to boss.¡±


    ¡°That explains the red liquid, I guess. Wait, you said I was out for hours? And you only decided to give me a healing potion now?!¡±


    The goblin¡¯s shoulders slumped, and he looked down at his feet.


    ¡°Boss say heal potion cost much gold. Druma scared boss get mad for using potion. Druma will work more to pay potion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for the love of¡­ forget about that, it¡¯s fine,¡± Balthazar rubbed his shell above his eyes and picked up a silver plate from nearby, to check his reflection on it. ¡°No cracks and still perfectly golden. Hmm, maybe gold isn¡¯t that bad of an armor material as they all say. Or could it be that¡­¡±


    Balthazar looked up at the sky with a pensive expression. No birds in the air that morning.


    ¡°Wait! What happened to the thief, the big one that hit me with the club? Don¡¯t tell me he got away?!¡±


    ¡°No, no! Druma and big rock get thief!¡± the goblin perked up again and pointed to the other side of the bridge, where three thieves lay chest down, tight ropes tied around their wrists and ankles, while a tall golem watched over them. The boulder smiled and waved his massive hand at Balthazar.


    ¡°When big thief hit boss,¡± the goblin began, ¡°Bouldy come running. Druma hit thief face with magic balls from magic stick. Thief fall. Bouldy smack thief. Thief go to sleep again. Druma tie thief.¡±


    Balthazar took a moment to process everything that had happened.


    He had survived the blow from the club, that was good, but he had come dangerously close, judging by the health value he remembered seeing. 5/100. But what happened after? The ¡°system¡± thing seemed to¡­ break? He couldn¡¯t remember the details. It was all like a fading dream. There was an error, and then¡­ how was it fixed?


    ¡°Damnable birds!¡± Balthazar said, shaking a claw up at the sky, where a distant flock of the feathered creatures flew. ¡°Why do you always show up to ruin my day!¡±


    Trying to take his mind off the unpleasant beings, Balthazar went inside his tent and checked under his hiding spot. The Scroll of Character Creation remained dormant as ever, not a sign of activity ever since that first day.


    He really wished whatever that system was came with a better instructions manual, but by that point the crab had come to accept he would probably never learn much more about it.


    It was not as if he could ask someone about it either. They¡¯d probably start asking too many inconvenient questions, or worse, they would try to take everything away from him.


    Besides, who could he ask about it? Almost everyone he knew were adventurers, and those idiots barely knew how to tie their own shoes. What could they possibly know about systems, levels, or skills?


    ¡°Boss?¡± Druma called, interrupting the crab¡¯s thoughts about how shoelaces were supposed to work.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ uh, what? What is it?¡±


    ¡°What boss want to do with thieves?¡± the barefoot goblin asked. ¡°Boss want Druma to poke thieves with stick?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, those guys,¡± Balthazar said, snapping out of his pondering. ¡°No. No poking. At least not yet. I got better plans for them. But speaking of thieves¡­ I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Balthazar reached inside the tent and took a small coin purse into his pincer before skittering his way across the bridge, passing the golem and his three prisoners, each of the thieves glancing at the crab with scorn.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Reaching the road, he approached a nearby bush.


    ¡°Hey, you. Still there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but keep it down!¡± Rob¡¯s voice said from the bush. ¡°I don¡¯t want any of them to hear us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. Why are you so afraid?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t get it, but after this I still have to go back to town, back to the alleys, and the thief''s life. That gets complicated if word gets out that I sold out a group of fellow thieves.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Honor among thieves, is it? I thought you would all be out for yourselves. But even you got some kind of code of ethics, eh?¡±


    ¡°Code? Ethics?¡± Rob repeated, perplexed. ¡°No, man, they just break your legs if they find out you¡¯re a snitch, that¡¯s all!¡±


    ¡°Hang on,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Did you stay in that bush the whole night?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Never left? Not even when you saw that guy knock me out? You didn¡¯t do a thing?¡±


    ¡°Maaaaan, what part of me being a coward have you not grasped yet? You want me to gather information in town, that¡¯s one thing, but expecting me to fight that walking wardrobe? Hell no!¡±


    ¡°Alright, whatever. Good job on bringing me word Antoine¡¯s goons were coming. Here¡¯s your payment.¡± Balthazar tossed the coin purse into the bush. ¡°Now go back to town and stick to our plan.¡±


    The crab stood in front of the bush, waiting. ¡°Well? What are you waiting for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not stepping out of this while you¡¯re there. That¡¯d be too conspicuous. What if they see me? Go away. I¡¯ll leave when I¡¯m sure nobody¡¯s watching.¡±


    Balthazar shook his shell in exasperation and walked back to his trading post, where the captured thieves remained waiting. Not of their own will, of course.


    ***


    ¡°An outrage, I tell you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I heard you the first dozen times.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it. The gall! The audacity! Right outside our town¡¯s gates!¡±


    A guardsman from the town of Ardville walked down the road from the south gate, accompanied by a lavish merchant who couldn¡¯t seem to shut up, much to the guard¡¯s dismay.


    ¡°This just better not be a waste of my time,¡± the guard said to the merchant. ¡°I skipped on breakfast to come here, and if it turns out it was for nothing, I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re friends with the captain or the mayor, I¡¯ll toss you into the Black Forest and leave you there.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare waste the time of our esteemed guards if my information wasn¡¯t fully reliable,¡± Antoine said.


    Reaching the entrance to the pond, the two men found Balthazar already waiting for them.


    ¡°Good morning, gentlemen,¡± the crab said.


    ¡°Uh¡­ are you¡­ Balthazar?¡± the guard asked, hesitantly.


    ¡°Sure am. And you must be part of the guardsmen of Ardville, judging by your immaculate yellow armor.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ yes, I am,¡± the man said, running a hand down the length of his yellow-dyed leather chest piece, straightening it out before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I heard about a talking crab, but now that I came down here, I¡¯m actually still surprised. You really do talk, and quite well, I must admit.¡±


    Growing visibly impatient, Antoine stepped forward.


    ¡°Can we save on the pleasantries?¡± the merchant man said. ¡°May I remind you we are here on official business, of the most important lawful kind?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the guard said, clearing his throat. ¡°Mister Antoine here has informed me that yesterday a piece of precious jewelry was stolen from his store, and that according to his sources, your trading post down here handles the transaction of that and many other stolen goods with well-known criminals.¡±


    ¡°In other words,¡± Antoine said, his smile twisting his pencil mustache into an even more ridiculous shape, ¡°you, crab, are dealing with stolen goods, and now the law has come to shut you down.¡± He turned to the guard again. ¡°I assure you, if you search this¡­ dump he calls a trading post, you will find the described gold medallion with an emerald. Perhaps hidden somewhere, but he received it from the thieves, I have no doubt.¡±


    ¡°I can save you the time,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    The crab headed down the path to his pond, the two intrigued men In tow. As they entered the larger area preceding the pond¡¯s shore, a large platform floor made of crude wooden boards extended in front of them, a large portion of it occupied by a variety of crates, shelves, and tables, each displaying all sorts of random items one would find at a general trader.


    But what really got the attention of the guard and the merchant was the towering golem at the center of it all, watching over two men and a woman sitting on the floor, all tied up.


    ¡°Is¡­ is that a real golem?¡± a perplexed Antoine asked.


    ¡°Ah, yes, that¡¯s my personal guard,¡± Balthazar answer, in a casual tone. ¡°Say hello, Bouldy.¡±


    The living boulder smiled and waved his hand at the two men.


    ¡°And what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± the confused guard asked, pointing at the three tied up figures in front of them.


    ¡°These are the three thieves we caught last night, trying to rob my trading post. And I believe this,¡± Balthazar said while revealing a gold medallion with an emerald from his silver pincer, ¡°is the stolen item you were both looking for. The thief in the middle had it on him. Perhaps they were on a thieving spree, hitting all the general merchants of the area. First Mister Antoine here, then me. Luckily, we got them.¡±


    ¡°Preposterous!¡± the irate merchant exclaimed. ¡°The crab is clearly trying to play us for fools! He knew we were coming. Somehow, I don¡¯t know how! And he set it all up!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why I would do that,¡± Balthazar calmly said. ¡°If I was actually fencing stolen goods, and I knew the guardsmen were coming, I would simply get rid of the medallion, and any other stolen goods, and tell the thieves to not be here. Why would I be serving up my own customers and my precious contraband to a guard?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ he kind of has a point,¡± the guardsman said, looking slightly baffled.


    Stepping up to the trio of thieves, the guard looked at their faces closer.


    ¡°I know these three. We¡¯ve caught them multiple times before, always stealing something. You got anything to say in your defense?¡±


    The leader remained silent, while the muscle of the group showed his disdain for the guard by spitting on the floor, and the woman called the guard a colorful name.


    ¡°Well,¡± the guard started, ¡°didn¡¯t expect to come here and walk away with my job done for me so easily and so quickly, but I¡¯m not complaining.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Antoine blurted out. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious! You are clearly being tricked by this¡­ this crab! He¡¯s a menace! He even shelters a wild goblin here!¡±


    ¡°You mean my loyal assistant, Druma?¡± Balthazar said, signaling with a pincer to the other side of the bridge.


    The goblin came trotting across the wooden footpath.


    ¡°He built most of what you see around here,¡± the crab announced as his assistant stood to his side. ¡°He¡¯s very hardworking and in no way a threat to anyone. Except maybe thieves. Isn¡¯t that right, Druma?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss,¡± Druma said, bowing his head while holding the wizard hat in place.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned¡­ first a talking crab, then a real golem, and now a tamed goblin,¡± the guard said. ¡°This day just started, and I already got quite the story to tell back at the barracks.¡±


    ¡°How can you believe a word he says?!¡± Antoine asked, his mustache shaking with anger. ¡°He¡¯s a crab!¡±


    The guard looked at the golden crab. ¡°Sure he is, but he just handed me three thieves on a silver platter and solved our stolen property case. Besides, why shouldn¡¯t I believe his story? It makes sense, and he just strikes me as the trustworthy type.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t over, crab,¡± Antoine threatened, turning to Balthazar. ¡°I will have this stain on our map removed, you¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Anyway, I believe this is yours,¡± Balthazar said with a smile, dropping the medallion in his rival¡¯s hand.


    With a loud scoff that revealed more frustration than a sense of superiority, the town merchant started marching out towards the road.


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll be going too,¡± the guardsman said. ¡°These three are all nice and tied together already, so I¡¯ll be taking them up to town and straight into their cells.¡±


    ¡°Glad to be of service,¡± the crab said, making a salute with his pincer.


    ¡°Hah. The other guardsman in town won¡¯t believe it when I tell them this wild story. You¡¯re going to be quite the tale.¡±


    Balthazar accompanied the guard back to the road, the three bound thieves slowly scooting their way behind the man holding their rope.


    As they headed up the road, a message appeared in front of the crab¡¯s vision.


    [Ardville Guards Reputation +1]


    ¡°Well, well. I¡¯m sure that will prove useful at some point.¡±

 Chapter 23: Barrel o’ Fun

    Balthazar picked out the nicest sunny spot right by the shore of the pond. The large umbrella was firmly placed into the sand and open over a colorful towel laid out half covered by the shade. The stage was set.


    Crushing a whole lemon in his right pincer, the crab let its juice flow into a cup full of sugar, before carefully mixing it all with a tiny spoon delicately held in his left pincer. Once done, he stuck a little straw into it and topped it all off with a miniature umbrella on the cup.


    Carrying his fresh glass of lemonade in his silver claw and a plate of cookies in the other, Balthazar skittered back to the towel, where his brand new book already awaited him.


    Scooting himself down comfortably onto the towel, golden carapace left exposed to the sun, his face and claws under the shade of the large umbrella, he was ready to begin his reading, cookie chomping, and lemonade slurping.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ finally, some me time.¡±


    Balthazar sipped through the straw, took a nibble at one of the cookies, and opened his book on local geography and territories to page one.


    ¡°Hi? Hello? Anybody home?¡±


    A young girl was timidly standing at the trading post¡¯s entrance, looking for a response over the tables and crates that filled the area.


    ¡°Argh, I hate adventurers,¡± Balthazar muttered to himself, as he stood up from his towel and begrudgingly left his book and snack behind.


    ¡°Ah, a new adventurer, my favorite!¡± the crab said, with an extremely genuine and convincing joy in his voice that in no way sounded forced.


    ¡°Oh, h-hi, good day, mister crab. I¡¯m sorry to bother you, I hope I¡¯m not interrupting,¡± the shy girl said, concern dancing on her eyebrows.


    ¡°Noooo, not at all!¡± Balthazar loudly exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m here to serve. What could I possibly be doing that would be more important than trading junk with you fine adventurers? Nothing, I say!¡± The merchant took a quick breath in. ¡°So, what¡¯s it gonna be, young lady?¡±


    ¡°O-okay,¡± the girl hesitantly said, looking unsure of how to interpret what she had just heard. ¡°I¡¯m new around here, and¡­ and some of the other adventurers told me I should go explore the plains for now, but stay away from the forest. Then they told me there was a talking crab over by the road that would trade whatever loot I got. I¡­ I take it that¡¯s you?¡±


    She was certainly new, that much Balthazar could tell. Fresh level 1. Where all those new adventurers kept appearing from was a question that kept bugging him.


    ¡°Me?¡± the monocled crab said. ¡°No, no, no. That¡¯s a different talking crab further down the road. I¡¯m the talking crab that sings and dances.¡± The girl stared at him, blinking. ¡°Of course that¡¯s me! Look around, can¡¯t you tell? Now, you got something for me, or what?¡±


    Startled by the cranky crab¡¯s outburst, the young girl quickly fumbled through her satchel, looking for something.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll buy these. They¡¯re all I got as loot from the plains.¡± She revealed a small bundle of rabbit¡¯s feet held together with a string. ¡°They¡¯re luck charms, I think.¡±


    The crab inhaled and did his best not to roll his eyes.


    ¡°Four gold coins. No haggling,¡± he said, turning around to fetch the money from a coin purse.


    As he was picking four coins out of the purse with his silver pincer, an uncommon feeling itched in the back of his brain. A slight sense of guilt.


    The girl was clearly new around there and did nothing wrong to him. Perhaps he was being too harsh and bad tempered with her.


    He imagined Madeleine¡¯s disapproving gaze if she could see him right there and then, being so grumpy to an innocent young girl just because he wanted to read and sunbathe.


    ¡°Hey, look, girl,¡± Balthazar said, as he turned back to the girl with the coins in his pincer, ¡°I should probably¡­¡±


    The confused crab stopped as he saw the young girl staring at her feet, cheeks bright red, biting her lip to contain her smile.


    ¡°Is¡­ there something wrong?¡± he hesitantly asked.


    ¡°No, no. Gosh, I should be apologizing. I¡¯m making such a fool of myself. It¡¯s just that everything is so new and exciting, and I haven¡¯t gotten used to any of it. And then I come here, and I just wasn¡¯t expecting you to be¡­ to be¡­ so cool!¡±


    Balthazar stood perplexed in front of the girl, coins held in his pincer, in an awkward moment of silence.


    ¡°What?¡± he finally said.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, this is so embarrassing,¡± the girl said, avoiding eye contact with the crab, the blushing taking over her entire face. ¡°I should go. Thanks!¡±


    Quickly taking the four coins from his hanging pincer and leaving the charms on the table, the girl took off, running back to the plains across the road.


    Balthazar watched her leave, completely befuddled. ¡°What the hell was that all about?¡±


    Still processing the exchange, the crab started making his way back to his towel.


    He had been entirely too rude to her. Unfairly so, even. And yet, she seemed to think he was¡­ cool? She was impressed by him? He couldn¡¯t rationalize the how or why of that.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Charisma,¡± Balthazar muttered to himself. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    Like old, rusty cogs and gears moving inside his shell, thoughts began fitting together. The golden upgrade to his shell gave him +5 in the Charisma skill, which was now at an S. The skill mentioned being likable and charming to people he interacts with.


    ¡°Could that have been¡­¡± he thoughtfully said, while rubbing his chin with his silver claw. ¡°But I¡¯m sure I already was very likable before¡­ Or was I?¡±


    As much as Balthazar hated to admit it, even if just to himself, he was concluding that maybe his brand new golden look was doing a lot more for his charm than his winning personality ever did.


    Indeed, humans were strange, superficial creatures, if a dumb skill from some magic scroll made them like him more than his natural personality. How shallow.


    Biting into a cookie and opening his book once more, the crab suddenly remembered his recent level up.


    ¡°I completely forgot I had a point to spend between all that chaos this morning!¡±


    Bringing his status page up with his eyes, Balthazar mindlessly increased his Intelligence as usual, from 18 to 19, and quickly moved to the skills list. He had a target planned out for a while now.


    ¡°Reading rank B, alright!¡±


    Eager to try out his new reading skills on his book, the crab swiped the system menus away and started leafing through the pages.


    The speed at which he could read each word was considerably better, and his comprehension had improved too. He wasn¡¯t sure how much had to do with his reading skill, and how much was because of his constantly growing Intelligence, but at that moment he didn¡¯t care to give it much thought either. He was just happy to keep reading, eat cookies, sip lemonade, and lie under the sun.


    ***


    A few hours had passed, and the sun was quickly making its way towards the horizon. Balthazar was peacefully dusting a shelf with his feather duster firmly held in his left pincer while humming to himself.


    ¡°I really should think about getting a roof soon. I got dead leaves all over my helmets again.¡±


    Suddenly, a loud sound of wood crashing startled the crab. Dropping his duster, he quickly made his way to the road, looking for the source of the noise.


    ¡°I told you it was too heavy!¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been if you didn¡¯t sit in the back like I told you not to!¡±


    A horse stood on the road, two adventurers bickering at each other next to it, while a two-wheeled cart stood behind them, now only single-wheeled.


    ¡°Gentleman, please, calm down. You¡¯ll scare away my clientele,¡± the crab said, approaching the scene. ¡°What happened here?¡±


    ¡°The damn wheel broke off the wagon, that¡¯s what happened,¡± a third man said, emerging from behind the cart, and giving the broken wheel on the road a kick. ¡°Oh, hey, it¡¯s you, Balthazar.¡±


    The crab recognized them from before when they had passed through with the two spider victims on their way to town. Or rather, he recognized the horse and the cart. Adventurers mostly looked all alike to him, after seeing so many of them.


    ¡°Oh, hey there¡­ you,¡± Balthazar said, quickly realizing he did not know any of their names, nor did he care to. ¡°So, uh, how did that happen?¡±


    ¡°This moron loaded too much weight onto the cart, that¡¯s how!¡± said one of the bickering men.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who loaded too much weight when you sat your fat backside on it!¡± the other retorted.


    ¡°Will you two shut up?¡± the third one said, looking exhausted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter now. It¡¯s broken, and we got no way to carry all this back to town on our backs.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know what I¡¯m here for,¡± the merchant said, adjusting his monocle with a smile. ¡°I¡¯d be happy to help with your problem. What do you guys got back here?¡±


    Balthazar approached the back of the open cart. It was mostly filled with small boxes and many bags of different sizes, with the biggest thing in it being a large wooden barrel right at the center.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the huge barrel?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°We were clearing a bandit hideout, and when we found this barrel full of beer in their leader¡¯s room, one of these knuckleheads thought it was a great idea to bring it back into town, to celebrate at the guildhall.¡±


    ¡°It would have been epic!¡± one of the other two said. ¡°Just imagine the party we could throw with that whole barrel!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said the leader, ¡°and now, instead, we¡¯re stuck here on the road with a broken wheel and no way to carry this barrel back!¡±


    ¡°Think we could go into town and get someone to come and repair the wheel?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s too late. Nobody would come out here until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Do you guys think,¡± the adventurer at the front started, ¡°if we tie the barrel to the horse¡ª¡±


    ¡°No! Are you stupid?¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Balthazar finally said, tired of listening to their idiotic bickering, ¡°I could buy the barrel, and then at least it wouldn¡¯t have been a complete loss for you guys.¡±


    ¡°You? What could a crab out here on the road want a barrel full of beer for? Don¡¯t tell me you got a drinking problem?¡±


    ¡°Very funny, but no,¡± the crab said. ¡°My only cravings are for sweet pastries. I do, however, have my own plans for that barrel. The question is, should we make a deal, or do you guys want to roll that thing uphill until the sun rises again?¡±


    ¡°Man¡­ it would have been such a party,¡± the middle adventurer said, slumping his shoulders. ¡°But I guess the best we can do now is make some money off of it and get a couple of pints at the tavern.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said the leader of the group, ¡°what¡¯s your offer, crab?¡±


    ¡°140 gold,¡± the shrewd crab said, eyeing the man through his monocle.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t kno¡ª¡±


    ¡°And for 150 I¡¯ll take that broken cart off your hands and you won¡¯t even have to unload the barrel yourselves,¡± Balthazar quickly added, before the man could continue.


    He always intended to offer 150 gold for the barrel. It was a good enough price, but by making a lower offer first and then upping it and throwing some extra into it, he was guaranteed to seal the deal. Crab economics at work once again.


    ¡°What do you boys say?¡± the leading adventurer asked the other two.


    ¡°Yeah, if it means I don¡¯t have to move that thing anymore, I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    ¡°I like the crab¡¯s offer. Do it.¡±


    The man turned back to Balthazar with a smile. ¡°You got yourself a deal! The cart and barrel are your problem now.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I¡¯ll go get your money while you guys unload your other things.¡±


    After paying the adventurers the agreed sum, Balthazar watched them walk up the road to town, boxes in their arms, bags on their backs, and tied to the saddle of their horse.


    The cart was broken, but even if it couldn¡¯t be repaired, he figured it was cheap materials for Druma to work with, or fuel for a fire.


    The barrel of beer, however, was an easy pick. The days were still hot, and half of those adventurers coming back to town after an exhausting day of walking would pay ridiculous amounts for a refreshing beer.


    Balthazar could already see the coins falling In front of his eyes.


    ¡°Alright, Bouldy, pick up the barrel, carefully, and follow me,¡± Balthazar said to the golem waiting on the side of the road.


    With great ease, Bouldy picked the barrel up from the cart with both hands and carried it on his shoulder behind the crab.


    ¡°Place it here, gently,¡± Balthazar ordered, pointing to an empty spot between the pond¡¯s entrance and the rest of the trading post¡¯s crates and shelves. ¡°It¡¯s getting too dark to do anything with them now, so we¡¯ll take care of it and the cart tomorrow.¡±


    With a slow nod, the golem headed to his guarding spot behind Balthazar¡¯s tent, while the crab took a bedtime cookie and made his way to his cushion for the night. Druma was already sprawled over his pile of hay, fast asleep with his mouth open.


    As the inhabitants of the pond tucked in for the night and the last remnants of sunlight faded away over the plains, a huge figure began emerging over the distant horizon, approaching at a fast pace.

 Chapter 24: Giant Hangover

    The giant golden crab stepped out of his tent with a wide stretch and a yawn, his two mighty claws stretched out to the clear skies of that sunny morning. Lazily scratching his backside with his silver pincer, Balthazar strolled down to the water and washed away his grogginess before lifting the cover of a wicker basket half buried in the sand, so as to keep its contents fresh and shielded from the spoiling heat, and took out a slice of strawberry pie.


    Holding the slice in his pincer, he casually walked along the shore, admiring his beautiful home.


    The old tree above, its branches swaying gently in the breeze.


    Slow ripples forming from the waterfall, slowly dispersing on the surface in such a calming manner.


    The sweet summer scent of flowers and ripe fruits, bringing a sense of joy in the air.


    The birds happily singing and chirping in the distance, spoiling what would otherwise be a perfect start to a crab¡¯s morning.


    Balthazar sighed and took another bite of his pie before crossing the wooden footpath connecting the islet to his trading post.


    Druma was still fast asleep on his bed of hay. For some reason, he still preferred sleeping like that, despite them having plenty of cushions and pillows.


    Bouldy was still sitting behind the tent, just as he had been all night, quietly observing the fish swimming around in the pond, with the same smile as ever. Golems did not seem to require sleep, nor much movement, apparently.


    Arriving at the wooden platform where most of his wares stood, Balthazar tossed the last of his slice into his mouth and scanned his surroundings while slowly chewing.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see. What¡¯s on the agenda for today?¡±


    He looked at the shelves filled with random home decorations. He really needed to figure out a way to move those, but unfortunately, adventurers had little reason to buy a candle chandelier on their way out to kill wolves in the forest. Which begged the question of why in the world did they keep taking the damn things and hauling them back to town for just a handful of gold coins.


    Adventurers, truly a mystery wrapped in lots of stupidity.


    Then he moved his gaze to an open crate of apples. He figured he might need to do some kind of special offer to get rid of them before they went bad. Maybe offer an apple with each potion, as they say that an apple a day keeps the healer away. Of course, he¡¯d have to make sure he charged a gold coin or two more for the potion, to cover the offer of the apple, but they¡¯d take it. Humans loved free stuff, even when it wasn¡¯t really free.


    And finally his eyes landed on the barrel right by the entrance. The barrel of beer he had traded at the end of the previous day, and that now laid on its side, uncorked, with a small puddle of spilled liquid in front of it.


    ¡°Oh, damn it!¡± Balthazar exclaimed as he rushed to the barrel.


    He gave its wooden side a soft kick with his left leg¡ªthe second one counting from the front¡ªand confirmed what he already suspected: it was empty.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. Thieves, again?!¡± the angry crab said to himself. ¡°That Antoine guy has to be behind this, I¡¯m sure of it! Stealing my merchandise, the scumbag!¡± He paced back and forth, thoughts quickly racing through his head. ¡°But why just the beer? There were plenty of other valuables around that are untouched. And why not just take the whole barrel? Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier and faster?¡±


    Balthazar looked down at the ground and noticed a trail of spilled beer droplets leading out to the main road. Adjusting his monocle with his pincer, he carefully followed the trail.


    A strange noise seemed to grow louder the closer he got to the road.


    With his face very close to the dirt, the crab suddenly stopped when he nearly collided with the huge sole of a foot. Slowly lifting his gaze from the ground, Balthazar saw the foot belonged to a humanoid figure lying on the road, arms and legs sprawled, huge protruding belly sticking up as it slowly moved in rhythm with the snoring of the creature.


    ¡°The hell¡­¡± Balthazar involuntarily said, the words escaping his mouth at the sight of the giant lying asleep in front of him.


    But asleep the giant was no more, for Balthazar¡¯s surprised exclamation was enough to cause a loud snort from the creature, who stopped snoring and began turning its head, its eyes lazily opening.


    ¡°Oh, no, no, no,¡± the not-so-giant-at-that-moment crab muttered while slowly backing away from the behemoth who was awkwardly trying to move onto his hands and knees, in an attempt to stand up.


    Stumbling for a moment, the giant finally stood, both arms still held out as if expecting a loss of balance at any moment.


    He was tall, nearly as tall as the old tree at the center of Balthazar¡¯s pond. Next to him, not even the top of Bouldy¡¯s head would go much higher than the giant¡¯s ribs.


    His skin was not much different from that of a human, except with a more grayed out hue to it, and visibly rougher. His head was bald, but his face had a long and bushy brown beard, with eyes that looked old and very, very tired. He wore a loincloth made of what appeared to be a bear¡¯s skin wrapped around his waist, with a long animal pelt extended over his shoulder and connecting to the back.


    Balthazar stood in awe of the figure standing in front of him, his silver pincer quickly having to reach up to keep the monocle from falling off his eye as he stared up.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    [Level 35 Giant]


    Glancing back towards the center of his pond, Balthazar considered calling for Bouldy, but his inaptitude to follow orders properly and images of the golem being crushed by an even larger giant played in the crab¡¯s mind, making him hold his tongue.


    The massive being blinked slowly, apparently still unaware of his surroundings, and a loud gurgling echoed from his stomach, causing him to throw his head back before a belch erupted from his mouth, loud enough to make Balthazar¡¯s shell vibrate around him, and a flock of birds to fly away from a nearby tree.


    ¡°Oh, goodness gracious!¡± Balthazar blurted out in disgust, while waving away the smell with a pincer.


    Alerted to the crab¡¯s presence, the giant looked around for the source of the complaint, having apparent trouble pinpointing it, until finally focusing his sight down on him with difficulty.


    The giant frowned slowly, as if taking a long time to process the strange creature he was towering over. With his mouth slowly opening, a conclusion began forming in his expression, and he spoke in a deep hoarse voice. ¡°Crab.¡±


    He raised one foot over Balthazar, readying to crush him underneath it, the crab trying to skitter away from the huge shadow growing over him. But before the foot finished coming down, the giant lost his balance from standing on just one leg, and fell down, sitting with a loud thump on the ground.


    Stopping his mad dash, Balthazar looked back at the sitting creature, his gaze looking distant and hazy.


    ¡°You¡¯re completely wasted, aren¡¯t you?¡± he said, slowly approaching the giant once more.


    ¡°Hungry!¡± the other loudly said, attempting to reach for the crab with one hand, but missing and falling with his face down.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not your snack, you big oaf!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°Hands off!¡±


    ¡°Gold crab. Tasty,¡± the giant said as he attempted to lift his head off the road, a goofy smile on his face as he licked his lips.


    ¡°You¡¯re one big¡­ Hey, look at me!¡± the crab angrily said, snapping a pincer at the giant whose eyes were drifting away again. ¡°You drank my entire barrel of beer, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Beeeeeeer,¡± the drunken lout slurred.


    ¡°Unbelievable. You know how much that could have made me? It could have lasted me for days, served dozens of adventurers. I could have charged a fortune for each pint. And you drank it all in one night!¡±


    ¡°Noisy!¡±


    The giant grunted angrily as he stood up again, one hand on his head, a headache clearly pounding at him.


    ¡°Crab, get back. That¡¯s a giant!¡±


    The voice came from an adventurer running down from town, his sword in hand.


    ¡°Oh, really? Where? I must have missed him between the short grass,¡± Balthazar sarcastically replied. ¡°Of course it¡¯s a giant. I got eyes, in case you didn¡¯t know!¡±


    Another two adventurers came running from the south, out of the forest, but stood back, observing the situation with hesitation.


    ¡°Step aside, I¡¯ll get him!¡± the bold fighter declared, readying himself with both hands on the hilt of his sword.


    Balthazar looked at the level 5 in disbelief.


    ¡°Kid, you can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Ignoring the crab, the adventurer charged forward, sword held high above his head, yelling at the top of his lungs, in a battle cry that included an awkward amount of voice cracks.


    ¡°Noisy!¡± the irritable giant said once more, as he reached to the side of the road and picked up a dead tree trunk with alarming ease.


    Before anyone could blink, the giant swung his improvised club from below with both hands, causing a rush of wind around them, and hit the running adventurer with a loud boom that made the other two adventurers cover their ears. The boy turned into a blur, shooting up into the blue sky at a deadly speed, his tiny black speck quickly becoming untraceable.


    Balthazar gulped as his eyes slowly lowered from the sky and back to the giant who now stood with one arm leaning on the upright trunk, and the other hand holding his¡ªpresumably¡ªthrobbing head.


    The pair of adventurers behind him further down the road stood nervously with their bow and mace drawn. Balthazar cautiously moved to the side of the giant, while gesticulating towards them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid!¡± he muttered under his breath.


    The giant groaned and looked down at the crab.


    ¡°Hey, hey, easy now. Let¡¯s hold off on the whole crab breakfast thing for just a moment, alright?¡± Balthazar said, both pincers gently patting the air in front of him. ¡°We can talk. You can understand me, right?¡±


    The miserable looking giant nodded slowly. ¡°Chatty crab.¡±


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me, alright,¡± the talking crab agreed. ¡°Look, you¡¯re clearly having a rough morning, I get it. Probably been dealing with annoying adventurers harassing you all day out there in the fields, looking to loot you. Trust me, I know how much of a pest those idiots can be. And then you just want to have a moment to relax, have a drink, maybe twenty, and next thing you know you¡¯re passed out in the middle of the road, am I right? We¡¯ve all been there.¡±


    The creature nodded again and gave him a slight shrug.


    ¡°Totally understandable,¡± Balthazar continued. ¡°Everyone needs to unwind now and then. But surely even you understand you shouldn¡¯t just go around taking what isn¡¯t yours, right? How would you feel if someone sneaked into your camp in the middle of the night and¡­ uh, ate all your cheese, or whatever you giants have at your camps?¡±


    ¡°Angry. Smash!¡± the other said with a frown.


    ¡°Yes, sure. Exactly. Not good,¡± the crab cautiously said, still nervously checking the tree trunk¡¯s movements. ¡°So you can understand how it¡¯s not right to just come in here and drink my whole barrel without paying, right?¡±


    The giant slumped slightly and looked away from the crab.


    ¡°Look, you got a giant wife back at camp, right? You look the type.¡± The giant hesitantly nodded. ¡°Probably even a couple of little¡­ big kids, or something. Just think what they would feel if they could see you now, with a monumental hangover after a night of drinking, and smacking people around while refusing the pay your debts. Very disappointed, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    The embarrassed titan looked down and shrugged again. ¡°I pay.¡±


    Reaching with his fingers between his animal furs, the giant retrieved a bar of solid gold between his fingertips and dropped it in front of the crab. ¡°Good?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes, this will do nicely indeed,¡± Balthazar responded, his eyes glistening with greed as he stared at the large bar of gold. ¡°Tell you what, you should probably start heading back home. Your people must be worried, and you don¡¯t want to stick around here for too long. Those loud adventurers will start running up and down the road soon. I¡¯ll even give you a parting offer.¡±


    The crab took the bar of gold and ran to his trading post, returning with a very large clay jug held above his shell.


    ¡°Here you go, goat¡¯s milk. I hear there¡¯s nothing better to cure a hangover.¡±


    The hesitant giant took the jug between his index and thumb and gave it a sniff.


    ¡°Although that might be more like goat cheese now, with how long I¡¯ve had it sitting there,¡± Balthazar whispered under his breath.


    ¡°Thank you, crab,¡± the giant said, with a small white patch on his beard after taking a sip from the jug.


    ¡°No problem. Happy to have another satisfied customer!¡±


    Balthazar watched with relief as the giant slowly made his way out through the plains, milk jug in one hand, tree trunk dragging behind him in the other.


    Turning away, the crab looked at the two adventurers still standing down the road, looking at him and whispering to one another.


    ¡°What are you gawking at? Get moving!¡±


    As he walked back into his trading post, a sleepy goblin came to greet him, still rubbing his eyes.


    ¡°Mornin¡¯, boss,¡± Druma said.


    ¡°Seriously? You only woke up now?¡± Balthazar asked. ¡°You slept through all that?¡±


    ¡°What happen, boss?¡± the curious goblin inquired, while fitting his hat on his head.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I tell you about it over some slices of pie?¡±


    The two of them walked across the bridge, back to the inner islet, as Balthazar began telling the goblin all about the giant.


    Behind them, far off into the distance of the plains, a tiny black dot could be seen falling back down from the sky and straight into the ground, landing with a small cloud of dust over the horizon.

 Chapter 25: Enchanted to Meet You

    ¡°That will be 76 gold.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow, really? I didn¡¯t expect it to come to such a high total.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Your shopping list was pretty long.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess it was¡­¡±


    ¡°Just because you¡¯re buying so much, I¡¯ll even throw you a special gift in there, free of charge.¡±


    The crab rummaged through a box until he found a rabbit¡¯s foot tied to a rope.


    ¡°A good luck charm, just for you!¡±


    ¡°Really? Nice!¡± the young man standing in the middle of the trading post said. ¡°I really could do with having some luck. I haven¡¯t looted anything decent in days.¡±


    Splitting a few coins from his pouch, the smiling adventurer paid the crab, stuffed his new trinket in his chest pocket, and picked up the box full with the items he had just purchased.


    ¡°Thanks, Balthazar. See you later!¡±


    The merchant gave the client a nod and watched him leave while picking the coins with his silver pincer, carefully depositing each in a small coin bag.


    ¡°Heh, ¡®good luck charm.¡¯ Another day, another sucker.¡±


    As he finished collecting his payment, a familiar eye floater appeared in front of Balthazar¡¯s vision.


    [You have reached level 10!]


    ¡°Well, look at that. Guess I must have been doing good business, if I¡¯m already leveling up again.¡±


    Casually moving his eyes around the prompts while his claws stashed the money away, Balthazar increased his Intelligence to 20 and swiftly moved on to the skills menu.


    Taking a moment to reconsider, he hesitated before selecting his Reading skill again. Sure, he enjoyed reading, but given how long each new level up seemed to take the higher they went, should he think twice about his investments? The smart business crab side of his brain told him that yes, he likely should.


    He thought back to the night the thieves came to his trading post, and the blow he took to his shell from the big one¡¯s club. It brought him far too close to being a goner. While his pristine gold finish was intact afterwards, the same could not have been said about his soft insides.


    Not even his bodyguard golem could protect him at every turn, so perhaps investing in his own personal defenses wasn¡¯t such a bad idea. After all, he never went anywhere without his shell, so making it better was an investment in security.


    ¡°Alright, enough inner debating, armor it is!¡±


    Selecting his Medium Armor skill, Balthazar applied his one point into it, bringing it from B tier to an A.


    Feeling a brief numbness in his joints, the crab shook with a shiver at the feeling of his shell tightening slightly around his body.


    ¡°Ooh, that tickled!¡±


    Convinced he was feeling sturdier, Balthazar went back to his status page, where he noticed his Adept Merchant class was blinking. With curiosity and flashing text in his eyes, he selected it.


    [Select a class perk]


    ¡°Oh! Something new? Maybe it¡¯s tied to reaching level 10?¡±


    With a hint of excitement at the prospect of getting some new advantage for his trading business, he pressed the option with his eyes.


    [Select a perk for class: Merchant]


    [TO-DO]


    [TO-DO]


    [TO-DO]


    [TO-DO]


    ¡°To¡­ do?¡± the crab slowly muttered, before raising his voice in exasperation. ¡°What the hell does this thing mean?! This system isn¡¯t just unhelpful, it¡¯s also lazy?! Is there even a point to these levels?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Balthazar froze in place for a second, pincers in the air, halfway through his outburst, before quickly turning to the voice.


    A tall woman with red hair tied into a tight bun stood at the entrance of his trading post, wearing a long, dark red robe with complex embroidered details of a scintillating golden color.


    The merchant cautiously peered at the woman through his monocle, and she returned the gaze with her own, her dark green eyes looking at the crab from behind a pair of thin glasses, as if piercing his shell and seeing straight through him.


    [Level 32 Enchantress]


    ¡°Can I¡­ help you?¡± Balthazar carefully said. He felt like a little crab who had just been caught pinching what he shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Did I hear you say something about a system, and levels?¡± the woman asked, with a clear and calm voice that yet still revealed a hint of sizzling curiosity under it.


    ¡°I¡­ I think you must have heard wrong,¡± the nervous crab replied.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    He wasn¡¯t sure how to explain his outburst, and he wasn¡¯t too keen on getting into the specifics of the stupid thing in his eyes that gave him numbers and the ability to speak and read, as well as occasionally frustrating him to no end.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe I did,¡± the enchantress said, calmly stepping closer to him with a perfectly straight posture, the wide sleeves of her robe held together in front of it, concealing her hands. ¡°What does a crab know about the system? And, as a matter of fact, why is a crab talking in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Because... it would be very difficult to have a trading business without talking? Ha ha,¡± Balthazar said, attempting to act casual, and finding out he was not very good at it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb,¡± she said, stopping in front of him and staring down into his eyes. ¡°You know more than you should, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Sounds to me like maybe you¡¯re the one looking to know more than you should,¡± the crab retorted with defiance. If she was going to press him for information, he was going to do the same to her. Or at the very least attempt to.


    Her eyebrows rose.


    ¡°Maybe we have something in common there.¡± A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of her lips. ¡°Tell me, what do you know about adventurers?¡±


    ¡°I know most of you are a pain in my backside all day. Why?¡±


    ¡°Very funny. I meant what do you know about where all these adventurers come from?¡±


    ¡°How should I know? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be like some land of the gods, or sent from far away in times of great whatever? You tell me.¡±


    ¡°Curious,¡± the enchantress said, looking disappointed. ¡°Just like all the other locals, you don¡¯t seem to question it at all.¡±


    ¡°Question it? Lady, try ¡®not caring¡¯ instead. Wherever you all came from is none of my business, so long as it¡¯s not my pond. But what does any of that have to do with systems and levels?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Revealing your hand there now, dear crab.¡± She looked amused now. ¡°So you don¡¯t know they have everything to do with each other.¡±


    Balthazar wasn¡¯t sure how he could have possibly revealed something he didn¡¯t have, but at that moment he did not care to ask either. His curiosity had been piqued. What did those reckless and dimwitted adventurers have to do with his gained abilities?


    ¡°How so?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°You seem to understand levels. Have you never wondered why only adventurer¡¯s levels increase, but everyone else¡¯s does not?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡­ never actually paid enough attention to that,¡± Balthazar said, looking up while trying to search through his recent memories. ¡°So others don¡¯t level up like we do?¡±


    ¡°Very interesting,¡± the robed woman said, a smile fully forming on her lips. ¡°So you admit you can level up?¡±


    The merchant opened his mouth for a moment and then closed it again. She got him good, and he hadn¡¯t even noticed. Whoever this enchantress was, she was clever.


    ¡°Who are you, anyway?¡± he asked, his mind in a frenzy to regain the upper hand, or at least buy some time to think.


    ¡°Nobody special. Just another adventurer trying to make it in this world,¡± she casually said. ¡°My name is Ruby. Pleased to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, I¡¯m Balthazar, and I¡¯m just a crab trying to earn some coin.¡±


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t be so modest,¡± Ruby quickly said. ¡°A regular crab wouldn¡¯t care for money. And you¡¯re not some adventurer in disguise, I can tell. So what is it that makes you so¡­ special?¡±


    Balthazar tried to read the woman, but he could not decipher what her intentions were. Yet his curiosity now grew, after finding someone who apparently knew of this strange system. Then he remembered his supposed charisma.


    ¡°You''re right, I''m very special,¡± he finally said, attempting to sound confident and resplendent. ¡°But what is it you think I know?¡±


    She chuckled.


    ¡°Are you trying to use your charisma on me?¡± she asked, looking amused. ¡°You should know, while it can be a useful skill, the higher the difference in levels, and the higher the Intelligence of the other, the less efficient it is.¡±


    The crab exhaled sharply, but refused to respond.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting golden shell you have. It¡¯s not an enchantment, I¡¯d certainly know if it was. So, does that mean it¡¯s perhaps an imbuing? Curious, I¡¯ve never seen one like it in all my time here. It¡¯s also supposed to be a temporary upgrade, but I¡¯ve been hearing about a golden crab for days on the road. You can¡¯t possibly have enough gold to be maintaining it permanently for so long. You¡¯d be rich as a king if you did. What¡¯s the trick?¡±


    ¡°Temporary? What are you talking about?¡± Balthazar asked with a confused expression. The enchantress looked slightly disappointed again.


    ¡°Apparently, you know even less than me. And yet, you seem to have far more knowledge than you¡¯re meant to.¡±


    ¡°Meant to?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You locals are all created for a specific purpose, if you¡¯re one to believe in ¡®destiny,¡¯ ¡®divine will,¡¯ or any of that. You don¡¯t need a system, skills, or to level up. As you were created, so you shall be, no choice, no freedom.¡±


    ¡°Well excuse me, I make my own choices. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± the robed woman said, excitement making her take her hands out of her oversized sleeves. ¡°What happened that led you to break the norm? How did you unlock access to a system only meant for those sent here from other worlds?¡±


    ¡°Other worlds?¡± Balthazar repeated, his eyes fixed on hers. It was she who slipped up this time.


    ¡°Ah, my turn to tip my hand. I suppose we¡¯re even now,¡± Ruby said, returning to her straight posture. ¡°Yes, other worlds. I would expect it shouldn¡¯t take much thinking to figure out all these adventurers running around don¡¯t exactly belong.¡±


    ¡°Then where did you all come from?¡± the increasingly curious crab inquired.


    ¡°Many places, from different lives. Brought here by some unknown entity acting like some benevolent being, giving us a gift. But while others might readily accept that flimsy excuse and take the opportunity at a new life in this fantastical new world, there are a few like me who want to know more. To know the truth behind the veil. The answer to the real question. Do you know what that question is, Balthazar?¡±


    The enchantress stared Balthazar down with an intense gaze, a fire burning in her eyes, begging for him to answer.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes widened, and he hesitated for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°What¡­ what is the origin of pastries?¡± the crab finally said, his eyes shining with wonder.


    The woman froze, staring at him for a moment. ¡°What?¡±


    Ruby rubbed the bridge of her nose between her eyes, looking frustrated.


    ¡°Why would that be the question that comes to your mind, crab?¡± she slowly said, trying to remain calm and collected. ¡°Or, in fact, don¡¯t answer that. It¡¯s not important. No, the real question is why are all these adventurers being sent here, with the ability to level up and become more powerful, while everyone else cannot? We all strive to reach as high of a level as we can, but barely anyone ever even comes close to 100. What would even happen if someone did? What is the purpose, the objective, that whoever is behind this whole charade is trying to achieve?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Uh, sure, I guess that would be my next question. What does that got to do with me, though?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡± the woman said, raising her voice and opening her arms. ¡°You got something you¡¯re not supposed to have. You gained access to a system not meant for you. That means the system has flaws that can be pulled at. Whatever you did could be the answer to the whole mystery I¡¯ve been trying to solve for so long!¡±


    ¡°Yeeeees¡­ look, miss, that seems fascinating and all, but honestly, it sounds like a ¡®you¡¯ problem, not mine,¡± Balthazar said while sidestepping away from her. ¡°Big global conspiracies, divine entities, all that stuff. It¡¯s not my bag at all. I¡¯m very content with my little pond and have enough with my daily worries, so if you could leave me out of it and forget we even had this conversation, I¡¯d prefer it that way.¡±


    Ruby shook her head in disapproval.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t understand. Part of you is still clinging to the comfort of your routine, the safety of sticking to your assigned role. You cannot ignore it forever. The question is there, eventually you will want answers too. If only¡ª¡±


    She paused, her eyes looking up at the sky, where a flock of birds was passing.


    Balthazar followed her gaze, and saw a handful of the pesky creatures breaking away from the group and perching themselves up on the branches of his tree, looking in their direction.


    ¡°Stupid little pests!¡± the crab complained, attempting to shoo the creatures away with a towel in his pincer.


    ¡°Yes, an annoyance, indeed,¡± the enchantress said, her eyes still fixed on the birds.


    Suddenly, she leaned down very close to the crab''s face and spoke in a quick and hushed tone. ¡°Be mindful of whom you discuss these things with. You cannot be sure if they are friend or foe, and even if the former, simply making them aware of more than they are supposed to know could put them in great danger.¡±


    As quickly as she leaned, she returned to her straight posture and changed demeanor back to an indifferent tone.


    ¡°It would seem you¡¯re too preoccupied at the moment, and my time is also scarce. I truly wish you will come around regarding what we¡¯ve discussed, and that perhaps next time we meet, it shall be under more agreeable circumstances. Farewell.¡±


    Balthazar stared, dumbfounded, as the red woman quickly made her way out.


    ¡°Hey, wait a moment!¡± the crab said, chasing after her to the road. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to leave so abruptly, you didn¡¯t even buy some¡ª¡±


    As he turned the corner and reached the road, he found it deserted, not a sign of the enchantress or anyone else.


    ¡°Could have at least bought a lucky charm before leaving,¡± Balthazar muttered to himself, as he threw the towel over his shell and turned back to his pond, where the tree was now empty once again, all the birds having seemingly flown away.

 Chapter 26: A Different Kind of Pies

    Balthazar sat in front of one of Druma¡¯s crudely crafted tables with a pensive expression, his right claw holding a cup of lemonade, while his silver pincer idly flipped a golden coin up in the air repeatedly.


    The crab sighed. ¡°Why did she have to put so many questions in my head?¡±


    As much as he did not care for the affairs of adventurers and their pointless quests, after his encounter with the mysterious enchantress, new questions were burning a hole into his hard shell.


    In his disregard for things that weren¡¯t his pond, money, or pastries, Balthazar had somehow failed to notice nobody else who wasn¡¯t an adventurer ever seemed to move up in levels. And once he finally began really giving it some thought, true concern slowly crept up within him. With shivers of discomfort from just considering it, he found himself having to ask the most horrifying of questions: did all of this mean he was now also an adventurer?


    Balthazar downed the rest of his lemonade in one gulp, his mouth and eye stalks shriveling as he swallowed. This was not because of the lemonade being sour, as the crab had filled the cup with at least a dozen spoonfuls of sugar. It was merely a reaction to the thought of technically being an adventurer. A most awful and unacceptable prospect to a proud crab like him.


    ¡°I''m not going out there to do anyone''s quests, that¡¯s for sure!¡±


    Playing with the coin between his pincers, he considered what little he knew. He had touched a strange scroll. It let him assign points into some arbitrary and simplistic stats, and now he gained levels from doing random things, and learned how to talk, or even read from pressing things with his eyes.


    The crab did not know, in fact, much of anything.


    ¡°Ah, curses!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, pinching his coin. ¡°Why is there no instructions manual for this stuff? None of the books I ever get mention anything about this either! If only there was some kind of a¡­ I don¡¯t know, tutor to explain it all!¡±


    Looking down at the coin he was holding, the pensive crab considered whether it would be a wise move to prod other adventurers for answers.


    It could mean finding out more about that strange and dysfunctional system, but it could also lead to some unwanted attention. How long could he avoid the subject of how he got it in the first place?


    Also, the dead adventurer who was carrying the scroll.


    And the dead wizard.


    And the selling of their bodies to a necromancer.


    There sure were a lot of things in his recent past that would be awkward to explain.


    Everyone has done one thing or another they are not particularly proud of, so he figured it might be for the best to just keep the sordid details out.


    Another problem was the fact that digging into something he knows nothing about could lead to unforeseen consequences. What if adventurers suddenly turned against him? He could lose his business, his money, and worst of all, access to baked goods. As frustrating as that whole system was, he still did not wish to lose some of the benefits that came from it.


    Tired of his own indecision, Balthazar decided to consult with one of his closest and dearest friends.


    Flipping his coin in the air one more time, he watched as it landed on the table. Heads and he would try getting more information about it all. Tails and he would shut up and enjoy what he already had in blissful ignorance.


    He watched intently as the coin spun on the table surface, for what seemed like an eternity, his breath held in anticipation, until it finally stopped.


    Balthazar stared at the side that landed facing up for a moment, realization washing over him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t freaking know which side of the coin is supposed to be heads or tails!¡±


    Throwing his pincers up in frustration, the angry crab left the coin on the table and picked up his cup, deciding to fetch another drink.


    Picking a large lemon from a nearby basket, Balthazar looked around at his pond. His two assistants had stepped out to move off the side of the road the remains of the broken cart he had recently bought. The place looked so quiet, yet so much more chaotic than what it used to be, thanks to the plethora of junk he had amassed in the past weeks.


    The crab slowly walked back to the table, still in deep thought about his recent life choices. As he placed the cup back on the table and prepared to squeeze the lemon over it, Balthazar realized the coin he had just flipped was gone.


    Confused, he looked around the table and under it, but no signs of any currency lying around.


    ¡°Where in the¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, a sharp sound from nearby caught his attention. A raspy chattering that instantly irritated the crab.


    With a quick turn, Balthazar spotted the source of the insufferable noise: a bird.


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    Its body was barely larger than the lemon in his pincer, with a long wedge-shaped tail. The feathers were mostly black, with splashes of white on its back and wings. It stared at the crab with mockery in its tiny brown eyes, a shiny gold coin firmly held in its beak.


    ¡°No, you did not!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, disbelief mixing with outrage within him.


    Angrily throwing the lemon on the ground and breaking into a mad dash, the crab charged towards the avian thief, pincers out for justice.


    Unsurprisingly, the winged creature flew out of the giant crab¡¯s reach and landed atop a shelf on the other side of the table between them.


    ¡°Get back here right now!¡± the irate merchant demanded.


    As was to be expected, the bird did not oblige, continuing to side glance at him, coin still held high in its beak, producing a glint as the light of the sun hit it from above.


    Flipping the table out of the way with his right pincer, Balthazar rushed at the creature again, but despite his considerable size for a crab, he was not tall enough to reach the top of the shelf. Muttering curses at the bird, he began vigorously shaking the piece of crude furniture with both pincers.


    The bird shook side to side, up and down, almost as if dancing with the rhythm of the shaking, but did not fly away.


    ¡°Argh! You little¡­¡± Balthazar shouted, as he finally toppled the shelf, causing the small thief to flutter away once more, as the structure under it hit the ground with a loud crash.


    The crab followed the bird with his eyes and watched as it landed on the floorboards at the end of the bridge connecting to the other side of his trading post.


    ¡°I will get you now!¡±


    In yet another predictable turn of obvious events, the crab did not, in fact, get the bird.


    Running through the footpath, Balthazar launched himself forward, claws stretched out into an ungraceful dive, but the creature flew up once again, and he landed face first in the dirt, his pincers snapping at nothing but empty air.


    ¡°You miserable thing!¡± he said, as he spat out bits of soil.


    The coin snatcher cackled as it landed on a nearby table that stood in front of a few shelves.


    Standing up with raging steps, Balthazar noticed a small fruit crate sitting empty on top of a shelf behind the bird.


    A devious smile forming on his face, the mad crab slowly reached for a nearby sack and grabbed a turnip. Carefully aiming it with his dexterous silver pincer, he pulled back and flung the root vegetable not at the bird, but at the crate above it.


    The creature watched as the thrown turnip flew far above it, and hit the crate perfectly, causing it to fall upside down off the shelf, and land perfectly on the thief, who unsuccessfully attempted to fly away in surprise, letting go of the coin that rolled off the side of the table.


    ¡°Thought you were smarter than me, didn¡¯t you?¡± A smug Balthazar said, as he picked up the rolling coin coming towards him.


    He peeked between the side bars of the wooden fruit cage, a small shiny brown eye looking back from the inside, followed by a squawk.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get, you little¡­ whatever you are.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, Balthazar remembered one of the books in the pile he had recently traded with an adventurer.


    Looking through a shelf, he found it and pulled it out. A thick volume with a green cover, its front revealing it to be a book on ornithology. Balthazar had found that was the word for the study of birds from another book, a dictionary. He couldn¡¯t recall in what book he had found what the word ¡°dictionary¡± meant, however.


    ¡°Know your enemy, I say,¡± the crab indeed said, as he began paging through the book, looking at the drawings of birds on each page, trying to find the one that matched his prisoner.


    ¡°There!¡±


    Pointing a pincer at one page, he looked back and forth between the drawing and the bird jumping around under the crate, visible through the spaces between the bars.


    ¡°Wait, this can¡¯t be right,¡± Balthazar said, incredulous, as he read the text entry next to the image. ¡°This type of bird is called a¡­ magpie?! Who would name such a despicable thing with the same word as something so delightful as a pie?! That¡¯s an outrage!¡±


    With spite in his expression, Balthazar tossed the book aside. ¡°Stupid bird lovers!¡±


    Peeking between the bars, the magpie cackled once again.


    ¡°What are you laughing at, pipsqueak? You think this is funny?¡± the crab asked, with his arms crossed. ¡°The book says magpies supposedly like to steal shiny things. Well, tough luck for you, my shiny things are not for stealing. You should try getting your shinies the honest way, by looting them off some dumb dead adventurer, or something. Not from smart and sharp crabs like me.¡±


    The bird continued looking at him with a mocking air, almost as if amused.


    ¡°Why are you so¡­¡±


    With a sudden gut feeling, Balthazar looked across the pond, just in time to spot another magpie flying into his tent.


    ¡°The chest!¡±


    Breaking into a frantic sprint, he quickly crossed the bridge towards the tent, despair running through him as he remembered he had left the chest open while gathering the pouches with payments from earlier to throw into it.


    Arriving in front of the tent with a skid, the crab found the second bird perched on the side of the chest, quickly pecking between the gold coins.


    ¡°Shoo! Get away from there!¡± Balthazar yelled as he clumsily stepped inside the small cramped space, waving his pincers around and knocking boxes and bags as he moved.


    The magpie fluttered and dodged the crab¡¯s strikes as it tried to fly around in the small tent.


    With a smack of his silver pincer, Balthazar knocked the other half of the thieving duo out of the tent. After a brief stumble, the creature flew up higher and out of the enraged crab¡¯s reach.


    ¡°And stay away from my private chambers, you bastard!¡± he shouted, waving a clenched pincer at the fleeing feather ball.


    Skittering his way back to the other side, Balthazar found the fruit crate flipped over and the other partner in crime gone.


    To his surprise, the coin he had dropped in his hurry to protect his treasure chest was still there, untouched.


    ¡°Why was the other one digging through the coins, instead of stealing them?¡± said the intrigued crab. ¡°What the hell did they want?¡±


    The tired and battered merchant wondered for a moment, before concluding he would need to run a count of all his money again. Both to make sure it was all still there, and to help soothe his nerves.


    The goblin and the golem arrived through the road entrance, one carrying a small stack of wood, and the other a broken wagon wheel.


    ¡°Boss,¡± said Druma, looking around at the mess of flipped furniture and thrown produce, ¡°what happen?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t ask questions and help me put everything back in place,¡± the out of breath crab responded. ¡°I just found out there is at least one type of pie I hate.¡±

 Chapter 27: Bone-a-Fide Merchant

    The crab sighed as he finished counting up the last of his golden coins.


    ¡°They¡¯re all here,¡± Balthazar whispered. ¡°All 5888 of them.¡±


    Despite his riches, he still felt troubled. Throwing the last coin pouch next to his chest, the concerned merchant rubbed his chin with a pointy pincer. The money no longer fit inside the reinforced chest, so it began piling up in small pouches next to it.


    ¡°Between thieves in bushes, thieves in trios, and thieves with feathers, how is a crab supposed to sleep in peace knowing his life savings are just ripe for the taking?¡±


    Grabbing a small oil lantern from the tent¡¯s floor, Balthazar stepped outside, the cool and misty air of the night hitting him as he looked up at the moon.


    He could not recall ever being unable to sleep before the day he found that strange scroll, and yet now, concerns not fit for a crab kept him up at night.


    Glancing back at the spot under the coin chest, where the hole containing his belongings was hidden, he wondered if the mysterious piece of parchment was more of a curse than a blessing, given all the chaotic changes that turned his life upside down in less than a couple of months.


    For a moment, the crab did some self-reflection.


    And then he grabbed a piece of apple pie from a basket and pushed all that aside. Obviously, it had been a benefit, and there was no need to think further about it.


    Circling to the back of the tent, Balthazar sat next to Bouldy, who was quietly observing the fireflies that danced lazily over the pond¡¯s water. The giant rock turned his head to his friend, the same smile as ever.


    ¡°Hey, big guy,¡± Balthazar greeted in a low voice. ¡°Enjoying the sights, eh?¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± the golem said, his smile widening and his eyes closing.


    ¡°Yep, sure is nice, even at night. Wish I could do like you. Just skip on sleeping without a care in the world.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± Bouldy asked, smile dying down slightly as he tilted his head.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Just worries and lots of questions going on in here.¡± Balthazar tapped the top of his golden shell with a claw. ¡°Nothing you would get, sadly.¡±


    ¡°Friend¡­¡± his companion gently insisted, a concerned rocky frown forming above his orb eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a little crab anymore,¡± Balthazar said, as he stared down at the lantern¡¯s flame. ¡°Talking about my troubles with a rock feels pretty silly now.¡±


    The living boulder slumped down and gently gave a comforting pat on the crab¡¯s carapace, who looked up at him.


    ¡°Ah, I guess that came out a bit harsh. I¡¯m¡­ sorry. You¡¯re not just a rock now. And the fact is, you were always there for me. Not that you really had a choice, on account of being an immobile boulder back then and all, but you know¡­ it¡¯s the thought that counts. Not sure you could think before either, but yeah¡­ The point I¡¯m trying to make is that you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re a good friend, Bouldy.¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± the golem repeated, a broad smile returning to his face.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I get it. Just don¡¯t let it get¡ª¡°


    Balthazar cut himself short at the sight of a dim light moving in the distance, across the pond and all the way out on the road past the exit to his trading post.


    ¡°What in the world?¡± the crab muttered as he stood up.


    Gesturing for Bouldy to follow him, Balthazar picked up his lantern, placed what remained of his slice of pie on a low table in front of the tent, and glanced over to Druma, who was fast asleep on the hay. The goblin was the heaviest of sleepers, and there was no waking him up when he was in such a deep slumber. Figuring it would be best to leave him be for now, the crab headed across the bridge, eyes fixed on the light that swung around in the darkness.


    ¡°Stay close and try not to be too noisy, Bouldy.¡±


    As Balthazar approached the exit to the road, tip-toeing golem in tow, he noticed a strange rattling coming from the light. Fearing the threat of more thieves, he cautiously raised his own light to illuminate the road.


    The source of the faint light on the road was an iron lantern, filled with what seemed to be fireflies, barely bright enough to light the area directly around it.


    The lantern was swinging from the tip of a tall wooden stick, held upright by a figure facing away from them, wrapped in a ragged cloak, a huge, bulky pack on its back, and frantically looking for something on the side of the road. Every movement produced an unnerving rattling noise.


    ¡°Who goes there?¡± said the crab, attempting to sound unafraid.


    The cloaked figure turned suddenly, a bony face appearing under the light, two dark and empty eye sockets staring at Balthazar.


    ¡°AHHH!¡± Balthazar screamed as he stumbled back. ¡°A walking skeleton!¡±


    The skeleton recoiled and screamed in a fright as well, walking cane held in front of him. ¡°A talking crab!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him touch me!¡± the spooked merchant yelled at the golem.


    Bouldy tilted his head, looking down at the two figures, unsure of what to do.


    ¡°Hey, woah, hang on!¡± the skeleton pleaded, looking up at the towering figure behind the crab. ¡°I¡¯m the one who doesn¡¯t want either of you touching me! Shoo, go away, crabby!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re¡­ sentient?¡±


    ¡°Bah, ''course I am!¡± the other responded. ¡°But you¡¯re a crab. What in blazes is a crab doing talking? And leading a golem around in the middle of nowhere at night?!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re right in front of my territory. My trading post is right there!¡± the exasperated crab said, pointing his lantern at the path leading down to the pond.


    ¡°Ah, fiddlesticks!¡± said the skeleton. ¡°I got lost again, didn¡¯t I? Wait, did you say trading post? There¡¯s a trader around these parts?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is. It¡¯s me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a trader too!¡± He pointed a bony fingertip at his own smiling skull.


    ¡°A merchant skeleton?¡± an incredulous Balthazar asked. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich, coming from a talking crab who also fancies himself a merchant!¡±


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    Balthazar opened his mouth to rebut, but hesitated for a moment. ¡°Right, you got a point there. Fair enough. But I thought skeletons were all supposed to be these spooky and mindless shambling undead trying to kill anything living.¡±


    ¡°Bah, nonsense!¡± the talking skull said, with a wave of his hand. ¡°That¡¯s adventurer prejudice. Granted, it probably comes from the fact that most of us do try to kill them on sight, but hey, that¡¯s just business. Speaking of which, if you got a trading post back there, think we could step inside and talk business? I don¡¯t wanna risk being seen out here by some wannabe hero.¡±


    Balthazar pondered for a moment. He was not one to turn down business opportunities, but a skeleton in the middle of the night sounded dodgy, even for him. Then again, the wanderer seemed amicable enough.


    He glanced at the figure in front of him through his monocle.


    [Level 5 Merchant Skeleton]


    Confident that if it came to it, Bouldy would be more than capable of smashing a few low level bones, Balthazar answered. ¡°Yeah, sure. Let¡¯s get out of the road.¡±


    The three of them walked towards the pond, lanterns held forward to light the path.


    ¡°So what¡¯s your name, merchant crab?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Balthazar. And what¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Tom.¡±


    ¡°Tom? Not exactly what I would expect from a skeleton, but alright.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect? ¡®Bones McGee¡¯ or something?¡±


    Arriving at the center of the trading post, Balthazar took some tinder and lit it on fire with the flame from his oil lantern before throwing it into the stone pit, starting a small fire that illuminated the surrounding area.


    Taking a better look at the other merchant, Balthazar noticed he wore tattered pants with no shoes, an open jacket full of moth holes that exposed his rib cage, and a wide brimmed black hat. On his back, he carried an oversized pack made of what appeared to be leather, full of patches of different colors and materials. Despite how full and heavy it looked, the skeleton carried it with great ease.


    ¡°What are you staring at?¡± Tom said. ¡°Don¡¯t let my appearance fool you. I got coin. This is just the work attire.¡±


    ¡°Work attire?¡± the intrigued crab asked.


    ¡°I get it. You don¡¯t go out much. I¡¯ll explain,¡± the skeleton began. ¡°I come from a small dungeon west from here. It¡¯s the Tudor¡¯s Hall Dungeon. You ever heard of it?¡±


    Balthazar shook his head. ¡°Interesting name. Who''s Tudor, and why does he have a hall?¡±


    ¡°No idea! Anyway, we¡¯re a modest dungeon, you know, meant for novice adventurers to get their feet wet, get a grasp of combat, get some experience, loot some goodies, all that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± the crab said. ¡°What do you mean, ¡®meant¡¯ for those things? I thought monsters in dungeons attacked invaders because they didn¡¯t want them stepping inside and pillaging the place?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure, that¡¯s the show we put on for the visiting adventurers, but you know how it is. That¡¯s all part of the business scheme. And really, business is great. You have no idea how many of them manage to fumble even a simple mace swing at a stationary skeleton. Or how many step into a spike trap despite all the obvious lit torches and gaping holes we put in front of them. Most are just hopelessly dense, I tell ya!¡±


    Balthazar chuckled, both curious and amused at the skeleton¡¯s words. ¡°I bet! You should see some of the ones I get over here sometimes. But how does any of that work as a business?¡±


    ¡°Well, ya see, most of those green adventurers go into the dungeon with all their possessions on them, probably because they still haven¡¯t learned to stash things yet. So, when they trip over their own feet and dive into a wall spear, guess who gets to keep all their stuff? That¡¯s right, we do! And then we just have to keep recycling their money and loot as bait for the next ones who come in the next day, looking for riches.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, interesting,¡± Balthazar said, slowly nodding. ¡°But if you¡¯re a dungeon for novices, surely there¡¯s still plenty who make it out with their loot often, right? And what happens when they¡¯re not incompetent and actually defeat you?¡±


    Tom let out a hearty laugh.


    ¡°We¡¯re skeletons! What are they going to do? Kill us? We¡¯re already dead! And you¡¯re right, some of them do make it all the way and take their loot, but that¡¯s why old Tom here goes out at night to collect loot from adventurers who perish out in the wilds. Can¡¯t let all that loot go to waste now, can we?¡±


    ¡°Right, right¡­¡± Balthazar agreed.


    ¡°Just earlier I took some coins from this kid out on the plains. I don¡¯t know what the hell happened there, but he looked like he had crash landed there straight from the heavens, a crater and everything. But hey, nobody was around, so his loss is my gain!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I think I get it,¡± the merchant crab said. ¡°What I didn¡¯t get yet is, what business do you want with me?¡±


    ¡°Ah, see, it¡¯s not common to find a fellow non-human merchant out here,¡± the merchant skeleton started. ¡°And with all the new adventurers popping up lately, it¡¯s getting tougher to keep up with the supply demand. Looking around, I see you got yourself a nice surplus of junk. I was thinking, maybe we could help each other out. Most of the kids who never make it through our dungeon are usually only carrying their starter gold, which is no fortune, but is still a pretty sum, so we always got plenty of it to go around, it¡¯s actual items that are becoming a bit of a problem, and we always need more random junk for them to loot. Chances are lots of it ends up right here, traded to you. What do you say I start buying some of your trash to fill our dungeon back up?¡±


    Balthazar rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Despite the strangeness of the one offering it, the deal sounded exactly like the thing the crab was looking for, especially if it meant getting rid of all the excess garbage he had pilling up everywhere.


    ¡°You know what, Tom? I think we could have a mutually productive deal here,¡± the shiny crab declared with a smile.


    ¡°Great!¡± the skeleton said. ¡°I don¡¯t really got any room left for loose items in my pack anymore tonight, but I¡¯ll be back to these parts next week, and now I know to come here right away, instead of wasting hours looking for scraps on the road.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I guess I¡¯ll just have to stay up until a bit later next week,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°But if you bring enough coin, we¡¯ll get that dungeon of yours refilled in no time!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the objective. I tell ya, crab, you wouldn¡¯t believe some of the things those nutcases take. They¡¯ll take the torches off the walls, the clothes off your back, even crappy helmets like that one over there.¡± He pointed towards a horned iron helmet on a nearby shelf. ¡°Hell, just a few weeks back a group of them went into a room, looted all the items and then, not satisfied yet, actually hauled the whole damn chest the loot was in with them! And it wasn¡¯t a small chest either, it was a big one, reinforced. Who does that?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, heh, right,¡± Balthazar said, awkwardly glancing at the tent behind him, on the other side of the bridge.


    ¡°Why are you making that face?¡± Tom inquired. ¡°Wait¡­ don¡¯t tell me this is where they sold it?¡±


    ¡°Hey, look, I don¡¯t ask where the merchandise comes from. If you got a problem, take it up to them. I paid for that chest fair and square!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, mate,¡± the other merchant said, both bony palms facing out in front of his chest, ¡°I don¡¯t blame ya for buying it, but chests like that are actually pretty valuable to us. You know how hard it would be to get a carpenter to make us new ones? I¡¯d be willing to buy it back from you, for a fair price.¡±


    ¡°Well, Tom, as much as I can respect a good business offer, I kind of need that chest for my¡­ treasury. As a matter of fact, I actually need another one already. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not in the market to sell one, though, are you?¡±


    ¡°My crab, is that what you need the chest for, storing your money?¡± the skeleton asked with a smile that was missing a few teeth. ¡°How did you get this far as a merchant without a money bag?¡±


    ¡°I got plenty of coin pouches already,¡± Balthazar said, picking up a small empty bag from a crate and shaking it in his pincer.


    ¡°Nah, I mean a real money bag.¡± Tom reached back into one of the pockets of his pack. ¡°Like this.¡±


    Balthazar looked at what seemed to be just another regular coin bag, except darker.


    [Bag of Holding Money]


    [Can hold up to 100,000 gold coins]


    ¡°A hundred thousand?!¡± the incredulous crab exclaimed. ¡°In that small bag? How?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡± Tom said with a shrug. ¡°Maybe magic, or whatever. I¡¯m a merchant skeleton, not a wizard skeleton. What I know is that with this you could easily carry all your money everywhere with you, without bothersome heavy chests. I¡¯ll trade ya this for that old chest. You know that¡¯s a more than favorable deal for you, but I like ya, and we just really need that chest back home.¡±


    Knowing the skeleton¡¯s words to be true, the crab nodded in agreement.


    ¡°You got yourself a deal. You¡¯ll just have to wait while I unload all the money from it, and then the chest is all yours. Although I¡¯m not sure how you plan on taking it with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry, these old bones are much stronger than they look.¡±


    Balthazar spent the next half hour shoveling coins with his pincers into the Bag of Holding Money. No matter how many more he poured into it, the bag continued to not weigh more than if it had just a couple dozen in it. Yet, all he had to do was reach inside with a pincer, and he could feel them all stuffed inside.


    Having Bouldy carry the empty chest back to Tom, Balthazar watched as the skeleton dragged the heavy chest behind him with one hand, heading back out to the road, his firefly lantern quickly fading into the night after a mutual agreement to meet again in a week¡¯s time.


    ¡°What an odd fellow. But I like him,¡± Balthazar said, while tossing his new coin bag up and down with his silver pincer, before a realization hit him.


    ¡°Ah, crap. This shell doesn¡¯t come with any pockets!¡±

 Chapter 28: Sixteen Pairs of Boots

    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± Druma shouted. ¡°Food!¡±


    Putting his book down and standing up from his purple cushion, Balthazar hurriedly stepped out of his tent, eager to greet his favorite¡ªand only¡ªbaker.


    But as he crossed the bridge, he realized Madeleine was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the only one who stood by the entrance of the trading post was Rye, the archer boy, handing a basket to the goblin, who happily scampered away with it.


    ¡°Good morning, Balthazar!¡± the young adventurer greeted.


    ¡°Hello¡­¡± the crab reluctantly responded. ¡°Where¡¯s Madeleine?¡±


    ¡°She sends her apologies, but she couldn¡¯t make it down here today,¡± said Rye, with a slightly bothered expression.


    ¡°Why not? Something happened to her?¡± Balthazar hurriedly asked. ¡°I better not find out this has something to do with you, boy!¡±


    ¡°Hey now, wow! Easy! I did nothing!¡± the other quickly pleaded. ¡°I¡¯m actually kind of worried about it myself. She has been taking on a lot of extra orders lately, that¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t afford to come here today. She¡¯s busy baking.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like business is good. Why is that a reason for concern?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s clearly overworking herself. Apparently, the rent she pays for her stall space at the market has gone up, and she¡¯s having trouble keeping up with the price, so now she¡¯s doing more work to compensate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°Why hasn¡¯t she said anything sooner? She barely even lets me pay for all the food she bakes for us! And what about you? You fancy the girl, but you won¡¯t even offer to help her? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°You think I didn¡¯t try?!¡± the archer said, opening both arms in frustration. ¡°But you know that baker. She¡¯s as sweet as she is also stubborn for some things. She said her mother didn¡¯t raise her to depend on no knight in shining armor to sustain her.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem, then?¡± Balthazar asked, genuinely confused. ¡°You¡¯re an archer, not a knight. And I¡¯ve never even seen you wearing any metal armor!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not really the point,¡± Rye awkwardly said, rubbing his forehead with his fingertips. ¡°The point is, she won¡¯t just let someone solve her problems for her. And I will not try to give that one any orders. In fact, she¡¯s the one who¡¯s ordering me around. Here¡¯s your delivery, sir.¡±


    The boy picked up another wicker basket from the ground and presented it to the crab. ¡°I believe she said today¡¯s specials were strawberry jam scones and custard pie.¡±


    ¡°Smells great,¡± the crab said, trying to contain his salivation. ¡°But say, do you have a few moments to talk?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯m not doing anything urgent. What¡¯s up?¡±


    The two moved next to a low table, where Rye placed the basket before sitting on a wooden bench.


    ¡°I can tell you¡¯ve been, uh¡­ improving,¡± said Balthazar, examining the archer through his monocle and seeing he was now level 12. ¡°You¡¯ve been growing stronger during your adventures.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± the young adventurer said with a proud smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been spending a lot more time in town lately, but I still try to keep up and get out there when I can.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Balthazar responded, while nodding in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s important to keep reaching new levels of experience, am I right?¡±


    The crab stood still for a moment, staring at the young man, who awkwardly stared back with a confused frown.


    ¡°You, uh¡­ you alright there, Balthazar?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure. No, never mind that. I was just¡­ thinking.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you say so.¡±


    ¡°Say, Rye, I was wondering the other day,¡± Balthazar started, trying to sound nonchalant, ¡°where exactly are you from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s curious,¡± Rye said, raising both eyebrows. ¡°Nobody usually asks me that.¡±


    ¡°Really? And that¡¯s not odd to you? As far as I understand, you humans are all pretty nosy about each other¡¯s lives.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know. Not really? I just figured that¡¯s the custom in these parts.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not from around here?¡± the crab insisted, growing more curious.


    ¡°Uh, no, not exactly,¡± the increasingly uncomfortable adventurer responded. ¡°I¡¯m from very far away, a whole different place from this.¡±


    ¡°Like what? A different world?¡± Balthazar inquired, determined to get a reaction out of the young man.


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Rye apprehensively asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a very resourceful merchant. I got my¡­ sources. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just trying to learn more about my baker¡¯s suitor.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright,¡± the other conceded, relaxing slightly. ¡°Yes, I was from another world, very different from this one. Then one day woke up here, found out there were many others like me, ¡®adventurers¡¯ too, and have been just going along with it, trying to make it out here.¡±


    ¡°And you all got some strange text in your eyes that tells you about levels and stats, don¡¯t you?¡±


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    ¡°Y-yes¡­ how do you know about that? I was under the impression no one from this world would know or understand any of that. That it was something for just us adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you know how it is. You spend all day dealing with your kind, and you end up picking up a thing or two. Any idea why you all get those special things? What¡¯s the purpose?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡± Rye shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re basically given the choice to come here, start over, given the task of improving and gaining levels, but beyond that, we¡¯re kind of left in the dark. Many think there¡¯s some kind of reward, riches, power, maybe even divinity at the end of it all. But I don¡¯t really know about any of that.¡±


    ¡°Who gave you that choice anyway?¡± the very intrigued crab asked. ¡°How did you end up in this world in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure,¡± a hesitant Rye said. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone really knows who that voice was, just that the alternative wasn¡¯t good. I¡­ I don¡¯t remember well what happened before. It¡¯s all a bit hazy, and feels like a lifetime ago. I was in my world. Then something happened. Something not good. And then¡­ here I was, on a beach, with a scroll.¡±


    The adventurer rubbed his temple with his fingers, like someone straining to think. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s always really hard trying to remember anything from before, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°I got more questions. You said something about a¡ª¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Balthazar, what were we talking about exactly?¡± Rye said, straining his eyes with discomfort. ¡°Either way, I really need to get going now. I¡¯ve always heard it was better for everyone if we don¡¯t talk about any of this stuff with the locals, so maybe let¡¯s leave it at that. I¡¯ll catch you later.¡±


    ¡°I just¡ª¡± Balthazar started, but the archer was already up and halfway to the exit.


    The golden crab stood alone on his trading post, thoughts ricocheting around in his shell.


    Someone was definitely behind the arrival of all those adventurers into that world, and they didn¡¯t seem too keen on anyone knowing how or why. Prodding Rye for information did not seem to have gone well, who could say what would happen with other, less receptive adventurers? Everyone else who was originally from that world, like himself or Madeleine, would know even less, apparently by design, so there wasn¡¯t much point in risking that subject, especially given the warning from the enchantress about the consequences of asking too many inconvenient questions.


    But what did any of this have to do with a humble crab who just wanted to live a quiet life at his pond?


    Balthazar did not know the answers to any of that, but at least he found comfort in knowing he had scones.


    ***


    Holding a slice of custard pie in his silver pincer, Balthazar rejoiced at its flavor from behind a large crate. The day had been busy with adventurers going back and forth, not giving him a break to enjoy a snack.


    ¡°Oh, sweet Madeleine, you did it again,¡± he said, eyes closed into a dreamlike state. ¡°Simply delicious.¡±


    ¡°Anybody home?¡± a young voice said.


    Balthazar rolled his eyes open, and his smile turned into a frown. Just one moment of solitude was apparently too much to ask.


    ¡°Yes, here I am,¡± the crab said after quickly swallowing and tossing the rest of his slice into the hidden basket behind the crate. He was willing to sell almost anything standing on that platform, except for the contents of that basket.


    ¡°Hey there, Balthazar!¡± a young adventurer greeted, with a smile and a wave.


    ¡°Oh, hey there¡­¡± The merchant hesitated. He was sure he knew the boy standing in front of him wearing average armor, with a generic face, common brown eyes, and a typical haircut. He just couldn¡¯t recall where from. Being a level 6 wasn¡¯t exactly a distinctive detail either.


    ¡°It¡¯s Cletus,¡± the client said, readjusting the huge sack he was carrying over his shoulder. ¡°Remember me? I¡¯ve been here to trade with you probably a dozen times by now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, right, of course! Come in, come in,¡± Balthazar hurriedly said, both of them stepping closer to each other. ¡°Of course I remember you. You¡¯re the one who sold me that nice ingot of silver that one time.¡±


    The crab still had no recollection of ever asking for his name, despite being confident the kid had probably told it to him before. Unfortunately, Balthazar tended to not get too attached to his clients, on account of them having the bad habit of dying all the time.


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡± Cletus responded with a proud smile, letting the heavy sack drop from his shoulder and onto the ground. ¡°I still remember the day I got that. One of my first bandit ambushes. There were four of them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, kid, no need to reminisce, we remember,¡± Balthazar said, despite not remembering the story in the slightest. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about today instead, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure,¡± the other said, perking up. ¡°I came across a whole bandit hideout. The place was crawling with them!¡±


    ¡°Eh, you sure bump into a lot of bandits in your travels, don¡¯t you? Are you sure that¡¯s not intentional?¡±


    ¡°I had to take out the lookouts on the watchtowers with my bow first,¡± the boy continued, apparently not hearing a word of what the crab said. ¡°Then I made it inside the outer walls and dispatched another four, at least. But once I made it inside the building, damn, I went through at least a dozen more. It was rough! I had to slowly sneak my way through, taking them all down one by one. By the end, I took out at least sixteen!¡±


    ¡°Very impressive, son,¡± Balthazar said, making little effort to hide his boredom. ¡°I¡¯m sure so many bandits mean a whole lot of loot. You got anything good for me?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Cletus responded with growing excitement. ¡°There was so much gear I couldn¡¯t really carry it all, so most of it I had to leave on them.¡±


    The adventurer untied the large sack and let it unfold, revealing its contents. A pile of assorted shoes, boots, sandals, and other footwear crumbled in front of them. ¡°I¡¯m open to selling them all to you. I don¡¯t have time to go up to Ardville.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the pile of shoes in front of him, slack-jawed, slowly counting them.


    ¡°Kid¡­ there are sixteen pairs of shoes here. Did you only loot their shoes? Nothing else?!¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ yes?¡± Cletus answered sheepishly.


    ¡°Just¡­ why?¡± the incredulous crab asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure there was lots of other loot around the place, and even on the bandits themselves. Hell, there would have probably been lighter parts of their gear you could have taken that would be worth more than their damn boots!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Yes, I guess you¡¯re right,¡± the young man said, glancing to the side while grasping his elbow. ¡°But, I don¡¯t know, I guess I just¡­ took their shoes instead.¡±


    Balthazar''s face scrunched up.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t take a single necklace, or even ring, but somehow you found the time to strip each and every one of those bandits of their shoes? You do realize that¡¯s very weird, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ can I just please get some money for those and go?¡±


    The crab stared at the boy for a moment, unsure if he wanted to think any further on the subject.


    ¡°64 gold for the lot,¡± Balthazar finally said, deciding it was probably for the best to not delve any deeper into it. ¡°I will not haggle, just take it, kid.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take that, please. Thank you,¡± Cletus quickly said, still avoiding eye contact.


    The merchant grabbed his new money bag that was tightly tied to the side of his shell and retrieved the money to pay the embarrassed boy.


    With two quick and clumsy bows of his head, the adventurer rapidly made his way back out, avoiding the crab¡¯s gaze the entire time.


    ¡°Not sure if I even want to know what kind of strange world all these weirdos are coming from,¡± he said, shaking his shell as he walked back and forth, throwing the shoes into a sorting crate one by one.


    As Balthazar picked up a shoe and a sandal, a quiet cough came from the road entrance.


    A short man in a long green gown stepped into the trading post, two guards in tow.


    ¡°Yes? Looking for something?¡± the merchant asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am looking for Mr. Balthazar,¡± the man said in a slow and monotone voice. ¡°Please let him know the local tax inspector would like to speak to him.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes went wide, as his right claw snapped the sandal in two, and the other shoe dropped.

 Chapter 29: Dessert and Taxes

    Balthazar had spent a great deal of time reading books. Some were about geography, some about history, and some were even bestiaries. But out of all his readings, all the many creatures of myth, horrifying legends and stories, one creature always stood out to him as the most terrifying: the taxman.


    Half man, half tax collector, the despicable being now stood mere steps away from the crab, and he felt his blood run cold. Which was fairly normal, considering crustaceans are cold-blooded.


    He wore a long green gown that reached down to his ankles, a hat with square edges, and a thin chain around his neck from which a thick badge of solid gold hung. His face was old and his cheeks saggy, like two droopy bags jiggling at every turn of his head. A pair of tiny round glasses sat precariously on the tip of his nose, far lower than his eye level, leading to him constantly having to tilt his head up to look through the lenses.


    The two Ardville guards stood straight behind him, their spears firmly held vertically against the sides of their yellow dyed leather armor, as the much shorter man leisurely perused the titles of the books on a nearby shelf, hands behind his back.


    Balthazar slowly peered through his monocle at the abominable creature.


    [Level 15 Tax Inspector]


    ¡°Well?¡± the tax inspector said, glancing at Balthazar. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with the merchant responsible for this establishment. Go fetch him, will you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m him. The merchant is me. I¡¯m Balthazar,¡± the crab said, hesitation taking hold of him, faced with his greatest of foes.


    ¡°You¡¯re Balthazar?¡± The short man asked, taking a few steps closer and giving the merchant a better look through his glasses. ¡°Goodness! You¡¯re a giant crab! That is certainly¡­ irregular. But ultimately meaningless, I suppose. Laws are laws. For everyone.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ you came looking for me but you didn¡¯t know I was a crab, Mr¡­¡±


    ¡°Abernathy,¡± the other answered. ¡°And no, I¡¯m afraid the report made on your activities did not include that fact.¡±


    Balthazar perked one eye stalk up in curiosity. ¡°A report? On me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It would seem another citizen, Mr. Antoine, has filed a report on your unlicensed mercantile activities here, concerned you were dodging our fair tax on any business.¡±


    ¡°Of course it had to be him,¡± the crab muttered with spite, before returning to a normal voice. ¡°I¡¯m surprised the accuser didn¡¯t come along after reporting me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do not misunderstand my words. The report was not filed today.¡± Abernathy pulled a small notebook out of his waist pouch and began paging through it. ¡°In fact, it was made a little over a month ago. But, as is the nature of this hard work, sometimes bureaucracy means there is a waiting list.¡±


    The man lazily waved a hand up, making Balthazar doubt hard work was something he was ever familiar with.


    ¡°Regardless,¡± the man said, lifting his face from the book, his eyes slowly accompanying the movement a second later, ¡°we are here to talk about you, Mr. Balthazar. It has come to my attention that you have been running a business operation out of this roadside pond. Buying, selling, and trading goods to adventurers. All of this without a permit, a license, proper regulation, and most importantly, without paying your due taxes. What do you have to say for yourself?¡±


    Balthazar considered whether it would be too late to feign ignorance and revert to speaking crab only. He quickly concluded that would not help him much.


    ¡°I, uh¡­ wasn¡¯t aware there were taxes on what I¡¯m doing here,¡± the crab said, his mind racing for a way out of his predicament.


    ¡°Please, Mr. Balthazar, that excuse won¡¯t work, not even for a crab. You seem to have no trouble grasping the concepts of trade and marketing.¡±


    ¡°Well, what is supposed to happen here?¡± the apprehensive merchant asked, eyeing the two guards behind the inspector.


    ¡°Before we can proceed any further, an inspection of your establishment must be conducted. To evaluate the dimension of your business, your profits, as well as anything that might be out of order.¡±


    Balthazar did not like the idea of some inspector going through his place and his things. Not one bit.


    A thought occurred to him. It was a long shot, given what he had learned about his Charisma and the inspector being five levels higher than him, with who knew what level of Intelligence, but he had to at least try it.


    Puffing up his chest, his golden carapace shining brightly under the sunlight, Balthazar spoke to the tax inspector in his best attempt at sounding confident.


    ¡°Come now, Mr. Abernathy, look around. You can tell this is an honest business I run, nothing out of order here. Also, what I provide to all our dear adventurers every day should count as a public service, and should be exempt from taxes. Just ask any member of the Adventurers Guild. They¡¯ll tell you about my excellent reputation with them. To say nothing of my pristine record with the very guardsmen that stand behind you.¡± The two guards exchanged brief glances at each other while keeping their formation. ¡°They will tell you how I even helped them catch some thieves recently.¡±


    The inspector gazed down at the golden crab from behind his glasses for a moment, seemingly unfazed.


    ¡°Very impressive, Mr. Balthazar, but¡­ no, I don¡¯t believe any of that relinquishes you from the requirement of this inspection.¡±


    The deflated merchant slumped down. It would appear his opponent was much too powerful for his crabby charm.


    ¡°Now, let us not waste any more precious time, shall we?¡± Abernathy said. ¡°I have many other important appointments to get to today.¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Balthazar begrudgingly agreed.


    There was little sense in arguing at that point, and he saw no outcome of the situation that wouldn¡¯t be negative if he resisted.


    The inspector looked at a nearby wood table with multiple trinkets spread over it, waiting to be sorted. With one wrinkly finger outstretched, he slid it across the wooden surface before bringing it up in front of his precariously placed glasses to check for dust.


    The nerve of the villainous fiend, to be checking the crab¡¯s immaculate establishment like it was some unkempt low category shop.


    Balthazar stepped around the pile of old worn-out shoes that was still strewn about on the floor and followed Abernathy as he looked around.


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    ¡°If you see anything you like,¡± the anxious crab said, ¡°I¡¯m sure we could arrange a good price for it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the wrinkly man said, squinting his eyes at some small pieces of jewelry on a display, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that would go against the code of conduct for an inspector doing his job.¡±


    He was a stingy one, it would seem.


    ¡°Tell me, Mr. Balthazar,¡± Abernathy started, continuing his browsing, ¡°what is your average daily profit here?¡±


    Balthazar gulped silently.


    ¡°Oh, heh, you see, uh¡­ that¡¯s hard to say. I don¡¯t really keep an exact count. You know, very hard to count money with pincers for hands.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t keep a ledger,¡± the taxman said, giving him a brief glance from the corner of his saggy eyes. ¡°Very irregular indeed. Certainly does not bode well for you.¡±


    As the small man moved around the platform with the crab accompanying at a close distance, a giant boulder with eyes slowly approached from the side of the pond¡¯s shore.


    With a smile, the golem waved one of his huge stone hands at the two of them. The two guards who were standing by the entrance quickly rushed in, spears pointed forward, ready for a fight, despite their clearly uncertain expressions and glances at each other.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Easy!¡± Balthazar hurriedly said, both pincers up in the air. ¡°He¡¯s my guard! He¡¯s harmless to you. Not a threat!¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± Bouldy said, with a slight frown, as he stared down at the crab standing in front of the two pointy spears.


    Balthazar looked at Abernathy, who was staring straight up over his lenses at the massive towering being standing a few steps away from him outside the wooden platform. Even if barely noticeable, his expression had the first sign of surprise he had given since arriving.


    Without breaking eye contact, the inspector signaled back with his hand for the guards to put away their spears. They tucked their weapons upright between their arms and chests again and returned to their previous positions.


    ¡°So, a golem too,¡± Abernathy said, slowly lowering his gaze from the creature. ¡°Do you have a permit for that?¡±


    Balthazar frantically signaled with his claws for Bouldy to go back to his usual spot. He knew that as tempting as it was, starting a fight with a town inspector and two guards would do nothing but bring a world of problems to his doorstep. Despite him not even having a door at his pond to begin with.


    ¡°A¡­ permit? For him?¡± said the incredulous crab. ¡°You people require permits to have golems?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course. They are powerful and potentially dangerous creatures. If someone owns one, it needs to be vetted by the town¡¯s authorities to ensure they will not be a threat to the citizens. Were you not informed of the protocol by the one who provided it to you?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Balthazar quietly said as he scratched the side of his face with a pincer, ¡°he was a slightly deranged old wizard who vanished into thin air after we made the trade, so¡­ no, he didn¡¯t exactly mention any of that.¡±


    Abernathy slowly shook his head as he pursed his lips. Reaching for his waist pouch once again, he retrieved his notebook and a quill. With raised eyebrows and looking down at the pages through his distant lenses, he took several lengthy notes.


    The crab kept nervously tapping on the wooden floorboards, his anxiety growing.


    ¡°Look, Mr. Abernathy,¡± he finally said once the other finished his notes, ¡°for the purpose of full disclosure, I think you should know that the one who filed the report that sent you here, Antoine, has a grudge against me. He is also the owner of his own general store in town, and sees me as competition to his business, so he has been trying to put me out of mine for a while now.¡±


    ¡°I know Mr. Antoine,¡± the man said, back to leisurely strolling around the trading post. ¡°I remember well how he got to where he is today. And the rumors about his¡­ methods. He has quite the reputation for being very conniving. I¡¯m well aware of that.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± Balthazar said, growing hopeful.


    ¡°I certainly am.¡± Abernathy stopped and faced the crab. ¡°However, rumors are just that, rumors. There has never been proof of any misdoings on his part, not even from his former associates. So, unless you have some kind of concrete evidence to present, Mr. Antoine¡¯s report is still perfectly valid and worthy of being looked into.¡±


    Balthazar exhaled quietly as the inspector gazed at the contents of a crate.


    There had to be something, a weakness to his foe, anything that would help him, but the crab could not figure out what.


    ¡°You clearly have a lot of supply,¡± the man said. ¡°From my experience, I can safely say you must be doing fairly well for yourself, Mr. Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± the gilded crab said, pointing a silver pincer at himself. ¡°Not really. Business is alright, but I¡¯m not rich or anything. Just¡­ getting by.¡±


    ¡°Please, Mr. Balthazar. I have been doing this job for a long time. And I certainly know a Bag of Holding Money when I see one.¡± Abernathy gave a nod towards the bag tied to the side of the crab¡¯s shell. ¡°Just as I can tell when they¡¯re not too empty.¡±


    Foiled again, Balthazar chose not to respond. Despite all his speech, all his charisma, all his intelligence, the old taxman had him beat at every corner.


    ¡°I believe I¡¯ve seen enough,¡± the inspector announced, coming to a stop in front of the crab. ¡°This is a most unusual case, and only made more difficult by the fact you do not keep a proper ledger of business. Given the circumstances, I believe we will have to settle for an estimation of the taxes you owe.¡±


    Balthazar felt his throat go dry before opening his mouth to speak. ¡°And¡­ and how much would we be talking about here?¡±


    ¡°Considering the estimation of trades, the time you¡¯ve been here, the unlicensed golem, late fees, and so on¡­ I believe a sum of 3000 gold is owed to our town¡¯s coffers.¡±


    ¡°A sum of what now?!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s almost half¡­ I mean, that¡¯s a lot of money. You can¡¯t possibly expect me to pay that!¡±


    The crab felt lightheaded. All his precious gold coins, all the time and effort to gather them all. And now they were coming for them. Not lowly thieves, or even birds. No, it was the man. The taxman, to be more precise. It¡¯s always the ones you should expect the most.


    Regretting his choice of not keeping all his money tucked away off-shore¡ªin his islet¡¯s hole¡ªBalthazar tried thinking what his next move should be, but he felt difficulty thinking. All the turmoil of that situation was likely dropping his blood sugar levels.


    Taking a stumbling step to the side, the crab reached for a basket and flipped it open while the tax inspector observed him, hands behind his back.


    ¡°Mr. Balthazar, I¡¯d recommend against any attempts to stall the process of...¡± Abernathy''s words trailed off as he took a long sniff, nearly making his glasses fall off the tip of his nose. ¡°Is that custard pie I smell?¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± Balthazar said, his mouth stuffed with a generous chunk of pie.


    ¡°My, that certainly is a divine smell,¡± the old man said, some of his former composure shedding away. ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse me. It¡¯s been quite some time since I¡¯ve felt that smell. I¡¯ve sworn off sweets by my wife¡¯s demand. Health reasons, she says.¡±


    Realization slowly crept up the crab¡¯s shell, and he glanced at the half custard pie resting in the basket. As much as it pained him, desperate times called for desperate measures.


    ¡°It¡¯s as delicious as it smells, I can tell you,¡± Balthazar said, as he swallowed and put on his best smile. ¡°You¡­ would like a slice?¡±


    The words cut him on the inside as he said them, but he endured.


    ¡°Oh, no, no, I shouldn¡¯t,¡± Abernathy replied, with a clear lack of conviction. ¡°My wife would be furious with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now, Mr. Abernathy, your wife is all the way up in town. We¡¯re here. It¡¯s just us. Nobody would tell a soul. Right, boys?¡± Balthazar leaned to the side, looking at the two guards who, once again, awkwardly glanced at each other without a word. ¡°Is a life without pie even enjoyable? Go on.¡±


    The crab grabbed a plate and offered a slice to the inspector, who looked at it with gluttony in his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, alright, fine, just a slice can¡¯t hurt!¡±


    With an eagerness and joy that resembled the crab, the small man tore into the slice.


    After a few minutes of pure delight, the man handed the plate back to Balthazar. The glasses had come off, and his eyes looked almost on the verge of tears with joy.


    ¡°That was delightful. Simply wonderful! I have to thank you for it, truly.¡±


    ¡°Great! Glad you enjoyed it,¡± Balthazar said, trying to sound cheerful about the pie he had just given away. ¡°Say, given your agreeable mood, there wouldn¡¯t be any chance we could discuss the previous matter a little better?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Mr. Balthazar,¡± Abernathy said, wiping his eyes and putting his glasses back on. ¡°That might have been a delicious experience, but I still haven¡¯t lost my senses. I take my work very seriously.¡±


    The crab felt his shell deflating once again.


    ¡°However,¡± the man continued, ¡°I think, given the special circumstances, that we could arrange for at least some¡­ leeway. I will give you one week to set your affairs in order, and then I shall return here to discuss matters further.¡±


    Balthazar looked suspiciously at the inspector before slowly nodding. ¡°Right, I see. That¡¯s very¡­ kind of you. I¡¯ll make sure I will be better prepared next time. And that we can more properly discuss the situation, perhaps over some more pie.¡±


    ¡°See that you do,¡± Abernathy said, turning to the guards. ¡°Now I must get going. I feel incredibly sluggish after that, and cannot wait to get back to my office and¡­ rest my eyes.¡±


    Watching the three figures leave, Balthazar sighed. That was a close battle, and it was not over yet. But at least now he knew what must be done. It was time to retaliate and deploy his secret weapon: pastries.

 Chapter 30: Exotic Grade Goods

    ¡°Laws in Order¡±


    ¡°Taxation & Representation¡±


    ¡°Fiscal Matters¡±


    ¡°Taxonomicron¡±


    The books were spread around the crab and his cushion, each one thrown to the side in his frantic search for useful knowledge.


    Know thy enemy. And Balthazar intended to know as much as he could about his foe.


    Abernathy, the tax inspector from Ardville. All Balthazar had managed to learn about him from asking his clients was that the old man was the supervisor of the town¡¯s treasury. Little information, but at least now he knew the fiend was no lackey, but the one in charge. And he was determined to defeat that boss.


    Unfortunately, none of his books that mentioned taxmen ever described their eating habits, let alone their favorite pastries. A glaring mistake by every bestiary writer.


    Not that a bestiary ever even listed taxmen on their pages. Giants, golems, dragons, werewolves, even ghosts, but not a single tax monstrosity. Clearly, too dreadful a being for those cowardly writers to so much as try to research.


    Balthazar did find an entry on something nearly as despicable, however: the common fiscal</a>. An apparent subspecies of taxman who was even more abominable, mainly because it was also a bird.


    With his face scrunching up in disgust at the mere thought of two of his most hated things combined, the crab tossed the ornithology book aside and crossed his arms, left pincer tapping thoughtfully on his chin.


    ¡°I will get you, Abernathy. Just you wait.¡±


    At the sound of a bell, Balthazar broke away from his plotting and looked at the other side of the pond.


    Tired of hearing adventurers yell for him all day, the crab had traded a bell from one of them, and instructed Druma to install it by the entrance of the trading post, for clients to ring whenever they came in to do business.


    Why a questing adventurer would loot a bell was something the merchant had no answer for, but at least he also got a good amount of leather and a pair of decorative horns from the man at a good price.


    Hopping up from the cushion, Balthazar quickly crossed the bridge to meet the arriving client.


    At the other side of the platform stood a small woman wearing a straw hat, barely taller than the crab, looking even smaller thanks to her hunched up posture and huge apparatus on her back. A frame of bamboo canes attached to her body by leather straps contained a paraphernalia of objects and containers¡ªsmall boxes, large bags, rolled up textiles, tools, even an umbrella hanging off the side¡ªall looking far too heavy for such a small person to be able to hold, let alone walk with.


    [Level 24 Wanderer]


    ¡°Greetings, friend!¡± she cheerfully said with a wave of a hand. Her face was red and rough, like that of someone who had experienced a few too many sunburns in their lifetime.


    ¡°Hello there,¡± Balthazar responded, feeling intrigued by the unusual visitor. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    ¡°You, of course!¡± the adventurer exclaimed with a smile, while opening both arms and making a hanging saucepan dangle precariously from the side of her back gear. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing tales of this talking crab all the way since I came out of the desert. I¡¯ve been dying to see it for weeks. And here you are!¡±


    ¡°Yes, here I am. Balthazar, the touristic attraction, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Ah, they told me you¡¯d be a little crabby, ha ha!¡± the woman said with a laugh, slapping her knee and causing some leaves to fall off her back.


    ¡°Yes, hilarious. Never heard that one before. Does anything else bring you here¡­ miss?¡±


    Balthazar could not figure out the woman¡¯s age. She seemed simultaneously too young for her appearance, but also older than she looked.


    ¡°Oh, come now, cheer up, life is too short. You should laugh more often!¡± she responded. ¡°But yes, lots of things brought me here, actually. And the name¡¯s Wanda. No need for formalities.¡±


    ¡°Right, Wanda, then.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of names, does your establishment here have a name?¡±


    ¡°A name?¡± Balthazar repeated. ¡°Uh, no. Never really thought about that. Do you people care about such things?¡±


    ¡°Certainly!¡± the cheerful woman said. ¡°You can¡¯t build a widely known reputation without a proper and catchy name for your place. Have you considered, maybe¡­ ¡®The Crab Shack¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the crab responded, with an impassive expression. ¡°And neither do I intend to.¡±


    ¡°Shame,¡± she said, straightening her traveling coat. ¡°Idea¡¯s there, if you ever change your mind.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, but thanks. But say, you certainly look¡­ different from the adventurers I usually get around here.¡±


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    ¡°Those greenhorns? Pfft, they know nothing. They stick around the same places, raiding the same dungeons over and over again, sleeping in the same inns every day. Not me, though. I like to get out there, go where nobody else has been, see new places, meet new people. Wandering is my calling.¡±


    ¡°Sounds horrible. Good for you. But I¡¯m still not sure what¡¯s the part where I come in.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Wanda started, while giving the straps around her shoulders a quick readjustment. ¡°I like to collect things from all over, trade for them, and then trade them away somewhere else. Always up to find something new and exciting. Never once did I trade with a crab, so that would be a first for me, and I was hoping I could find something interesting from your stock, and that maybe I could present you with something you¡¯d be interested in from my travels.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that sounds promising enough. I¡¯m always open to sell my jun¡­ my select goods. And if you¡¯ve got something interesting worth trading for, we could make a deal.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± the wanderer excitedly said, stepping closer to a nearby table and dismounting her harness onto the floor. ¡°What do you say about a¡­ bottle of rare rum from the far-away city of Babaurhum?¡±


    Reaching inside her apparatus, she produced a thick and tall bottle of a dark color and presented it to the crab.


    ¡°Sounds¡­ far away,¡± he said, taking the bottle and uncorking it with his silver pincer.


    After taking a reluctant sniff, Balthazar pulled his face back from the intensity of the smell. ¡°And smells strong. I could probably find someone interested in this. How much do you want for it?¡±


    ¡°Ah, haggling for coins is boring,¡± Wanda said. ¡°Show me what you got that is unique and interesting, and we can trade for it!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, right,¡± the crab said, looking around thoughtfully. ¡°Plenty of rare and unique things around here.¡±


    Balthazar put the bottle down on the table and turned around to face his shelves and boxes. All that stuff was junk to him. What could possibly even pass as rare or unique to one of those adventurers was beyond him.


    ¡°Ah, here is a good one,¡± the golden merchant said as he turned back, a horned iron helmet in his pincer. ¡°This here is a very rare and hard to find piece, passed down for generations, until it landed here, in front of you. It¡¯s very unique, as it¡¯s the only one I have. And now, it could be yours.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The woman stroked her chin as she looked at the helmet. ¡°I hate to sound rude, but those helmets are incredibly common in most parts of the continent I¡¯ve been to. I guess they maybe never made it to these parts, so they¡¯re a rarity around here. Even so, not quite the novelty I was hoping for. I¡¯d love something¡­ truly unique, even better if it has a story of its own attached to it, something truly interesting.¡±


    Foiled again, the crab put the helmet back on its spot. Surely there would be one soul out there who would eventually buy the damn thing.


    ¡°I see, I see,¡± Balthazar said, while reaching for another helmet next to the horned one. ¡°I think I have just the thing. I save my highest grade items for times likes this.¡±


    Facing the eager woman, he presented a bronze helmet with a large dent on it.


    ¡°This,¡± the merchant began, in a hushed voice, ¡°was the helmet worn by the hero of Ardville, Semmel, at his very first battle.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, fascinating,¡± Wanda said, her eyes examining the helmet. ¡°I never heard about a hero called Semmel. Must be pretty ancient.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, very. This all happened many generations ago. You wouldn¡¯t find it easily in any books. They didn¡¯t even know yet how to write back then. His whole legend was passed down by word of mouth alone.¡±


    ¡°Amazing,¡± she said. ¡°And what¡¯s the story behind this big dent?¡±


    ¡°That was, uh¡­ in the battle, there was this¡­ golem, you know, big one, came charging at Semmel, struck him right here on the head. But proof that this helmet is a quality one, the hero survived his first battle, and went on to write his name in history.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said they didn¡¯t know yet how to write¡ª¡°


    ¡°He also went on to invent writing. He was a multifaceted hero, alright? Now, do you want the damn helmet or not?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m a sucker for a good myth anyway,¡± the eager adventurer said, taking the helmet from his claws. ¡°Speaking of things of myth¡­¡±


    The wanderer retrieved something wrapped in a thick shawl from her pack. As she untangled it from the surrounding fabric, the object was revealed to be oval and the size of a large melon. Its surface was scaly, rugged, and of a dark gray color that appeared to shimmer with a blue hue at every turn in her hand.


    Balthazar peered through his monocle, intrigued.


    [Unknown Egg]


    ¡°This is a rare find,¡± Wanda said, marveling at the object she was holding in her hands. ¡°An egg of unknown origins, perfectly preserved. I¡¯ve seen nothing like it before, and I¡¯ve been around for a while.¡±


    ¡°What kind of egg is it?¡± the suspicious crab asked.


    ¡°Nobody knows,¡± she answered. ¡°The adventurer I got it from said the other adventurer he had bought it from also didn¡¯t know, as neither did the one before that, and so on. Apparently, everyone has been looting this thing forever, expecting something special from it, but it never happened. I think it makes for a nice piece of decoration, at least. The blue color that reflects off of it is so captivating, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It sure is,¡± Balthazar agreed, his eyes fixated on the shine of the egg¡¯s scales.


    ¡°I take it you¡¯re interested, then?¡± the other said, an excited smile on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m certainly intrigued by it.¡±


    ¡°Nice! What other curious artifacts do you have for trade, then?¡± Wanda asked, while carefully placing the strange egg on a bowl that sat in the middle of a nearby table.


    ¡°Oh, right, artifacts,¡± said Balthazar, breaking his attention away from the scintillating object and looking around once more, with little idea of what to make up next.


    ¡°I think I have just the thing to go with that helmet.¡±


    Taking the cover off a nearby crate, the crab reached inside with a pincer, rummaging for a few noisy moments, before pulling out a single sandal.


    ¡°This here sandal,¡± he said, with a serious tone, ¡°was one of the sandals Semmel wore during his final battle.¡±


    ¡°Oooooh.¡± Wanda looked at the piece of worn out footwear with wide eyes. ¡°What happened to the other one?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ lost in the battle. Accounts of the event say a powerful monster tore it in half, never to be seen again.¡±


    The wanderer nodded to the crab¡¯s words. ¡°And you say that was Semmel¡¯s final battle? Did he die in it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Balthazar quickly said, growing impatient. ¡°He just retired and went on to live the rest of his days on a chicken farm. Are you interested or not?¡±


    The woman straightened herself back up and extended a hand to the crab in a handshake offer. ¡°How could I say no? I love artifacts with history to them. You¡¯ve got yourself a deal.¡±


    Balthazar shoved the old bandit sandal in her extended hand and turned to the egg. ¡°Great, so it¡¯s settled, this egg thing for the ancient sandal of¡­ snapping, or whatever you want to call it from now on.¡±


    ¡°This was fun,¡± Wanda said, while storing the helmet and sandal in her baggage, ¡°but it¡¯s getting late and I still have a good bit of road to go. I hope we cross paths again some day, Balthazar. Was nice meeting you!¡±


    ¡°Doubt we will unless you cross this path again, but sure, nice doing business with you, too.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t discard the possibility so easily, my pinchy friend. I have this feeling you¡¯d like the life on the road if you ever tried it one day. I¡¯d know, I have a good sense for these things.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Balthazar replied, accompanying the wanderer on her way out, eager to see her leave so he could get to his mid-afternoon pastry snack.


    As the two of them walked towards the road, the mysterious egg remained on the bowl, glimmering with a soft blue tinge over its dark rough surface.

 Chapter 31: Hatching a Plan

    The crab gazed thoughtfully at the stone-like egg, its rough surface looking like the darkened scales of an old lizard, with tiny shimmering specks of crystal appearance reflecting light in a blue tone that captivated him to no end.


    Balthazar knew little about eggs, especially of that kind. Despite having presumably hatched from one himself, he never really had anyone to educate him on such matters. He once found a section in a book that talked about crab mating and crab roe, but the details of that are best left untouched, for they would not be family friendly.


    What he also knew was that eggs were where birds came from, but somehow he was certain what he had there was not a bird¡¯s egg. It was too¡­ beautiful to be that.


    However, as much as Balthazar despised the wretched flying creatures, one small thing he had to concede about them: their eggs were essential to the making of most of his favorite pastries.


    Which made the act of cracking an egg all the more satisfying. One contributes to the making of a delicious baked good, while at the same time preventing another of the wretched creatures from ever even being born. He was sure there was some saying that could be made out of that there, something to do with birds, and getting two for one, but the crab couldn''t think of anything specific at that moment, so he figured it would be best to leave it for later.


    Debating whether he was more fascinated by its glimmer, or his curiosity about what was inside, Balthazar picked up the egg and weighed it up and down.


    ¡°Hmm, pretty heavy. Doesn¡¯t feel hollow at all.¡±


    Curiosity won, and the crab decided he needed to know what that thing contained.


    Struggling to wrap his iron pincer around the egg, he used his silver claw, carefully adjusting the position until it was firmly secure in his grasp.


    ¡°Alright, now just a little squeeze to make it crack¡­¡±


    Balthazar pressed once.


    Balthazar pressed twice.


    At the third press he was already straining to squeeze any harder, and the hard stone surface was showing no signs of giving in to his mighty pincer.


    ¡°What the hell is this made of?¡± he said with a slight panting.


    With the pinching approach producing no results, Balthazar tried bashing the top of it with the blunt side of his right pincer.


    Growing increasingly annoyed with each strike, the crab hammered at the thing over and over, without so much as a dent being made.


    ¡°No wonder this thing passed through so many hands,¡± the flustered crustacean said. ¡°I bet none of them could do anything with it, so they just kept selling it to the next sucker.¡±


    Refusing to accept defeat, and determined to prevail where less clever humans failed, he considered what other ways he could try to get to his prize.


    Balthazar looked over to Bouldy. The golem would likely be able to crush the thing with just one hand, but brute force would probably not be the right approach there, as whatever was inside would probably end up destroyed, too.


    As he often did, the crab thought back to all the books he had recently read, looking for the one piece of information that might help him crack the case.


    With a snap of his left pincer, Balthazar perked up. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    He hurriedly crossed the bridge with the egg.


    The merchant had found very early on that he wasn¡¯t destined to be a baker himself, or a cook, given his lack of puny, delicate hands, but there were still times where he would read a cookbook, even if just to pass the time, when every other piece of literature was already consumed.


    It was a basic recipe from one such book that he remembered. Out of the many ways humans had to prepare eggs, baking was just one. They¡¯d fry them, stir them, and even¡­ boil them.


    That had to do the trick. If he were to boil the hard egg in hot water for long enough, it would eventually soften up, and who knows, perhaps he¡¯d find what he was really hoping for all along: a rare and exotic delicacy. After all, if eggs were present in so many of his beloved pastries, they would likely be delicious on their own, too.


    Besides, eating it might send a powerful message to any passing birds.


    Asserting dominance was important.


    Taking an iron grill and placing it over the coals of the fire pit, the crab then used a few strikes of his claw against a stone to set some tinder ablaze and start the fire.


    Balthazar grabbed a cooking pot and filled it with water from the pond, before carefully placing it on the grill, over the already crackling fire.


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    He had never tried cooking anything at all, having always enjoyed his meals of fish raw, and later his pastries made by someone else, but now that he was attempting it, he was surprised at how easy it was.


    ¡°Now just going to wait until the water starts boiling and¡ª¡°


    [Cooking¡­]


    The text appeared in front of his eyes as he placed a lid over the pot, much to his surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s a thing?¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t have expected such a basic task to have anything to do with the system or any skills, but thought little of it. After all, how hard could boiling an egg be?


    [Cooking failed]


    [Result: [Burned Water]]


    ¡°Burned¡­ water?¡± the incredulous crab repeated. ¡°How the hell is that even possible?!¡±


    Lifting the lid, Balthazar looked inside to find the cooking pot empty again.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?! I would think this stupid system would give me helpful skills, not make me fail at basic things!¡±


    Cursing the system in his thoughts, Balthazar considered his options once more.


    Since his Cooking skill being an F apparently made him completely useless at any kind of cooking, he didn¡¯t want to risk trying to boil the egg and losing it forever.


    Then, an idea of how to circumvent the system occurred to him.


    Moving the grill and cooking pot aside, Balthazar picked up the egg and carefully laid it over the sizzling coals.


    Waiting for a moment with both pincers in the air over the egg, ready to take it out of the pit at the first sign of danger, the crab observed attentively, but no text appeared in his eyes.


    ¡°Ah, take that!¡± the proud crustacean exclaimed, to some imaginary presence. ¡°Outsmarted you again! This doesn¡¯t count as cooking.¡±


    Watching the scaly rock being caressed by the flames, with still no signs of any change, Balthazar let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Well, this is boring to watch.¡±


    Startled by a bell toll, the merchant snapped out of his egg trance to see Rye and Madeleine arriving.


    ¡°You guys are here already? I must have lost track of time,¡± Balthazar said, looking up at the sun¡¯s position as he walked towards the pair.


    ¡°Yes, we are,¡± Madeleine said, looking slightly stressed. ¡°Now can you tell us what was so urgent you had some random adventurer deliver me that message and make me come down here on purpose to meet with you when you know I¡¯m up to my neck with orders?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re kind of worried, Balthazar,¡± Rye added. ¡°Is there something bad going on?¡±


    Balthazar glanced at the archer for a moment. He appeared to be acting as his usual self. Did he even remember their previous conversation? Whichever the case, he didn¡¯t seem as disturbed or confused as when they had last seen each other, which was somewhat of a relief.


    ¡°Calm down, you two,¡± the crab said. ¡°There is something bad going on, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve got a plan. And I¡¯ll need your help in particular, Madeleine.¡±


    ¡°My help?¡± she asked, pointing a finger at herself while looking puzzled. ¡°With what?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down. It will make sense once I explain everything.¡±


    ***


    An hour had passed, as the trio of conspirators discussed Balthazar¡¯s plan between scones and slices of pie.


    ¡°Right, so are you two clear on what I intend to do?¡± the crab asked, while placing two heavy coin pouches in Madeleine¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Yes, I guess so,¡± the baker reluctantly said. ¡°But I still don¡¯t like that you¡¯re giving me all this money, Balthazar. This is a lot. It will cover a whole month of rent, and then some.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving it to you, Madeleine. You should know by now I¡¯m not the type to be giving money away,¡± the gilded merchant retorted. ¡°This is an advance pay for the lots of work you will do for me in the next few days.¡±


    The girl pouted slightly while looking down.


    ¡°Do you work for free now?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need the money for rent?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Then stop arguing. I¡¯m paying you for your services, that¡¯s all. Besides, it''s in my best interest to make sure your business doesn''t go under. Who would make me delicious pies and other pastries then?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she conceded, in a way that resembled a small child.


    ¡°Told you, stubborn,¡± Rye said with a shrug and an apologetic smile.


    ¡°I know,¡± said Balthazar, turning to the young man. ¡°As for you, you got the list of what I need? Think you¡¯ll be able to bring them over in time?¡±


    Rye raised a small piece of parchment where he had noted what the crab required. ¡°Got it right here. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get everything.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. Let¡¯s put pincers to work and get this plan moving.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± said the archer. ¡°I think if I hurry back to town, I could still get a couple of these things before nightfall.¡±


    ¡°And I need to hurry too,¡± Madeleine added. ¡°I got to finish my remaining orders for tomorrow before I dedicate myself full time to yours. And I also need to get a lot of ingredients from the market first thing in the morning. I¡¯m going to need so much flour and sugar, not to mention all the eggs.¡±


    ¡°The egg!¡± Balthazar shouted, with a sudden jump in place that startled the girl and the boy in front of him.


    The crab hurriedly skittered his way to the fire pit. ¡°Oh no, oh no. I completely forgot about the egg!¡±


    ¡°What egg? What are you talking about?¡± a confused Rye asked.


    ¡°This thing!¡± an exasperated Balthazar said, pointing to the charred black rock in the middle of the fire as the other two moved closer.


    ¡°That¡¯s an egg?¡± the archer questioned.


    ¡°What were you trying to do with it?!¡± the confounded baker said.


    ¡°First, I tried to crack it open, but that didn¡¯t work,¡± the crab explained, while attempting to fan the flames down, but only stoking them even higher. ¡°So then I tried to boil it, or cook it, or something that would let me open the damn thing. Most of the stuff you make uses eggs. I figured there was a good chance it would be a delicacy!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Madeleine said. ¡°That¡¯s not how it works, and that¡¯s not how you cook eggs either, Balthazar!¡±


    ¡°Guys¡­¡± Rye said.


    ¡°Will you two stop and just help me get it out of the fire?!¡±


    ¡°Guys?¡±


    ¡°Stop fanning the fire. You¡¯re making it worse!¡±


    ¡°Guys!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the crab and the baker said in unison.


    ¡°Why is it shaking?¡± Rye said, pointing at the egg in the fire pit.


    The other two turned back to look at the fire.


    As the orange flames swirled around the surface of the rugged shell, some of them briefly flared blue. With an increasing shaking, a crack formed near the top of the egg.


    The trio watched with bated breath as the crack spread, until finally a thick chunk fell off, producing a small hole in the surface.


    From within, a scaly blue eyelid opened, revealing a yellow lizard-like eye, looking up at the sky for the first time.

 Chapter 32: Blue

    ¡°Let me see! Let me see!¡±


    ¡°Ow! Watch the monocle!¡±


    Madeleine propped herself over Balthazar¡¯s shell, attempting to get a better view of the egg, and nearly falling over him.


    ¡°There¡¯s something inside!¡± she said in an increasingly excited voice. ¡°Get it out of the fire, quick!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to, if you get off my shell!¡±


    The crab grabbed hold of the scalding egg with his iron pincer, and with the help of his silver one underneath, quickly moved it out of the fire and onto the floor.


    ¡°Oh! Ah! Hot, hot!¡± Balthazar yelped.


    ¡°Look! It''s cracking open!¡± the enthusiastic baker said, pointing a finger at the fissures spreading across the stony surface.


    Balthazar watched the egg¡¯s shell begin to crumble, while a fascinated Madeleine held on to the edges of his own shell, almost lying horizontally over him in her eagerness to see the hatching up close.


    With one final crack, the darkened husk split in two and the creature inside emerged with small steam stacks dispersing around it. After two slow blinks at the surrounding brightness, it stood wobbly on its two legs.


    It was barely larger than a squirrel, covered in scales that resembled those of a lizard, but instead of green they were of a vivid azure blue, except for a couple of small patches on its neck, where the scales were a golden yellow, same as its eyes.


    The creature straightened its two hind legs and stretched its upper torso wide, revealing a pair of fragile wings for arms, ending in tiny talons. The undersides of the wings were a lighter shade of yellow too, and so thin the light from the fire behind could be seen through them.


    It looked at Madeleine and the crab under her before opening its mouth as if preparing to roar, but all that came out was a high-pitched screech.


    ¡°Oh, my gods! It¡¯s so tiny!¡± the baker said, in a high-pitched tone of her own.


    ¡°What is that?!¡± a slightly panicked Rye asked off from the side, keeping a safe distance.


    ¡°Is that a bird?! That better not be a bird!¡± Balthazar yelled, trying to get Madeleine¡¯s braid off his field of view.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a bird, it has no feathers!¡± she said, her gaze still firmly held by the creature.


    ¡°But it has wings!¡± he retorted, stepping back and letting the girl fall on her hands and knees in front of the newly hatched creature.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a baby dragon!¡± she said, sounding far too giddy at the possibility.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of blue dragons in these lands,¡± said Rye.


    Balthazar looked at it through his monocle.


    [Level ? Unknown]


    ¡°Well, that never happened before,¡± he muttered to himself.


    The crab thought for a moment. He was sure he had seen something that resembled the creature recently.


    ¡°Keep an eye on it,¡± Balthazar said, while grabbing a book from a shelf and rapidly paging through it.


    ¡°Aw, I think it likes me!¡± the baker said with a squeal as the blue creature rubbed the top of its scaly head against the back of her index finger.


    ¡°Madeleine! Don¡¯t touch it! You don¡¯t even know what it is!¡± the apprehensive archer pleaded, still standing behind a chair for safety.


    ¡°It¡¯s adorable, that¡¯s what it is!¡± she said, smiling from ear to ear, her bright green eyes sparkling with child-like joy.


    ¡°It¡¯s a drake,¡± Balthazar announced, eyes down on the pages of a bestiary.


    ¡°A drake? Does it say if it¡¯s dangerous?¡± asked Rye.


    ¡°Drakes are a subspecies of the dragon race,¡± the crab read, ¡°much smaller in size, and possessing a more limited intellect, they were mostly kept as trained pets by powerful people, until they nearly went extinct due to being unable to reproduce in captivity.¡± He skipped to the bottom of the page. ¡°Their eggs are said to be nearly indestructible, and able to remain viable for decades or more, only hatching when heated to a high enough temperature by the flames of their parents.¡±


    ¡°Sounds kind of dangerous to me!¡± the boy said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, Rye,¡± the kneeling down girl said, while petting the drake, who happily received the pets with eyes closed. ¡°Look at him, completely friendly.¡±


    ¡°Her,¡± Balthazar corrected. ¡°It says here that only the females have those gold-colored scales on their neck and wings.¡±


    ¡°Oooooh,¡± Madeleine said, sounding like an ecstatic little girl. ¡°Of course you are! You¡¯re a pretty girl, yes you are! Look at those gorgeous eyes!¡±


    The delighted young woman continued petting and scratching the tiny drake under her chin as the creature tapped on the floor with its tail in clear enjoyment.


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    The other two exchanged concerned looks at each other.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Rye started. ¡°What are we going to do with it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Madeleine asked, her brow furrowing. ¡°We¡¯re keeping her, of course!¡±


    ¡°We are?¡± the crab said.


    ¡°Yes! I would take her up with me if I could, but that wouldn¡¯t go well with the town¡¯s guards, so you will have to look after her, Balthazar. Besides, you¡¯re the one who provided the fire for her to hatch, so she¡¯s yours to look after!¡±


    ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Rye quietly said.


    ¡°Me? I was just hoping to get a tasty treat! I don¡¯t want to adopt any stupid thing with wings!¡±


    ¡°Balthazar! Don¡¯t say that in front of her!¡± the upset baker admonished.


    ¡°It¡¯s a damn drake, and it was just born. It can¡¯t understand me!¡± the exasperated crab pleaded, both pincers outstretched towards the creature.


    ¡°And you¡¯re a rude crab, but that doesn¡¯t keep you from understanding mean words!¡± the girl responded, her lips slightly puckered as she vigorously petted the drake¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, little one. He didn¡¯t mean that, he¡¯s just a grumpy pants.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t even wear pants!¡±


    ¡°Guys, guys, come on,¡± Rye said, finally stepping out from behind the chair. ¡°Maybe Madeleine is right. We can¡¯t just get rid of it now. It is technically a baby. That would be kind of messed up, to just abandon it like that. Don¡¯t you think, Balthazar?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± the crab said, bouncing his shell side to side and looking up.


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± Madeleine yelled, picking up the creature and holding it against her chest while caressing its wings.


    ¡°Oh, fine!¡± the defeated merchant said. ¡°She can stay. For now. At least until we figure out what to do with her.¡±


    ¡°Yay,¡± the girl cheered in a hushed voice, while looking at the drake with glee.


    ¡°She really seems to like you,¡± Balthazar said, while cautiously approaching them.


    ¡°Oh, she is such a cutie pie. Look, see that crab? That¡¯s Balthazar. He hatched you! He¡¯s like your big momma now!¡±


    ¡°Please never say that again,¡± Balthazar said, glaring at the baker.


    Extending her arms towards the crab, she brought the small drake closer to him. The winged creature stretched her neck forward and sniffed the air between them.


    ¡°Go on, give her a pet,¡± Madeleine encouraged.


    Reluctantly, Balthazar brought his iron pincer over the tiny head, and gave it a couple of taps that pushed her down slightly under his claw¡¯s weight.


    As he pulled away, her nostrils flared with a puff of steam, she bared her tiny sharp teeth at him, before letting out a tiny growl and opening her mouth to produce a short jet of blue flames that barely reached past her nose before fading out.


    ¡°Wow!¡± the startled crab exclaimed, taking a quick step back. ¡°She just tried to attack me! You all saw it!¡±


    ¡°It can breathe fire already?¡± an alarmed Rye said, discreetly retreating back to safety behind his wooden chair.


    ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re a fiery girl, aren¡¯t you?¡± Madeleine said with both eyebrows raised high, pulling the small creature back to face her. ¡°And don¡¯t be ridiculous, Balthazar. She clearly doesn¡¯t know how to control her fire breathing yet. Besides, you need to be more careful with those big paws of yours. She¡¯s delicate.¡±


    ¡°Paws?!¡± the mildly outraged crab repeated. ¡°And delicate?! That thing came out of an unbreakable egg, and five minutes later is already spitting fire. It¡¯s anything but fragile!¡±


    Hearing slow foot stomps from behind, they all turned to the approaching golem and the goblin trotting in front of him.


    ¡°Boss, boss,¡± Druma said to Balthazar. ¡°Druma hear yell.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all fine. Nothing bad happened.¡±


    ¡°Boss! What is blue thing?!¡± the other asked, frowning heavily and stretching his neck forward to look at the small creature Madeleine was carefully placing on the floor.


    ¡°That¡¯s a drake, apparently,¡± the crab answered. ¡°It will be staying here for the time being, but let¡¯s not get too attached. It¡¯s only temporary.¡±


    ¡°It bite?¡± the concerned goblin asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, probably? We already know it can breathe fire. Just to be safe, I wouldn¡¯t put any fingers near her mouth if I were you.¡±


    In proper goblin fashion, Druma approached the creature and immediately disregarded the warning, waggling a finger in front of her snout in a playful manner.


    The drake tilted her head, golden eyes following the finger¡¯s movements, and with a quick snap, bit into it.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Druma said, pulling his finger back. There was a set of tiny teeth impressions marked around his green knuckle, but they had not broken any skin. ¡°She bitey!¡± The goblin chuckled with apparent amusement.


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    Balthazar looked up to Bouldy, who was attentively watching the tiny blue creature playing with the goblin¡¯s finger by trying to bite it again.


    ¡°Err¡­¡± The crab remembered the golem¡¯s knack for misinterpreting commands. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s say for now that she is a friend, sure. Don¡¯t smash her, please.¡±


    The stone giant smiled and gave a nod before crouching down to observe the creature closer.


    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Madeleine suddenly exclaimed. ¡°What will it eat?¡±


    ¡°According to the book,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°they can eat raw meat from prey right from the moment they are born.¡±


    ¡°Prey?¡± asked Rye. ¡°How are you going to get any prey to feed her?¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The crab pondered briefly. ¡°I guess I could have Druma set some basic snare and box traps around the edge of the forest. There are always plenty of rabbits, squirrels, and rats scurrying around there. She can eat those.¡±


    ¡°You know, Balthazar,¡± the archer started, ¡°you should probably give her a name.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Madeleine protested. ¡°Why can¡¯t I name her? He didn¡¯t even want to keep her to begin with!¡±


    ¡°Well, you know...¡± Rye awkwardly said. ¡°It was his egg. He technically hatched it, and he is the one who will be looking after her, so...¡±


    The girl crossed her arms and pouted, but didn¡¯t protest any further.


    ¡°A name?¡± Balthazar said, scratching the side of his face with a pincer. ¡°What do you even name a drake?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the young adventurer with a shrug. ¡°What comes to mind when you look at her?¡±


    The crab stared thoughtfully at the creature for a few moments, as it continued to snap its teeth at the goblin¡¯s fingers, sometimes catching them, making him let out a yelp, followed by him laughing and doing it again.


    ¡°She, uh¡­ is pretty¡­ blue, I guess?¡± he reluctantly said.


    ¡°Oh! Blue. That¡¯s kinda pretty!¡± Madeleine said, perking up from her seat. ¡°Simple, but nice.¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I name you Blue. There, that¡¯s settled.¡±


    The small drake turned her head to the crab and tilted it, as if examining him through her vivid golden eyes, before opening her mouth into a long yawn.


    ¡°Aw, she¡¯s sleepy now,¡± the baker girl said, cupping her hands together against her chest. ¡°Here girl, we should let you get some rest now. You already had to process a lot since you came out of that shell.¡±


    Picking Blue up onto her arms, she gently moved her over to Balthazar¡¯s purple cushion, where he had sat while discussing his plan with them earlier.


    ¡°Hey! Why are you putting her to sleep on my pillow?!¡± the crab protested.


    ¡°Hush now! Don¡¯t be greedy.¡±


    Once laid upon the soft cushion, the small drake immediately circled over her own tail and settled down into a tight curl, resting her chin down, eyes heavy, looking around at everyone as they slowly closed.


    ¡°This reminds me,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°didn¡¯t you guys have a list of tasks to do? It¡¯s nearly nighttime. Get going!¡±


    After some friendly banter and protests, the adventurer and the baker went on their way back to town, while the golem and the goblin returned to their usual spots across the bridge, and the crab was left alone at the center of his trading post.


    Looking down at the tiny creature, who was now peacefully asleep on his cushion, folded wings moving up and down softly with each breath, Balthazar let out a small chuckle.


    Sliding both pincers under the purple pillow slowly to not wake her up, the crab gently picked them up and began carrying the azure blue drake to the other side of the pond.


    ¡°You¡¯re kinda cute, you little monster.¡±

 Chapter 33: Growth Spurt

    Balthazar¡¯s mouth twitched and mumbled something unintelligible as he slept. Deep within the crab¡¯s shell, a dream played out in his mind. It was fuzzy and disjointed.


    He was by the shore of his pond, but there was no trading post. No shelves, tables, crates, or random junk either. He saw no one else around him, no goblin, no golem, nor signs of any humans.


    His claws and shell were back to being their usual gray chitin, and he felt threatened, as if he was in danger.


    In the dream, Balthazar looked up at the gloomy dark sky that seemed to herald an incoming storm, and he saw a mass of black dots descending from the clouds. They were birds. Dozens, maybe hundreds of them.


    He felt agitated, but unable to move, as if his legs were stuck to the ground.


    Paralyzed in his nightmare, the increasingly panicked crustacean looked around for any form of help he could find, but there was nothing.


    The creatures were all identical, practically indistinguishable from one another, as if reflections from one single source, diving at him with great speed. Yet, they also appeared to take an excruciatingly long time to reach him, as if every time he looked at them again, they were further up and back to the start of their descent, repeating a torturous loop of impending doom the crab could not escape.


    Balthazar wasn¡¯t even sure what would happen once they finally got to him. No bird had ever actually physically harmed him. Despite that, they always brought a feeling of danger within, of a threat, that they were a bad omen.


    He just wanted out of there, but his legs wouldn¡¯t budge, and there was nothing he could do but watch.


    Suddenly, out of nowhere, a loud screech echoed around him. Looking back up at the approaching flocks of dark birds, he saw a larger blue figure dash through the air among them.


    ¡°No, get away, they¡¯re dangerous!¡± Balthazar tried shouting, but no sound escaped his mouth.


    Gazing in horror at the scene above, surprise replaced fear, as the winged lizard started shooting jets of fire out of its mouth, burning away several of the birds with each exhale.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the crab shouted, thrusting a victorious pincer to the sky, his voice audible once again.


    Soon the few birds that remained dispersed, flying away in a frenzied retreat, leaving the drake as the sole ruler of the sky above the pond.


    Still unable to move, Balthazar continued celebrating the avian defeat he had just witnessed, when a set of words appeared in front of his vision, blurry and hazy.


    [Add Blue to your Party?]


    [Yes | No]


    He looked past the letters at the majestic blue creature hovering above, flapping her golden wings as it looked down at him.


    And then his dream slowly began slipping away.


    ***


    The sun was already fully above the horizon and morning had begun by the time the crab woke up. Despite having done it all his life, sleeping in the sand again felt odd, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to move the baby drake off his pillow after she had fallen asleep on it the previous evening, so he allowed her to rest there for the night. But only that once, definitely a one-time thing.


    Shaking off the sand on his shell, Balthazar felt groggy and slightly dazed. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was due to not being used to sleeping like that anymore, but his body felt as if he had spent the whole night in a state of tension, and he was unsure why.


    Carefully approaching the entrance of his tent, he took care not to make any loud noises before checking in on the tiny drake left sleeping in there the previous night.


    As he peered inside, his eye stalks stood up when he realized the purple cushion was unoccupied.


    Rushing inside, the crab looked frantically around and under everything within the small enclosed space for any signs of the baby, but found nothing.


    The creature was not inside the empty jar of cookies, or in the basket full of scones, not even hiding behind the plate of pie. He lifted the heavy wooden cover serving as a floor that disguised the hole underneath, but in there all he saw was the same old scroll and his other belongings, no signs of any blue being.


    It had only been a few hours, and he had already managed to lose the baby. He began wondering why he had ever agreed to look after it in the first place. Who would think a crustacean would be a good fit to look after a newborn?


    His was the story of a merchant crab, not a nanny crab.


    A knot formed in his throat as he imagined Madeleine¡¯s reaction once she found out. He could lose his supply of pastries!


    Balthazar rushed out of the tent and looked around. Druma was on the other side of the bridge, already working on hammering nails to some wood. Bouldy was hunched over the water, trailing the tip of his finger over the water as he played with the fish.


    ¡°Oh no, no, no,¡± the crab said, with increasing worry. ¡°Where could it have gone, damn it?¡±


    Hearing the crisp sound of a twig breaking, Balthazar looked up just in time to see a blue blur dropping from a tree branch and dive towards him.


    With a quick yelp and a jump back, the startled merchant avoided the landing drake.


    Except this no longer looked like the same creature as the day before. It had grown, now being nearly the same size as a large dog, its scales a deeper shade of blue that resembled the color of a sapphire, and the teeth that filled its mouth were much sharper.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°How the hell¡­¡±


    On a hunch, Balthazar tried looking at it through his monocle again.


    [Level 16 Juvenile Drake]


    ¡°But why did you¡ª¡±


    As if a pocket of water inside his shell had just popped, a quick hint of a memory washed over him, only partial, but enough to make him recall something he wasn¡¯t sure was a dream, or just his imagination playing tricks.


    Pulling up his status page, he checked his party.


    [Status]


    [Name: Balthazar] [Race: Crab] [Class: Adept Merchant] [Level: 10]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 3] [Agility: 2] [Intelligence: 20]


    [Skills]


    [Charisma: S(+5)] [Medium Armor: A] [Speech: B] [Fishing: C] [Slashing Weapons: C] [Reading: B] [Imbuing: C]


    [Party Members]


    [Name: Druma] [Race: Goblin] [Class: None] [Level: 3]


    [Health: 60/60]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 2] [Agility: 4] [Intelligence: 2(+2)]


    [Name: Bouldy] [Race: Stone Golem] [Class: None] [Level: 30]


    [Health: 500/500]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 40] [Agility: 3] [Intelligence: 1]


    [Name: Blue] [Race: Drake] [Class: None] [Level: 16]


    [Health: 150/150]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 8] [Agility: 22] [Intelligence: 5]


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Balthazar looked past the wall of text in front of his eyes, at the drake standing in front of him, winged talons on the ground, head low, black pupils narrow, as if studying him.


    It seemed he had added the creature to his party without meaning to. Or did he? He couldn¡¯t tell for sure.


    And why had it suddenly grown to a full juvenile overnight? Intuition told him it must have been the strange system¡¯s hand at play there, as usual. It couldn¡¯t seem to make sense of the baby drake the previous day, but now it identified it just fine. That couldn¡¯t be a coincidence.


    There sure didn¡¯t seem to be anything that the contrived system couldn¡¯t do.


    Except cooperate with Balthazar when he needed it to.


    But the fact was, the drake was now in his party, and he couldn¡¯t decide how to feel about it.


    If someone had suggested him having a winged creature in his party just a few days ago, he would have laughed at them. The crab detested birds with a passion.


    But a drake was not a bird.


    Sure, it had wings, but similarities more or less ended there. And he couldn¡¯t help but feel the idea of having a winged menace of his own growing on him.


    If this creature had technically been hatched by him, was his responsibility, and now a member of his party, why not use that to his advantage?


    He had to always put up with the feathery devils taunting him from high up, their ability to fly preventing the crab from giving them a piece of his mind, but now, with this, they wouldn¡¯t be safe anymore, the tables would turn. Fiery justice could finally come down on them!


    Balthazar began chuckling under his breath with mischievous intentions rising within him.


    Blue frowned as she looked at him in his slightly manic trance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, girl,¡± the crab said, extending a pincer towards her head for some petting, ¡°I think you and I are going to get along just fine.¡±


    With a snarl, the drake snapped her jaw at his pincer in warning.


    ¡°Or maybe not?!¡± Balthazar quickly said, pulling his pincer back. ¡°Why are you being so aggressive? I thought you were supposed to see me as some kind of parental figure!¡±


    Letting out a small cloud of steam through her nostrils, Blue turned around and flapped her wings, creating a gust of wind that blew sand all over Balthazar¡¯s face as she took flight.


    ¡°Pfah!¡± the displeased crab yelled, spitting out the grains of sand in his mouth. ¡°What are you doing?! Get back down here!¡±


    The creature circled in the air for a moment and then landed on a thick branch of the tree at the center of the pond. Scanning her surroundings as if looking for something, she let out a loud screech that spelled dissatisfaction.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Balthazar asked, more to himself than to anyone else. ¡°Giving me a lot of attitude for someone born just yesterday.¡±


    He looked at her, and how she seemed to search for something in the area. And then the realization hit him.


    ¡°Of course! You must be hungry! I should have probably thought about that.¡±


    Skittering across the bridge, the crab approached the goblin, who was holding the brim of his wizard hat as he looked up at the source of all the screeching.


    ¡°Boss,¡± Druma said, ¡°is big bird angry?¡±


    ¡°No, just hungry,¡± Balthazar responded. ¡°Or at least I think that¡¯s what it is. And don¡¯t call it a bird. That¡¯s derogatory.¡±


    The goblin squinted his eyes at the crab in slight confusion.


    ¡°Either way, I want you to drop whatever you are doing and get some wood and rope. I¡¯ll need you to go outside and set some small traps around the grass outside the forest, for small prey, to feed Blue. You can do that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss,¡± Druma said, nodding vigorously.


    Gathering some planks, a small box, nails, and a few coils of rope, the goblin set off, scampering his way out onto the road.


    Whatever had happened to the drake while Balthazar was still asleep had made her grow from a small newborn baby and into a juvenile drake in a matter of just hours. Going through all that without having a single meal would leave anyone grumpy.


    Balthazar would know, he hadn¡¯t even had his breakfast yet, and he was already feeling a sour mood growing in him. Or perhaps that was being caused by his ward¡¯s attitude.


    The little thing was just born and the crab already had a feeling she was going to be a handful. Which would be an issue, both because he had no actual hands, and because patience was not his strongest suit.


    Up above, Blue continued scanning the horizon from atop the tree, snarling and occasionally letting out another loud screech, as if demanding something. Her eyes landed on the crab, with pupils narrow, and she shrieked directly at him.


    Balthazar gulped and tried to recall whether the bestiary mentioned anything about drakes eating seafood.


    ¡°Druma better come back with something for her to eat soon, because I don¡¯t want to train that thing while she¡¯s on an empty stomach.¡±

 Chapter 34: How Not to Train Your Drake

    The crab looked at the returning goblin with high expectations, but he appeared empty-handed.


    ¡°Well? Did your traps not catch anything?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, boss,¡± Druma said. ¡°No prey. Need more time.¡±


    ¡°Curses!¡± Balthazar started pacing back and forth. ¡°I can¡¯t hope to control this wild thing while she¡¯s famished like that.¡±


    The goblin stared at the frantic crab with both arms hung in front of his chest, unsure of how to help.


    ¡°Druma!¡± Balthazar suddenly said, with a snap of his pincer. ¡°The pastries Madeleine makes for you have meat, don¡¯t they? Go get one. Maybe that will work.¡±


    ¡°But, boss¡­¡± the goblin began, looking deflated. ¡°Is Druma¡¯s lunch.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be greedy. She always sends you plenty, you¡¯ll still have enough left. Besides, do you really want to risk a drake that size getting too hungry? Look around, between Bouldy¡¯s rock and my shell, guess who she would find the most appetizing?¡±


    With an expression of defeat, Druma made his way to where he kept his own basket of baked goods, and returned to the crab with it in hand.


    Balthazar flipped the lid open and retrieved a miniature meat pie from within. Carefully breaking it open in the middle, he exposed the ground beef filling.


    ¡°Here, girl!¡± He shouted at the drake. ¡°Breakfast is ready. Come get it!¡±


    Blue turned her gaze down towards the crab. With a thrust of her wings, she dove to the ground, landing on the trading post¡¯s platform floor.


    ¡°Look at this, it¡¯s some nice meat for you,¡± Balthazar said, wiggling the pastry in front of her, before placing it on top of a nearby crate and stepping back.


    Slowly, she approached the piece of food, sniffing it with suspicion. Bumping her snout against it, she carefully took a piece into her mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. Eat it up now.¡±


    With a whip of her neck, she spat out the meat pastry, her tongue sticking out in a show of disgust at the offered food.


    ¡°Nooo¡­¡± Druma cried in a whisper, his ears sagging down. ¡°Lunch...¡±


    ¡°What was that for?!¡± Balthazar protested. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you don¡¯t have to be rude about it!¡±


    The drake threw her head up in a haughty manner, looking away from the crab.


    ¡°Well, great, so you¡¯re hungry, but you¡¯re picky. Now what?¡±


    ¡°Boss could give Blue one of his foods,¡± Druma suggested, still looking devastated at the loss of his miniature meat pie, despite still having a handful of them in his basket.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I guess I could try,¡± the crab said, not sounding too keen on the idea.


    Balthazar fetched a cookie from his stash, deciding it would be best to start small if there was a chance it would just end up being spat out on the floor, too.


    ¡°Drakes shouldn¡¯t like these things, but let¡¯s see¡­¡± the pastry-loving crab muttered. ¡°Here, Blue, would you like to try this?¡±


    She glanced at the pincer offering her a small cookie, flared her nostrils, and moved her gaze away again with a huff.


    ¡°Oh, good, that¡¯s a relief,¡± he said, quickly stuffing the cookie in his own mouth. ¡°But that still leaves me with the problem of feeding you.¡±


    Unceremoniously beating her wings and blowing wind on Balthazar¡¯s face, she took off again, hovering in circles above the trading post.


    ¡°Hey, where are you going now?¡± he yelled from below.


    The drake ignored him and landed on a tall boulder by the water, back to scanning her surroundings.


    ¡°Bah, you bad-tempered animal,¡± the cranky crab said with a dismissive wave of his claw.


    He wondered if one reason for her distaste towards the offered food was because drakes were predators, instinctively set to hunting, and without the hunt of a live prey part, feeding didn¡¯t feel right.


    But what kind of prey could he provide to her, other than the small fish he had in his pond, which he was sure at that point she would scoff at too?


    As he turned away from her, Balthazar saw another unpleasant sight: a small bird had landed at the end of the bridge connecting the inner islet to the trading post, seemingly looking around for seeds or any other form of food.


    ¡°Just what I needed to ruin my morning even more!¡± the fed up merchant protested, heading towards the creature in order to shoo it away. ¡°Get out of here, you¡ª¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Balthazar stopped himself as inspiration struck him.


    This was exactly what he had been looking for. He shouldn¡¯t need to scare birds away anymore and watch them fly before he ever has a chance to catch them. This was what Blue was for, and this would be the perfect opportunity to put it to the test.


    He slowly backed away from the bird, who was still pecking at the pebbles on the ground.


    ¡°Hey, Blue,¡± the crab shouted towards the drake, who looked at him with a hint of displeasure. ¡°Look, breakfast right there!¡±


    He pointed a pincer at the bird, who continued unaware of any danger to itself.


    Blue turned her gaze to where Balthazar was pointing, and her eyes narrowed as she spotted the tiny ball of feathers hopping around.


    She straightened her neck forward, eyes fixed on her prey, wings folded tight against her body. Her teeth bared and her chin quivering, she let out a soft chattering in anticipation, as her legs slowly began contracting, preparing to pounce.


    In the blink of an eye, the drake sprung forward, her body darting through the air towards the unassuming bird without so much as a sound. As it felt a shift in the air, the songbird quickly turned its head, a tiny seed dropping from its beak as it opened from surprise. But it was too late to fly away.


    Blue snapped her jaw around the place where the small bird was, and all Balthazar managed to see was a puff of feathers being blown out as the drake changed courses upwards and soared through the air, swallowing her prize in one gulp.


    Balthazar stood in awe at the event that had just unfolded in front of his eyes, mouth still open, his gaze following the winged creature circling above.


    ¡°That¡­ that was¡­¡± the dumbstruck crab tried to say. ¡°That was awesome!¡±


    He broke into a cheer, both pincers held high in celebration towards the drake, who looked down with visible confusion.


    ¡°After all this time,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°I finally got one of them! Yes! Take that, stupid birds!¡±


    Blue landed on the ground again, examining the crab, in an apparent attempt to make sense of his strange behavior.


    ¡°Good girl! You got the right idea. Birds are prey. If you see one, it¡¯s snack time! Now, just need to make sure you can follow commands.¡±


    The drake raised one brow. It was unclear whether it was because she did not know what the crab was saying, or if it was precisely because she did.


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s start with something simple,¡± he said. ¡°Can you¡­ roll?¡±


    The drake remained as she was.


    ¡°Uh¡­ shoot some flames out of your mouth?¡±


    Blue did nothing but continue to glare at the crab.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I wonder if¡­ Hey, Druma, come here again!¡±


    The goblin came running from behind some crates. ¡°Yes, boss?¡±


    ¡°I just need to borrow this for a moment.¡±


    Balthazar took the wizard hat off the goblin¡¯s head and approached the drake with it.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to put this on your head. Can you please not bite me?¡±


    The young drake glanced at him and the hat with curiosity, but didn¡¯t make any movement. Reluctantly, the crab placed the +2 Intelligence hat on her head, but it immediately fell off to the side.


    [Item cannot be equipped. Incompatible body type.]


    ¡°Argh! Figures,¡± a frustrated Balthazar said. ¡°It was worth a try, I guess.¡±


    He turned back to the goblin, who was looking at his hat with watery eyes.


    ¡°Oh, calm down,¡± said the crab. ¡°I just wanted to check if it would work. I wasn¡¯t really going to take it away from you.¡±


    Druma wiped his big eyes with the back of his wrist as he took the hat back into his hands, a large smile back on his face as he happily shoved the old thing back on his head before scampering off to his duties.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Balthazar said, pensively. ¡°Surely it must be a matter of language. That¡¯s why you won¡¯t follow any of my commands.¡±


    ¡°Hello? Can I come in?¡± a girl¡¯s voice said from the entrance of the trading post.


    Turning to face her, Balthazar saw Madeleine approaching from the road.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the crab said. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you back so soon. But you¡¯re not an unwelcome sight! I really could use a nice slice of pie to help me think.¡±


    As he finished his sentence, he realized the baker came empty-handed, no basket in sight, or even an archer adventurer behind her to carry it.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Balthazar,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring anything for you this time. I thought you¡¯d still have plenty of supply left from my last batch.¡±


    ¡°I do, but never hurts to get more,¡± he muttered. ¡°So how come you¡¯re here this early? Did something go wrong with our plan? Do you need more money?¡±


    ¡°No, no, no! None of that,¡± she hurriedly said, waving her hands in front of herself with an apologetic expression. ¡°I just sneaked down here before going to the market because, well¡­ I couldn¡¯t resist. I wanted to see how the little one was doing!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Balthazar said, feeling a hint of jealousy. ¡°About the ¡®little¡¯ part you mention, you might want to see for yourself.¡±


    He signaled for her to look behind him, and she stepped forward, around a table full of random pieces of loot that were covering her view from the large drake that was on the opposite end of the trading post, sniffing the surrounding air casually.


    ¡°Gods above!¡± Madeleine exclaimed. ¡°She¡¯s huge!¡±


    ¡°Yep, I know, right?¡± Balthazar started. ¡°Just happened overnight. Certainly not as cute now, don¡¯t you¡ª¡±


    The girl ran past him before the crab could finish his sentence, arms open towards the winged creature.


    ¡°Madeleine, be careful! She might¡­ Oh, never mind.¡±


    The baker hugged Blue around the neck like a little girl clutching to a stuffed toy, and in return the other stood up to meet her hug, wagging her tail against the ground and nudging her head on Madeleine¡¯s shoulder.


    Balthazar stood there, both pincers dragging on the wooden floor, an impassive expression on his face.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°You grew up so fast!¡± the girl said. ¡°Look at you, what a beauty you are now!¡±


    Madeleine vigorously petted the drake¡¯s neck scales, much to the creature¡¯s delight. Standing up next to the baker, Blue was nearly at her head level.


    ¡°Yes, very impressive in terms of looks,¡± the bitter crab said, ¡°but not very obedient. Won¡¯t do anything I say.¡±


    ¡°Come now, Balthazar,¡± the smiling girl said, ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s not as bad as you claim. You probably just need to work on your approach. Be less grumpy.¡±


    ¡°I would be less grumpy if she cooperated more!¡± said the exasperated crab.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a bad girl, are you, cutie pie?¡± Madeleine said, turning to the drake. ¡°Will you roll so I can scratch your belly?¡±


    Blue got low to the ground, and then with a smooth flip rolled onto her back, exposing her underside to the girl, who eagerly began rubbing it.


    ¡°Good girl! Such a good girl!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ but¡­¡± an incredulous Balthazar stuttered. ¡°How?!¡±


    Madeleine turned and gave him a brief shrug before returning to her petting session, while the drake swayed from side to side, her tongue hanging from the side of her mouth, enjoying the scratching.


    Questioning his recent decisions, Balthazar walked around them with a scowl painted on his face, making his way to one of his pastry baskets for some solace.


    Stuffing a piece of pie into his mouth, the curmudgeon crab grumbled between loud chewing while he watched the two girls having fun without him on the other side of the pond.


    ¡°Typical youths!¡±

 Chapter 35: Midnight Stories

    ¡°Boss, Druma sleepy.¡±


    ¡°I told you, you can sleep until later in the morning, but for now, I need your help.¡±


    The goblin rubbed his eyes as he dragged his feet across the bridge, following the crab.


    Balthazar held an oil lantern above his shell as he walked, illuminating the way in front of them, but it was of little need, given the full moon in the clear sky above, which bathed the pond and surrounding plains in its pale light.


    Placing the lantern on a nearby rock, he and the goblin joined the golem already posted by the road. Blue, the drake, was fast asleep all the way back by the tent in the middle of the pond, and Balthazar preferred to keep her that way.


    She would spend most of the day and night sleeping, and when she was awake, most of her routine consisted of flying around the area, hunting for prey, or frustrating the crab. No matter what approach he tried, Balthazar could not get the damnable beast to obey him.


    ¡°Nothing yet, big guy?¡± he asked, looking up at Bouldy.


    The golem slowly shook his head.


    It had been a week since Tom, the merchant skeleton, had been there and promised to return to do more business. As much as Balthazar enjoyed a good night of sleep, he also enjoyed making coin, so he had decided to stay up to meet him again, but now he was questioning his choice, feeling the call of his comfortable cushion, and his eye stalks growing heavier.


    Next to him, Druma seemed on the verge to fall asleep standing.


    ¡°Stay sharp,¡± Balthazar said, nudging the goblin with a pincer.


    The assistant shook his head and stood up straight again, blinking his large eyes rapidly and letting out a big yawn.


    As the crab was about to let out a yawn of his own, he heard a familiar sound from up the road. A rattling of bones.


    Pointing his gaze toward the noise, he saw the dim light of a firefly lantern bouncing back and forth next to a shambling figure.


    ¡°Evening, fellas!¡± the figure greeted.


    The skeleton became more visible as he approached, moonlight revealing his tattered clothes and pale bones. His skull smiled at them from under the shadow of his wide hat, giving him a slightly disconcerting mix of friendly and sinister.


    Druma stiffened up, sleep gone from his eyes, as he looked at the skeleton with apprehension and discomfort.


    ¡°I told you he¡¯s friendly, relax,¡± Balthazar whispered to the goblin, before turning to the approaching merchant. ¡°Greetings! Almost thought you wouldn¡¯t come anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ah, had a bit of trouble on the road,¡± Tom said, putting his hands on his hipbones. ¡°Crossed paths with a bunch of wolves, and they had a bone to pick from me.¡±


    The skeleton let out a wheeze and a cackle as his jaw bounced up and down against his upper teeth.


    ¡°Heh, yes, I get it,¡± said Balthazar, giving a weak chuckle. ¡°Anyway, you already know the big guy, but this one here is Druma, my goblin assistant.¡±


    The crab pointed to the small figure next to him, who continued to look nervous while awkwardly waving a hand at the skeleton.


    ¡°Hey there, little fella!¡± the cheery skeleton said. ¡°You a goblin wizard, or somethin¡¯?¡±


    He pointed a bone finger at the hat on the goblin¡¯s head, and then at the staff on his back.


    Druma drew a faint smile at the mention and nodded his head.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ don¡¯t encourage him,¡± Balthazar interjected. ¡°He got in his head that he¡¯s magical now.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he is,¡± Tom retorted. ¡°Between a talking crab, a walking boulder, and a living skeleton, a magical goblin seems like the most reasonable one of the bunch!¡±


    ¡°Sure, so long as he doesn''t start trying to levitate,¡± the crab conceded, letting out a sigh. ¡°Shall we get out of the road now?¡±


    Bouldy remained guarding the road as the other three headed down to the trading post.


    ¡°You know,¡± the skeleton said, ¡°when I got back to the dungeon the other day, I told all the guys about this talking crab I met. They didn¡¯t want to believe me, ha ha! Then, when they realized I wasn¡¯t making it up, they asked all sorts of questions about you. You were a hit. They all want to meet this crabby feller who swindles dumb adventurers out of their coin all day for a living. You¡¯d be more than welcome to visit someday. We¡¯re all pretty nice in there, if you can overlook our lack of flesh.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the offer,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°but I¡¯m not too keen on leaving my pond.¡±


    ¡°And why not?¡± Tom questioned. ¡°You afraid of finding something scary on the road?¡±


    ¡°Me? No. Of course not,¡± the crab responded, trying to sound confident. ¡°I just got a lot of work here, and you know, don¡¯t want to leave all this unattended. Can¡¯t tell what would happen.¡±


    ¡°Could always leave one of your friends looking after it.¡±


    ¡°Look, Tom, I¡¯m just not one for going out much, alright?¡±


    ¡°Oooh, wait. Are you one of those guys?¡±


    ¡°What guys?¡± the intrigued crab asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to call them, but sometimes you find those out there who only ever live in their little area, and seem to refuse to step outside of it, like they¡¯re stuck inside some invisible circle, or something. For example, those wolves I mentioned earlier? They chased me down the forest, dying to take a bite at me, but as soon as I set one bony foot out of the forest, they lost interest and turned back. Weird stuff, I tell ya.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably just seeing things where they aren¡¯t,¡± Balthazar said, in an attempt to convince both the skeleton and himself. ¡°And even if it¡¯s true, that¡¯s not my case at all. If I don¡¯t leave my pond, it¡¯s by my own choice.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Tom said, throwing both palms up in front of his shoulders. ¡°Offer still stands, if you ever change your mind. We¡¯ll even give you a front-row seat to watch an adventurer tumbling down a staircase covered in oil. It never gets old, I swear!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to remember the offer, thanks,¡± the crab said. ¡°But now, are we here to do business, or what? Maybe you don¡¯t need it, but I¡¯d really like to still catch some sleep before the sun comes up.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, my crabby friend, wouldn¡¯t want to keep you from your beauty sleep!¡± the cackling skull said, pulling a large empty sack in front of himself. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the basics. We¡¯re running low on armor pieces in the dungeon. Whatcha got for me?¡±


    ¡°Perfect! I got just what you need.¡± Balthazar skittered to a nearby crate and removed the top from it. ¡°Behold, my brand new summer footwear collection!¡±


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    Tom approached the box and leaned in for a closer look at the disorganized piles of shoes and boots inside.


    ¡°Oh-wee! Smells authentic too! These will do nicely. I¡¯ll take them.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. What else you need?¡±


    ¡°Let me think,¡± the skeleton said, while Druma loaded the shoes into his sack. ¡°You got a dozen or so daggers? New adventurers always love a nice and small weapon to carry around as a backup. And then they never use it. Ha!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I do, but not that many. What I do have a lot of are kitchen knives.¡±


    ¡°But those aren¡¯t the same thing as daggers,¡± the intrigued skeleton said.


    ¡°No, but would those newbies know the difference if they found one in a dungeon''s chest?¡± Balthazar responded with a sly smile.


    ¡°Ha ha ha! I like your thinking, crab! Load me up with a few of them.¡±


    Balthazar signaled to the goblin, who retrieved a bundle of knives from the kitchenware drawer and dumped them in with the shoes.


    ¡°Careful, some of those are pretty sharp,¡± the golden merchant warned.


    ¡°And what? They might stab me?¡± said Tom, before letting out another loud cackle as he poked a finger between his ribs.


    The crab laughed along with some visible discomfort.


    ¡°What?¡± the skeleton said. ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for the squeamish type.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just a little weird talking to someone with their bones out like that.¡±


    ¡°Mate, you do realize you wear your skeleton on the outside too, right?¡±


    Balthazar looked down and around at his own body.


    ¡°Holy sand balls. I¡­ I never actually thought about it that way, but you¡¯re right.¡±


    Tom let out yet another laugh that rattled his jaw.


    ¡°See?¡± he said, while giving the back of the crab¡¯s shell a friendly slap. ¡°We¡¯re a lot more alike than you think, my exoskeleton friend!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± the other said, with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Anyway, back to business! You got any of them alchemy ingredients? Those kids always take them, for whatever reason, even the ones who don¡¯t know the first thing about potion making.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, sure, right here,¡± Balthazar said, shaking himself away from his newly found perspective. ¡°Take your pick.¡±


    The skeleton started browsing the shelves as the crab pulled some bags that sat next to them.


    ¡°I got plenty more alchemy stuff here too, if you don¡¯t find what you want on the shelves. Plants.¡± He raised a sack that made a sound of rustling leaves. ¡°Mushrooms.¡± He pulled on another sack that made a sloshing sound. ¡°And plenty more miscellaneous ones.¡± He tugged on a bag that made a rattling noise.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Tom said. ¡°I know that sound. Let me see that.¡±


    The skeleton opened the last bag and pulled a long bone from between all the other smaller animal bones mixed within.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it!¡± he said, with his jaw wide open into a surprised smile. ¡°It¡¯s Bob¡¯s tibia! He¡¯s been looking for it for weeks!¡±


    ¡°You could tell that just from hearing it?¡± the incredulous crab asked.


    ¡°Lots of years in the business.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ well, uh¡­ lucky that it ended up here, I guess?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to be so happy when he sees this. He¡¯s been hopping around everywhere on one leg for so long, it¡¯s almost not funny anymore. Almost.¡±


    The golden merchant gave a little sympathetic chuckle as Tom tossed the bone in his sack and went back to checking the shelf. ¡°Nice collection of fungi you got here.¡±


    Balthazar moved behind some boxes, retrieving something from behind them.


    ¡°Say, Tom, I think I got something here that you might like.¡±


    ¡°That so? And what might that be?¡±


    ¡°How would you like some semi-fresh goat¡¯s milk?¡± said the merchant crab, revealing a big clay jug.


    ¡°Why would adventurers want to loot that from a dungeon?¡± asked the merchant skeleton.


    ¡°No, I meant for you guys¡­ at the dungeon¡­ because you¡¯re skeletons¡­ made of bones?¡± Balthazar said, his words slowly fading as he spoke, embarrassment settling over him.


    Tom gave the crab an impassive death stare, which was somewhat impressive to the crab, as he would think every look from a skeleton would be a death stare by default, and yet that was still somehow different.


    ¡°Ha ha! I got you good!¡± the raggedy merchant said, bursting out laughing. ¡°I understood what you meant just fine, but your face was priceless!¡±


    Balthazar frowned, displeased at having been made fun of.


    ¡°But no, really now,¡± Tom said, returning to a serious expression, ¡°we¡¯re all just bones. We can¡¯t drink anything. It would just fall right through and splash on the floor. It¡¯s actually kind of insensitive that you¡¯d suggest something like that to me, given my condition.¡±


    The crab stood still, holding the jug for a moment, glancing around awkwardly, unsure of what to do. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The skeleton inhaled deeply as he slapped his knee bone. ¡°HA HA HA! I got you again! You¡¯re a riot, crab!¡±


    ¡°Hilarious,¡± the annoyed Balthazar said, while putting away the jug of spoiling milk. ¡°Let¡¯s just get back to business now, please.¡±


    ***


    After a lot more dealing and bantering, the two merchants completed their exchange.


    ¡°Alright, you drive a hard bargain, but 350 gold sounds fair enough.¡±


    The skeleton pulled out his own Bag of Holding Money and began counting coins. ¡°You know, I should tell some of my acquaintances on the road about you, send them your way. Could benefit everyone.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, referrals,¡± said the crab. ¡°I like the sound of that.¡±


    ¡°So long as I get a finders discount, ha!¡±


    Balthazar watched patiently as the bony fingers counted the money.


    ¡°Say,¡± Balthazar started, ¡°were you guys ever charged taxes at your dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Taxes?!¡± Tom said. ¡°Why in the hell would we ever be charged taxes? And by whom? No town has jurisdiction over our dungeon, and I¡¯d love to see them trying to claim it. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°No reason. Was just wondering, but that¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    After being handed the payment, the usual torrent of logs listing the traded items ran through the crab¡¯s vision, who had grown used enough to it to no longer have much of a reaction. As it reached the end, another line appeared.


    [You have reached level 11!]


    ¡°Heh,¡± he quietly said to himself, while the skeleton was busy tying his bag shut.


    But before Balthazar could do anything with the notification, it started behaving weirdly.


    [£¤0u hhhhhh###_rE*#*#* ?evel ??!]


    ¡°What in the world?!¡±


    The crab gave the side of his shell a couple of hits with his claw.


    [You have reached level 11!]


    ¡°Stupid thing. What¡¯s wrong with you now?¡±


    ¡°You alright there, crab?¡± Tom asked.


    ¡°Yes. Yes¡­ it¡¯s nothing, just some annoying thing in my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh, say, Tom,¡± Balthazar said, hesitating at first, ¡°you, or any of your partners at the dungeon, ever experienced any kind of¡­ writing showing up in your vision?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the skeleton said, somehow emoting a raised eyebrow, despite having none.


    ¡°You know, like text in your eyes that only you can see, and gives you information and stuff.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen any of that myself,¡± Tom said, suddenly looking much more serious, ¡°but I¡¯ve heard some vague stories in the past.¡±


    ¡°What kind of stories?¡± the suddenly eager crab asked.


    ¡°Stories about others from our kind messing around with something they shouldn¡¯t and then they started talking about weird things only they could see, numbers, and other stuff. They''d slowly go mad, and eventually, one day¡­ they''d just vanish, together with those who were close to them, and nobody knew what happened. It¡¯s the kind of story we don¡¯t talk about much, because nobody knows where tale ends and reality begins, and deep down none of us wants to be the next one to disappear.¡±


    The skeleton placed a hand on whatever came closest to be the crab¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°If you want my advice, buddy, have a strong drink and forget all about that crap. Some things are best not digging into. For everybody¡¯s sake.¡±


    Balthazar stared emptily at the ground, thinking about what he had just heard.


    ¡°Anyway, I need to get going before the sun rises. Was nice visiting you, Balthazar. See you next time!¡±


    The other merchant mindlessly waved a pincer at the departing skeleton, his thoughts still reflecting on the story he had been told.


    There might have been more like him.


    But another part of what the skeleton had shared stuck to his head even more.


    He looked around at his fellow inhabitants of the pond. The goblin that had just thrown himself onto his bed of hay. The giant boulder now crossing the water back to his usual spot. And even the young drake that was still asleep by his tent.


    He quietly mouthed the words that kept repeating in his mind.


    ¡°They''d just vanish, together with those who were close to them.¡±

 Chapter 36: Reject System, Return to Crab

    Chapter 36: Reject System, Return to Crab


    Balthazar rested on his cushion, staring pensively at his money pouch lying on the ground in front of him.


    [Bag of Holding Money (6668)]


    As his mind wandered in thought, his left silver pincer idly played with a coin.


    Was the crab self-centered? He¡¯d like to think not, but not once had he considered the possibility of his choices and actions negatively impacting those around him.


    Could Tom¡¯s tales be believed? Had there been others before him who gained access to that blasted system who weren¡¯t meant to? And if so, did they truly meet a tragic ending together with those around them?


    ¡°I mean,¡± Balthazar said, with an empty stare at the ground, ¡°the skeleton could just be telling fairy tales, myths, or simply be wrong.¡±


    He hopped up from the pillow, still flicking the coin between his pincer.


    ¡°And even if they were true, who¡¯s to say they didn¡¯t disappear of their own accord? Maybe they just took off and went on a permanent vacation to somewhere nicer¡­ right?¡±


    He began pacing back and forth in front of his tent.


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t really see why anyone would ever do that. Traveling sounds like such a chore. But there¡¯s people up for the strangest things out there.¡±


    He stopped and pinched the coin, eyes still fixed on the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m losing focus here. Where was I? Right! If, for the sake of argument, we assume there¡¯s truth to the tales, and bad things did happen to those who used something they shouldn¡¯t, what could I even do? Nobody told me not to touch¡­ it. I¡¯m just a crab, touching things. How could I be blamed for it? Crab see, crab pinch. That¡¯s just nature.¡±


    He began pacing again, faster.


    ¡°What could I even do if some form of¡­ I don¡¯t know, consequences came knocking? I¡¯m sure I could deal with it. I¡¯m not scared, but what if something happened to someone else who lives here? Or maybe even Madeleine? I¡¯m sure that Rye boy can take care of himself. I¡¯m not worrying about him. That¡¯s asking for too much.¡±


    The crab kept flicking the coin back and forth even faster.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want the responsibility for that on my shoulders. I don¡¯t even have shoulders to bear it! And what has this system ever brought of good to my life? Excluding the ability to speak. And make money. And get pastries. And read. And a spiffy set of claws and shell... Alright, whatever, despite all that, it also brings me a lot of headache. Maybe I¡¯d be better off just stopping, not push my luck any further, and leave the damnable thing alone?¡±


    The coin slipped from his pincer and fell on the sand.


    ¡°What do you think I should do?¡± Balthazar asked, picking up the coin.


    The golem sitting by the shore gave him a shrug. ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°Ah, maybe that¡¯s what I should do. If I just lie low, don¡¯t touch anything else I shouldn¡¯t, nothing weird or bad will happen.¡±


    Balthazar placed the coin back in the bag and raised his silver pincer to his silver monocle, dislodging it from his eye and unhooking the chain from his shell.


    ¡°That includes you, old pal. No spying any hidden information through you. I¡¯ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve grown enough as a merchant to do it fine.¡±


    Stepping inside his tent, he lifted the cover over his hiding hole and gently placed the Monocle of Examination next to the Scroll of Character Creation.


    After covering it all up again, the crab stepped back outside. Looking at the corner of his vision, he tried his best to ignore the blinking notification of his level up.


    Considering how much that thing had been malfunctioning lately, he didn¡¯t want to risk even bring it up anymore.


    ¡°Back to nature!¡± Balthazar declared, stretching his arms and inhaling deeply. ¡°No more artificial enhancements. Just pure business crab now.¡±


    Crossing the bridge cheerfully, the crab waved at Druma and Blue, who were playing by the shore. The goblin had at least been wise enough to stop using his fingers to play with her since she suddenly grew up, and instead now played a slightly less dangerous game of catch with the drake.


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    The green goblin gave him a wave back, while the blue lizard gave him nothing but an indifferent glare.


    ¡°Bah, you¡¯ll come around eventually,¡± Balthazar said, shrugging off the petulant creature¡¯s behavior.


    Arriving at his trading post, the merchant tidied up some bottles while checking for spots in need of dusting.


    ¡°No need for silly little letters and number in front of my eyes,¡± he said to himself. ¡°I know all my goods like the back of my claw. And I¡¯ve done hundreds of trades by now. I totally got this.¡±


    The bell by the entrance rang.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    Turning around towards the sound, Balthazar saw a man in leather armor standing next to the bell, his hand still holding the rope attached to it.


    ¡°You realize you didn¡¯t need to ring that since I¡¯m right here, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh, sorry,¡± the man said, letting go of the rope. ¡°I just saw a bell and felt compelled to ring it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve noticed people really like to do that,¡± said the crab, stepping forward to meet the man in the middle.


    He instinctively squinted at the adventurer for a moment, before realizing he could not see the usual level and class above the other¡¯s head.


    This was fine for him. It didn¡¯t matter, anyway. So long as he had gold, who cared what level the individual was. And his class was probably¡­ something fight-y. He had a set of generic leather armor, a generic sword, and everything else about him was also generic. Likely not a wizard, that much the crab felt confident about. Unless swords could cast spells, too? He wondered if that had ever been a thing.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Balthazar said, trying to push aside his other thoughts, ¡°what can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°I got this here thing yesterday.¡± The man pulled a large bow from his pack and presented it to the merchant. ¡°I can tell it¡¯s enchanted, but don¡¯t know what it¡¯s supposed to do. Either way, I¡¯m not much of a bow guy, so was hoping you¡¯d give me something good for it.¡±


    The crab looked at the ranged weapon in front of his eyes. It had a clear magical glow to it, but he had no idea what enchantment it was. Perfect timing to not be wearing his monocle.


    ¡°Hmm, right, I see,¡± Balthazar said, attempting to look knowledgeable and thoughtful. ¡°Very interesting weapon, indeed. Could be worth something. Maybe not too much, though.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± said the adventurer. ¡°What does it do, anyway?¡±


    The crab stared at the man.


    Sometimes, it was very difficult not to hate adventurers.


    ¡°It shoots arrows, my friend,¡± Balthazar said in a plain tone. ¡°You want money or items for it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hmm, I don¡¯t know,¡± the other said. ¡°I was thinking about maybe getting a secondary weapon.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good. What kind of weapon do you want?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± the man said while scratching the top of his head. ¡°I can¡¯t figure out what would be a good choice. Do you have any suggestions?¡±


    The crab felt like he was being played a joke on. He would have little trouble suggesting a weapon to him, had he any idea what class the man was at all.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Balthazar said while grinding his mouth parts.


    Opening a drawer with an abrupt move, the merchant retrieved a crude metal fork from within. ¡°Here¡¯s a good one for you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­ isn¡¯t that just a fork?¡± the generic adventurer reluctantly asked.


    ¡°Just a fork? No, no, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. This here is a multipurpose tool! Got in a fight and dropped your weapon? Stick one of these in your enemy¡¯s eye and it¡¯s guaranteed to do a lot of damage. Can¡¯t open a locked door? Try ramming this in the lock. It might do the trick. Trying to eat a steak with your hands? Savagery! Use a fork. Great for eating pie too, if you¡¯re one of those hand-having creatures.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the other said, looking slightly confused about the crab¡¯s words.


    ¡°Multipurpose fork! Endless possibilities! You really should take it. You won¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°If it has so many uses, maybe I should? But I still feel like that doesn¡¯t really cover the entire value of an enchanted bow, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, fine, I¡¯ll throw 10 gold in there to sweeten the deal. Happy?¡±


    The man squinted as he looked up, before finally reaching a decision. ¡°Alright, deal!¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± the impatient crab said, tossing the bow on a nearby rack and shoving the fork into the man¡¯s hand before counting ten coins out of his bag. ¡°All sales are final. Thank you!¡±


    ¡°Wow, hang on, I still had more I wanted to sell.¡±


    With his eye stalks sagging in frustration, Balthazar turned back to the man.


    ¡°Of course. What else will it be?¡±


    ¡°I got this from some fancy chest, but I got no use for it,¡± the adventurer explained, while pulling a long robe from his pack. It was scintillating and its color seemed to shift between blue and purple depending on the angle that light hit it at. It emanated a pure aura of magic to it, and whatever material it was made of, Balthazar had seen nothing like it before.


    The defeated merchant stared at the piece of magical clothing held in front of him.


    ¡°What do I look like to you, an appraiser?¡±


    The man looked at the crab with a confused expression.


    ¡°It means someone who assesses things for others.¡±


    The adventurer squinted slowly.


    Balthazar took a deep breath.


    ¡°It¡¯s someone who looks at thing, and tells what thing is.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh! Gotcha, alright,¡± the other finally said. ¡°And no, you don¡¯t look like one. At least I don¡¯t think so? Do abrasivers usually have claws?¡±


    The merchant released a sigh, along with a portion of his will to live.


    ¡°Just¡­ just forget I asked,¡± the crab said. ¡°Have you considered putting the robe on to find out what it does?¡±


    ¡°This thing?¡± He skeptically looked at the piece of clothing in his hands. ¡°No way, it looks ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about the looks of it, it¡¯s¡­ Just never mind that either.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it has some kind of protection enchantment?¡± the man asked, eyes widening.


    ¡°Could be, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a fire protection enchantment? I could use one of those.¡±


    ¡°It could be a lot of things. But if you need protection from fire,¡± Balthazar said, while turning to a nearby shelf, ¡°I got some potions for that around here somewhere. Ah, there they are.¡±


    As he turned back to the adventurer, he found him hunched over the robe on the floor, holding a small lit torch against the fabric.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?!¡± the crab yelled.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to find out if it has fire protection,¡± the other said, looking up from the floor and letting the flame touch the robe, which quickly caught on fire.


    ¡°Are you stupid?!¡± Balthazar yelled, as he quickly grabbed a bucket and ran to fill it from the pond.


    Rushing back with it, the merchant dumped the water over the smoldering robe, which was now mostly destroyed.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the adventurer, with a dumb expression on his face. ¡°I guess it was a different enchantment.¡±


    Balthazar put the bucket down, rage shaking the inside of his shell.


    ¡°Just get out of here, before you burn this whole place down.¡±


    He did not need a monocle or a system to know whatever level or class the adventurer was, his Intelligence stat was stupidly low.

 Chapter 37: Reject Nature, Return to System

    ¡°One hundred and thirty-six¡­ one hundred and thirty-seven¡­ one hundred and thirty¡­ damn it!¡±


    The crab threw the coin back on the table with frustration.


    ¡°This was a lot easier to count when I could see totals right in front of my eye.¡±


    Balthazar was having a hard time adapting back to a more natural state. After months of being a civilized crab, returning to a more primitive state was presenting challenges. Doing basic mathematics like any regular crab was one of them.


    ¡°Maybe I could just go get the monocle for a moment,¡± he said to himself. ¡°Use it just for a quick peek, then put it right back. I¡¯m sure it would be fine.¡±


    He looked longingly at the other side of the pond, at his tent where the hiding hole containing the monocle was.


    ¡°No, stop it! Keep it together, Balthazar!¡± the crab reprimanded. ¡°You¡¯re a big crab who don¡¯t need no system. You can do this like the crabs of old used to.¡±


    He wondered for a moment whether there had ever been any other merchant crabs before him. Maybe he was the latest in a long and proud lineage of commercial crustaceans, and they had just been forgotten by the history books because none of them could write with their pincers. And obviously, humans can¡¯t be trusted to keep records of proper crab legends.


    And then he wondered if he was the first crab with a system, if there had been others before him, and what might have happened to them.


    Shuddering at the thought of one day disappearing, leaving his precious pond abandoned, for someone else to take as their own, Balthazar took a deep breath and swiped the coins into his money bag. He would resist the temptation, he would not keep pushing his luck by using that faulty system.


    ¡°One hundred percent organic crab, that¡¯s me.¡±


    He stopped and looked down at his own pincers and shell.


    ¡°Well, nearly.¡±


    Avoiding the system was one thing, but going through another painful molting was too much. The chrome finish would have to stay for the time being.


    As the crab was about to cross the bridge, an adventurer walked into the trading post.


    He was young, but had a tired out look to his face, framed by ratty hair. His body language made him seem nervous and jumpy, his arms crossed, hands tightly held under his armpits, eyes darting everywhere, as if looking for something.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± the suspicious merchant asked.


    The man¡¯s gaze jumped to Balthazar.


    ¡°You, uh¡­ you the merchant here?¡± the jumpy adventurer inquired.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me. Guessing you must be new around these parts, if you gotta ask that.¡±


    ¡°Nice, uh¡­ nice place you got here,¡± the other said, while stepping forward, closer to the crab. ¡°Must be doing well for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t complain,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Well, I could. And I often do. But never mind that. What are you after? Buying or selling?¡±


    The odd man continued looking around and licked his lips before talking.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe selling, yeah. You buy much? Could you afford something expensive?¡±


    ¡°Depends. If it¡¯s worth it, I might,¡± said the merchant, still eyeing the man up and down. ¡°Why? What do you got?¡±


    The sketchy adventurer pulled a dagger from the back of his belt and gripped it tightly with his gloved hand, tip facing forward.


    ¡°I got this here dagger,¡± he said in a low voice, eyes now fixed on the crab. ¡°I think you should give me all your money in exchange for not getting stabbed by it.¡±


    One question occurred to Balthazar at that moment: ¡°really?¡±


    First, because he couldn¡¯t believe an adventurer was being idiotic enough to rob him, even if he was new around the area.


    And second, because it had to happen exactly the day he had given up on using the monocle and the system.


    The man didn¡¯t look like much, but looks could be deceiving, and Balthazar had no way to know what level he was. Perhaps having the guts to threaten and attempt to rob him in broad daylight like that meant he was strong enough to do it, or maybe he was just new enough to not know better.


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    Without the monocle to check, giving him a pinch somewhere painful seemed like a risk.


    Balthazar glanced back towards the other side of the bridge. Could he make it in time? Likely not, he wasn¡¯t built for speed, and the miscreant was too close to evade.


    Calling for the golem wouldn¡¯t do him much good either, as by the time Bouldy reached them, Balthazar could have already been turned into a crab kebab.


    And using speech and charisma seemed like too much of a gamble when having the tip of a blade so close to your soft parts.


    Glancing at the table next to them, Balthazar saw a cup with his drink from earlier, still unfinished.


    When life gives you lemonade¡­


    With a quick move of his silver pincer, the crab grabbed the cup of lemonade and tossed its contents at the face of the robber.


    ¡°Argh! My eyes!¡± he yelled, raising both hands to his face.


    Balthazar took the opportunity. Making a run for the bridge, he skittered across while shouting to the other side.


    ¡°A little help over here!¡±


    Druma was nowhere to be seen, probably collecting wood from somewhere else nearby.


    Blue lazily lifted her head from her pillow, looked at the crab, and then went back to napping, much to the crab¡¯s irritation.


    Bouldy stood up from the sandy shore and looked towards the bridge.


    ¡°Get over here!¡± the panting merchant yelled at the golem.


    Glancing back over his shell, he saw the furious adventurer wiping the liquid off his face and look for the crab through squinting eyes. Grinding his teeth, the man started sprinting after him through the bridge, dagger still in hand.


    ¡°Friend?¡± Bouldy asked, as he met Balthazar at the end of the bridge.


    ¡°Not¡­ not friend! Bad man... Keep him away from¡­ from me!¡± Balthazar strained to say between gasps for air.


    Unfortunately, a diet of pastries and a complete lack of cardio made for a very out of shape crab who becomes winded from a short run for his life.


    Bouldy took a large step over the crab and stood between him and the bridge.


    When the running adventurer got to the end of the footpath, he stopped in front of the boulder that blocked his way, squinting his bloodshot eyes to focus on what was in front of him.


    As his vision cleared, he slowly looked up, until the boulder¡¯s face, which had no smile to offer, met him.


    ¡°Oh shi¡ª¡±


    With one swift flick of his stone finger, the golem sent the robber shooting back towards the trading post until a stack of wooden crates stopped him with a loud crash.


    The pond remained a profanity-free area for another day.


    ¡°Oof, thanks for the assist, buddy,¡± the crab said, taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Friend,¡± said the golem, giving a smile and a thumbs up.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± yelled the goblin, running in from the other edge of the pond with his staff in hand. ¡°Druma hear screaming. What happen?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re late to the party,¡± Balthazar responded. ¡°Some idiot had the bright idea of robbing me. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s already been taken care of, thanks to Bouldy.¡±


    The merchant looked down at the red cushion where Blue was lying, head resting over her wings, eyes barely open, lazily looking at the commotion around her as if offended that her nap was being interrupted.


    ¡°No thanks to you!¡± Balthazar complained. ¡°I could have been stabbed, you know?¡±


    The drake closed her eyes again and returned to her nap. For a creature with wings for arms, and the ability to breathe fire, she was quite good at giving the cold shoulder.


    ¡°Hmph, one day something will really happen to me and then you¡¯ll miss me,¡± the resentful crab muttered.


    He turned to the goblin, who was putting the staff on his back again.


    ¡°Druma, get some rope and tie that moron up. I¡¯ll ask the next adventurers who pass by to take him up to town and let them deal with it. I¡¯ll join you in a moment.¡±


    While the goblin scampered to the other side of the bridge and the golem returned to his fish gazing, the crab went into his tent and lifted the cover over his hiding hole.


    Picking up his monocle, he stepped back outside and peered through the lens, focusing on the unconscious adventurer being tied up by the goblin on the other side of the pond.


    [Level 4 Rogue]


    ¡°Are you kidding me?! I could have just pinched the dagger out of his hand!¡±


    ***


    Later that day, Balthazar sat by the water, biting away at a large chocolate chip cookie, still in a sour mood.


    ¡°What a stupid idea!¡± he started, crumbs flying out of his mouth as he spoke. ¡°How am I supposed to do anything now without all this system stuff? It¡¯s too ingrained into everything I do. I¡¯m just another crab without it. A very smart and handsome crab, sure, but not much else.¡±


    He picked a pebble with his silver pincer and threw it at the pond in frustration. The stone skipped three times on the surface before sinking with a loud plop.


    ¡°I could never even do that before!¡± the crab complained, looking at his left pincer. ¡°And it¡¯s all thanks to this system. Blessing, curse, I don¡¯t even know anymore. I just know I¡¯m stuck with it now. Dependent on it like an addict. Me! Who never had an addiction in his life!¡±


    Balthazar shoved another cookie in his mouth before continuing.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have listened to you. Trying to ignore this thing would never work.¡±


    The golem sitting next to him on the shore tilted his head, puzzled. ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°Just imagine how bad things could go later when that taxman comes back here, and I¡¯m not using every advantage I can.¡±


    The crab shook his head and readjusted his monocle as he chewed.


    ¡°Fine, you win, system,¡± Balthazar said, to nobody in particular. ¡°We will have to just learn to live with each other. That means you need to stop crapping out on me, too.¡±


    Hesitantly, he pressed the level up prompt in the corner of his vision, as if expecting it to blow his eyes up.


    His eyes remained intact, unsurprisingly.


    ¡°Well, I guess let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± the crab said while navigating through his attributes and skills. ¡°Intelligence is a no-brainer. I need as much of it as I can against such an enemy as that inspector.¡±


    Increasing his Intelligence from 20 to 21, Balthazar felt exactly as he did before: an unappreciated genius of trade.


    ¡°I really hope that makes an actual difference,¡± he said with a sigh. ¡°And as for skills¡­ I¡¯ll just hope for the best and play it safe. Time to get that rank A Speech.¡±


    Finishing his skill allocation and closing all the menus, Balthazar stared off into the distance.


    ¡°I¡¯m really going to need all the finesse and cunning I can muster to beat that tax inspector tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 38: Tax Debuff

    ¡°Don¡¯t slouch!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not slouching!¡±


    ¡°And straighten your apron. It¡¯s crooked.¡±


    ¡°Will you stop? You¡¯re worse than my grandma!¡±


    The merchant crab tapped impatiently on the wooden floorboards while the baker girl adjusted the frills of the white apron around her waist.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be here by now?¡± Balthazar asked. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s not coming at all. Maybe he just forgot about me and we¡¯re all good.¡±


    ¡°He will show up, Balthazar,¡± Madeleine said. ¡°Taxmen don¡¯t just forget like that, I promise you.¡±


    ¡°I told you,¡± said Rye from behind them. ¡°I saw him leave his office early in the morning before I headed down here. He¡¯s doing his rounds. He¡¯ll get here, eventually.¡±


    The young adventurer sat on a wide wooden bench, one foot up on the seat, casually biting on an apple.


    Madeleine stood next to Balthazar, who was sitting on his purple cushion, propped up on a crate in order to reach the improvised banquet table, which was made of two rectangular wooden slabs put together with a large tablecloth covering them.


    Behind him stood Bouldy, motionless and waiting. To his right, another cushion lay on the floor, this one red, and containing a sleeping blue drake.


    ¡°Are you sure you didn¡¯t forget anything?¡± the anxious crab asked.


    ¡°I was already sure when you asked me that five minutes ago. Everything you asked for is here,¡± Madeleine said, gesturing towards a smaller table behind them with several boxes and baskets on it.


    ¡°If you¡¯d seen what I¡¯ve seen, you would understand,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°His mere aura of taxation is overwhelming. I cannot afford to make any mistakes in this fight.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re exaggerating a bit, Balthazar. It¡¯s just an old man,¡± the skeptical baker said.


    ¡°Yes, mate, calm down,¡± the smiling archer added. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d think you¡¯re about to fight a demon lord or something.¡±


    ¡°He might as well be one! Do you guys think taxes are a joke? He wants to take my precious gold!¡±


    The two humans exchanged glances at each other, with slight eye rolls, and did their best not to smile too much at the crab¡¯s perils.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± a running goblin shouted as he came running from the road. ¡°Old man coming down now!¡±


    ¡°Good job, Druma,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Now stand where I told you and make sure you keep your hat on. Everyone else too, get in position and remember the plan.¡±


    A gust of wind blew past the trading post as a group of clouds passed in front of the sun, blocking its light for a moment.


    The terrifying figure appeared from the road with his two guards trailing him close behind.


    Wearing his official green gown and hat, the small and frail old man gazed at the scene in front of him from behind his tiny glasses, precariously held by the tip of his nose, baggy cheeks jiggling softly as his head turned from side to side.


    ¡°Greetings, Mr. Abernathy!¡± Balthazar enthusiastically said.


    ¡°Good day, Mr. Balthazar,¡± the taxman said, still looking around at the unconventional arena set in front of him. ¡°Is this a bad time? Were you preparing to have a banquet today? I see you also have guests.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, not at all!¡± Balthazar assured him, while standing up and pulling back a chair at the top of the table. ¡°I was actually waiting for your arrival. But please, the way down here under this sun must have been taxing on you. Have a seat.¡±


    The old man raised his eyebrows in consideration.


    ¡°Well, it is a relatively hot day. I wouldn¡¯t mind resting for a moment before we proceed. My knees are not what they used to be.¡±


    The man sat down as his two guards stood back, spears up, eyes front.


    The stage was set. He had taken the bait.


    ¡°Good, good. We can talk better this way,¡± the crab said as he moved back to his cushion. ¡°And it will be even better if we discuss the matters at hand over some delicacies. I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I am famished, and it would be entirely rude on my part not to offer.¡±


    ¡°Well, I supposed there is no harm,¡± Abernathy conceded. ¡°And it would be rude on my part to turn it down as well.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°Excuse me! Excuse me! I hope I¡¯m not late!¡±


    Antoine had just arrived from the road, visibly out of breath, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.


    ¡°Mr. Antoine,¡± Abernathy said, ¡°what are you doing here? I don¡¯t believe I requested your presence for this official business.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know, Mr. Abernathy,¡± the still panting merchant said, while retrieving a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his brow. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t miss this for the world. And as the master of the Merchants Guild of Ardville, I believe it is in our best interest to see this prickly matter resolved once and for all. This¡­ individual has been impacting our good town¡¯s business for far too long, and as their representative, I am here to witness justice finally being served.¡±


    ¡°This seems highly¡ª¡± the taxman started.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr. Abernathy,¡± Balthazar said, raising an appeasing pincer. ¡°I actually don¡¯t mind Mr. Antoine being here at all. It¡¯s good that he bears witness, so there¡¯s no complaining later.¡±


    Antoine gave the crab a frown of suspicion.


    ¡°Well, if you have nothing against it,¡± said the older man, ¡°I suppose there is no reason for me to place objections, either. Let us carry on?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Balthazar turned his eyes to Antoine again. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m afraid we did not have an extra seat prepared for any unannounced guests.¡± He gave the town merchant the sincerest of smiles.


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    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me,¡± said the standing man, adjusting his feathered hat before crossing his arms. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on staying long, anyway. I have much business to take care of back in town. Just want to see this matter sorted quickly.¡±


    ¡°Well, we were just about to have a little brunch here, under this beautiful weather, while we discuss matters,¡± the golden merchant said, his smile turning sly, ¡°but I¡¯m sure you¡¯d also not be interested in partaking on any of that, would you?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± the other said. ¡°I have no interest in breaking bread with lowlifes.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself. But bread is not quite what we have on the menu today.¡± Balthazar turned back to Abernathy. ¡°First, allow me to introduce to you the one responsible for the baked goods I purchase. This is Madeleine. And allow me to point out that she is a baker from your town, and that the purchases I make from her are all money that goes back into circulation at your market.¡±


    Madeleine made a slight bow at the tax inspector, her cheeks looking slightly rosier than usual, her eyes fixed on the floor.


    ¡°Oh, you make business with Mr. Balthazar here? Very interesting,¡± Abernathy said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you before, have I not?¡± Antoine said to Madeleine, his tiny eyes squinting at her. ¡°At the market?¡±


    The baker kept her gaze on the floorboards and did not say a word.


    ¡°And this,¡± the crab continued, pointing a pincer to the archer sitting on a bench a few paces away from the table, ¡°is Rye, a member of the Adventurers Guild. Seeing as they are my main source of customers, they have a vested interest in the events that might transpire here today, so he shall serve as an impartial observer.¡±


    Rye gave the group a wave and a shy smile.


    Antoine opened his mouth to speak, but an irked glare from the taxman put a stop to his next intervention.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet one of our nation¡¯s esteemed and brave adventurers, Mr. Rye,¡± Abernathy said, giving the young man a nod.


    ¡°As for the other inhabitants of my pond, I believe you both still remember the golem behind me.¡± They both glanced nervously at the immobile rock giant behind the crab. ¡°And this here is Druma, my loyal assistant, whom I believe Mr. Antoine has met, but you have not, Mr. Abernathy.¡±


    The goblin stepped forward from behind Bouldy and gave the guests an awkward bow of his head, his hat nearly falling from his head.


    ¡°A goblin? As an assistant? Very irregular,¡± the inspector said, eyeing the goblin with curiosity.


    ¡°That right there!¡± Antoine blurted out. ¡°That menacing creature threatened my life the first time I came here to converse with the crab. You cannot allow a dangerous creature such as a goblin roaming freely in Ardville territory. Do your duty, seize it!¡±


    The irate merchant turned to the two guardsmen, who looked at each other, the goblin, and then the taxman.


    ¡°Please control yourself, Mr. Antoine,¡± Abernathy calmly said. ¡°The guardsmen of Ardville are not your private force to command. And while I admit a goblin is a very dubious choice of employee, these are very odd circumstances to begin with, and given the small creature¡¯s behavior, I don¡¯t believe him to be an immediate threat. I¡¯d like to at least allow Mr. Balthazar to make his case first, before passing any judgment.¡±


    With his pencil mustache twitching, the other merchant huffed loudly and crossed his arms again.


    The inspector looked past Balthazar and adjusted his glasses as he squinted.


    ¡°Excuse my nearsightedness, but is there not something breathing next to you, Mr. Balthazar?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, I was getting to that,¡± the crab said. ¡°This here is Blue, my pet drake. Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s very well trained and well behaved.¡±


    Balthazar hoped to everything that the feast of birds he had Rye shoot down for the drake that morning would keep her sleeping through the whole meeting, as he did not want to find out what would happen otherwise.


    All four men on the other side of the table leaned forward to look at the pillow next to the crab, curious to see the slumbering creature. She rested with her long body coiled around itself, wings folded, small puffs of steam released with each exhale.


    Antoine¡¯s jaw dropped. Not a word coming out of him.


    ¡°A real, living drake?!¡± a surprised Abernathy questioned, his backside raised from his chair as he leaned even further. ¡°I had read stories of kings and noblemen who owned such creatures, but never in all my years did I get to see one in person.¡±


    The showing off phase had gone perfectly. Intimidation had been achieved. It was time to take the next step.


    ¡°Ah, yes, indeed, rare and fascinating creatures,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°But also very temperamental and fond of their sleep. Best we do not disturb it much.¡±


    He snapped his silver claw at the baker.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like to discuss business on an empty stomach, so allow me to present you with a small¡­ snack.¡±


    Madeleine approached the table with a plate of pie.


    ¡°I was not sure of your preference, so I took the liberty of procuring a variety of pies for our enjoyment. Feel free to take your pick, or a little of each.¡±


    The girl carefully placed the plate on the table, between the crab and the taxman.


    ¡°First, a classic that you can never go wrong with,¡± the crab announced.


    ¡°Apple pie. Simple, but delicious. Does not require much more introduction.¡±


    Abernathy pulled his glasses further up the bridge of his nose for once and marveled at the perfectly caramelized slices of apple neatly arrayed over the pie¡¯s surface.


    ¡°Next,¡± Balthazar continued, as Madeleine retrieved another plate and brought it to the table, ¡°a pie I only recently discovered myself, but already fell in love with. Pecan pie.¡±


    The inspector snapped his gaze from the first pie to the second, eyes widening at the sight of the dark, nicely toasted pecan nuts encrusting the soft surface of the pie.


    ¡°Even though I wasn¡¯t a big fan of nuts before,¡± the smiling crustacean continued, ¡°this one won me over. I couldn¡¯t convince our baker here to reveal her secret, but something in it adds a fruity and spicy flavor that is just¡­ hmm!¡±


    The crab pinched the air, while the taxman seemed to have a hard time controlling his heavy breathing.


    ¡°But if neither of those do it for you,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°Madeleine also suggested a house special.¡± The baker brought yet another plate onto the table, two slices already cut, revealing a glistening and moist red filling.


    ¡°Rhubarb and strawberry pie. An unexpected combination to me, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Hopefully, you will give it a chance and share my opinion.¡±


    The old man seemed on the verge of drooling, his eyes unable to pick between looking through or over the lenses at each one of the pies in front of him.


    ¡°And, of course, just in case pies do not do it for you today, we also have a collection of tarts, scones, cookies, and other goodies that you can try.¡±


    Madeleine quickly moved back and forth, bringing plate after plate onto the table, until nearly every open space was taken by some form of pastry.


    Abernathy was completely lost for words as he looked over the banquet of baked goods laid out in front of his eyes, his wife¡¯s health concerns certainly far gone to the back of his mind.


    ¡°This is unacceptable!¡± a furious Antoine yelled out. ¡°This is a shameless and blatant attempt at swaying you! At buying your goodwill. At¡­ at¡­ bribing you!¡±


    Abernathy¡¯s half open mouth suddenly closed. His eyes broke out of their trance, and he turned to the guildmaster.


    ¡°Mr. Antoine,¡± he began, in a commanding and stern voice, ¡°I have faithfully served the crown for five decades, did my duty for longer than you¡¯ve been alive, and never once had so much as a single stain on my reputation. If you wish to question my ability to do my job fairly simply because someone offers me¡­¡± He briefly glanced at the pies in front of him and swallowed before continuing. ¡°...appetizers, then I suggest we take this matter up to the mayor himself, where we can discuss it openly, my honor and word against yours.¡±


    Antoine¡¯s mustache sagged slightly as he gulped, his neck stretching to adjust the collar around it.


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to question your professionalism, it¡¯s just that this is¡­ this is highly irregular, you must admit, and I thought it should be brought up because¡­¡±


    ¡°I find myself still perfectly capable of thinking with my own head and determine when a situation is inappropriate or not under our laws, Antoine. I¡¯d suggest you do not interfere with our meeting any further, or I will be forced to forget your status and have these two guards remove you from our vicinity. Are we clear?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, very clear. I understand,¡± the merchant said, tugging on the collar of his shirt with a finger.


    ¡°Now, where were we, Mr. Balthazar?¡± Abernathy said, turning back to the feast in front of him.


    This was the moment. Balthazar''s opponent had been successfully dazed and put under the effects of his strongest technique: pastries. It was time to strike.


    ¡°I believe we were about to talk business over some pie.¡±


    Balthazar smiled as he signaled to Druma, who brought him a small pile of books and a large folded map.

 Chapter 39: Tax Rebuttal

    The beast reared its head and rejoiced as it gorged itself with each greedy bite, eyes closed, cheeks jumping in rhythm with the chewing.


    Balthazar observed as his vile foe, the tax inspector, ate himself into an increasing stupor, satisfaction mixed with a hint of bitterness for all the fallen pastries lost in their clash. It was for a good cause, the crab kept thinking, promising he¡¯d honor the noble sacrifices later.


    Another form of solace came from the sidelines, where his other nemesis, Antoine, was forced to watch the entire scene, standing with his arms crossed, the long feather on his hat shaking as he impatiently tapped his foot on the floor.


    As if Balthazar needed more reasons to believe the other merchant was a bad character, the fact that the fuming man showed no interest in the delicious baked goods laid out in front of him only reinforced the crab¡¯s feelings. Anyone who didn¡¯t like a good pastry could be nothing but a pure villain. It was just one of those simple facts of life.


    ¡°Divine, my dear girl,¡± Abernathy declared, his eyes still closed in delight. ¡°Simply divine. This apple pie feels just like being back in mother¡¯s kitchen as a young boy. I must commend you for your craft. You truly are gifted, Ms. Madeleine.¡±


    The baker bowed her head and her cheeks blushed even more. ¡°Thank you, sir. You¡¯re very kind.¡±


    She took a step back and returned to her previous position, hands held together in front of herself, eyes still refusing to look up from the floor.


    ¡°Mr. Balthazar, I absolutely understand what you meant,¡± the inspector continued, ¡°this pecan pie is something else. The fruity flavor mixed with the spicy feeling is such a perfect match.¡±


    ¡°I told you. Truly something else,¡± the smiling crab said.


    ¡°I almost dare to make a guess and say part of it is a hint of liquor somewhere during its making,¡± the man said, glancing at the baker with a sly smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoy them as much as I do, Mr. Abernathy,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°but shall we get down to business now, before Mr. Antoine carves a hole in my floor?¡±


    ¡°Oh, certainly, certainly,¡± Abernathy said, still chewing on a mouthful of rhubarb and strawberry pie. ¡°I believe we had established during our previous encounter that you owed the city a sum of three thousand gold for your business, as well as your unlicensed golem. However, this sum will need readjusting now, to account for your other unregistered employee, the goblin, and while I will have to do some research on the old laws for it, I¡¯m certain the owning of a pet drake requires its own permits as well.¡±


    Balthazar smiled. It was time to go on the offensive.


    ¡°About all that,¡± the gilded crab said, casually leafing through the pages of a thick book in front of him. ¡°I have been reading up on your laws since we last met. And it¡¯s my understanding that taxes are paid by the citizens of a nation for the benefits of living within its society, like protection, amenities, services, and so on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that is correct,¡± the taxman agreed, nodding as he continued slowly chewing. ¡°It¡¯s money the city uses for every citizen¡¯s benefit.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Balthazar said, closing the book with a heavy thud. ¡°And am I a citizen of Ardville? I¡¯ve never so much as set foot inside your city¡¯s walls. In fact, I believe it was Mr. Antoine here who mentioned I wouldn¡¯t even be allowed through the gates, given the fact that I am a crab.¡±


    Abernathy side-eyed the other merchant, who avoided his gaze by carefully examining his own shoes from behind his crossed arms.


    ¡°While I understand and even believe you never entered the city itself,¡± the older man said, wiping the corners of his mouth lazily with a napkin, ¡°the domain of Ardville extends beyond the walls of the city. The surrounding territories are also part of the hold. The guards patrol the surrounding roads and the farms outside the city are under our protection too, for example.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, very interesting detail there, Mr. Abernathy,¡± said the crab, delicately raising his silver claw in a pinching motion. ¡°I have lived here all my life, and not once have I seen a single guard patrolling this here road. In fact, the first time I saw a guardsman setting foot in here was when Mr. Antoine brought one to accuse of me dealing in stolen goods. An accusation that, might I add, was proven false. And, as probably any guard will be able to confirm, I was the one to capture and deliver the thieves to said guardsman as well.¡±


    Abernathy gave Antoine a full on scowl this time, making no effort to hide his disapproval.


    ¡°That sounds like an egregious oversight on our town¡¯s part,¡± the inspector said, ¡°to not actively maintain a part of our territory and¡ª¡±


    It was time for the real damage.


    ¡°See, that¡¯s the thing,¡± Balthazar interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing my own research, and, according to the old records from your very town¡¯s library, when the hold¡¯s limits were being redrawn after the war about 90 years ago, a small area was specifically left outside the boundaries of Ardville.¡±


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    The crab opened another large volume to a bookmarked page and traced a pincer over one of its paragraphs. Both the taxman and the other merchant leaned forward slightly, intrigued frowns forming on their faces.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Antoine declared in a pompous tone. ¡°This crab just admitted himself to never have set foot within our town¡¯s walls. He could never have accessed our library. This is all made up nonsense!¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I have not,¡± Balthazar agreed. ¡°Our friend Rye here was kind enough to bring them to me.¡±


    The young man gave them another sheepish wave as they all turned to look at him again.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Balthazar continued, ¡°there was a small portion of land excluded from the Ardville domain. As you can probably guess by now, it was the area around this pond we find ourselves in at the moment. According to the logbooks from that era, the area was considered of little value, and too much trouble to be worth patrolling and tending to, due to, and let me quote here, ¡®the colony of crabs that control the pond and the immediate areas around it¡¯, and thus it was left out, considered part of the greater wilds outside the city¡¯s hold.¡±


    The smirking crustacean carefully unfolded the map under his books, extending it on the surface of the table between him and the inspector.


    ¡°And here is the accompanying map drawn at the time, where you can confirm that Ardville¡¯s claim ends about fifty paces before the entrance to this pond.¡±


    He pointed the tip of his silver pincer at the spot on the map, as Abernathy held his glasses in place and leaned closer to the map, his nose nearly touching the parchment.


    ¡°This¡­ this actually seems all correct. It even matches the dates from the logs,¡± the old man said, turning to the open book. ¡°And it has the official stamp from the mayor at the time. I still recall it from some old papers in the registry when I started working at the tax office.¡±


    The tax inspector looked completely gobsmacked. The battle was nearly won.


    ¡°Ridiculous, all of it,¡± a fuming Antoine exclaimed. ¡°Old words on old paper. All our guardsmen need to do is kick out the rabble and reestablish ownership of the land.¡±


    The last standing. It was time to deliver the final blow.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Balthazar calmly said. ¡°But would your mayor really want to start a dispute with a merchant so many adventurers have grown fond of? Would his guards really want to come down here and pick on us?¡±


    He extended his arms to the figures on his side of the table. The four men on the other side all took their turn gazing up at the imposing golem behind the crab, the small goblin wearing a wizard hat and a staff on his back, and the sleeping drake. The two guardsmen exchanged concerned looks once more.


    ¡°And all for what? A meaningless small piece of land? One that would likely only bring him more headache, having to deal with the constant menace that are the packs of wolves that often roam around here. Luckily for your citizens, we have been keeping them at bay.¡±


    Madeleine and Rye glanced at each other, both looking slightly confused.


    It mattered not. There would be time to explain it to them later. A small white lie was worth it, to put an end to that grueling fight.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Abernathy said, slowly leaning back on his chair and putting both hands together over his stomach. ¡°Packs of wild wolves are always a troublesome nuisance for a town to deal with. Very expensive too, if we consider the potential for injuries.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, very much so,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I think they¡¯re diseased too, foaming at the mouth, completely rabid. A dangerous menace to any populace.¡±


    ¡°You cannot be taking any of what this¡­ this charlatan is saying seriously!¡± the furious merchant said, standing with both arms now straight next to his torso, fists clenched.


    ¡°Mr. Antoine,¡± the sluggish taxman said, turning a lazy gaze towards the other man, ¡°I believe we¡¯ve heard quite enough from you. You are here merely as an invited guest, not in any kind of official capacity. In fact, based on what we¡¯ve just learned, neither am I. We¡¯re both outsiders on outside territory. So I¡¯d suggest you stop abusing the hospitality with your outbursts.¡±


    Antoine was growing redder by the second, all the way from his neck up to his forehead.


    ¡°You may think you¡¯ve won here, crab,¡± he said, with a bitter tone, ¡°but don¡¯t think you¡¯ve come out on top with this. You will regret it later, I promise you that.¡±


    With a sneer, the disgruntled merchant turned to the exit, stopping briefly to stare down at the baker for a moment, before leaving with quick stomps.


    ¡°Always been a bitter man, that one,¡± Abernathy casually said, as he removed his glasses and cleaned them on his sleeve. ¡°Ambitious beyond reason.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Balthazar said, looking at the man with curiosity.


    ¡°Very much so. Just ask any of his former business partners. The ones that remain, at least.¡± The old man let out a long yawn. ¡°Oh, excuse me. Clearly, I¡¯m not used to such a feast of sweets anymore. If my wife only knew.¡±


    The crab contemplated the chuckling man, his posture loose, his eyes heavy. He had beaten him. The frightful foe laid defeated in front of him.


    If his stupid system had any logic, it would award him with a level up or two in that moment for winning such an epic fight. But alas, the thing was just plain dumb.


    ¡°You are a shrewd one, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± the tired old man continued. ¡°But be careful that your shrewdness does not land you in hot water. You¡¯re bringing a lot of attention onto yourself. Nevertheless, well played today. That was quite amusing to watch. And the food. Oh, just delightful.¡±


    Abernathy slowly stood up, struggling to straighten his back with the extra weight in his stomach.


    ¡°But I believe it is time for me to go now. After all, I wouldn¡¯t want to impose on your lands any more than I have already.¡±


    The man gave the crab an amused glance over his lenses.


    ¡°Farewell, Mr. Balthazar. Good luck with your endeavors. Stay safe.¡±


    The old man was strange, but perhaps not as terrifying, now that Balthazar was looking at him through the eyes of victory.


    As soon as the three figures disappeared out onto the road, Madeleine and Rye let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I never want to go through something like this ever again,¡± the baker said, wiping her forehead with her apron. ¡°I hate all this bureaucratic, official stuff. Way too formal for me.¡±


    ¡°Yep, even as just an ¡®observer¡¯ I was still on the edge of my seat the whole time,¡± said Rye. ¡°For a moment I almost thought that idiot Antoine was going to demand the town guardsmen to come down here and seize the land, ha.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, it was tough, but we did it,¡± a relieved Balthazar conceded. ¡°Now I can finally go back to focusing on more important things.¡±


    Rye approached the crab with a smug smile. ¡°I guess we could say you successfully evaded disaster, right?¡±


    Balthazar gave the boy a confused frown.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. What was that supposed to mean?¡±

 Chapter 40: Orc-hestrated Business

    The golden merchant tapped rhythmically on a table with his pincers as he hummed to himself, his eyes scanning an open book in front of him. This crab was in a good mood.


    After having beaten his first ¡°boss fight,¡± Balthazar felt better than he had in days, as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shell, and he could now look towards a shinier future. A future without the plight of taxes.


    His mind now freed from those concerns, he decided the first order of business was finally to work on improving his trading post.


    Summer was quickly coming to an end, days becoming shorter, the skies cloudier, the breeze cooler. Soon the rains would come, and unfortunately for the merchant, many of his goods were not waterproof.


    And most important of all, not even a crab enjoys soggy pastries.


    Having done his share of reading on roof architecture, Balthazar had settled on the kind of roof he wanted to erect over his trading post. Sadly, there was a clear lack of building plans for those with advanced limbs such as himself. He would have to rely on the handy goblin once again for this project, assuming he could handle it, given the much bigger scale of it, compared to some simple wooden tables and shelves.


    Bouldy and Druma joined the crab at the center of the trading post. The golem was carrying a large saw and several coils of thick rope, while the goblin brought a small toolbox and a waterskin.


    ¡°Alright, you guys have everything?¡± Balthazar asked. ¡°Remember, stay on the edge of the forest, no stepping inside it. There are plenty of large trees there to take down, no need to risk going inside.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡± the eager goblin said. ¡°Druma will look after big rock!¡±


    ¡°Yep, sure, I¡¯m counting on it,¡± the crab assured him, like a parent humoring their small child.


    ¡°Friend,¡± said the golem with a smile.


    ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t let anything bad happen to him,¡± Balthazar whispered to the boulder, while the goblin was busy taking a couple of meat pasties for the day. ¡°If anything dangerous appears, forget the lumber, take Druma and run back here, understood?¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± Bouldy repeated, while gently nodding.


    ¡°Boss will be alright alone all day?¡± asked Druma, rejoining the other two.


    ¡°Pfft. I¡¯ll be fine. Nobody¡¯s messing with the vanquisher of taxmen,¡± the cocky crab declared, giving both of his pincers a couple of clicks. ¡°Besides, I won¡¯t be alone. Blue¡¯s right there.¡±


    He pointed to the drake on the other side of the bridge, sleeping on her red cushion as usual. Not a care in the world.


    ¡°But boss,¡± the goblin started, while scratching the back of his green head, ¡°Blue always sleeping. She no help anything.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d step up if necessary. Besides, just the amount of birds she has been clearing from the area is already plenty of help for me. Now go on, get going, you¡¯re burning daylight!¡±


    Balthazar watched as the pair made their way out onto the road, the massive golem walking slowly, while the tiny goblin tried to hop fast enough to keep pace with him.


    ¡°And make sure you get back before dusk!¡± the crab yelled at them from afar.


    The merchant stretched his arms and let out a sigh of contentment.


    ¡°Ah, the kids are out for the day. It¡¯s just me and my goods, like in the old days.¡±


    ***


    The day passed like a soft summer breeze, the crab making deal after deal with each passing adventurer, sometimes to buy, sometimes to sell, sometimes both, but always with a net profit for him.


    Money was accumulating nicely, but for the first time in a long time, Balthazar was actually running out of stock.


    Looking through his inventory of weapons and armor, the shiny merchant wondered if he could keep supplying the skeleton¡¯s dungeon with loot if adventurers kept coming by so empty-handed as they had been lately. Was he biting more than he could chew with that business agreement?


    ¡°Metaphors make me hungry. Time to go bite on some cookies.¡±


    Strolling to the road with a cookie in his pincer, Balthazar looked towards the south, looking for any signs of Druma and Bouldy.


    The sun was close to touching the horizon, and the sky was a warm orange, daylight soon to be gone. Even adventurers were mostly out from the roads by that point.


    ¡°Where are those two?¡± the crab asked himself while chewing on his chocolate chip cookie. ¡°I told them to make it back before dusk.¡±


    Alerted by the sound of footsteps and metal rattling behind him, Balthazar turned around, already rolling his eyes at the idea of some last-minute clients.


    ¡°Look, if you need something let¡¯s make it qui¡ª¡±


    The merchant jumped in place, startled, and dropped his cookie.


    Out of the grass on the other side of the road came three dark green figures, tall and muscular. They each had large fangs coming out of their lower lip and wore permanent scowls on their faces. They were orcs.


    Balthazar stared in horror. Not at the orcs, but at the dropped cookie on the ground, quickly being surrounded by frantic ants.


    ¡°Nooo,¡± he quietly whimpered, before turning his gaze up, back to the orcs.


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    The one leading the trio wore a mix of pelts and chains, and carried a large battleaxe on his back, while the other two behind him carried large loot sacks and wore pelts and chains from the waist down, their chests bare and without any kind of clothing or armor.


    Finally focusing his attention back to the real problem besides the fallen cookie, Balthazar nervously looked around. Orcs were savage beings, described in every book as brutal marauders with an insatiable thirst for battle and bloodshed.


    The golem and the goblin were still not back, and the drake was, as usual, sleeping all the way at the center of the pond. Balthazar might have defeated a tax inspector in a bureaucratic battle, but he wasn¡¯t convinced he¡¯d have such luck with a trio of barbaric orcs.


    They continued to approach the crab at a calm walking speed. He eyed the path down to the pond, but there was little chance he¡¯d make it without one of them being able to intercept him if he tried.


    He examined the three of them for what little good that would do for him in that situation.


    [Level 25 Orc Chieftain]


    [Level 15 Orc Warrior]


    [Level 15 Orc Warrior]


    With little hope his iron claw would do much in that situation, Balthazar turned to the only other strategy he knew: running his mouth.


    ¡°Hey there, fellas,¡± the crab nervously started, slowly stepping backwards away from them. ¡°A bit late to be going on a raid, but I guess you¡¯d know better about those than me. What do I know? I¡¯m just a talking crab. Not like a crab would have anything worth looting. Also, unrelated note, but did you know giant crabs taste terrible? Anyway, did you see that lonely adventurer who just went down that way a moment ago? He was loaded with loot. Crazy stuff. Wouldn¡¯t sell me any of it. Not that I¡¯d buy it. I¡¯m not a merchant or anything. Just a crab, having a stroll, stretching his legs.¡±


    The chieftain stopped in front of the crab, staring him down with a deep frown.


    ¡°You certainly talk a lot, merchant crab.¡±


    Balthazar froze for a moment, processing what the orc said.


    ¡°You¡­ you aren¡¯t going to attack me?¡±


    ¡°Why would I ever do such a thing?¡± the orc said, frown deepening even more.


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ because you¡¯re¡­ well, never mind,¡± the crab finally said, deciding it would probably be best not to finish that sentence. ¡°How do you know I¡¯m a merchant?¡±


    The imposing orc let out an exhale that implied a chuckle that his expression did not accompany.


    ¡°A mutual acquaintance told us about you,¡± he said. ¡°Tom, the traveling skeleton from that dungeon west of here.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh!¡± Balthazar let out, with some relief. ¡°That explains it. He mentioned telling some of his contacts about me. I just didn¡¯t expect, uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Orcs?¡± the other finished. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re used to getting that a lot.¡±


    ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± the hesitant crab started, ¡°why exactly are you here? I¡¯m not sure what an orc tribe could want with me.¡±


    ¡°The skeleton told us you deal with many kinds of goods, including weapons and armor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see, although I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d have armor that is¡­ your size,¡± Balthazar said, eyeing the orc¡¯s broad shoulders, easily rivaling the largest of adventurers. ¡°And I¡¯m also a little low on supply at the moment, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand me,¡± the orc said, raising his large hand, palm forward. ¡°We are not interested in purchasing weapons and armor. We are looking to sell them to you.¡±


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s, uh¡­ interesting?¡±


    ¡°Is there somewhere more fitting for discussing business we could go, other than the middle of the road?¡±


    ¡°Right, sure. Come with me,¡± the merchant said.


    Balthazar was taken aback by the unexpected behavior of the orcs, but remembering he had recently begun doing business transactions with a skeleton, he figured the time for being surprised by that kind of things was gone.


    He headed down the path to his pond, the three orcs following behind.


    ¡°Right, so let¡¯s talk business,¡± the crab said as they arrived at the center of the trading post.


    ¡°I believe we still owe introductions,¡± the chieftain said.


    Balthazar had no idea orcs were so polite. He wasn¡¯t sure why humans gave them such a bad reputation.


    ¡°I am Khargolmazornyamarz,¡± the chieftain continued. ¡°And these are two of my bravest warrior-brothers.¡±


    The first one of the two identical orcs nodded. ¡°I am Burznarfuogol.¡±


    The other nodded as well. ¡°Yaturwurtguthvarbu.¡±


    With a dumbfounded expression, the crab suddenly realized that perhaps keeping track of adventurers'' names wasn¡¯t as difficult as he was used to thinking.


    ¡°I hope it¡¯s alright if I call you just Khargol,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°You know, purely for brevity¡¯s sake.¡±


    ¡°Very well. You may,¡± Khargol agreed.


    ¡°So, anyway,¡± said the crab, ¡°about that business?¡±


    The bulky orc looked back to give the other two a nod and they began opening their loot bags.


    ¡°Adventurers often attempt to attack our tribe¡¯s camp,¡± chieftain Khargol explained, ¡°and after we dispatch their misguided endeavor, we are left with much loot we have no use for. From poorly crafted weapons to armor parts far too small, even for our children. Lately their attacks have increased, and we no longer know what to do with all the overabundance of loot. Tom suggested we come to you.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± a confused Balthazar interjected. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. You¡¯re clearly not the savages humans paint you as, why do you keep fighting them like you are? Why not just converse with them, like you¡¯re doing with me?¡±


    The orc smiled for the first time since arriving from the plains. Balthazar suddenly found he preferred the scowl a lot more. His sharp teeth and large fangs made his smile feel evil regardless of the intention behind it.


    ¡°Because we might not have any use for their gear, but we still don¡¯t mind them bringing all their coin to our doorstep.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Balthazar wasn¡¯t sure if his previous idea of orcs wasn¡¯t less scary the more he learned about them.


    The other two warriors had unloaded a large collection of dirty armor pieces, swords, maces, daggers, and more, all laid out on the floor in front of the crab.


    ¡°Would you be interested in purchasing these?¡± Khargol asked. ¡°If so, there would be more where these came from.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, sure, I could clean those up and sell them, I¡¯m sure. Now, let¡¯s discuss a price.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± the orc said, while pulling a piece of parchment and a small pair of glasses from his pocket.


    Carefully placing the tiny lenses on his nose, he looked at the paper.


    Orcs could apparently read too. They were definitely the surprise that kept on surprising.


    ¡°We have calculated the market value for each of these items and have come to an agreeable amount of 131 gold for all of them.¡±


    It was Balthazar¡¯s turn to frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how haggling works. We need to reach a mutually acceptable value.¡±


    ¡°We do not. 131 is the acceptable value. Any less would be to allow you to undercut us. It¡¯s your choice to buy them or not now.¡±


    The gilded crab was no stranger to calling a bluff.


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t? What will you do, go up to the town market and sell them there?¡±


    The chieftain smiled again. This time, there was definitely an evil flair to it.


    ¡°No, we will simply take them and dump them in the river.¡±


    Perhaps they were savages after all, even if just partially.


    Balthazar looked at the sun behind them, almost halfway down the horizon. Bouldy and Druma had still not returned. The crab had no time for this.


    ¡°Luckily for you,¡± said the merchant, ¡°I find 131 gold a fair enough price for these.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± the orc said, putting his glasses back in his pocket, while the crab counted his payment. ¡°We will be sure to visit again soon, with more items for you.¡±


    Finishing the trade, Balthazar accompanied the orcs back to the road.


    ¡°This was a prosperous encounter,¡± Khargol said, holding a fist against his chest in some form of salute. ¡°I hope we will have many more. Until next time.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, same to you. See you,¡± the hurrying crab said.


    Somehow, an orc had managed to be a tougher client than most adventurers. For some reason, Balthazar found he could respect that, even if he would never admit it out loud. He still didn¡¯t appreciate losing out on a couple of gold coins, however.


    Gazing down the road again, he finally spotted his two workers returning.


    The goblin carrying his tools, the golem shouldering two large tree trunks.


    Balthazar approached as they reached the exit to the pond.


    ¡°Look who finally showed up! I thought I said before dusk!¡±


    Between losing a cookie and the opportunity to make one or two extra gold coins, the crab was going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

 Chapter 41: The Crab Who Cried Wolf

    The crab stood atop one of the tallest boulders around his pond, surveying the area with pride.


    His domain and influence were growing, a just reward for his efforts and cunning.


    Adversities had come, and he overcame them. Whether they were monsters from the forest, or monsters from a tax office, he always came out on top, triumphing alone over his enemies.


    Perhaps with a little help, sometimes, but mainly it was his genius making it happen.


    He took a long look at the trading post from above, the extension of the floor platform already completed, and the first of four main pillars that would support the roof already placed. It would take several more days, but with the brawn of the golem to do the heavy lifting and the agile fingers and knack for construction of the goblin, Balthazar was confident the undertaking would be finished before the first rains came.


    The two hard workers were still out, cutting down more trees for the build, but with the afternoon quickly coming closer to its end, the merchant knew they would be back soon.


    Redirecting his gaze down to the center islet, he observed the drake, who was lazily stretching her wings while lying on her cushion.


    It was an ongoing frustration for him. No matter what he tried, she would not obey a word of what he said. All the damnable creature did all day was sleep, with the occasional break to fly up and chomp on a bird or two when hungry.


    All day, all she did was napping and snapping. That was no life to have.


    The crab only wished she would be more willing to cooperate with him. After all, if it wasn¡¯t for him, she might have never even been born. The least she could do was be obedient. Surely that shouldn¡¯t be too much to expect.


    Shaking his head with a sigh, the crab made his way down the boulder.


    ¡°We crabs have the right idea. Just lay a bunch of eggs and get on with your life. No sticking around waiting for your offspring to disappoint you.¡±


    Walking across his trading post, Balthazar admired the sky over the horizon, its color slowly shifting into a warm orange.


    It would soon be dusk, but so far he saw no signs of Bouldy or Druma down the road. No rabbits or other animals, either. All was quiet. Even adventurers were likely already inside the walls of the city, eating and resting for the night, before going out for more meaningless adventuring in the morning.


    ¡°No last-minute clients today, it seems.¡±


    Just as soon as the words left the crab¡¯s mouth, a shell-chilling howl echoed around him.


    Balthazar¡¯s eye stalks stood up to attention as he saw a lean animal figure stepping out from behind a bush on the side of the road with slow but firm steps.


    The canine figure looked directly at him with bright yellow eyes. Its coat of fur was thick and black, its fangs large and sharp, a hungry tongue hanging from its mouth in a quiet panting.


    The crab turned to the path he had come from, but he found another wolf stalking its way down the road, cutting him off from the way back to the pond.


    The wolves had surrounded him, and he had serious doubts they were there to sell or buy goods.


    His heart now racing, Balthazar tried quickly finding a way out.


    He could not run back to the pond, he would have to pass through the wolf for that.


    He could not run down the road to where his two assistants would come from, as the other wolf also blocked his path.


    Heading into the grass of the plains was risky, but he had no other option unless he wished to remain as he was and become easy prey.


    Balthazar took one step towards the plains, and his heart sank.


    Two more wolves appeared from the grass, both snarling, eyes hungry, fangs bared.


    There was nowhere to run.


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± the panicking crab muttered. ¡°There were never wolves around here. This can¡¯t be.¡±


    Caring little for the crab¡¯s arguments against their existence, the four wolves slowly and carefully encircled their prey.


    The bigger one, more muscular and imposing than the rest, took the lead. With a wrinkling snout, the black wolf growled as it showed its massive upper fangs, making its intentions very clear.


    ¡°Bad dog. Don¡¯t,¡± the crab nervously pleaded, both claws up, as he stepped back. ¡°Stay down. I¡¯ve got pincers, and I¡¯m not afraid to use them.¡±


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    The wolves seem unconvinced by his weak claim, and did not back down.


    Balthazar quickly glanced around at each of the black-furred wolves.


    [Level 5 Wild Wolf]


    [Level 5 Wild Wolf]


    [Level 5 Wild Wolf]


    [Level 9 Wild Wolf]


    The larger, bulkier wolf was higher level than the others, but despite them all technically being lower levels compared to the crab¡¯s level 11, he somehow found no comfort in that fact.


    There were four of them against one of him, and he was hardly built for physical combat.


    He was a crab of intellect. Battles of wit against a frail old taxman were more his speed. Hungry wild wolves, not so much.


    All the good his Intelligence could do for him in that moment was let him know he stood no chance in that fight.


    All the good his Charisma could do would be to allow him to compliment the wolves on their magnificent coat of fur as they tore his legs from his body.


    All he had left was a big iron pincer. A capable weapon, but not enough to handle all four attackers at once.


    And the wolves seemed to know that. Despite their clear numeric advantage, they were being cautious and slow on their approach. None of them wanted to be the first one to make a move, knowing they would likely be the one to suffer the first snap, while the others took advantage of the distraction.


    Holding his right claw in front of himself like a warning, Balthazar slowly backed away as much as he could, but the circle was growing tighter. Soon they would be upon him.


    If only the golem and the goblin would show up.


    And then a tiny beat of hope hit from his heart. The drake.


    ¡°Bluuuuuue! Heeeeelp!¡± the desperate crab shouted.


    He could not see the center of the pond from where he was on the road, so there was no way to know if she had heard his call for help. All Balthazar could do was hope she wasn¡¯t still napping and ignoring his pleas. He did not like his chances on that.


    As he screamed for the drake, the wolves surrounding him began howling in turns, snouts pointed to the sky. It was almost as if they were mocking the crab¡¯s cries for help. Or worse, calling more of their kind for the feast.


    The despairing crab kept glancing up at the sky, hope quickly fading that help would swoop in from above. The predators continued to circle around him, growling and waiting for the right moment to strike, as the shiny crustacean continued snapping his larger pincer in as threatening of a manner as he could.


    Balthazar heard a low growl, different from the ones made by the wolves, and he looked up with a hint of hope, but nothing was there. Instead, a dragged shuffling noise came from the path to the pond.


    Blue slowly came walking onto the road, tail lazily dragging behind her, eyes still half closed. She let out a loud yawn as she looked around for the source of the commotion.


    The pack of wolves maintained their encirclement of the crab, but stopped pacing around him, each one turning their heads to the drake.


    She looked at them with a raised brow, her eyes still lazy.


    Despite being only a juvenile drake, she was nearly the same size as the wolves, and they seemed to understand the threat she presented as their growling became more contained. They were no longer threatening to attack, they were making a warning for her to stay away.


    ¡°Come on, do something,¡± Balthazar muttered to her from between the wolves. ¡°Shoot some flames or whatever, but get me out of this!¡±


    Blue seemed to pay no mind to the crab¡¯s words, as her eyes instead focused on the largest of the four wolves, as if sizing him up with a judgmental glare.


    The muscular wolf continued baring its fangs, but not with the same confidence as before. It also did not dare step forward towards her.


    ¡°Blue, stop playing staring contests and do something, damn it!¡± the anxious crab pleaded, still firmly stuck between the hungry beasts.


    Suddenly, the drake gave an uninterested blink and turned around to leave back the way she came.


    ¡°What are you doing? Blue? Blue! Get back here, damn it! For once, listen to me!¡±


    A howl came from behind a nearby treeline. This one deeper and louder, somehow even more intimidating than any of the others.


    From the forest, one more wolf came. But this one was different, his fur also black, but with patches of gray, his eyes a more amber color, their gaze much more piercing. He was larger than even the muscular level 9, and he approached the others with commanding confidence.


    [Level 15 Alpha Wolf]


    ¡°Ah crap, they called their boss.¡±


    Blue stopped and turned back around to look at the arriving leader of the pack.


    She stared him down, her eyes no longer looking sleepy. The wolf returned her gaze. Unlike the others, he did not show hesitation or signs of being intimidated. Balthazar could almost swear the drake had smirked for a moment.


    She stepped forward towards the pack of wolves again.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right! Get in here and get them off my¡ª¡±


    The blue drake opened her wings and with one flap took off from the ground before lunging forward, past the four black wolves surrounding the crab, and aiming straight at the gray pack leader.


    ¡°What are you doing?! I¡¯m right here! Help me first!¡±


    As soon as the winged creature passed them and engaged with their leader, the other four turned their attention back to the crab. No longer willing to play games, they resumed their approach.


    The level 9 charged in first, going for a bite to the face. Balthazar quickly swiped with his iron claw, trying to grab the snout, but the wolf recoiled and avoided the snap.


    With the crab now distracted, the others jumped in from all sides. One grabbed his left pincer with its teeth. They did not penetrate the silver plating, but one of his arms was now immobilized. The smallest wolf jumped on the back of his shell, trying to fit its mouth on his shell for a bite it clearly could not take. And the last one snapped its fangs at the crab¡¯s legs, trying to grab hold of one, as the crustacean desperately tried to kick him away.


    Balthazar was quickly being overwhelmed. It was only a matter of time until one of the wolves would find an opening into his soft parts and flipped him over.


    In the middle of the struggle, he caught a glimpse of what was happening down the road. Blue was repeatedly swooping down on the alpha wolf, who ferociously snapped at her strikes, trying to grab her.


    He was going to be mauled by four hungry wolves, and she was more interested in fighting the higher level one.


    All his smarts, all his cunning, all the shrewdness, and his downfall was going to be not a greedy merchant, or taxes, but just the laws of nature.


    So much for being a genius.


    ¡°Boooooooooss!¡±


    The cobblestones of the road underneath them were rumbling as heavy footsteps stomped closer.


    Between the rows of teeth drooling and snapping right next to his face, through the black fur that was quickly surrounding him, Balthazar saw a giant rock charging in with a yelling goblin perched on its shoulder, one hand holding a magical staff, the other keeping his wizard hat in place.

 Chapter 42: Overstepping Your Boundaries

    With a firm last step that shook the wolves¡¯ balance, the stone golem pulled his other leg back and swiftly kicked the bigger attacker away from the overwhelmed crab.


    The wolf landed several paces up the road, hurt, but not out yet.


    The goblin jumped off the boulder¡¯s shoulder and onto the ground. Pointing his staff at the wolf trying to bite through Balthazar¡¯s shell, he released a stream of green magical bolts, knocking the creature off with a whimper.


    Bouldy brought his huge hand down and wrapped it around the wolf that was biting down on the silver pincer, and with a squeeze made the attacker let out a high-pitched whimper and release the arm. The golem promptly tossed the wolf aside like it was a stuffed toy.


    Finally free of his other assailants, Balthazar turned to the one who had been trying to bite down on his legs and pressed his iron pincer around its snout. The wolf let out a muffled whine and thrashed around until the crab let go.


    ¡°How do you like it, huh?!¡± Balthazar angrily yelled at the retreating wolf with the scrunched up muzzle, who ran away into the forest.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± Druma came running, staff still firmly grasped in his hands. ¡°Is boss alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so,¡± the crab responded, still trying to recover his breath. ¡°That was a close save. I thought I was done for. Saw my whole life pass in front of my eyes. It was so boring.¡±


    Looking back at the pack leader, he saw it still engaged in combat with the drake. She would try to swoop down on it, and the wolf retaliated by jumping on its hind legs to try and bite her. She continued circling above, looking for an opening to strike through.


    ¡°Prideful thing. You only cared when a proper opponent showed up, didn¡¯t you?¡± the resentful crab said to himself.


    Looking the other way, Balthazar saw the bulkier wolf standing back up and start heading back towards them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down,¡± said the golden crab. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± the stoic golem said, stepping over the crab and goblin to intercept the incoming attacker.


    Pulling his fist back, Bouldy wound up for a powerful punch, but by the time his strike came down, it hit nothing but air. The wolf used its speed to dodge to the side and with a quick jump propelled itself off the golem¡¯s arm and lunged at his neck. He tried to sink its fangs in, but found nothing but hard rock, clawing and trying to snap as it clung to the giant¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Boss!¡± shouted Druma, alerting the crab to the incoming attacker.


    Balthazar jumped back just in time to avoid the bite from one of the level 5 wolves.


    ¡°Druma magics you again!¡± the goblin said, thrusting his staff at the creature, but no orbs shot out that time. The tip of the staff let out a small green spark and nothing more. He looked at it, confused.


    ¡°I told you so many times,¡± the goblin¡¯s boss said, while giving the wolf a punch with the blunt side of his iron claw, ¡°it¡¯s not you who¡¯s magic, it¡¯s the staff. That thing is probably out of mana charges now.¡±


    The assistant looked at the staff, disappointment and a hint of sadness painted in his expression. ¡°Druma not magic?¡±


    ¡°No! You never were, damn it! Now focus!¡±


    Balthazar turned to the wolf he had just punched and snapped his pincer at it, attempting to catch one of its legs. The creature dodged, its stance more defensive.


    ¡°Not so tough when you¡¯re not in a group, are you?¡± the crab said, holding both pincers in front of himself. ¡°Come on, try me, stink breath.¡±


    The wolf reared its head, snarling. It no longer had the will to attack now that it had lost superiority in numbers.


    Balthazar took one step forward and snapped his pincer, and the wolf turned tail and ran down the road.


    ¡°Coward!¡± yelled the crab.


    Looking back at the golem, he saw the giant spinning around himself, trying to reach the wolf latching onto his back.


    ¡°Stop playing and get rid of that thing already, Bouldy!¡± Balthazar yelled.


    A loud screech startled the crab.


    Blue had pinned the alpha wolf under her talons, and was now semi-mounted on its back, wings spread open, as the barking creature thrashed around, trying to bite at her.


    With great effort, she leveraged her weight against the wolf¡¯s and flipped it onto its back. Before it could flip itself back, she snapped her mandible around one of its paws, making the other creature let out a howl of pain.


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    ¡°Great, you got it,¡± Balthazar started saying to the drake as he approached them, ¡°now just¡ª¡±


    The crab winced, as she seemed to pay no mind to his words and instead bit down on the wolf¡¯s neck, bringing its thrashing to a quick stop.


    Before he could say anything else, a large shadow flew over him. The large wolf Bouldy had been struggling with went flying down the road, landing with a loud crack of bones, immobile.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Balthazar said. ¡°At least everyone is alright.¡±


    He stopped and counted in his head for a moment.


    ¡°Wait, wasn¡¯t there one more¡ª¡±


    ¡°ARGH!¡±


    Quickly turning to the source of the scream, the crab saw the last remaining wolf biting down on his goblin assistant¡¯s left leg, who was crying out in pain while helplessly trying to punch at the creature¡¯s snout with no results.


    ¡°Druma!¡± Balthazar shouted. ¡°Bouldy, get¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, a blue blur shot over him and hit the side of the wolf.


    Blue let out a loud warning screech at the black wolf as it stood back up, limping. It growled in return.


    Planting her hind legs down and extending her wings back, the drake shot out a small jet of blue flames from her mouth over the lone wolf.


    Whimpering at the burning heat, it ran away into the plains.


    Rushing to the goblin, Balthazar found him lying on the ground, clinging to his bitten leg in pain. The wound was deep.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ sorry, boss,¡± he struggled to say between sobbing. ¡°Druma try¡­ try using staff again¡­ but it no work. Druma dumb. Druma not magic.¡±


    ¡°Hey, no, no, stop that,¡± the anxious crab hurriedly said, seeing the green fading from the goblin¡¯s face. ¡°You could totally be magic. What do I know about wizards, anyway? I¡¯m just a silly crab. That staff was probably just faulty. You know those adventurers are always breaking stuff.¡±


    A log appeared in front of Balthazar¡¯s eyes, notifying him about the shared experience gained from the slain wolves, followed by one more line.


    [You have reached level 12!]


    It didn¡¯t matter, he cared not for levels, skills, or any of that stupid system¡¯s nonsense. There was only one thing of use from it at that moment.


    Quickly swiping away the notifications, he used the party system in his eyes to check his assistant¡¯s health points.


    [Health: 6/60]


    Blue stood close, lowering her head to sniff at the goblin¡¯s wound, with what seemed to be a concerned frown.


    Bouldy joined them with quick stomps, no smile on his stone face.


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°Pick him up, quick!¡± Balthazar ordered. ¡°Let¡¯s bring him in. I¡¯ll get a health potion.¡±


    The golem gently swept his stone hands under the weakened goblin and carried him down the path to the trading post.


    Rushing to one of the shelves, the crab grabbed two of his largest red bottles and some rolled up bandages from a crate.


    ¡°Here you go, buddy,¡± he said, as he uncorked one of the potions and helped the goblin lead his trembling hands that held it to his mouth. ¡°Don''t worry, you¡¯ll be good as new in no time.¡±


    Druma tried to force a smile under his bleary eyes as he sat on the floor, back against a crate. His wound was not looking any better as the crab carefully used his silver pincer to wrap the bandage around the leg.


    Growing more frantic, Balthazar checked his status again.


    [Health: 6/60]


    ¡°Why is this not working, damn it?¡±


    The crab opened the other potion bottle.


    ¡°Here, try having another.¡±


    The goblin struggled to swallow, but downed the whole thing.


    It continued having no effect.


    Balthazar felt a pit in his stomach. Not the same kind he¡¯d get when not having any pastries for too long, one much worse. It was anxiety mixed with panic, despair, and a feeling of being powerless.


    He was not used to feeling such emotions, but he couldn¡¯t help it at that moment.


    The crab expected a health potion to solve it all. It¡¯s right in the name, health, so why it did not recover the goblin¡¯s health points like it had in the past was something he was failing to understand.


    ¡°The wolf,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°The bite must have infected him with something.¡±


    Balthazar rushed to his potions shelf once more, desperately going through the many colorful vials. Health, stamina, mana, hair regrowth tonics, mouthwash elixirs, armpit perfume. None of them was even remotely relevant to what he needed.


    ¡°Please, please work,¡± he whispered as he returned to the frail goblin with a bottle of cure poison in his pincer.


    It did not work.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± said Balthazar, growing frustrated as his desperation increased.


    ¡°Boss¡­¡± the goblin said, in a faint voice. ¡°Druma feel too warm.¡±


    The crab placed his pincer against the goblin¡¯s pale forehead.


    He was burning with fever, the heat was noticeable even through the shell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Druma, I¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    Whatever sickness it was, it worked fast. Balthazar did not know what it was, or what it would do, but seeing his assistant¡­ his friend, in that state, was too disconcerting.


    ¡°Maybe a healer or an alchemist would know what to do.¡± He looked over the road at the setting sun. ¡°But where will I get one at this hour? There¡¯s no one on the roads.¡±


    He paced anxiously back and forth, constantly glancing at the shivering goblin.


    He had no way of communicating with the people from town. There would be no one to ask for help until the morning. He couldn¡¯t very well send a golem who only speaks one word to the gates for help.


    Balthazar knew what his only option was, but he did not want to face it.


    ¡°I make my own choices,¡± the crab told himself.


    He turned to Bouldy, who remained squat down next to his friend, a deep frown of concern on his rigid face.


    ¡°You look after him. I will go get help.¡±


    The golem nodded gently.


    Blue was a few paces back, also observing the situation. Balthazar stopped in front of her.


    ¡°Please, just¡­ bah, never mind. You wouldn¡¯t listen, anyway.¡±


    Without looking back, the crab hurried up the path back to the road.


    The guards would know who he was, as did the adventurers. They didn¡¯t need to let him in, just send word inside for someone, anyone that could come and help.


    It was right up the road, a short walk to the city gates.


    The crab was now going further away from his pond than he ever recalled going. His pace slowed down.


    The sky was growing dark as the sun set, light fading over the vast plains to his left.


    To his right, the wall of boulders that surrounded his small pond was nearly at its end.


    He was as far away from his home as he had ever been before, his territory nearly out of sight, and he stopped walking.


    A sense of dread, of doom, of fear holding his legs back.


    Balthazar knew he needed to go up that road, for Druma, for his friend, but he could not take another step.

 Chapter 43: Plea for Help

    Balthazar, the talking crab. The merchant crab. Shrewd business maker. So much intelligence, such charisma. Reads so many books, makes so much coin.


    And what did all of that even mean?


    Could talk a drunken giant down, was able to outsmart a master merchant, managed to defeat a taxman. And now?


    Stuck in the middle of a road, unable to go forward.


    So sure that he was the smartest. Owner of his own destiny. All he did was his own choice.


    But was it, really?


    ¡°Come on, Balthazar, what are you doing?¡± the crab told himself, his breathing speeding up. ¡°Just take another step. There¡¯s nothing there.¡±


    But no matter what words he said, the rest of him wouldn¡¯t budge.


    Despite there being no physical barriers in front of him, his entire body and mind felt as if taking another step would mean walking off a cliff.


    In front of him there were just mere cobblestones filling the path, some more loose than others, some cracked, some missing entirely, replaced by mounds of dirt. Everything about that side looked identical to the one he stood on.


    But be that as it may, none of his eight legs made the move forward.


    ¡°Damn it, what is wrong with me?!¡±


    He knew there was no other way, that he needed to make it up that road and reach the town gates, find a guard, anyone who could get some help for Druma. But despite his desperation, he could not bring himself to move one step further away from the pond.


    He thought back to the conversation with the enchantress, and Tom¡¯s story. Could they have been right all along? Was he just part of some puppet system that dictated where he could go and what he did?


    He shook his shell vigorously. This was not the time to dwell on it.


    His friend was suffering, and he didn¡¯t know how to help, or what could happen to him, but he¡¯d be damned if he¡¯d leave someone under his care in trouble.


    To think, what people would say about him, his reputation. Couldn¡¯t have that!


    Walking back a few paces, Balthazar turned back to face the city again and took a deep breath.


    ¡°You can do this,¡± he whispered.


    As fast as a crab can, he began running forward, determined to cross the imaginary line his body dared not walk.


    He would go through, even if it meant jumping and landing upside down.


    Just a couple more steps.


    Almost as if his heart was about to burst, a fright took over the merchant. All his legs buckled and brought him to a stop. He teetered and fell forward on his chin, still behind the point of no crossing.


    ¡°Whyyyyy!¡± Balthazar cried out, slamming against the ground with his iron pincer in frustration. ¡°Druma shouldn¡¯t pay for my issues, damn it. He¡¯s always done nothing but try to help me, and now I can¡¯t even walk up a road when he needs me most.¡±


    With another jump in his heartbeat, the crab quickly stood up and turned around as he heard shuffling sounds from the tall grass.


    A large humanoid figure emerged from the plains, what little daylight still remained only allowing Balthazar to make out a muscular frame and green skin.


    ¡°Khargol?! Is that you?¡± The suddenly hopeful crab exclaimed.


    ¡°Merchant crab? We did not expect to find you out here on the road. We came to sell more¡ª¡±


    ¡°Never mind that!¡± Balthazar quickly interjected, rushing closer to the orc chieftain and his two warrior-brothers coming out of the grass behind him. ¡°I need your help with something. It¡¯s very urgent.¡±


    The orc¡¯s already permanent scowl deepened. ¡°Has something happened, merchant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s no time to explain. I need you to go up there to the gates and have them send a healer down to my pond quickly.¡±


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    Realization quickly came to Balthazar as he remembered what he was asking, and to whom.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we cannot do that, merchant,¡± Khargol said, with a firm but calm expression. ¡°Orcs are not welcome among humans. They would likely attack us on sight if we were to approach their gates. You are famous among their kind, are you not? Why do you not go?¡±


    Balthazar looked back, towards the gates up the hill, so close, yet so far away.


    ¡°I¡­ I tried, but I can¡¯t. It¡¯s¡­ complicated to explain. And I don¡¯t know what else to do to help my injured friend.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what happened, crab,¡± the imposing orc said.


    ¡°We were attacked by a pack of wolves. We managed to repel them, but my assistant¡¯s leg was bitten while he was fighting one of them, and I think the wolf might have been diseased or something, and it infected him. I tried health potions, but they don¡¯t help, and now he has a fever.¡±


    As he explained the situation, Balthazar felt vulnerable, exposed, as if expressing his concern was making him look weak. He stared at the cobblestones on the road, expecting to hear a chuckle from the mighty orc chieftain, and for them to mock him.


    ¡°Take us to him,¡± Khargol said with a serious and clear tone.


    The crab looked up at the orc. His expression remained as stoic as usual, but there were no signs of mockery or a sneer.


    Balthazar could not afford to waste any more time thinking about his own insecurities, Druma was waiting.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± he said, and quickly skittered back to his pond, leaving the edges of his domain behind.


    As the crab and the three orcs made it to the pond, they found the goblin lying on his stack of hay, with Bouldy and Blue next to him, watching his shallow breathing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re with me, they will help,¡± Balthazar quickly said to the drake and the golem as they turned to face the new arrivals.


    He approached the goblin, who was even paler than before, and covered in sweat.


    ¡°Hey, Druma, I¡¯m here. How are you doing, buddy?¡±


    His assistant mumbled something unintelligible without opening his eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s burning up, and probably delirious,¡± Balthazar said, turning back to Khargol. ¡°Do you have any idea what it might be?¡±


    The tall orc came down to one knee in front of the haystack and lifted the bandage covering the wound.


    ¡°It is clearly infected, but I cannot say what ails him exactly,¡± the orc said.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± said the crab. ¡°Then we¡¯re back to square one, with no idea of what to do.¡±


    ¡°I said I did not know what his affliction is, because I am not a healer,¡± Khargol said, as he stood back up. ¡°I did not say I would not help.¡±


    ¡°Then there is something you can do?¡± Balthazar eagerly asked, his eyes widening. ¡°Please, if you can help him I will buy your loot for triple the rate! Well, wait, let¡¯s maybe say double for now, that¡¯s a more fair start. But still, name your price, and I will meet it. Within reason.¡±


    The orc raised one of his huge palms, gesturing for the crab to stop.


    ¡°This is not a negotiation. I do not require a payment from you for this, merchant.¡±


    He turned his gaze to the other two orcs.


    ¡°Burznarfuogol. Yaturwurtguthvarbu. Return to the village and inform the shaman that I require her aid. Say it is urgent, and return here with her quickly.¡±


    Without needing to utter a single word, the two warriors saluted their chieftain by bringing a clenched fist to their chests and dropped their loot sacks before leaving with a hurried pace.


    ¡°A shaman?¡± the crab inquired, still watching the warriors disappearing onto the quickly darkening road.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Khargol said. ¡°She is our healer. Very ancient and wise. If someone can help your goblin friend, it will be her.¡±


    Balthazar thought back to the books he had read about goblins, orcs, and other such races.


    They mostly described orcs as savage warriors, mindless brutes, which he now knew not to be entirely accurate. But the texts also made mentions of the relationship between orcs and goblins, and they were not exactly friendly ones.


    ¡°Why are you willing to help a goblin?¡± the hesitant crab asked. ¡°I thought your kind wasn¡¯t too fond of them. Is that not correct?¡±


    Khargol let out a sharp exhale. ¡°Have you been reading human books, crab?¡±


    Balthazar emoted a semi-shrug with his shell.


    ¡°What adventurers and other humans think they know about us is what we allow them to know,¡± the chieftain explained. ¡°Parts of it are true, others only partially true, and some are complete falsehoods to keep them away. It is true that most goblins are wild and savage, and we do not welcome them among us. But unlike humans, we do not treat everyone the same based solely on their kind. I may not know your assistant here, but I know you now, and can extrapolate that you would not have a savage goblin as a worker. And regardless of what reputation we might have, orcs have honor, and we value life and bravery. If your small friend was brave enough to stand up to a wolf, he has a brave spirit, and I¡¯d be bringing shame upon my tribe if I denied aid to an injured warrior.¡±


    He made a brief pause and then smirked.


    ¡°But if he wakes up and acts like a typical psychopathic goblin trying to stab us with a spear, I will still snap him in two.¡±


    Balthazar stared emptily at the ground, pondering on what Khargol had said. He was still having a hard time coming to terms with the idea of an orc being so¡­ intellectual. Prejudices were a hard thing to overcome, it would seem.


    ¡°Do not worry, merchant,¡± said the orc as he crossed his muscular arms in front of his chest and stared off into the distance of the plains. ¡°My brothers will bring our shaman, and she will know what to do.¡±


    Balthazar looked up at the stoic orc.


    ¡°I just hope Druma can wait that long. It¡¯s practically night now, won¡¯t they have to wait for morning to return here?¡±


    Khargol let out a chuckle, despite showing no signs of smiling.


    ¡°Burznarfuogol and Yaturwurtguthvarbu have been my warrior-brothers since we were knee high. We have explored the wilds together for years. They know how to navigate these lands, even at night. Fear not. If I tell them to bring our shaman here, they will see it done faster than you can imagine.¡±


    Balthazar looked back at the feverish goblin, who kept shivering and twitching, either from pain or from nightmares.


    The crab was still feeling great concern, but the small hope that someone would come to help soon gave him some solace.


    He just hoped that shaman was the real deal.

 Chapter 44: The Shaman

    It was already night, the sky was dark and starless, and a campfire crackled on the small inner islet, illuminating the surrounding area with a dim orange light.


    Balthazar sat between it and the bed of hay where Druma lay, still feverish and unquiet in his unconscious state. Bouldy remained behind the goblin, quietly watching over him with a sad frown on his stony face. Blue was curled up on her cushion next to the big tent, head resting over her wings, but eyes still open, alternating between staring at the fire and glancing at the twitching goblin.


    Balthazar sighed as he threw a small twig into the flames. ¡°I hate waiting.¡±


    Even more so than waiting, the crab hated feeling powerless, and things being out of his control. Of all the countless pieces of junk he had ever traded with all those adventurers, and he somehow had nothing that could help him in that situation.


    He wondered if the goblin would make it, if he would recover, and if he would have any permanent impairment from it all. Balthazar did not want to imagine the worst, to lose his loyal assistant.


    Who would build him more wooden boxes?


    Who would tie all those pieces of rope that required hands with multiple digits?


    Who would wash all those used pieces of bloody armor before reselling them?


    Balthazar sighed again.


    Who would laugh with him while watching some overburdened adventurer zigzagging down the road from atop a boulder while eating pastries?


    ¡°I can¡¯t keep sitting here,¡± the crab said as he stood up and headed to the bridge.


    In the trading post, the larger fire pit roared with tall flames that lit up the entire platform.


    By a corner, a burly figure stood with his back turned to the bridge, facing a shelf.


    As Balthazar approached, Khargol turned. He was holding an open book in his hand and wearing his tiny glasses on his large nose.


    ¡°You have to buy them if you wanna read them,¡± the merchant said as he walked by.


    ¡°I was reading a volume on common sicknesses,¡± the calm orc responded. ¡°If you¡¯d like me to not help and instead sit idly staring at a fire, I can oblige, too.¡±


    ¡°Bah, sorry, force of habit,¡± Balthazar said, staring out into the dark plains.


    The chieftain joined him while putting his glasses back in his pocket.


    ¡°How far away is your village?¡± asked the crab.


    ¡°A fair distance, but my brothers move fast,¡± the other responded.


    ¡°Do you think it will be much longer?¡±


    ¡°No, I do not.¡± Khargol smirked. ¡°In fact, it won¡¯t be any longer at all. They have returned.¡±


    Balthazar turned quickly to the road but saw and heard nothing.


    ¡°They have? How can you tell?¡±


    ¡°I just can,¡± the orc responded, stepping forward.


    Right as he said the words, three figures rapidly walked down the path and entered the trading post, where the chieftain greeted them.


    Between the two warriors was a much smaller female orc, with a slight hump on her back, supporting herself on a tall wooden staff. She wore a dark robe that was covered in all manner of talismans, charms, and animal bones, making her rattle with every move she made.


    The chieftain exchanged some hushed words with her before they turned and approached the crab.


    ¡°Merchant crab,¡± Khargol said, ¡°this is our shaman, Shagazurglamdushell. She agrees to see your goblin friend.¡±


    [Level 20 Orc Shaman]


    ¡°Hello,¡± the hesitant crab said. ¡°Nice to meet you, shag¡­ madame shaman.¡±


    She leaned forward to look at the crab. Her eyes were mostly covered by the hood of her robe, and Balthazar wondered how she could see anything. What he could see of her face told him she appeared very old and wrinkly, and a strong scent of mixed herbs emanated from her.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one? The crab who talks?¡± she said, with an old and trembling voice. ¡°Take me to your goblin.¡±


    They crossed the bridge and approached the still unconscious goblin.


    ¡°This is him,¡± Balthazar started. ¡°His leg was bit by a wolf and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hush now,¡± she abruptly said. ¡°I already know that. Let me see him now.¡±


    She stepped forward, leaning on her staff. The crab did not know what kind of wood it was made of, but it looked even older and more rugged than her, its tip ending in a crooked coil, with several charms hanging from it.


    She leaned over the goblin and took a loud sniff. Then, she unceremoniously pulled his left eyelid up in order to observe his eye, before forcibly pulling his tongue out and running her index finger on it, followed by rubbing it together with her thumb, as if getting a feeling for his saliva.


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    Balthazar watched her examination methods with slight disgust.


    The shaman proceeded to poke Druma¡¯s right leg with her long fingernail.


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s the other leg that was bitten,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°I know that! I¡¯m old, but not senile!¡± the woman orc yelled out, without turning to the crab. ¡°Let me work.¡±


    She continued her poking and prodding for what seemed like an eternity, always humming and mumbling unintelligible words to herself.


    Finally, she flipped open the flap of her satchel and retrieved a tiny bottle of a black liquid.


    Balthazar moved to ask what it was, but before he made a sound, Khargol¡¯s huge hand gently held his shell back. As he looked up, the stern orc slowly shook his head before whispering. ¡°Trust her.¡±


    Carefully lining the vial above the now uncovered wound, she let two drops of the black liquid land on it. They caused a sizzling sound and a line of black smoke to come from the gash. Druma recoiled and let out a whimper before falling back unconscious, but motionless this time.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing to him?!¡± Balthazar blurted out, no longer willing to be patient.


    ¡°Very bad, very bad,¡± the shaman mumbled, ignoring the crab¡¯s question.


    She put the vial back in her satchel and unhooked a tome from the other side of her belt. She quickly searched through the old, yellowed pages until she found what she was seeking.


    ¡°What your friend has,¡± she began, finally turning her attention back to Balthazar, ¡°is a very old, very dangerous disease. It is called brain bumbles to our people.¡±


    ¡°Brain bumbles?¡± the skeptical crab repeated. ¡°And what is that supposed to be?¡±


    ¡°It is very dangerous,¡± the shaman said in a dramatic tone. ¡°If not treated, it will sap the energy out of its victim, give it a burning fever, and worst of all¡­ make them very, very dumb.¡±


    Balthazar pulled his eye stalks back in suspicion.


    He wondered what the last part was supposed to mean. With a hunch, he brought up his party status and focused on the goblin¡¯s section.


    [Party Members]


    [Name: Druma] [Race: Goblin] [Class: None] [Level: 3]


    [Health: 6/60]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 2] [Agility: 4] [Intelligence: -1(-3)]


    It was an Intelligence debuff. Or so it seemed.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± the crab said, as he stepped around the shaman and next to the goblin.


    Picking up his wizard hat that rested on the ground next to him, he gently placed it on his friend¡¯s head, who remained asleep, breathing heavy.


    Balthazar looked at the party status once more.


    [Party Members]


    [Name: Druma] [Race: Goblin] [Class: None] [Level: 3]


    [Health: 6/60]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 2] [Agility: 4] [Intelligence: 1(-3 +2)]


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± he said to himself.


    The goblin was not very intelligent to begin with, but perhaps having his Intelligence go into the negatives would lead to disastrous consequences. Consequences Balthazar decided he did not want to find out.


    ¡°Will the fever pass?¡± he asked the shaman.


    ¡°No,¡± she responded, shaking her head. ¡°He will stay as he is until he is cured. All we can do is minimize his suffering.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± the suddenly excited crab said. ¡°So, there is a cure? Can you make it?¡±


    The old orc lowered her head.


    ¡°There is, but it requires petals of frostshade, a very rare and delicate flower that only blossoms for one day a year, between the end of winter and the beginning of spring.¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ have any?¡± Balthazar hesitated to ask, already suspecting what the answer would be.


    ¡°No,¡± she rapidly said. ¡°We do not even know where it grows.¡±


    ¡°There has to be something else we can do for him, damn it. We can¡¯t just leave him suffering like this!¡±


    ¡°All we can do,¡± the orc woman said, ¡°is ease his pain with tonics, but the only solution is for you to find the petals. I can easily prepare the mixture for the cure, but adding that last ingredient will be on you, talking crab.¡±


    Balthazar considered all his options. He couldn¡¯t very well go look for the petals, not only because of his apparent issues with stepping away from the pond, but also because even if he could, he wouldn¡¯t know where to go to find them. Not to mention the fact that the flower only blooms between winter and spring, and they were on the tail end of summer. Druma could not wait until next year. He needed the petals now.


    He would have to find someone willing to get him the missing ingredient. Somehow.


    ¡°Give him three drops of this every six hours,¡± the old shaman said, producing three bottles of a clear liquid from her satchel. ¡°It will help him with his pain, but not much else.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Balthazar said, with little will to it.


    The wise woman stepped closer to him and spoke in a hushed voice.


    ¡°I know you are different. Marked. I can see it in you. But it¡¯s all¡­ wrong. Beware, talking crab, there are old forces you should not interfere with, for they interfere back.¡±


    She lifted her gaze to look into the crab¡¯s eyes, but as the top of her face was revealed from underneath the hood, all he saw were two milky white eyes staring emptily at him.


    Balthazar took a stumbling step back.


    ¡°I, uh¡­ thanks. For the advice. I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m supposed to do with it, but sure, appreciated.¡±


    He could not decide whether he found the old woman to be wise, dangerous, or a complete loon. Settling for all three for the time being, Balthazar began planning how he would get his pincers on those petals. His best bet would be to ask adventurers, as they do nothing all day but walk back and forth around the whole continent, pillaging everything they carry. Surely, at least one of them will have looted those flowers before, and hopefully still had the dried out petals somewhere at the bottom of their pack.


    As he considered his approach, the realization reached him.


    ¡°Oh, hell no! I will have to be like one of those quest giver suckers now?!¡±

 Chapter 45: A Noble Quest

    ¡°No, sorry, I haven¡¯t seen anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Think harder.¡±


    ¡°Nope, nothing. Wait, what color did you say it was? Purple?¡±


    ¡°No! I said blue!¡±


    ¡°Oooooh!¡±


    ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°Well what?¡±


    ¡°Did you see a blue flower like that or not?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, haven¡¯t seen a blue one either.¡±


    Balthazar felt an urge to tear his hair out, but fortunately, as a crab, he had no hair. Unfortunately, as a human, the adventurer in front of him did have hair, and the temptation was becoming quite difficult to ignore.


    Thankfully, the easily confused man walked away soon enough, leaving Balthazar to his other thoughts.


    The desperate merchant had spent the entire morning stopping every traveler who passed by the road, not to peddle his wares, but to ask them if they knew of a certain blue flower with five long sharp petals that only blooms once a year.


    Most did not know of any such flower, some could swear they had seen it before, but couldn¡¯t recall where or if it wasn¡¯t something else similar, and a few had even claimed to have it on them, only to present him with a common blue flower from the plains.


    Both his patience and his hopes were at an end.


    Druma remained on his bed, bouncing between a feverish, trembling sleep, and an unquiet state of unconsciousness where he mumbled to himself.


    Bouldy had not left his side the entire time, remaining firmly stuck to the ground behind the haystack, watching over his friend. Not that the golem ever used to sleep before, but who did sleep most of the day was Blue, and even she seemed to sense something bad was going on, and spent a lot of her time lying on her cushion, looking mopey and observing the sick goblin without getting any shut-eye.


    If Balthazar didn¡¯t know better, he could almost swear it was as if she felt guilty for it all. But Balthazar did know better, and he doubted she really felt remorse, given how little the drake seemed to care when it was the crab who was surrounded by the wolves before.


    Such a heartless and disobedient creature, always doing as she chooses, never doing what she¡¯s told. Definitely not something Balthazar appreciated. Just like irony.


    The notification of his level up continued softly blinking in the corner of his eye since the encounter with the wolves ended, but the crab had felt little desire to deal with the system¡¯s nonsense.


    ¡°Argh, quit bugging me. I got more important things to worry about than stupid level ups right now.¡±


    But blinking icons in the corner of one¡¯s eye had a way of not listening to verbal complaints, and so it continued on blinking.


    Letting out a sharp exhale, Balthazar came to terms with the fact that it would be faster to just get the whole thing done and over with while waiting for someone else to walk by than to continue ignoring it all day.


    ¡°Fine, level 12, throw my stupid attribute point into Intelligence. It¡¯s 22 now, big whoop,¡± the grumpy crab mumbled as he his eyes dashed through the menus. ¡°Bah, gotta pick a pointless skill, too, I guess. Would be nice if there was one that let me find rare flowers under a rock, but that would be asking for too much, I¡¯m sure. Or one that helps me with drakes and dumb adventurers who can¡¯t follow basic instructions.¡±


    Balthazar stopped for a moment, looking up at the sky thoughtfully.


    ¡°Wait a moment, that might not be the silliest idea you¡¯ve had yet, Balthazar,¡± the crab told himself, as he scrolled through the long list of available skills. ¡°Aha! This sounds exactly like what I need.¡±


    [Leadership: F]


    [The ability to better command and inspire those around you.]


    [Next Rank Requirements: Level 5, Intelligence 10, Charisma D]


    [Upgrade]


    Figuring he had little to lose at that point, he confirmed the upgrade, and upgraded the new skill to a D.


    ¡°Probably not going to do much yet,¡± Balthazar said, while dismissing all the system¡¯s menus back to the corner of his sight, ¡°but what else am I going to spend it on? The Dancing skill? Hopefully Leadership will let me ¡®inspire¡¯ one of these fools to find me that flower, and maybe make a stubborn drake finally listen to me.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    He looked over to the center of the islet again, at Blue, still on her cushion.


    ¡°Yeah, fat chance on that last part.¡±


    Still feeling bitter about it, he turned his gaze away from the islet and back to the road, where another adventurer approached, this one looking like some sort of knight, wearing heavy steel armor from head to toe, parts of it adorned with white and yellow banners.


    Balthazar wondered how that one managed to fight anything, given how stiff and uncomfortable their way of walking was in that set of armor.


    The crab took a look through his monocle at the awkward figure.


    [Level 12 Knight Paladin]


    ¡°Good morning, uh¡­ noble knight,¡± Balthazar said.


    The adventurer stopped and stiffly looked around while holding one hand over the mace on their waist.


    ¡°Who goes there?¡± the knight asked.


    To the merchant¡¯s surprise, the voice sounded feminine, something he would have no way of guessing under the bulk of all the armor she wore.


    Her steel helmet, that resembled a bucket with two narrow slits for the eyes, clearly restricted her vision, as she continued scanning the area around herself horizontally, but failing to look down to where the crab was, right by her feet.


    ¡°Reveal yourself!¡± she demanded.


    ¡°Er¡­ down here,¡± Balthazar said, trying to wave one pincer up in front of her helmet.


    With difficulty, she bent at the waist slightly to look down at him.


    ¡°Good heavens! You¡¯re a crab!¡± she said, with a startled jump.


    ¡°Yes, thanks for letting me know, but I have already been made aware of that,¡± the crab casually said. ¡°I¡¯m Balthazar, and I¡¯m a local merchant. You might have heard of me in town.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. Now that I think about it, they did mention something about a crab who sells goods and wares outside of town,¡± she said, while stroking the chin of her helmet, for whatever odd reason the crab could not hope to fathom.


    ¡°Right, that would be me. Glad we can skip on the whole trying to hit the talking crab with a blunt object business.¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha! Fear not, dear creature!¡± the boastful knight said in a loud voice. ¡°I would not harm anyone unwarranted, only if you posed a threat and acted violently against me or the innocent would I be forced to deliver upon you the holy justice of my blessed mace.¡±


    Balthazar sighed. It would seem Ardville had an unending stock of nutjob adventurers.


    ¡°But,¡± she continued, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not need any wares at the moment, merchant. My course is set, and my journey is already planned. All my supplies have been carefully taken care of before I left your neighboring town.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not actually trying to sell you anything,¡± the increasingly impatient crab said. ¡°I was actually just looking to ask if you wouldn¡¯t happen to have come across a certain type of flower before, and if so, if you would be willing to sell its petals to me.¡±


    ¡°A flower?¡± the bucket head repeated. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I cannot afford to waste time gathering flowers in my crusade, friend. My mission is to help those in need wherever they might be, not to be picking petals and chasing butterflies.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, helping those in need,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°That¡¯s us. I need those petals for a potion that would cure my friend, who is gravely ill. That¡¯s what you¡¯re interested in, is it not? Helping. Well, there you go. I just need someone to find me those damnable petals to cure my sick friend. Can¡¯t get any more basic than that in terms of noble acts, or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Aha!¡± the paladin said, placing her hands on her waist. ¡°Why did you not say so from the start, kind crab? To help those who are ill is one of the noblest acts for a paladin such as myself. Right next to slaying the foul undead or bashing the skulls of disgusting goblins.¡±


    Balthazar winced at the last part of her sentence, but thankfully for him, she was unlikely to have seen it from her limited field of view.


    ¡°Right, sure. Anyway,¡± he quickly said, ¡°can you tell me if you¡¯ve ever seen a blue flower that looks like this? It¡¯s called frostshade.¡±


    The crab unfolded a small piece of parchment where the orc shaman had drawn a sketch of the flower and offered it to the adventurer.


    She took the paper and brought it up in front of her visor, moving it several times closer and further away, as if having difficulty seeing the charcoal drawing. Which she probably did, given her refusal to remove the helmet.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the paladin pondered. ¡°I cannot say that I have ever seen such a peculiar flower. My apologies.¡±


    ¡°I figured as much,¡± the disappointed crustacean said, taking the paper back. ¡°Still, if by any chance you see anyone with petals of it, make sure you bring them to me right away. I will reward you handsomely for them, better than any alchemist. Just get them here right away.¡±


    ¡°Oh-ho!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°So it is to be a noble quest! To seek a cure for an ill relative.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not a quest, damn it!¡± an exasperated Balthazar said. ¡°Why do you all adventurers insist on saying that?¡±


    The knight scratched the top of her metal helmet with the tip of her gloved finger. Once again, for whatever strange reason that the crab could not understand.


    ¡°Is it not?¡± she asked. ¡°It really sounds like your average fetch quest to me.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not! I¡¯m just asking that if you find petals from this flower, that you bring them to me, and I will reward you for it, and¡­ damn it, it does sound like a typical quest.¡±


    The knight paladin shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to say.¡±


    Balthazar sighed in defeat.


    ¡°Worry not, little crab,¡± the adventurer said, placing a hand over her heart, ¡°I, Hannabeth, knight paladin, swear on my honor that I will see your quest through, and bring you the cure for your friend, whatever it takes.¡±


    ¡°For the last time, I¡¯m not a quest giver!¡± the irritated crab exclaimed.


    Hannabeth dropped her shoulders and relaxed her heroic stance before speaking in a lower, less boastful voice.


    ¡°Look, mate, I¡¯m trying really hard to play a role here, and you¡¯re kinda ruining my groove and immersion. Can¡¯t you just, like, I don¡¯t know, go along with it, please? I¡¯ll get your flower, just help me help you out, alright?¡±


    Balthazar stared with an empty expression at the equally empty steel surface covering the adventurer¡¯s face.


    His friend was fighting pain and fever while he wasted time arguing semantics with a loon who was a little too much into the whole holy noble knight act. He wasn¡¯t sure which one looked more ridiculous at that point.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said with a long sigh. ¡°Will you¡­ urgh¡­ noble knight paladin¡­ help me find the petals of this blue frostshade, so that I may cure my friend¡¯s ailment? I will repay your... kindness if you can find them for me.¡±


    Balthazar struggled to finish the words, and once he did, he felt he would need at least two whole pies before the bitter taste would leave his mouth.


    ¡°Very well!¡± the once again boastful knight announced. ¡°I shall set out on my journey and find you this rare cure, kind crab! For your friend. For you. For the gods!¡±


    The crab stood staring impassively at her.


    ¡°Right,¡± she finally said, seeing his lack of reaction. ¡°Off I go, then. I will journey north now and hopefully return soon with good news. Farewell, merchant.¡±


    Balthazar watched as she continued her way down the road, heading south, armor clanking with every step.


    ¡°Pretending to give quests to idiots,¡± the golden crab said, while shaking his shell. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve stooped this low.¡±

 Chapter 46: Bedside Talk

    Balthazar watched as yet another adventurer walked away from his trading post with their gold payment. One more that had come by and left with no information on the flower the crab sought.


    He looked down at the piece of paper the orcs had left him, a charcoal drawing of a flower made on it, and on the back the instructions on how to add it to the prepared concoction the shaman had left in a vial before departing.


    ¡°Why did it have to be such a hard to find flower? Couldn¡¯t it just have been some common mushroom that grows anywhere?¡± Balthazar complained to himself.


    ¡°Is this a bad time?¡± said a girl¡¯s voice from the entrance of the trading post.


    The merchant turned to meet the new arrival who approached in a white dress and apron, with a basket in each hand.


    ¡°Oh. Madeleine. I didn¡¯t expect you here today,¡± said the surprised crab.


    Her face seemed less bright than usual, somewhat somber and concerned, but making an effort to not let it show. Balthazar wondered if she already knew about Druma, but that made little sense to him, as he had been spreading the word to adventurers that he was seeking a specific flower, but he made sure to keep the part about it being for a sick goblin to himself, in case some adventurers felt less inclined to help find it if they knew that detail.


    He suspected something else was troubling her.


    ¡°Hey, Balthazar,¡± she said, with a weak attempt at a smile. ¡°I had these fresh brioches for you and decided to come down here myself to deliver them and hopefully get a chance to talk to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Fresh baked pastries always improve my mood. Are you alright, though? You look like someone beat your cake batter counterclockwise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Sort of. That¡¯s what I came down here to talk to you about,¡± the baker said, still holding both baskets in her hands. ¡°Can I put these down somewhere? I also brought some meat treats for Druma. He¡¯s usually so quick to come and take the baskets off my hands. Where is he? Busy with some other project of yours?¡±


    As she finished her question, her searching eyes landed on the other side of the pond, where the large figure of the golem sat over the goblin¡¯s bed of hay. Her eyebrows rose as she saw the scene.


    ¡°Oh, gods,¡± she said, concern on her face no longer disguised, ¡°Balthazar, did something happen to Druma?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was trying to find the best way to get to that,¡± the crab awkwardly admitted. Breaking bad news always felt a lot easier when he did not have to care about the recipient.


    Madeleine put both baskets down on the floor and quickly made her way across the bridge, with Balthazar hurriedly following.


    She knelt down next to him and placed her hand on the unconscious goblin¡¯s forehead. ¡°He¡¯s burning up, Balthazar. What in the world happened?¡±


    ¡°A wolf bit him on his leg,¡± the crab explained. ¡°I was out on the road when a pack of feral wolves showed up and surrounded me. Druma and Bouldy showed up just in time to help, but in the chaos one of them got to Druma and sank its fangs into him. Damn wound must have infected and now he¡¯s like this.¡±


    ¡°My gods,¡± the girl said, covering her mouth with both hands. ¡°Are you alright? Did they hurt you too?¡±


    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t, but it was a damn close call. One of them was this close to my face, but¡­¡± Balthazar¡¯s words trailed off as he looked at the weak breathing of his friend on the bed and felt foolish once again. ¡°But I¡¯m fine, really. Druma¡¯s the one who really got it worse.¡±


    ¡°I thought what you said to the taxman about the wolves around the area was you making stuff up,¡± said the baker. ¡°I had no idea that was a real threat.¡±


    So did Balthazar. He had never seen wolves anywhere near his pond before that day. The coincidence of them showing up soon after he made that story up still bugged him, but he just couldn¡¯t find the energy to give it any more thought with everything else happening. Perhaps it really was just a coincidence, but it still felt like there had already been a few too many of those recently.


    He quietly watched as the girl took the piece of cloth that was on a nearby stool and dipped it in the bucket of water next to the haystack before gently pressing it over the goblin¡¯s head. He shivered, but his eyes remained closed.


    Finally, she spoke again. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him like this. Is there not some kind of potion you could give him?¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°I did,¡± the crab responded. ¡°Health potions don¡¯t seem to have an effect, because he has some kind of rare disease, and he can¡¯t heal until it¡¯s cured. I¡¯ve had¡­ someone take a look at him, and she gave me the cure, but it¡¯s missing a rare ingredient, so I¡¯ve been trying to get one of these airhead adventurers to bring it to me, but with no success so far.¡±


    ¡°Curses. And Rye will be away from town for a few days, so I can¡¯t even ask him to help either,¡± the girl said, while pulling the stool closer and sitting next to the bed. ¡°Maybe I could visit the apothecary in town and ask if they have this ingredient. What is it anyway?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a rare flower called frostshade that apparently only blooms one day a year between winter and spring,¡± Balthazar answered. ¡°And don¡¯t bother. One of my regular clients already checked the apothecary and told me they had nothing like it. My only hope is that someone out there still has some dried out petals of it stored somewhere. Between so many adventurers always picking every flower and mushroom they come across, there has to be at least one that has picked up this flower before.¡±


    ¡°Ugh,¡± she said, still looking down at Druma. ¡°Just please be careful who you make deals with, alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always careful when it comes to making deals, but why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always those out there willing to sell the promise of a miracle to those in desperate need,¡± Madeleine responded, her voice gaining a bitter hint to it. ¡°Healers, alchemists¡­ witches.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the reluctant crab started. ¡°Sounds like you speak from experience. Is there something you want to tell me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ I just really don¡¯t like any kind of witches.¡±


    ¡°I get it. Witches aren¡¯t to be trusted, sure. I still remember how it went with that woman, Velvet, and your reaction to her, but there seems to be more to it than what you¡¯re telling me.¡±


    Madeleine sighed as she turned the cloth on Druma¡¯s head over.


    ¡°I¡­ I just have really bad memories about witches,¡± she slowly admitted.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the crab said.


    Balthazar was not too keen on sharing emotions, and certainly not very good at it either, so his immediate instinct was to change the subject or skitter away to go eat a brioche, but another, albeit smaller, part of him looked at his two friends, each troubled in their own ways, and compelled him to stop being a cold-hearted crustacean and stay.


    He did not go head-to-head with a taxman just to back down on a heart-to-heart with a baker now.


    ¡°Did¡­ did something happen in the past?¡±


    The girl let out a long sigh before finding her words.


    ¡°It was back when my mom was still alive,¡± she confessed, her eyes still staring emptily at the goblin. ¡°It was when she started getting sick. No one could figure out what she had, and nothing made her get better. Until one day a woman showed up, told her she knew what her ailment was, and promised she could cure her, for a price, of course.¡±


    ¡°She was a witch, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. An old woman with white hair and comforting words, like some nice and trustworthy granny. I didn¡¯t fully understand it back then. I was too young. She had my mom wrapped around her finger in no time. Whatever money we made, she would spend with the woman, for treatments and cures that never really fixed her, just made her feel better for long enough to keep going back for more. Meanwhile, under it all, my mom was only getting worse, but she wouldn¡¯t see it. That¡­ witch blinded her to everything. She even used me in her manipulation, making my mom think of what would happen to me without a mother, pulling at her heartstrings, all to keep her paying with everything she made.¡±


    Madeleine paused, her gaze still down on the goblin as she gently wiped his forehead with the wet cloth, but her thoughts clearly far away.


    ¡°Until one day she got too ill to get up from bed,¡± the baker said with a shaky deep breath. ¡°And all she asked for was to see the woman, still convinced she was the only one who could save her. That¡¯s how bewitched she was. And of course, once the money ran out and my mom was too sick to get up and work, the witch was gone, nowhere to be found, after having taken all she could from us and done nothing to cure my mother.¡±


    Balthazar opened his mouth to speak, but he could not find anything suitable to say. He could already guess what had happened after.


    ¡°So yes, it''s true,¡± the teary-eyed girl said, bringing her gaze back to the crab as she wiped her eyes on the back of her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t really trust or like witches. I know what they are, what they do, and I can¡¯t stand the idea of ever seeing someone I care about falling for their poisoned words again. It makes my blood boil.¡±


    Looking back at the ground, Balthazar thought back to Madeleine¡¯s outburst on the day a witch had visited his trading post. He remembered how upset she was, and how annoyed at her reaction he also was. Once more, the crab felt foolish. He always complained about others, but he never thought to ask either.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Balthazar said in a quiet voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± she responded, trying to force a smile. ¡°Gods, look at me weeping at my own troubles while poor Druma is lying over here sick. That¡¯s so selfish of me.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright, I¡¯m the one who asked,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you can do much for him right now. Not unless you have some petals of frostshade hiding in your kitchen between your herbs and spices.¡±


    ¡°Hah, no, I¡¯m afraid not, unfortunately,¡± the baker said, through her sad smile. ¡°What I can do is get back to town and pester everyone who will listen about this flower until we find someone who has seen it before.¡±


    She stood up from the stool and turned to the golem behind the bed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go now, but you keep on watching over our friend, alright, Bouldy? I¡¯m counting on you, big guy.¡±


    The stone giant gave her a gentle smile and an affirmative nod. ¡°Friend.¡±


    She took a few steps around the stack of hay and approached Blue¡¯s cushion, who quickly lifted her head and began wagging her tail.


    ¡°And don¡¯t think I forgot about you, girl,¡± Madeleine told her, while giving the drake a scratch behind the ears. ¡°You keep on being a good girl and protecting our little guys, alright?¡±


    Balthazar did his best to suppress a scoff at the mention of Blue being a good girl.


    ¡°Especially against any witches,¡± she added, whispering closer to the drake¡¯s ear. ¡°If you ever see one, you give them a good scorching for me, alright?¡±


    ¡°What was it you came down here to talk to me about anyway?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s¡­ nothing important,¡± she said, as she made her way back to the bridge. ¡°We can talk about it some other time.¡±

 Chapter 47: Witching Your Troubles Away

    The day was nearly over, and despite his best efforts, Balthazar had not yet found a lead on the elusive frostshade flower. Every traveler who passed by had been of no concrete help, and even those who promised to look for it left the crab with little hope. Most of them couldn¡¯t tell which way was north, let alone figure out where to find the right flower.


    Lifting his gaze from the herbology book he was studying, Balthazar looked to the other shore, where the other three inhabitants of the pond were. Druma in his bed, Bouldy still firmly planted behind it, and Blue stretching her body next to her cushion. The crab couldn¡¯t recall seeing her fly up to hunt for food all day.


    He wondered if she was refusing to leave the goblin¡¯s side, or if he had simply been too busy all day to notice her catching prey. He decided it was likely the latter, as he still had little belief in the drake caring for anyone.


    Or at the very least, he¡¯d like to believe it wasn¡¯t just him she did not care much for.


    Bringing his attention back down to the book, he continued searching for any reference to where the frostshade flower could possibly grow. He was doing it mostly to keep himself occupied, as he knew finding its location would be of little use outside its blooming season.


    And then there was also the matter of how he couldn¡¯t go find it, even if he knew where it was.


    As much as Balthazar tried to avoid thinking about it, his issue with leaving the area around the pond still continued echoing in the back of his mind.


    He tried to convince himself it was perhaps some spell put on him as a prank, that someone would jump out of a bush, pointing and laughing at him for falling for it, but in reality, he knew that couldn¡¯t be it. Something deep within him really compelled him not to leave the pond.


    But what? And why?


    Even if some divine force existed, why should it care where a simple crab or other random wild animals go? It made no sense to him.


    And above all else, he wanted to know how he could break free from those bonds. Whatever ¡°curse¡± it might be, he could not let it restrict his life forever.


    He didn¡¯t exactly have any wish to leave his pond, but now that he knew someone or something was restricting his choice in the matter, the crab would be damned if he wouldn¡¯t break free from it.


    He would stay in the pond, but he would do it by choice, not by decree.


    But all that was a problem for later, he had to keep reminding himself. For the moment, he was doing his best to do something unusual for him: putting other¡¯s interests before his own. It was a strange feeling for the self-centered crab, but deep down, it kind of felt good.


    Not that he was yet ready to admit to it if anyone asked. He had a crabby reputation to uphold, after all.


    With a frustrated thud, Balthazar shut the book and placed it back on a shelf. Light was quickly fading from the sky, and he was tired of chasing for leads in old yellowed pages.


    Retrieving a small brioche from one of the baskets Madeleine had left during her last visit, the crab skittered along the outer shore of his pond to a remote and tucked away corner between some boulders.


    Sitting by the edge of the water, he nibbled on the sweet and fluffy bread, admiring the great view that spot provided of the waterfall on the opposite side of the pond.


    The surface was clear and he could see many small fish dancing beneath the surface, their colorful scales reflecting the last remains of sunlight in mesmerizing rainbow patterns.


    The crab was so lost in thought he did not hear any approaching footsteps, if there were even any, but by the time he heard the voice, the one who spoke was already sitting on a small rock next to him.


    ¡°Hello, Balthie.¡±


    The startled crab jumped in place and dropped his pastry in the water with a loud ¡°plop¡± sound.


    Velvet, the witch, smiled at him as she crossed her legs and rested both hands on her knee.


    ¡°How the hell did you get in here?! Get away from me!¡± Balthazar quickly blurted out, as he stumbled back against a boulder.


    ¡°Oh now, sweetie, is that the way to treat a friendly face?¡± she said, pouting her lips and batting her eyelashes.


    ¡°You¡¯re no friend of mine!¡± the apprehensive crab exclaimed, keeping as close to the rock and as far from her as he could. ¡°Shoo! Leave my pond, you¡¯re not welcome here!¡±


    ¡°My, you¡¯re awfully bitter, for someone who eats so much sugar. What has that evil baker been putting in your pastries? What was her name? Madeleine, right?¡±


    ¡°You keep my baker¡¯s name out of your mouth, witch!¡± Balthazar warned, trying his best to sound assertive, despite the faltering in his voice.


    ¡°Such bravado for a silly little girl.¡± The black-clad woman placed an open hand against her chest in a dramatic manner. ¡°To think that I came here with such good intentions, only to be scorned like this.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Good intentions?¡± the merchant skeptically repeated. ¡°You¡¯re probably here looking to mutilate me again!¡±


    ¡°You wound me, sir!¡± said the witch mockingly. ¡°I came here after I heard word on the road that you were desperately looking for a certain rare flower.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s heart sank in his shell.


    ¡°The frostshade petals? Do you know of them?¡± he hesitantly asked, unsure of which answer he feared most.


    She opened a wide smile, revealing her pristine white teeth that contrasted against the blackness of her lipstick.


    ¡°Know of them? Darling, I plucked them myself last season.¡±


    Balthazar started averting his eyes as he saw her fingers reach between the cleavage of her dress until he realized she was only retrieving a small vial from there. While her dress did seem to lack any pockets, the crab still found her choice for item storage too unconventional.


    As she brought the small container under the fading sunlight, Balthazar saw what was inside: five pointy and dried out petals of a blue flower. A perfect match to what the shaman had drawn and described.


    ¡°Is this not what you were looking for?¡± she asked.


    The crab did not respond, but his troubled expression was enough confirmation for the witch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so glum, darling,¡± Velvet said, palming the vial away from sight again. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be ecstatic that I¡¯ve brought you these.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fool,¡± the deflated crab said. ¡°I know you will want something for them, and it won¡¯t be money or anything I¡¯m going to like.¡±


    ¡°Again, your words pierce me like daggers, Balthie. I¡¯m a reasonable woman. I know what these petals are used for. I know you need them to cure someone. And judging by the sorry state of your little assistant over there, I can make a good guess as to why you were so desperately looking for them.¡±


    She gave a nod to the center islet in the distance, where Druma was.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Balthazar asked, with a dry and bitter tone.


    ¡°For a start, I¡¯d really like for you to stop being so hostile,¡± said the witch, tilting her head and batting her eyelashes slowly. ¡°I¡¯ve never really done any harm to you, have I? Can¡¯t you just consider that I¡¯m really not that bad? I thought you, better than anyone, would understand what it¡¯s like to have others judge us by what we are, before they even get to know us. Is it really so much to ask that we have a civilized conversation? Go on, sit, let¡¯s talk. I promise I won¡¯t bite.¡±


    She gestured for the space next to her where Balthazar was sitting moments before. With great hesitation, he slowly walked back and sat down.


    While he still felt suspicious about the witch, he could not simply turn his back and possibly throw away his only chance at getting his pincers on those petals that could save his friend.


    He looked down at the water, observing the fish nibbling away at bits and pieces of his brioche that floated near the surface.


    ¡°See? No harm done,¡± Velvet said, as she readjusted her long black dress in order to turn and face the crab. ¡°Now we can talk properly, look each other in the eyes and be sincere, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure¡± Balthazar hesitantly said, while looking up at her pale face and piercing blue eyes.


    ¡°My, my, the descriptions just don¡¯t do you justice,¡± the woman said, admiring the crab. ¡°The shine of your carapace, these powerful claws, those robust legs. What a specimen!¡±


    ¡°Hey, hands off,¡± the embarrassed crab protested, as the witch hovered her hand over his figure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so shy,¡± she asked, while leaning closer. ¡°I really think you¡¯re quite the crab, you know? Not like all those adventurers out there with their pathetic two legs and puny hands. And you got the smarts behind it all, too.¡±


    Balthazar knew the witch wasn¡¯t to be trusted, but something about her was feeling more and more captivating. Being closer to her, he could almost swear she smelled like freshly baked pastries.


    ¡°Y-you think?¡± the flustered crab asked. ¡°I mean, let¡¯s focus on our business, please. The petals, are you willing to trade them?¡±


    ¡°For you? Of course,¡± she whispered in a low voice, her face leaning over even closer to Balthazar¡¯s eyes. ¡°But what are you willing to offer for your friend¡¯s salvation?¡±


    The crab gulped. As awkward and uncomfortable as he was feeling, he couldn¡¯t pull his gaze away from her eyes. Those big, penetrating eyes, like two shiny jewels. And Balthazar certainly loved shiny things.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re talking about one of my legs like last time, or something, aren¡¯t you? What¡­ what is it with you and the weird need for crab parts?¡± he asked, struggling to string a straight sentence with her face so close to his.


    ¡°Not just any crab, darling,¡± Velvet said, her arm now resting over the crab¡¯s shell, and her black nails tapping softly on his golden chitin. ¡°You¡¯re a very special, unique crab. And I really, really need a little piece of you in order to finish my little project. I¡¯ve been working on it for so long, looking for the right one to help me finish it. You can¡¯t imagine my joy when I finally found you. You don¡¯t need to worry, you can trust me. It¡¯s just a little leg, what¡¯s the harm? You¡¯ll surely grow it back, and I¡¯d make sure you wouldn¡¯t feel a thing.¡±


    She slid off the rock and down to the ground, her arm now fully embracing the crab, her other hand tracing his chin with a nail.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she continued, ¡°you could even come with me after. I could show you so much. It would be just us, Velvet and Balthazar, against the world. Me with my knowledge and craft, you with your¡­ uniqueness. I could do so much with you. All the way to the top. If you only knew how special you are, Balthie. What do you say?¡±


    The crab felt lightheaded. Like the day he fell asleep under the hot summer sun after having eaten a few too many strawberry tarts, and everything around him was spinning. It was a funny feeling, but for some reason, not completely unpleasant.


    His smarts kept telling not to trust a word the witch said, all the way from the back of his brain, like nagging distant voices, but why not? She didn¡¯t seem so bad, now that he was getting to know her from up close. So very close.


    Balthazar felt as if he was sweating buckets inside his shell, but he just couldn¡¯t tear himself away from her enthralling gaze. Something in the air was clouding his judgment, like an intoxicating scent that vacated him of all sense. He knew perfectly well he was being played, but he just didn¡¯t seem to mind it. Just like he knew eating a seventh slice of pie was unwise, but he¡¯d always go for it anyway. Some things were just too tempting to beat through reason alone.


    And for whatever reason, Velvet really smelled to him like every single pastry he could imagine.


    ¡°I-I guess a leg is not that big of a deal,¡± the mesmerized merchant stuttered. ¡°I got plenty more. Are you sure it really wouldn''t hurt?¡±


    With her eyes still locked on his, the witch slowly reached behind her back and unhooked a sharp sickle from her dress¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Of course, sweetie,¡± Velvet murmured. ¡°You just have to trust me.¡±

 Chapter 48: Wake Up Call

    For a witch, she sure looked nice. Maybe a little too much skin and not enough chitin, but still, not bad. And her eyes, like two precious gems that made a crab want to just pluck them and hide them in a hole.


    Balthazar found himself wondering if she knew how to bake, too.


    He was experiencing many strange and confusing feelings, but for whatever strange reason, that wasn¡¯t bothering him too much.


    Just like the sharp blade of the sickle the witch was holding wasn¡¯t bothering him, either.


    He wondered if such a circular blade was any good for cutting pies.


    Even more important than that, he wondered what Velvet''s favorite pie was.


    He would have to ask her as soon as he figured out how to stop making bubbles with his mouth and how to speak properly again.


    She raised her right arm high in the air, the blade she held reflecting the pale moonlight across its edge, but Balthazar was sure there was no reason for concern. Such an entrancing woman could surely be trusted, and would never harm him.


    Some dampened noise came from behind her, like a rustling or shuffling. The crab wasn¡¯t too worried about it, but Velvet pulled her eyes away from his to look behind herself.


    From behind a boulder, a long neck stretched up and a drake¡¯s head peeked over it.


    Blue walked around the rock, observing the two figures sitting by the water with a frown of suspicion.


    The witch, still holding the sickle above her head, widened her eyes and lost her smile as she saw the creature approach.


    ¡°What do you want, you stupid thing?¡± the witch said, her voice sounding much more bitter and unpleasant than it was mere moments before. ¡°Shoo, go away. Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re in the middle of something important? Quit ruining my moment.¡±


    Blue¡¯s brow furrowed.


    ¡°Wha¡­ what were we talking about?¡± the dazed crab mumbled. ¡°Blue? What are you doing here?¡±


    Velvet quickly lowered her blade and turned her attention back to Balthazar, a smile back on her face.


    ¡°Shh, never mind that. We were having a little heart-to-heart, remember? Hey, look at me. Let¡¯s focus back on that, darling, alright?¡±


    Breaking away from his intoxicated stupor for just a moment made the crab come to his senses that something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°But I thought¡­ hey, wait a moment. Is that a sickle?!¡± Balthazar shook his shell vigorously. ¡°What the hell were you trying to do to me?¡±


    As if waking up from a bad nap, the groggy crab tried focusing his thoughts back into place.


    Rapid questions ran through his mind as he tried to make sense of everything.


    Was he really considering taking her offer?


    Why was he even listening to what that woman said?


    Was Velvie really about to bring that blade down on him?


    Why the hell was he calling the witch ¡°Velvie¡± in his head?


    ¡°You know how dangerous the world out here is, Balthie,¡± the witch said. ¡°A woman has to carry something to protect herself. Now stop worrying about that and focus back on our chat, will you?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think I will,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°You had me under some kind of¡­ something, I don¡¯t know what, but there is no way I would ever consider letting you cut me up unless I was out of my damn mind, witch. What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Me? Nothing, sweetie,¡± Velvet pleaded. ¡°It is only a little bit of perfume. Secret formula by yours truly. Didn¡¯t you think it smells wonderful? Like your favorite thing in the whole wide world? Go on, why don¡¯t you give it another close sniff and let your troubles go away?¡±


    Blue let out a low growl as she slowly stalked forward, her yellow eyes firmly placed on the black-clad woman.


    ¡°Now, there is no need to get harsh, darling,¡± she said, glancing back at the drake as she stood up from the ground. ¡°We were so close to coming to terms. I was going to let you have the petals you so desperately need, too.¡±


    With her free hand, she revealed the vial containing the frostshade again.


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± the crab said, ¡°I think when someone intends to slice me up with a sickle is exactly the time to get harsh.¡±


    Behind the woman, the drake lifted her arms from the ground and stood on her hind legs before letting out a warning roar.


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± the witch began, taking a reluctant step back in order to keep both the crab and the drake in her sight, ¡°it¡¯s not too late to reconsider things. We can still come to an agreement. Just order your drake to stand down and let¡¯s talk about this.¡±


    Balthazar gave Velvet a spiteful smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my dear, but that one does not obey a single order I give her.¡±


    Stretching her wings wide, the drake stretched her head forward and opened her mouth. A screech came out, along with a bright blue jet of fire that shot straight at the witch, who barely had time to duck under the flames.


    The witch wailed as her long black hair caught on fire. Desperately flailing her arms around, she dropped both the sickle and the vial on the sand before darting past the other two and throwing herself into the water.


    Between her screams and a sizzling noise, a large cloud of black smoke emerged above the water, along with the intense smell of burnt hair.


    ¡°Phew, that¡¯s a horrible stench!¡± Balthazar said, while waving a pincer up and down in front of his face to disperse the smell.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    As the smoke cleared, both the crab and the drake looked down into the water, looking for signs of the witch, but only ripples remained.


    ¡°Did¡­ did she dissolve or something?¡± the befuddled crab asked. ¡°Nah, can¡¯t be. No way the water would still look this clear with that evil witch mixed in it. Damn magic users and their disappearing acts.¡±


    Turning his attention to Blue, Balthazar spoke to her.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect you to come through for me, but hey, good job! Maybe you¡¯re finally gaining some respect!¡±


    The drake threw her head away disdainfully and started walking back to where she came.


    ¡°Or not,¡± the annoyed crab said. ¡°I should have known it was too good to be true. You were probably just doing whatever you felt like, as usual.¡±


    Looking down at the ground, his eyes caught a glint from glass in the sand.


    ¡°The vial!¡±


    Quickly picking it up with his silver pincer, Balthazar brought it up against the sparse light from the moon. The petals of frostshade he needed were still inside it, tiny and dry.


    Running along the shore and through the wooden bridge, he made his way to his tent and dug through his disorganized boxes, baskets, and bags.


    ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn it! Where did I put it?!¡±


    Finally finding it, the crab pulled a bottle of clear liquid from a basket where he kept other equally valuable items, such as leftover pieces of pie and some butter cookies.


    With great caution and care, Balthazar uncorked the only dose of the potion the shaman had left for him.


    ¡°Alright, now I just have to do like the old lady said,¡± he muttered, while carefully picking one petal from the vial with the tip of his left pincer. ¡°One petal in¡­¡±


    He dropped the piece of flower in the transparent liquid and it hissed softly before gaining a light blue hue.


    ¡°Shake it¡­¡±


    Putting the cork back on it, Balthazar used his dexterous pincer to give it a vigorous shake.


    ¡°And then add one more,¡± he continued telling himself, while uncorking the potion again and picking one more petal.


    The substance gained an even deeper blue color, and he repeated the shaking movements.


    [Item crafted. Experience gained.]


    [[Frostshade Antidote] created.]


    ¡°Nope, I have no interest in becoming the Alchemist Crab, thank you very much. There are already way too many damn alchemists around here for my taste.¡±


    Hurriedly skittering his way to Druma¡¯s bed, he found the goblin still asleep, skin a pale green and covered in cold sweat.


    ¡°Hang on, little guy, you¡¯re going to be alright soon,¡± Balthazar murmured as he used his iron pincer to prop the assistant up into a sitting position. ¡°Hopefully.¡±


    Extending his long stone arm, the observing golem behind the bed held the goblin in place with one of his hands.


    ¡°Thanks, Bouldy,¡± the crab said to the giant boulder. ¡°Alright, here we go. Bottoms up, Druma.¡±


    Holding it with his silver pincer, Balthazar dumped the contents of the potion bottle down his assistant¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Let him down, gently,¡± he told the golem.


    As the goblin was laid back down on the hay, the impatient merchant stared at him intently, looking for any reaction.


    ¡°Come on, come on! Why can¡¯t it be an instant effect like the health potions? So arbitrary!¡±


    Druma¡¯s eyes remained closed, in what at least now appeared to be a relatively quiet sleep.


    ¡°Ugh, I hate waiting, but I guess that¡¯s all we can do now.¡±


    The crab walked a few paces away to his tent and pulled his purple cushion out, dragging it closer to the pile of hay. Placing it next to the goblin¡¯s bed, he climbed on top of the fluffy pillow before lowering himself comfortably onto it.


    After all the chaos and worry, Balthazar had almost forgotten how little rest he¡¯d been getting lately, and just sitting on his cushion instantly made his eyestalks feel heavy.


    With his sights still set on his assistant, he fought the urge to sleep, but that was one battle he would not be winning on that day, and before too long, the crab had fallen asleep.


    ***


    Balthazar floated peacefully through the waters of his pond, carelessly admiring the beauty of the land around him as he dreamed. In the air, he could feel the smell of fresh baked pies. Looking up at the bright night sky full of stars, the crab spotted a winged figure flying in circles above.


    He felt at ease and relaxed. For whatever reason, the water around him was not as cool and refreshing as he was used to, but warm and steamy. It made his soft insides feel good within his shell. Shell which, he was realizing, was gray again, all the different metal finishes gone from it.


    It mattered not. He was just a crab, enjoying life. Not a care in the world.


    He felt he was forgetting something, however.


    Someone?


    He looked over at the shore. Something was missing.


    Furniture? Where were all the shelves and the crates, all the things crafted with scraps of wood?


    Where was the goblin who built them?


    And why did the nice smell of pie was slowly being replaced with the smell of burnt pastries?


    As the crab tried to stand back straight in the water, he felt it much hotter, nearly boiling, the pleasant feeling replaced with discomfort.


    The winged creature up in the sky let out an echoing roar, like a warning wail.


    Looking down to the side, Balthazar noticed something under the surface, a dark figure rising to the surface.


    Before he could try to figure out what it was, the figure breached the waters.


    A witch of pale skin and black dressing emerged, one arm raised high, a sharp sickle in her hand, ready to strike down at him.


    Balthazar recoiled and covered his face with his claws, expecting the worst.


    Nothing happened. No more sounds, no more smell.


    ¡°Boss?¡± a distant voice said.


    As the crab slowly moved his claws back down, a blinding sunlight flooded his vision.


    ***


    Two large eyes with black irises were staring down at Balthazar.


    ¡°Booooss?¡±


    ¡°AH!¡± the crab screamed as he jumped up from his pillow.


    It was morning, and the sky was bright and blue, its light blurring Balthazar¡¯s vision.


    As he struggled to focus his eyes, he looked at the goblin standing next to his cushion, wizard hat on his head, vivid green back on his skin.


    ¡°Druma! You¡¯re awake!¡± the relieved crab exclaimed.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± said the goblin. ¡°Druma feel better! But is boss alright? Boss was having bad dream and talking about witches.¡±


    ¡°Oh, never mind that, just a nightmare. It¡¯s not important. What¡¯s important is that you recovered!¡±


    The crab smiled as he held both pincers out next to the goblin. ¡°Look at you, all healthy again!¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ is boss sure boss is alright?¡± Druma said, with a concerned expression. ¡°Boss is too¡­ nice. Is boss sick too?¡±


    Balthazar laughed, the feeling of the weight that had been lifted off his shell filling him with nearly as much joy as a whole pie in his stomach could.


    ¡°I feel great, Druma, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just happy you¡¯re alright, and¡­ and I think it¡¯s important that I tell you that, because while you were lying there passed out and feverish, all I kept remembering was how crabby I had been to you right before, while you and Bouldy came to my rescue. I felt¡­ bad. There, I said it.¡±


    Druma scratched the back of his head and frowned in confusion.


    ¡°But Druma thought boss was crab. Crab is crabby, no?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but I meant¡­¡± Balthazar struggled with his words. ¡°Look, all I¡¯m saying is that I¡¯m happy you made it, and that I¡¯ll try to be less grumpy, alright?¡±


    Druma gave a toothy smile and nodded.


    ¡°Druma no understand what happen to boss, but Druma like it.¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s work with that.¡±


    Balthazar wasn¡¯t yet sure how best to approach a nicer attitude, but he was finding himself at least willing to try it.


    So long as the goblin didn¡¯t bring up the subject of monetary compensation for injury on the job, of course. Even the crab¡¯s good intentions had their limits.

 Chapter 49: Help From Above

    ¡°And you¡¯re sure you¡¯re feeling fine?¡± asked the crab.


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡± answered the goblin.


    It was yet another warm morning at the tail-end of summer, and Balthazar was seeing Bouldy and Druma off to the road, heading out to collect more trees to build the roof over the trading post.


    It had only been a day since Druma had woken up from his fever, but the goblin was already eager to go back to work.


    One thing Balthazar had to admit was that the little guy was definitely not lazy, which, for a businesscrab like him, was a very valuable trait.


    As willing to see the roof done as the merchant was, he was also not too keen on the idea of his assistant falling ill again for not taking enough time to recover.


    Not because he had grown soft towards his worker, of course, but just because he couldn¡¯t afford any more sick days, that¡¯s all.


    ¡°Alright, you two be careful out there,¡± Balthazar told the pair. ¡°And remember, stay on the outsides of the forest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Druma said, while vigorously nodding. ¡°And will boss be alright without Druma and Bouldy? What if bad wolves come back?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Balthazar reassured. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to stay away from the road and not let myself get surrounded again. Besides, after what Blue did to their alpha, I doubt those wolves will dare show their snouts around here anytime soon.¡±


    Before the golem and the goblin made it too far down the road, the valiant crab skittered his way back inside the safety of his pond.


    While he was indeed convinced the wolves would not show up again, that still did not solve the problem of him feeling too unsafe all by himself at his trading post, knowing all the dangerous creatures that lurked out there, from angry giant spiders and hungry wolves to crazy witches and petty merchants.


    Not all by himself, however, as he still had one dangerous creature of his own there, too.


    The crab crossed the wooden bridge to the center islet and looked at the lazy drake sleeping underneath the sparse shade of the tree above them.


    Balthazar knew she wasn¡¯t completely indifferent to others. Madeleine got through to her just fine, and she even seemed to care for Druma¡¯s well being.


    So the question remained: why wouldn¡¯t she respect Balthazar? He hatched her. He was clearly the closest to a leader that place had, and yet, that scaly beast just did not seem willing to give him anything but disdain and an attitude.


    Determined to give his new Leadership skill a chance, he stepped up to the drake, who glanced at him from her red cushion with an uncaring expression.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said the golden crab. ¡°I want to try something with you, but you¡¯ll have to get up from there and come with me.¡±


    The blue drake raised a lazy brow and made no effort to move.


    ¡°There will be birds to eat,¡± Balthazar added.


    Raising her brow even further, her eyes seemed to show her interest had been piqued.


    Slowly standing up from the cushion, the drake made the short distance to follow the crab.


    ¡°Right,¡± he started, turning to face the winged creature, ¡°we need to establish some hierarchy here. I¡¯m your elder. I own this territory, but you keep ignoring my authority. That¡¯s not good, is it?¡±


    Blue looked at him with an expression that made the crab sure that if she was capable of it, she would be crossing her arms right then.


    ¡°Look, let¡¯s start with something simple,¡± he continued, trying to channel his inner leadership skills, which, as he was just realizing, weren¡¯t many. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you to fly up, and you¡­ fly up, alright?¡±


    The unimpressed creature made no signs of acknowledging his request.


    Balthazar sighed.


    ¡°Well, might as well try¡­ fly up, Blue!¡±


    The drake let out a long yawn and stayed as she was.


    ¡°Urgh¡­ why are you like this?¡± the annoyed crab said.


    If he couldn¡¯t win her through conventional means, he¡¯d strike where he knew it would hurt her.


    ¡°Oh, I think I get it,¡± Balthazar said, giving her a side eye. ¡°You¡¯re not confident yet about your flying capabilities. It¡¯s alright, I get it. You¡¯re still pretty young, despite appearances. You were literally born the other day. You¡¯re worried you might embarrass yourself if I tell you to fly up and your clumsy wings make you fall back down.¡±


    Blue stretched her neck up and her pupils narrowed at the crab. She was offended.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand,¡± he continued. ¡°No need to feel bad. You¡¯ll get better at flying some day, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Letting out a puff of steam from her nostrils, the drake spread her wings wide and batted them with dramatic effect as she took off into the air.


    ¡°Heh, so easy to bait,¡± Balthazar said under his breath.


    With another couple of flaps of her wings, Blue launched herself upwards, darting towards the clouds.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve made your point,¡± the crab shouted. ¡°You can come back down now.¡±


    But the prideful creature either did not hear him, or did not care to listen, and continued her ascent.


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    With a pincer over his eyes to shield them from the light of the sun, Balthazar was looking up at the shrinking figure of the drake in the distance when he spotted a second smaller dot higher in the sky.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Whatever it was seemed too large for a bird, and also the wrong shape.


    Skittering across the bridge, the crab hurriedly searched through a box of random items until he found something an adventurer had sold to him weeks before, a small spyglass.


    Looking back up, he found the now barely visible drake, still speeding up as if trying to prove how high she could fly, and not too far off to the side, the slow-moving dot.


    Balthazar placed the spyglass in front of his monocle and tried focusing on the unknown figure in the sky.


    As he focused on it, he finally realized it was a man, sitting cross-legged on a blue cushion that was slowly flying horizontally, heading straight into Blue¡¯s flight path.


    ¡°Blue!¡± the crab yelled. ¡°Stop going up! You¡¯re going to crash into someone!¡±


    But she was too far away to hear.


    Bringing the spyglass up to his monocle again, he gave the flying man a better look.


    He wore a purple wizard hat and robe, and had an excessively long white beard that flapped in the wind over his shoulder as he flew forward.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Balthazar said to himself. ¡°Is that¡­ what is he doing?¡±


    Trying to focus more on the man¡¯s hands, the crab finally figured out what he was holding.


    The wizard was holding a small porcelain saucer with one hand, a teacup with the other, casually taking sips from it as he flew onward.


    It was hard to make out more of his features, but something seemed familiar about him.


    Surprisingly, the monocle still showed a line of text above his head, even through the spyglass.


    [Level 67 Arcane High Wizard]


    The drake and the wizard were on each other¡¯s direct route of collision, still unaware of one another. Blue still stubbornly pushing upwards, the man carelessly drinking his tea.


    Balthazar winced in anticipation of their imminent collision.


    Right as the flying wizard was about to crash into her, Blue looked to the side and took a last moment dive sideways.


    Unfortunately, so did the wizard.


    As the drake came up into his field of view, the man threw his hands up, sending the teacup and saucer flying, before grabbing the edges of his flying pillow and swerving wildly to the other side.


    The unconventional mode of transportation now spiraling out of control in the wind, the man tried holding on to his hat as the cushion under him veered to the side and flipped over, tossing him off into a free fall.


    ¡°Oooh, craaaaaap,¡± Balthazar yelled out, throwing both pincers up to his shell.


    The wizard was coming down towards the ground at great speed, his long beard flapping wildly against his face as he struggled to move it out of his vision, his wizard hat flying off his head from all the wind.


    ¡°Damn it, what¡¯s with me and wizards always crash landing on my property!¡± the crab complained as he rushed out the trading post, heading in the direction the wizard was going to land.


    Balthazar arrived on the path between the road and his trading post just in time to see the purple blur reach the ground, except, instead of crashing into a crater, the wizard¡¯s fall suddenly slowed down and he landed on his feet gracefully, like someone who had just hopped off a small height.


    The astonished crab stared at the man with his mouth open, as the mage calmly and casually shook the dust off his robe with one hand, while the other caught the hat that was slowly drifting down and placed it back on his head.


    ¡°How¡­ how did you not splatter yourself all over the ground from that?¡± Balthazar stuttered, still utterly confused by the casual landing.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡± the wizard yelled out. ¡°Sorry, ears still ringing a little. You asked why I didn¡¯t take fall damage? Pfffft! You think I¡¯m some kind of low-level wizard, or something?¡± He pointed at his old brown shoes that curled at the tips. ¡°Shoes of Soft Landing. Never leave home without them. Only an idiot would use levitation without a pair of these.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ I guess you got a point there,¡± the crab said, as he slowly recovered his wits and glanced at the mounds of dirt where a certain crater used to be months before.


    ¡°Was that flying devil up there yours?!¡± the wizard asked.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ sort of. Mostly she¡¯s her own girl, though,¡± Balthazar responded.


    ¡°Well, you owe me a new pair of breeches!¡± A loud clatter came from the road behind the wizard as a teacup and saucer shattered against the cobblestones. ¡°Also, a new tea set!¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment,¡± the merchant said, as he squinted his eye stalks forward at the man. ¡°I remember you now! You¡¯re that weird wizard that sold me Bouldy¡¯s core!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the what who did the what to the what now?!¡± the other blurted out loudly. ¡°I got no idea what you¡¯re yapping on about, crab! And then people call me senile!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± Balthazar said, stretching his arms open. ¡°I traded you some mana potions for a golem core. Surely you must remember a talking crab?¡±


    ¡°Buddy, I¡¯ve met a lot of talking things. A crab is barely even on my top 10 of the weirdest ones. Now this pair of socks once, though, they were¡­¡±


    ¡°You said you were in the forest dealing with some fairies or something,¡± Balthazar interrupted. ¡°And apparently you ran out of mana, walked in here yelling for potions, you had no shirt on, for some reason I still haven¡¯t figured out to this day. Any of this ring any bells?¡±


    ¡°Fairies?¡± said the wizard, as he stroked his beard pensively. ¡°Hang on, aren¡¯t we near the Black Forest? I remember now. Those darn pests! Never trust a fairy, crab! They¡¯ll give you nasty fungi in even nastier places!¡±


    ¡°Wow, hey, too much information! I don¡¯t wanna know,¡± the crab pleaded, waving both pincers in front of himself.


    With a small gust of wind, Blue came down from the sky and landed on a nearby rock, looking at the other two with curiosity.


    ¡°Well, well, there she be,¡± said the wizard, placing both hands on his waist. ¡°Quite the rascal, aren¡¯t ya? Made me spit out my tea.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± the frustrated merchant said. ¡°Won¡¯t listen to a single order I give her.¡±


    ¡°Order?¡± the incredulous man repeated. ¡°What are ya doing trying to give a drake orders, crab?!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Balthazar asked back.


    ¡°Did ya just pick a drake off the side of the road and didn¡¯t do any studying on the subject, soggy-brain? Draconic creatures don¡¯t take ¡®orders¡¯ from anyone. Best you can hope to achieve is them taking suggestions, and even that can take years of earning their respect!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I hatched her from an egg. Shouldn¡¯t she see me as some kind of parental figure, have some respect and obedience, or something?¡±


    ¡°HAH!¡± The wizard laughed. ¡°You got a few too many legs and not enough wings to be that one¡¯s momma, don¡¯t ya think, crab? Dragons and drakes are very intelligent and intuitive creatures. They know who respects them and who to trust just from a quick sniff at your intentions. You want her to follow your lead, you need to treat her as an equal, not like some pet dog that does tricks for you. Did ya try that, smart-butt?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡­¡± the hesitant crab said. ¡°It¡¯s not like I ever had any bad intentions towards her. I just wanted her to listen when I tell her to do something.¡±


    The wizard bent over at the waist, hands still on his hips, a wide grin on his face as he brought it closer to the crab.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Balthazar couldn¡¯t help but notice his irises were still different sizes, just like when they first met. It certainly added to the deranged mad wizard look, but it made the crab very uncomfortable.


    ¡°W-why what?¡± he asked, trying to shrink away from the wizard¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Why should she listen? If I came out of nowhere and started demanding things from you, would you just do them?¡±


    Balthazar thought back to the first time he met the wizard.


    ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s literally what you did when you came here yelling for mana potions last time.¡±


    ¡°The point, my pincer-y friend,¡± the strange old man suddenly yelled out, standing straight again and opening his arms, ¡°is that if you want to earn a drake¡¯s respect, show respect first!¡±


    Balthazar tried to make sense of what the wizard was trying to tell him, but the concept was still not quite clicking yet.


    ¡°Uh¡­ how?¡± he asked, with great hesitation.


    ¡°Oh-oh-oh,¡± the grinning wizard said. ¡°Are you asking me for some¡­ tutoring?¡±

 Chapter 50: Draconic Tutor

    Balthazar gave the wizard a good, long look.


    He had a scrawny figure, and despite still seeming quite spry, he was clearly old. Very old. The long beard that reached down to his knees and his mismatching eye sizes only added to the deranged look, and his attire was not helping, either. Big wizard hat that crumpled in the middle from how large it was, old brown shoes with silly curling tips, and a purple robe that seemed two or three sizes too large for the old man.


    If the monocle hadn¡¯t shown it, Balthazar would have never guessed that the man was the highest level adventurer the crab had ever encountered.


    But considering the average adventurer he met every day, perhaps that was actually fitting. That they all become demented loons would only make sense.


    ¡°Tutoring?¡± the disbelieving crab said. ¡°On drakes? What makes you such a specialist in the matter?¡±


    ¡°What?! You don¡¯t believe me?¡± the wizard said. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯ve done a lot of dragon riding back in the day.¡± The old man stared longingly at the sky for a moment before continuing. ¡°And by back in the day, I mean last week. You should have seen that beast. She was the size of a house, that beauty!¡±


    Balthazar made a face of discomfort at the wizard¡¯s excitement.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in riding anything, old man. I just want to be able to count on this one when I need her.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. Suit yourself,¡± the old adventurer said. ¡°A giant crab would probably look ridiculous riding on a drake¡¯s back, anyway.¡±


    ¡°If you know so much about dragons and drakes,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°then go on, tell me what I¡¯m doing wrong.¡±


    The wizard started stroking his beard thoughtfully.


    ¡°Have you tried going with the basics? Maybe formally introduce yourself?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the incredulous crab responded. ¡°She already knows who I am. She¡¯s been living here since she was born! What does she need me to introduce myself for?¡±


    ¡°Hah! Ya silly crab,¡± the man laughed. ¡°Draconic creatures like their formalities. It shows reverence and respect. Here, I¡¯ll show you. What was her name?¡±


    ¡°Blue,¡± the crab said, stepping aside to let the wizard stand in front of the drake.


    ¡°Hello, Blue,¡± the old man said, while taking a bow that made his beard drag on the ground. ¡°I am Tweedus, a high wizard of arcane magic. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±


    The gilded drake observed the old man¡¯s greeting with curiosity before giving a gentle nod.


    ¡°Ya see?¡± Tweedus said, standing back straight and stepping away from the drake. ¡°Just like that. Now you try it!¡±


    With some hesitation, Balthazar stepped forward in front of Blue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about all this,¡± the crab said, looking back at the wizard.


    ¡°Go on,¡± the other whispered, leaning forward and shooing him away with his hands. ¡°Try taking a bow and telling her who you are.¡±


    The crab looked down at himself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a waist!¡± Balthazar muttered back at him. ¡°How the hell am I supposed to take a bow?¡±


    The wizard stood back straight and scratched the tip of his white mustache.


    ¡°Well, fiddlesticks. I hadn¡¯t considered that part. I don¡¯t know! Just try leaning forward, or something! I¡¯m sure the intention is what matters to her.¡±


    ¡°So much for being a specialist,¡± the annoyed crab said under his breath.


    Balthazar put one pincer in front of himself, while stretching the other one outwards and leaning his shell forward.


    He felt like he was looking ridiculous.


    And for everyone present, he very much was.


    ¡°Uh, hello, Blue,¡± the crab awkwardly started while staring at the ground. ¡°I am Balthazar, giant crab and¡­ uh¡­ merchant of things. Nice to meet you¡­ I guess?¡±


    He stood back up and looked at the drake, who was staring at him with her mouth ajar, a mix of confusion and embarrassment in her expression. She gave him a quick nod that felt more like a plea to just end that interaction as quickly as possible, which the crab was happy to oblige.


    Turning back to Tweedus, he saw the wizard grinning and giving him two overly enthusiastic thumbs ups.


    ¡°Ya got the spirit of it right, crab!¡± the old man yelled.


    ¡°I¡¯m never doing that again,¡± Balthazar said, with a cold voice.


    ¡°Pfft! Quit your bellyaching! She didn¡¯t bite your pincers off. Back in my days at the arcane academy, that was considered a big win when meeting any kind of dragon.¡± He shook his head with an expression of longing on his face. ¡°Poor Jeremiah. He loved to play his lute so much.¡±


    ¡°Right, but what now, old man?¡± the impatient crab asked. ¡°How is this getting me any closer to being able to give her commands?¡±


    ¡°Bah! There you go again with the commands. She¡¯s not a pet, and certainly not your servant either, crab! You must treat her as an equal. A partner. A friend, even.¡±


    ¡°A friend?¡± Balthazar repeated. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure she¡¯s too keen on being my friend. You know what was one of the first things she did when she was born? She tried to shoot fire at me! And you know what she did when she saw me about to be viciously mauled by a pack of wolves? Turned around to go back to sleep!¡±


    ¡°HAH! She sounds like my sister!¡±


    Tweedus let out a hearty laugh as he threw his head back and slapped his knee.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny! She¡¯s a heartless creature!¡±


    ¡°So is my sister! Haaaah!¡±


    The unamused crab was staring daggers at the wizard, but the other was too busy chortling at his own joke to notice.


    ¡°You¡¯re being no help at all,¡± said the crab.


    ¡°Oh, have a little fun, will ya? I¡¯m the old man here, and you¡¯re the one who¡¯s all cantankerous for no reason,¡± Tweedus said, as he wiped the corner of his eye with his finger. ¡°Try showing her you¡¯re willing to be a friend. That¡¯s all it takes to start. What¡¯s something she loves?¡±


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Balthazar said, with a shrug of his shell. ¡°She seems to really enjoy petting on the back of her head from our baker when she comes by.¡±


    ¡°Good! Go on and try that, then. We¡¯re not getting any younger over here. Especially me!¡±


    ¡°Really? That sounds like an awful idea.¡±


    ¡°PET THE DRAKE, YA MUPPET!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Alright!¡±


    With a gulp, Balthazar stepped closer to the drake again, who remained seated on her rock, observing the other two¡¯s interactions with curiosity.


    ¡°H-hey, girl,¡± the hesitant crab said with a shaky voice as he glanced at her sharp teeth. ¡°Just going to give you some petting¡­ alright?¡±


    ¡°YA CAN¡¯T SHOW FEAR!¡± Tweedus yelled out, both hands cupped around his mouth, despite being just a couple of paces behind the crab. ¡°Drakes don¡¯t respect cowardice. That¡¯s how ya get snapped at.¡±


    Balthazar exhaled in exasperation.


    As much as the old man was annoying him, he also knew him to be right.


    At least about the respect part.


    Most of everything else he said, not so much.


    Balthazar was no coward. Most of the time, at least. So why hesitate there? Blue would not take a meek little crab who shakes in his shell while trying to approach her seriously. He had been through a lot of things. He was a hardened crab by now, time to toughen up and show his worth to the petulant drake. Maybe it wasn¡¯t his authority he should be trying to make her respect, but rather his bravery.


    Puffing up his shell, Balthazar reached out for the drake¡¯s head with his pincer, full of confidence.


    Blue glared at him and bared her fangs.


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    The crab ran back to the wizard¡¯s side.


    ¡°DOG GAMMIT, CRAB!¡± Tweedus yelled. ¡°Get back in there and act like ya got a spine!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a crab, I don¡¯t have a spine!¡± Balthazar yelled back.


    ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Care!¡± the wizard exclaimed, widening his crazy eyes at the crab. ¡°Act like you got one, or else she¡¯s never going to respect you.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t she just¡­ I don¡¯t know, do it by default?!¡± the exasperated merchant complained.


    ¡°Because you clearly don¡¯t respect her yourself, for starters.¡±


    Balthazar wanted to argue, but something kept poking at the back of his mind.


    Pesky conscience.


    He knew she cared for Madeleine. She had even shown to care for Druma. Chances are she even cared for Bouldy. It was he who was the exception. And he also knew why. He just didn¡¯t want to admit it.


    She may not have been born a crab, but she was very crabby in her own way. And prideful. And stubborn. And hard to deal with.


    She was just like Balthazar.


    And he didn¡¯t want to concede to that.


    But if he dug deep down within himself¡ªvery deep down¡ªhe also found that he was proud that she took so much after himself.


    His problem was admitting to that.


    Balthazar let out a long sigh.


    If recent events had finally started teaching him something, was that he needed to start valuing those around him more, because no crab is an island, even if they live on one.


    He stepped near the drake once more.


    ¡°Look, Blue,¡± Balthazar started, ¡°I admit that I might, maybe, possibly, not have been treating you with the respect you deserve. I try to order you around without giving you any reason to respect me in the first place.¡±


    The drake watched the crab with a raised brow.


    ¡°I¡­¡± He rolled his eyes before continuing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m so hard shelled. So are you, but that¡¯s no excuse not to try and do better, especially if I keep claiming I¡¯m your elder. Having friends and being sociable¡­ I was just a crab living all by himself not so long ago! I¡¯m not used to these things, alright? I promise I¡¯ll try to lead more by example, instead of just trying to boss you around, but you need to help me out too. Think we can do that and try again?¡±


    Blue raised her other brow as her large golden eyes stared down into his own. Balthazar wasn¡¯t sure if she was trying to intimidate him or just judging him, but he was determined to stand tall, and not blink at the challenge.


    Thankfully, being a crab with no eyelids made that part a lot easier.


    Letting out a soft growl, the drake responded with a slow nod.


    She may not have said it with words, but Balthazar understood she was willing to give him a chance.


    ¡°Well done, crab!¡± Tweedus yelled out, clapping his hands together. ¡°You¡¯ve earned the respect of a draconic creature and survived. Well, a little of it, at least. Or maybe just the willingness to earn it in the future. But still! Better than getting turned into a grilled crab! Well spoken!¡±


    Balthazar glared at the wizard with an unamused expression.


    ¡°If you tell anyone about this, I¡¯ll make sure fungal growths in awkward places are the least of your problems.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± the old man blared. ¡°I like your spirit, crab! And I bet my sister would too!¡±


    For some reason, the crab very much hoped never to meet the crazy wizard¡¯s sister.


    ¡°But can ya make her fight?¡± Tweedus asked with a sly grin.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any easy way to find out unless we were getting attacked.¡±


    ¡°HAH! Say no more, crab!¡± the old man yelled out, pulling up his robe¡¯s sleeves.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait! What are you do¡ª¡±


    With a clap of his hands that produced a thundering sound, a swirl of blue light shot up from his palms and took form as a falcon made of translucent blue light, fluttering above the wizard¡¯s head.


    ¡°The hell is that?!¡± the crab yelled out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just a spirit animal summoned under my control. Call it a bit of practice,¡± Tweedus explained, looking too amused for Balthazar¡¯s taste.


    ¡°It¡¯s a damn bird!¡± he yelled at the wizard. ¡°I hate birds! Get that thing out of my pond!¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± the other said, as he made the falcon fly in a circle above by swirling his index finger. ¡°Why don¡¯t ya do something about it, then?¡±


    Balthazar knew exactly what the wizard was doing, but that did not make him any less irritated about it.


    ¡°Blue,¡± he said, turning back to the drake, who was following the summon above with her eyes. ¡°You should shoot that thing down with some fire, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    She glanced down at the crab, and then back at the flying bird. She did not seem too interested.


    ¡°Come on, girl,¡± Balthazar muttered under his breath, so Tweedus wouldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°You¡¯re embarrassing me in front of the wizard!¡±


    She yawned.


    The crab realized he needed to try a different approach. If he was so smart as he liked to think he was, he should know to try and appeal to her interests and pride instead.


    ¡°That old man might not look it, but he¡¯s higher level than you and I combined,¡± he quietly whispered to the drake, with one pincer covering the side of his mouth while glancing at the wizard. ¡°And he¡¯s mocking us by making that stupid bird fly above our pond because he thinks we won¡¯t be able to do anything about it.¡±


    Blue¡¯s brow went up once again.


    ¡°Are we going to let some high wizard laugh at us, in our territory of all places, and with a bird?! Or are we going to do something about it?¡±


    The drake stood up on the rock and shook her wings as she stared at the falcon, no longer looking amused by it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, girl!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°You get up there and show we¡¯re no pushovers!¡±


    With one strong flap of her wings, Blue took off from the rock and flew in front of the falcon, who stopped and hovered in the air, looking at the drake and letting out a screech.


    The drake snapped at the bird, but her teeth found nothing to bite into. The falcon wasn¡¯t solid.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably some kind of arcane magic,¡± the crab yelled from below. ¡°You gotta use your fire against it!¡±


    Blue looked down at the crab and then back up at the translucent bird, tilting her head as if trying to figure something out.


    Bringing her head back, the drake opened her mouth and let out a stream of blue fire at the falcon, who burst out of existence with a loud popping sound.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s how you treat a bird, real or not!¡± the crab cheered, one pincer up in the air in celebration.


    Blue landed back on the rock, looking proud and smug.


    Balthazar approached her and patted her neck with his pincer. ¡°Well done. You showed them!¡±


    Surprisingly, she did not seem bothered by his approach that time.


    They might still have a long road to go, but Balthazar had at least learned that if nothing else works to bring them closer, at least spite and a shared dislike for birds would still get the job done.


    ¡°Very good, very good!¡± Tweedus said, clapping and giving them a wide grin. ¡°You got her to work with you. Sort of. It¡¯s a start. She even used her fire-breathing on command! You know how hard it is to get a drake to do that? And she has blue flames! That¡¯s a really rare trait! Not even I had ever seen that, only read about it in some old books.¡±


    ¡°Heh, thanks, old man,¡± the content merchant said. ¡°I guess in your own crazy way, maybe you do know a thing or two about drakes.¡±


    ¡°Of course I do! Did I forget to mention my third wife was a dragon?!¡± the wizard casually wondered, as he looked up and scratched his chin.


    Alerted by the sound of heavy stomps, Balthazar turned to the road where Bouldy and Druma were arriving from.


    The golem gently put down the tree trunk he was carrying on his shoulder, while the goblin put down his box of tools.


    ¡°Back so soon?¡± the crab asked the goblin. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss,¡± Druma said, presenting two pieces of broken metal to the crab. ¡°Bouldy sit on saw and break it.¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± the golem said, with a sad frown.


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t do it on purpose, Bouldy,¡± Balthazar said, waving his pincer dismissively at the giant.


    As he turned back to the goblin, he realized Druma was no longer looking at him. Instead, he was staring up at Tweedus, his big goblin eyes shining with wonder, his mouth open into a child-like smile.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Druma?¡± Balthazar called.


    ¡°B-boss,¡± the goblin said, without taking his eyes off the old man, ¡°is that real wizard?¡±


    The crab let out another long sigh.


    Perhaps the wizard was also a specialist in goblins.

 Chapter 51: Staff Upgrades

    ¡°I¡¯m no specialist in goblins,¡± the wizard said, ¡°but I don¡¯t remember ever seeing one using a magical staff.¡±


    Druma, with his wizard hat on his head and staff on his back, was still staring in awe at Tweedus with the widest of grins, like a giant crab who had just encountered a human-sized pie.


    ¡°Oh, uh, yes, this is Druma, my assistant,¡± Balthazar told the wizard. ¡°He¡¯s a big fan of wizardry stuff, if you couldn¡¯t tell from his hat. The staff is just for poking now, though. He used up all the charges in it.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, Druma, is it?¡± Tweedus said, looking down at the goblin while stroking his long white beard. ¡°I¡¯ve seen goblin shamans, but never a goblin wizard. Ya like magic, little guy?¡±


    Druma gave a little jump, as if he wasn¡¯t expecting the old man to notice his presence.


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± the goblin exclaimed, while frantically nodding. ¡°Druma like pretty sparkly magic stuff that makes bad guys go boom!¡±


    Tweedus threw his head back and let out a booming laugh.


    ¡°I like your assistant, crab!¡± the wizard said to Balthazar, before turning his attention back to Druma. ¡°That¡¯s the right reason to get into magic. Forget all that scholarly hogwash. Making pretty lights and watching stuff blow up is where the real fun is at!¡±


    The goblin kept nodding and tapping his feet in place as the wizard spoke, his excitement palpable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to dash his hopes or anything,¡± Balthazar said to the wizard, ¡°but is it really a good idea to be feeding his aspirations, considering he has no actual magical skills?¡±


    Tweedus turned to the crab with an amused expression.


    ¡°And why should that stop him?¡± the man said, giving Balthazar a side look, his bushy eyebrows waving wildly. ¡°Were you born with mercantile skills, crab? Did that stop ya?¡±


    The crab opened his mouth to argue, but the irony of him talking back hit him. A few months before, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to speak with anyone, let alone sell and buy things.


    ¡°Right. Point taken, old man.¡±


    Druma was still awestruck behind the wizard, his hands clasped together as he observed the man¡¯s every movement.


    ¡°Druma,¡± Balthazar called. ¡°Stop gawking, it¡¯s getting awkward. Go get a new saw already.¡±


    Breaking away from his adoration, the goblin nodded to his boss and scampered away to the back of the trading post.


    ¡°And hey, by the way,¡± the merchant continued, turning to the wizard again, ¡°I guess I should introduce you to the stone golem you see here, Bouldy.¡±


    Tweedus turned his gaze to the giant boulder that had just finished carefully putting away the tree trunk he was carrying. The wizard¡¯s reaction made it seem as if he had somehow not noticed the rock giant until that point.


    ¡°Gee whiz, that¡¯s a big fella!¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s quite something,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°You should take some credit. You¡¯re partially responsible for his creation.¡±


    ¡°Woah there, buddy,¡± Tweedus interjected. ¡°I¡¯ve been around a lot in my many years, but even I would remember if I¡¯d ever met a giant rock lady. That one isn¡¯t mine. I¡¯ll hear no talk of child support for a walking stone.¡±


    ¡°What? No, that¡¯s not¡­ I¡¯m talking about the golem core you paid me with!¡±


    ¡°The what now?¡± the wizard asked, one eyebrow raised. ¡°I don¡¯t remember any golem core. I gave you one? What in blazes for? Was this during that game of poker in that sewer tavern one night? I remember there was a wereboar fella at the table, and a centaur lady, too. The dealer was a talking skull. I can¡¯t remember there being a talking crab, though.¡±


    The old man seemed lost in thought, searching through a world of memories of his own.


    ¡°No! You paid me for the mana potions with the core,¡± the exasperated crab said. ¡°You know, the ones we were just talking about, from that time with the fairies in the forest, or whatever?¡±


    ¡°Oooooooooh!¡± the wizard howled.


    ¡°Finally! Do you remember now?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Nope. Not in the slightest. But I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡±


    Fighting the urge to snap something with his pincers, Balthazar took a deep breath.


    ¡°Point is,¡± the very calm and collected crab continued, ¡°I used the golem core to create Bouldy over here from one of the boulders around my pond.¡±


    ¡°Not bad. Not bad at all,¡± Tweedus said, stroking his beard as he walked around the golem and examined it. ¡°Sturdy stone. I personally would have gone with some other material, but rock is a solid choice, too.¡±


    The robed man stopped and gave the rock giant a couple of knocks on a leg with his knuckles.


    ¡°Friend?¡± Bouldy said, looking over his shoulder at the wizard behind his legs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, buddy, he¡¯s not going to do anything bad to you. At least I hope not,¡± Balthazar said to the golem, before turning back to Tweedus. ¡°By the way, wizard, is it normal for golems to only speak one word?¡±


    ¡°Normal?¡± the other said, looking up at the golem¡¯s stony face with the same scrunched up expression as someone staring up at the sun. ¡°No. I had never even heard of a speaking golem at all until this very moment. How the hell did you teach it to talk, even if just one word?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t?¡± the puzzled crab responded. ¡°He came out like that already.¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± Tweedus said with a shrug. ¡°Something new every day.¡±


    Suddenly, an idea popped into Balthazar¡¯s mind.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Is there not some way to upgrade or improve a golem after its creation?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said the wizard. ¡°Someone specialized in golemancy can give a golem upgrades, but not a lot of adventurers follow that kind of path. Too much work. Everyone wants flashy swords and big fireballs.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the disappointed crab said.


    ¡°Then there are also temporary upgrades, through things like imbuing,¡± the other continued. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend it, though. Lots of materials for just a temporary return. Complete rip off. It used to be pretty decent, but then they had to go and ruin it.¡±


    Balthazar asked himself how he hadn¡¯t thought of that yet. His imbuing skill had worked on his claws and shell, maybe it could work on other things as well. Maybe he was indeed a bit too self-centered.


    The enchantress from before had made an off-handed remark about his imbuing being strange because it wasn¡¯t temporary, but at the time, he thought little of it. Looking back, maybe for once his frustrating system was working in his favor. Everyone else seemed to act like imbuing was only meant to last a short time, but the ones he had done to himself didn¡¯t seem to expire, for whatever reason.


    ¡°Hey, wait, what do you mean by ¡®they¡¯ there?¡± the crab suddenly asked.


    But as he asked the question, the wizard had already gone off to some shelves, distracted by the wares he was browsing.


    ¡°Say, I got a meeting to get to soon,¡± Tweedus said, as Balthazar joined him by the shelves, ¡°and I¡¯m thinking I could use some potions.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, you want MANA POTIONS?¡± the merchant yelled out, with a mocking smile.


    ¡°What? No, no. And why in the world are you yelling like that?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s smile faded, and he wondered why did he even bother trying his claw at humor anymore.


    ¡°I was heading out to the shore when your girl almost crashed into me,¡± the man continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to meet a sea serpent there, and I¡¯m thinking I might need some stamina potions. You know, just in case I need a little pick-me-up.¡±


    ¡°Why would you¡­ On second thought, I¡¯d better not even ask. Stamina potions, right this way. How many?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I think two should do it,¡± the other said, while following the crab to another shelf.


    ¡°Alright, here you go,¡± Balthazar said, as he placed two large bottles of green liquid on the table next to them.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to want some gold for those, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Tweedus said, as he pulled a purple bag from behind his back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure I got some in here this time.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean ¡®this time¡¯? I thought you didn¡¯t remem¡ª¡±


    ¡°AHA! There we go!¡± the wizard yelled out, as he pulled a much larger bag from the smaller purple one.


    Balthazar¡¯s eye stalks shot up as he saw the size of the bag. Not because the man had just produced a bigger bag from a smaller one, that kind of nonsense he had already started growing desensitized to, but because the bag was visibly full to the brim with coins.


    The enticing clinking produced by it had the crab breathing heavy. There had to be several hundreds in it.


    ¡°Ya think this will cover it?¡± Tweedus asked. ¡°I got no idea what the going rate is these days. I miss the days when we just used shirt buttons as currency.¡±


    Once again, the old man clearly did not know the value of his payment, and Balthazar felt no urge to educate him, either. After all, the wizard was not paying him for a lesson in economics. That would cost him another bag. Maybe two, if the crab could swing it.


    As his eyes greedily admired the huge bag of money, the gilded merchant noticed something else past it in the distance: his goblin assistant all the way at the back of the trading post. He had his staff in his hand, and was vigorously shaking it and pointing it at a pile of wood, in what looked like a desperate attempt at making it shoot something again.


    Balthazar looked at the bag of money, and then at Druma again.


    ¡°Money is fine and all,¡± the crab said to the wizard, ¡°but I was wondering if you wouldn¡¯t be up for making another direct trade of items?¡±


    ¡°That so?¡± said Tweedus. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t have any more golem cores in here, though. Maybe some Socks of Frost Protection, if you¡¯re interested?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I had something else in mind. You¡¯re a wizard and all, so would you happen to have some magical staff you¡¯d be willing to part with?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the old man said, following the crab¡¯s gaze to the goblin. ¡°I think I see where ya going, crab.¡±


    The wizard placed the purple bag down on the floor and shoved both hands inside, all the way to his shoulders. He rummaged through it, causing all sorts of clanking and clattering, sounds of glass shattering, and what Balthazar could swear was a cat hissing.


    ¡°Darn thing! I know you¡¯re in here somewhere.¡±


    Squatting down, the old man spread the bag open with his arms and shoved his head inside, wizard hat included.


    The crab watched with horror at what looked like a bag about to swallow a man whole in the middle of his trading post. That would be terrible publicity for his business.


    Suddenly, the wizard pulled himself out of the bag together with a burst of chicken feathers, for whatever reason that Balthazar had no wish to even question anymore.


    ¡°Found it!¡± he said, presenting the staff he had brought out.


    It was made of some type of dark wood, smooth and carefully carved with tiny runic symbols. At the end of it, where the wood split into four tips, a long green crystal in a hexagonal diamond shape was lodged between, glowing with a shimmering light.


    ¡°I may not know what¡¯s the value of gold coins these days,¡± Tweedus said, ¡°but I know this here staff is one fine piece, and worth way more than two potions.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the merchant said, disappointed that his hopes to still score part of the money bag had been dashed.


    ¡°But,¡± the wizard continued, ¡°I think you want this staff for someone else, don¡¯t ya?¡±


    The wizard looked over his shoulder at the goblin still by the shore, practicing his staff thrusting.


    ¡°I think I can accept this deal, crab. Go on, call him over.¡±


    Balthazar called his assistant over, who came running with large hops.


    ¡°Boss call Druma?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. The old wizard and I just finished doing a trade, and I think you should have what he¡¯s offering. Go ahead.¡±


    Druma turned to the old man, his eyes going wide and his mouth ajar as he saw what the other was holding out for him.


    ¡°This is a Staff of Arcane Bolts,¡± Tweedus said to the goblin. ¡°Much better than your old one! This one actually recharges itself over time. Just be careful not to use it too much. It takes about a day to recharge completely. And here¡¯s a little secret for ya: if you hold it with two hands like this, and shoot it really hard, you spend all the mana in it at once to make. One. Big. BOOOOOM!¡±


    The old man laughed loudly as he handed the staff to the goblin, who seemed on the verge of tears.


    A set of words appeared in front of Balthazar¡¯s eyes.


    [High-value item traded. Experience gained.]


    [[Stamina Potion x2] traded for [Staff of Arcane Bolts]]


    [You have reached level 13!]


    The merchant quickly dismissed the notifications. The system could wait, he had no wish to let it ruin the nice moment.


    ¡°T-thank you,¡± the goblin said to the wizard, between happy sobbing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. Your boss is the one who wanted you to have a new staff!¡±


    Druma turned to Balthazar with watery eyes and a big smile on his green face. ¡°Thanks, boss!¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, it¡¯s, uh, it¡¯s nothing. Was just doing business,¡± the awkward crab mumbled. ¡°You¡¯re lucky the old man happened to have a staff, and I was just really tired of seeing you moping around with that old useless stick. Now go on, get out of here, go play with your new staff. But don¡¯t blow anything up!¡±


    The goblin scampered away with his staff, hopping as he went.


    ¡°Well, this is all nice and dandy,¡± said Tweedus, ¡°but I really need to get going, or I¡¯ll be late. And you have no idea how prickly sea serpents are about punctuality!¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Balthazar said, gazing longingly at the money bag being put back in the smaller bag, together with the stamina potions. ¡°Thanks for the business and, you know, all the other help¡­ I guess.¡±


    ¡°Bah, don¡¯t start getting sappy on me, crab!¡± the old mage said before bringing two fingers up to his mouth and whistling into them. ¡°Just tell me which way is the ocean so I can get out of here.¡±


    With a sudden whoosh, a blue cushion flew in from above and stopped next to Tweedus.


    ¡°Uh, that way, I think.¡± Th crab pointed west, over the plains. ¡°I¡¯ve never really been there myself.¡±


    ¡°Hah! Maybe you should,¡± the other said, as he sat down on the pillow with his legs crossed. ¡°I bet my lady sea serpent would love to meet ya. But for now, I¡¯m outta here, crab. Toodaloo!¡±


    With another whistle, the cushion rose and the arcane wizard took flight to the west, his long beard flapping over his shoulder as he soared through the skies.

 Chapter 52: Indirect Declaration of Indirect War

    Balthazar sipped on his lemonade from atop a boulder as he watched the sunlight flooding the golden plains across from his pond. The wind rolled over the grass, causing ripples not too different from the ones on the water behind the crab. The sky was a pale blue, and while it was still far from cold, the weather no longer felt as warm anymore, indicating the incoming end of summer.


    Putting his cup down on the rock, Balthazar brought up his system.


    ¡°Might as well take care of this now,¡± he said to himself, as he checked his thirteenth level.


    [Level 13]


    [Attribute Points: 1]


    [Skill Points: 1]


    [Strength: 3] [+]


    [Agility: 2] [+]


    [Intelligence: 22] [+]


    ¡°Gee, I wonder what I¡¯ll pick this time,¡± the crab said sarcastically. ¡°At this point, investing into Strength or Agility would just feel like a waste of time.¡±


    Pressing the plus sign next to his Intelligence attribute, he increased it to 23.


    Then, he leisurely rolled his eyes to the skills menu.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Balthazar said, while rubbing his chin with one pincer, and taking another sip from his cup with the other. ¡°I already put a point into this Leadership skill. I might as well not let that go to waste and keep going. It could still prove useful.¡±


    With the concept of sunken cost fallacy completely unknown to him, the crab spent his skill point on the Leadership skill.


    Satisfied with his choices, he looked over at his status screen.


    [Status]


    [Name: Balthazar] [Race: Crab] [Class: Adept Merchant] [Level: 13]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 3] [Agility: 2] [Intelligence: 23]


    [Skills]


    [Charisma: S(+5)] [Medium Armor: A] [Speech: A] [Reading: B] [Fishing: C] [Imbuing: C] [Leadership: C] [Slashing Weapons: C]


    More out of curiosity than anything else, Balthazar selected his class again.


    [Select a perk for class: Merchant]


    Sadly, the list of options below continued empty and unselectable.


    ¡°Figures,¡± he said. ¡°If only there was someone I could complain to about this.¡±


    Alas, the crab had no other option but to accept that Scrolls of Character Creation did not seem to come with customer support.


    Going back to the previous screen, Balthazar stared at one of his other skills, Imbuing, and thought back to his conversation with Tweedus.


    ¡°I wonder if imbuing Bouldy could actually work.¡±


    Hopping off the boulder, the crab skittered his way to a group of crates.


    ¡°Only one way to find out!¡±


    Rummaging through the contents of a crate with his right claw, Balthazar retrieved an iron ingot from within. It was a rough and unrefined piece of metal, but it would do fine for his experiment.


    Crossing the bridge, the crab went looking for his friend. Thankfully, a golem nearly as tall as two adult men wasn¡¯t difficult to spot in a mostly open area as his pond, even while crouching down by the water, as Bouldy was.


    Walking up to the rock giant, Balthazar found him observing the swimming fish as usual, occasionally dipping a finger into the water and swirling it around to get their attention.


    ¡°Hey, Bouldy,¡± the crab said. ¡°Stop playing with my food for a moment. I need you for something.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± the golem asked, as he took his finger out of the water and turned his attention to Balthazar.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t need you to carry anything right now.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± said Bouldy, tilting his head.


    ¡°Also no. I haven¡¯t got anyone needing kicking out either. All I need is for you to stand still for a bit while I try something on you. Nothing bad, don¡¯t worry. It won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Balthazar thought back to his molting after upgrading into his golden shell.


    ¡°Well, probably won¡¯t hurt. Most likely.¡±


    The golem looked at the crab with an intrigued expression, but did not protest.


    Holding the iron ingot in one pincer and touching the living construct¡¯s leg with the other, the crab tried to focus on the metal.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he murmured. ¡°How did I do this again?¡±


    Balthazar tried focusing as hard as he could on the ingot, attempting to recall what he had done when imbuing his claws.


    After a few moments of intense squeezing, a prompt appeared.


    [Upgrade Stone Golem with [Iron Ingot]?]


    [Yes | No]


    The crab¡¯s mouth opened with surprise and excitement. ¡°No way!¡±


    He read the words a second and a third time in disbelief.


    ¡°I could have done this the whole time, and I didn¡¯t even know?!¡±


    Bouldy looked down at his friend, who was talking to himself while staring at his rock leg. Even for an animated boulder, the crab¡¯s behavior looked nothing short of bewildering.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Balthazar selected the yes option on the prompt with great enthusiasm, which was short-lived, once he saw the text that followed.


    [Error]


    [Unknown subject]


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± the exasperated crab yelled out.


    Bouldy scratched the side of his face with a rocky finger, concern formed on his stone face. ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°No, no, not you, Bouldy,¡± Balthazar hurriedly added. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ crab stuff. You wouldn¡¯t get it.¡±


    The crab walked back across the bridge, looking grumpy. An extra dose of grumpy on top of the usual.


    ¡°I should have known,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Too good to be true. This is what I get for using discard scrolls from some adventurer¡¯s trash. I get a trash system. How do all those adventurers put up with this?¡±


    Balthazar stopped as he got to the trading post platform, iron ingot still in his pincer.


    ¡°Unless they don¡¯t?¡± the puzzled crab considered. ¡°What if it¡¯s only like this for me? Maybe that¡¯s why nobody else seems to have problems with it?¡± He scratched the top of his shell thoughtfully. ¡°No, surely not. They don¡¯t mind because they¡¯re all morons. A dumb system for dumb adventurers. If it was a system made for crabs, it would be much better. Someone should work on that.¡±


    Tossing the iron back in a crate with a loud thud, Balthazar decided not to let the system¡¯s faults sour his mood any further, and instead let the deliciousness of a strawberry tart sweeten his palate.


    Flipping the lid of one of his many pastry baskets, he found it empty.


    The crab gasped dramatically.


    ¡°I¡¯m all out of strawberry tarts?!¡±


    Great sadness came over him as he realized he had eaten all the tarts. He now had nothing else to eat.


    Except for the pumpkin pie in the other basket behind that one.


    And the remaining brioches in a box on the table nearby.


    Or the chocolate chip cookies in a jar across the bridge.


    Truly, those were desperate times for the crab.


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± a panting voice called from the road.


    As the hungry merchant turned, he found Rye running down the dirt path and entering the trading post.


    ¡°I came as fast as I could,¡± the gasping adventurer said, bending down with both hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.


    ¡°Oh, wow, that was¡­ fast,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°How did you know, though?¡±


    ¡°Madeleine told me,¡± the archer said, standing back straight and readjusting his bow and quiver.


    ¡°Amazing. It must be some kind of special skill the baker class gets,¡± the intrigued crab pondered. ¡°But where are the baskets? You don¡¯t seem to be carrying any.¡±


    ¡°Baskets?¡± the confused young man repeated.


    ¡°Yes, with the resupplies of strawberry tarts! I can¡¯t believe you came running down here and forgot them in town, you airhead!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the perplexed adventurer said. ¡°I came running down here because Madeleine told me about Druma!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± the startled crab exclaimed. ¡°Of course. That makes a lot more sense.¡± He leaned in closer to the archer. ¡°But are you sure she didn¡¯t send you at least a couple of tarts before you left?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievable,¡± Rye said, shaking his head in disapproval. ¡°Will you just tell me how Druma is already?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s fine. Go ahead, see for yourself.¡±


    Balthazar pointed a pincer at the other side of the bridge, where a small green goblin wearing an old wizard hat was vigorously sawing a log of wood.


    ¡°But¡­ what happened?¡± the boy asked, surprise on his face, as they both crossed the bridge. ¡°I thought he was really ill, and the cure was some nearly unobtainable flower.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m a very resourceful merchant, and leave it at that. Point is, the little guy is back on his feet and good as new.¡±


    As they approached him, the goblin put his saw down and wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist.


    ¡°Druma!¡± said the archer. ¡°You¡¯re alright! I heard you bravely fought a wolf and won! How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Druma feel good,¡± the crab¡¯s assistant said with a wide smile. ¡°Boss get magic petal for Druma. Druma drink magic potion boss give. Druma feel more magic now!¡±


    ¡°Again, as I keep saying, the petals were not¡­¡± Balthazar started. ¡°Oh, whatever, just let him have that, if it makes him happier.¡±


    ¡°Oh, man, this is great news,¡± Rye said, smiling in relief. ¡°Madeleine is going to be so happy to hear that. She was worried sick. She¡¯s been asking everyone about that damn flower for days, and as soon as I came back into town, she was already all over me about going back out and looking for where it grew.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± said Balthazar as he walked around the tree to grab his cookie jar from the tent. ¡°Why didn¡¯t she come down here herself, if she was so worried? It¡¯s a bit strange she hasn¡¯t come to see Druma yet.¡±


    As the boy followed the crab to the front of the tent, he passed in front of the drake¡¯s resting cushion. She lifted her head and looked at the two of them, looking displeased that their conversation was interrupting her nap.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Blue,¡± Rye greeted, before answering the question. ¡°Because she has her hands full with work back in town. She¡¯s barely sleeping, she just kneads and bakes day and night, trying to fill as many orders as she can get.¡±


    ¡°Still?¡± Balthazar asked, as he retrieved a cookie from his jar. ¡°I thought the gold I gave her would cover at least the rest of the month. Why is she overworking herself again like that?¡±


    ¡°Wait. You don¡¯t know? She said she was going to tell you,¡± the other said. ¡°Oh, damn it, Madeleine. She probably came here, found out about Druma, and didn¡¯t have the heart to mention it anymore.¡±


    ¡°Mention what?¡± the increasingly agitated crab asked. ¡°Just tell me already.¡±


    ¡°Antoine,¡± said Rye. ¡°He bought her spot at the market, and now has doubled her rent. No doubt as a way to take revenge on her for helping you, and get back at you.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes went wide and his pincer snapped the cookie he was holding in two.


    Crumbs of war had been spilled.


    ¡°That bastard!¡± he yelled out, startling Blue¡¯s head up from her pillow. ¡°He can¡¯t get me, so he goes after my baker. That¡¯s just low.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the archer agreed. ¡°And now she¡¯s struggling to make enough to keep paying rent, or else she¡¯ll lose the spot and have nowhere to make business anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t she just rent a different spot from someone else? Surely not even that guy is rich enough to own every single market spot.¡±


    ¡°No, he''s not, but apparently his influence up there is vast, and no one who owns a business in that town dares go against Antoine and his interests. So if anyone dared to rent Madeleine a spot for a fair price, he would make sure that was the last business they made. Nobody wants to go up against the corrupt guildmaster of the Merchants Guild over a poor baker.¡±


    Balthazar felt an anger that only someone messing with what he cared for the most could cause. And he cared a lot for his pastries. And also Madeleine, of course.


    The crab paced back and forth, snapping his iron claw angrily, as he let out multiple angry exhales.


    Rye watched, clearly unsure of what to say, while Blue stood up from her cushion and observed the crab with interest and a furrowing brow, as if sensing his radiating anger.


    ¡°Guess what, Blue,¡± the fuming crab said, turning to the drake. ¡°Looks like some pencil-mustached fancy pants in town has decided to mess with our baker because he can¡¯t get to us.¡±


    Blue frowned even more, as if she somehow understood the context of what she was being told.


    ¡°He¡¯s making our Madeleine¡¯s life difficult, because she¡¯s our friend. I¡¯m not about to let that happen. He¡¯s messed with the wrong crab!¡±


    As if roused by Balthazar¡¯s words, Blue stood up with her wings spread and let out an aggressive roar at the sky.


    It would seem nothing brought a crab and a drake together quite like a common hatred.


    ¡°I was ready to forget about him after his tax stunt failed,¡± the determined crab said, more to himself than to anyone around him, ¡°but if it¡¯s indirect war he wants, indirect war is what he will get.¡±

 Chapter 53: Architect Crab

    Balthazar looked up through his spyglass, scanning the sky for a target from atop a boulder on the edge of his pond. All was quiet until he saw it: a small brown sparrow fluttering against the white of the clouds behind it. The tiny feathered creature hovered around before landing on the tip of a thin branch of the islet¡¯s tree, its plumage blending in with the brown and gray tones of the tree itself. But the crab had it locked in his sights now.


    ¡°Right there, Blue!¡± he yelled out, one pincer firmly stretched out toward the bird.


    With a sudden whoosh, a long blue body flew over the crab, the golden scales on its neck reflecting a shiny yellow under the sunlight hitting them. For such a large creature, she moved with incredible ease through the air, her wide wings making her soar in the tree¡¯s direction.


    The tiny sparrow fluttered in a startle, scrambling to flee in the other direction, beating its wings as fast as its small body allowed, the drake hot on its trail.


    Had it been a different creature, and perhaps Balthazar would have felt bad for it, but the crab knew better. Birds were nothing but balls of evil, filled with nothing but hatred and contempt, devilish creatures with no other purpose but to mock every land dweller from above.


    Like the time when he was still a small crab, and one of them swooped down and stole a juicy berry he had found near the water right off his pincer. He never got to taste the sweetness of that fruit, but he got to watch the flying fiend gorge itself on it up on a high branch.


    Needless to say, Balthazar was the kind of crab to hold a grudge.


    As the much larger wings of the drake easily allowed it to catch up to the sparrow, the bird found itself with nowhere to hide, with nothing but open air around them. Blue opened her mouth as she neared her prey, and with one swift snap of her maw, the bird was no more, gone down her throat in one gulp.


    Balthazar put his spyglass down and took a sip from his fresh lemonade, cheering to another job well done.


    The two of them had spent most of the afternoon practicing their bird spotting. The crab would have never imagined the easiest path to winning the drake over would be a shared dislike for feathered creatures and corrupt human merchants.


    ¡°That was even faster than the last one, well done!¡± he congratulated the drake, as she landed on the boulder next to his. ¡°Just remember, imagine each one of those birds is called Antoine. I find it doubles my satisfaction watching them flee that way. Also, I always picture a silly little pencil mustache over their stupid beaks.¡±


    While drakes did not seem capable of laughing, Blue showed a clear air of contentment. Whether that was because she could somewhat understand Balthazar¡¯s words, or simply because she was pleased with herself for the chase, the merchant did not know nor did he much care to know, for at least now she was no longer throwing her head back and looking disdainfully at him. Small steps were something a crab could appreciate.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± a voice called from below.


    Balthazar looked down from his boulder and saw Druma on the dirt path, returning from the road, waving one hand at him.


    ¡°Back so soon?¡± the crab asked. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Druma responded, looking excited. ¡°Bouldy get big tree for last pillar.¡±


    The goblin pointed a scrawny finger back towards the road, where the tip of a tall and thick tree trunk was coming into view around a corner, soon followed by the rocky shoulder that supported it.


    ¡°Are you sure it''s the right size for it?¡± Balthazar said, as he made his way down from the boulder and joined the two arrivals.


    ¡°Friend,¡± said Bouldy with a proud smile, as he placed the trunk upright on the ground, which stood taller than even the golem himself.


    The crab walked around the tree trunk and tapped it with his right claw. ¡°Seems nice and sturdy. It should do it.¡±


    ¡°Boss want Bouldy and Druma to place it?¡± the goblin asked, hopping left and right in excitement.


    ¡°Sure,¡± the crab answered. ¡°Let¡¯s try to get this roof done before the first leaves start falling.¡±


    The rocky giant lifted the trunk back onto his shoulder, and the three made their way to one of the corners of the trading post¡¯s platform.


    All the other three sides already had their own crude pillars placed. Each one¡¯s bark a slightly different shade, one with a few short branches still sticking out of it, and the one furthest from the entrance still had a bird¡¯s nest attached. Thankfully, its former occupant had already vacated it and had not come along as well.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s place it right here,¡± Balthazar instructed, while drawing an X on the dirt with the tip of his claw. ¡°Bouldy, just like the other times, you know what to do.¡±


    Nodding his stony head at the crab, the golem gripped the middle of the trunk with his two massive hands and brought it up horizontally above his head. Buckling his knees, the friendly giant drove the intended pillar down with all his might into the mark.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Balthazar took a few steps back to avoid the cloud of dust lifted from the impact. ¡°Alright, now twist!¡±


    Bouldy gripped the now upright tree trunk with both arms, like a rock hugging a tree friend, and began twisting. Alternating between clockwise and counterclockwise, he slowly drove the giant stake deeper into the earth.


    ¡°Druma, shovel!¡± said the crab to the goblin.


    With a quick nod, the small assistant grabbed his equally small shovel and ran around the pillar, digging away the dirt that spilled out from the hole created by the golem¡¯s efforts, and making room for more to emerge as the wood went deeper.


    ¡°That seems good enough, you can stop, Bouldy,¡± Balthazar yelled, with one pincer in the air.


    ¡°Friend,¡± the walking boulder said, letting go of the pillar.


    The golem stepped back and sat down on the ground, out of breath.


    Because as a golem, he did not breathe or even have lungs, so there was no breath within him.


    ¡°This looks about even with the others, right?¡± said the crab, staring up at the trunk.


    Druma held his thumb up in front of one of his eyes and closed the other. With his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, he moved the thumb left and right as he eye-measured the pillars in the other corners.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Look good to Druma!¡± he finally said, opening his other eye and stretching the upright thumb to the crab this time.


    ¡°Great!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°Now that we got four sturdy pillars, we can finally get started on the roof proper.¡±


    The crab gave the pillar two approving pats on the side with his pincer.


    A sound of wood creaking came from underneath him and the dirt around the base of the pillar shifted as the pillar began slowly leaning away from the crab.


    Before anyone could react or do anything, the tree trunk toppled over the short wooden fence around the trading post, and crashed loudly into a group of shelves and tables.


    Balthazar spat out and shook off the dirt the uprooted trunk had thrown on his face and stared at the disastrous scene with the grumpiest of looks.


    ¡°Noooo,¡± the goblin howled with a sad frown as he picked up pieces of broken wood from the ground. ¡°Druma¡¯s nice table.¡±


    As the crab walked around to the platform, he surveyed all the damage. Broken bottles of potions, cracked helmets, books with their pages ripped out and spread all over.


    ¡°This is a mess!¡± he finally yelled, letting out his pent up frustration.


    ¡°Woah, what happened here?¡± a woman¡¯s voice said from the trading post¡¯s entrance.


    Balthazar turned to see a young girl with a bow on her back walking in from the road.


    ¡°Just a small setback on our, uh¡­ renovations,¡± the merchant said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all still perfectly safe around here. I promise nothing will fall on your head. Just¡­ maybe watch your step for broken glass.¡±


    ¡°Why are you placing tree trunks around the place?¡± the adventurer asked, looking around at the other pillars. ¡°Is this some kind of silly crab decoration thing I don¡¯t understand?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said the unamused crab. ¡°We are working on a roof for the place, so silly adventurers like you don¡¯t have to shop under the rain.¡±


    ¡°A roof?¡± the other said, with a mocking chuckle. ¡°And those were supposed to be what, your support beams for the structure? Four crudely cut tree trunks, just like that?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes? Why, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Mate¡­ you have no idea how to build a proper structure, do you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a freaking crab. I¡¯ve never even been inside a building. What do you think?!¡± the exasperated Balthazar exclaimed, opening both arms in frustration.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even cut your wood into proper boards and beams,¡± the girl said, stepping to the edge of the platform and looking at the gathered wood for the build that was piled on the other side. ¡°You¡¯re just using it all raw like that!¡±


    She continued moving around the trading post, looking at things and shaking her head as she went.


    ¡°All this stuff is all so crudely made, it¡¯s a wonder how nobody has injured themselves leaning on these flimsy guardrails yet.¡± She grabbed one of the wooden fences and gave it a wobble. ¡°Total working hazard. Who even made this?¡±


    ¡°D-Druma make that,¡± the goblin sheepishly said from the other side of the rail, with an embarrassed look and his head down.


    ¡°A goblin building things?¡± the archer said, as she looked over the rail to the goblin and the golem on the other side. ¡°I thought goblins only ever destroyed things. Either way, that does explain a lot. I mean, come on! Your building crew is composed of a small goblin that looks like any small gust of wind could send him flying away, a golem that is probably as smart as the rock he¡¯s made of, and a crab with literal pincers for hands. How do you ever hope to build a proper roof?¡±


    Balthazar was fuming. In part because of all the unpleasant things he was hearing from the girl, but also because he had no arguments against it, and there was little that irritated the crab more than admitting an adventurer was right and he was wrong.


    ¡°And what makes you such an authority in the matter?¡± he blurted out, failing to come up with a better counterargument. ¡°You¡¯re an expert carpenter-archer, or something?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she responded. ¡°Nobody takes carpentry as a skill. Are you kidding me? What¡¯s an adventurer going to need that for? Going to build a nice stool to sit on while exploring a dungeon? My father was an architect, and I grew up around building sites, so I caught a thing or two about structure building. And let me tell you, the way you¡¯re going, if by some miracle you do bring a roof over this place, it will be a matter of time before it comes crashing down on you.¡±


    As much as he hated it, Balthazar knew there was a dose of truth to what the girl was saying. He just wished she wasn¡¯t so blunt about it.


    ¡°You need a proper specialist, a human one, preferably,¡± she continued. ¡°There are plenty of builders, masons, and carpenters in town. Why don¡¯t you hire one to come down here and do the job?¡±


    ¡°Paying someone? That doesn¡¯t sound like my kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself, but if you¡¯re not willing to pay for quality, don¡¯t expect to get a proper job done.¡±


    ¡°Either way,¡± the crab said, ¡°your fellow townspeople don¡¯t let crabs like me through their gates anyway, talking or not, so even if I wanted any of that, I couldn¡¯t hire anyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I guess that¡¯s one problem,¡± she conceded. ¡°Sounds like you need a town representative. But that would be another hire, and you don¡¯t seem to like that.¡±


    A town representative. Balthazar had never considered it, but the way things were going, perhaps there was some merit to the idea.


    The archer girl poked with her finger through a hole in one of the floorboards of the platform, shaking her head in disapproval.


    ¡°Anyhow,¡± the annoyed merchant said, ¡°what were you looking to buy or sell, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Who? Me?¡± the girl said, standing up and pointing her finger at herself. ¡°Nothing. I just heard the crash from the road and came down to check what it was. I can¡¯t resist stopping to watch a wreck.¡±

 Chapter 54: Drunk Tales

    Another morning, another day of business.


    Balthazar made his way across the wooden bridge as usual, the calm waters of his pond slowly flowing underneath him, the sun shining on his golden carapace. It was just another day at the crab¡¯s pond.


    Except, perhaps, for the broken railing on the side of his trading post¡¯s platform, and the destroyed shelves and tables near it. An eyesore for the merchant.


    And as if one eyesore wasn¡¯t enough, he also found another unpleasant sight by the entrance.


    A man¡¯s body was hanging from the fence, his legs on the outside, his upper body toppled over to the inside, both arms swinging next to his upside down head. He looked like a rug left out to dry under the sun, and he had the appearance to match.


    ¡°Oh, hell, just what I needed,¡± Balthazar complained. ¡°Another dead adventurer around my house. They just can¡¯t help themselves, can they? They see my nice pond and they have to go and get themselves killed here, just to spite me. What a bother.¡±


    The bemoaning crab approached the hanging figure. He wore old clothes, their colors faded, and the fabric worn out, like something that had once been nice and of good quality, but had seen too much use over the years.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not stealing if they¡¯re dead,¡± Balthazar said with a shrug, as he reached for a pocket. ¡°It¡¯s just ethical looting.¡±


    As his pincer tugged on the man¡¯s pocket, he suddenly flailed his arms and yelled. ¡°LeRtGuoMi!¡±


    ¡°BAH!¡± the startled merchant screamed, as he stumbled back into a group of boxes, knocking them over.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m fine!¡± the suddenly very animated man shouted, standing back on his feet and looking around in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m awake! No need to kick me out! I know my way home!¡±


    He had wild curly hair, messy and unkempt, mostly grizzly, with a few remnants of a former blond tone. His face was unshaven, with a five o¡¯clock shadow that looked closer to fifteen, and baggy eyes and cheeks that hinted at an individual who had lost a lot of weight very quickly. He was an absolute mess.


    ¡°Waaait, what part of town is thish? How do I get home from here?¡± he said, slurring his words. ¡°Oh wait, that¡¯sh right. Hic! I don¡¯t have a home ¡®nymore. Heh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great, a drunk,¡± the upset crab said, standing back up from the boxes and dusting himself off. ¡°Just what I needed to start my morning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯sh morning?!¡± said the drunkard, staring up at the sky with a hand over his forehead and his upper lip and nose scrunched up. ¡°Yeeep! That¡¯sh no moon. H¡¯lo sun!¡±


    The man suddenly took his hand off his face and looked down at Balthazar with a bewildered expression.


    ¡°Didsha just talk?¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re doing this¡­¡± the crab groaned, rolling his eye stalks. ¡°Yes, I did. It¡¯s not the booze talking, it¡¯s me, I can talk.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, man. I can¡¯t believe it! A real talking lobshter!¡±


    ¡°Hey! Watch the insults! I¡¯m a crab, not a lobster.¡±


    ¡°Well, eeeeexcush me, mister crab! If you couldn¡¯t tell, I¡¯m just a tiny, weeny bitty tipsy, shooo¡­ lobshter, crab¡­¡± He shrugged. ¡°Shame thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think I noticed,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Now, can you get going and leave my place? You¡¯re going to scare away the clientele.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯moooon, crab!¡± the drunk said, leaning over the fence. ¡°Just one more round! Drinksh on you, though. I don¡¯t got any more coin left. Waitress!¡±


    He raised one arm in the air, as if calling for someone to take his order, despite there being nobody else around them.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a tavern, you drunkard. This is my trading post. Now go on, get on out of here already.¡±


    ¡°Blah! Sho rude!¡± the other said, still leaning on the guardrail, doing his best to stay on his feet. ¡°Back in the day, nobody would ever treat me like that! I was a merchant too, you know? Besssht one there was! Tristan, the merchant! Everybody loved me!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m sure you were,¡± the crab said, running out of patience for the inebriated man. ¡°And I was a renowned tap dancer until a knee injury threw me into the life of trading. Now can you get¡­¡±


    The man let go of the railing and sat on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.


    ¡°What¡­ what are you doing?¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Eeeeeeverybody loved Tristan!¡± he yelled between sobs. ¡°I was at the top of the worrrld! Whyyyy didsh you have to do that to meeee?! We werrre friendsh! Partnersss!¡±


    ¡°Can you not cry so loud, please?¡± the crab pleaded, looking around to make sure no clients were arriving. ¡°Just¡­ just go cry somewhere else, will you?¡±


    ¡°I trushted him like a brother, you know?¡± Tristan cried, turning his bloodshot eyes to Balthazar. ¡°But he was never satisfied. It was never enough. He couldn¡¯t accept anyone else but himself being the guildmaster. Noooo, it had to be him, no matter who he had to shtep over to get it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very sad, but really, if you don¡¯t leave you¡¯re going to get tossed out by a rock¡­¡± Balthazar stopped talking and his eyes went wide. ¡°Hold on. What did you just say? Guildmaster? Who exactly are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Antoine!¡± the weeping man yelled. ¡°That shnake! Never should have trushted him!¡±


    ¡°You know him? Antoine?¡± the suddenly much more interested crab inquired, as he gave him a quick check through his monocle, just in case.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    [Level 10 Town Drunk]


    Apparently, being a town drunk was a class of its own to that system. Because of course it was.


    ¡°Know him? Hah! Let me tell you,¡± Tristan said, struggling to stand back to his feet, sobbing suddenly gone. ¡°Me an¡¯ him were insheparable! We came from nothing. Shtarted our busshinessh together.¡±


    The intoxicated man threw himself over the fence as he continued talking, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he landed on his chin. Wriggling his way to a nearby stool, he made himself comfortable by sitting awkwardly on it.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t start telling me your life¡¯s story,¡± Balthazar muttered under his breath.


    ¡°Let me tell you my life¡¯sh shtory, little crabby,¡± said the drunk, propping a leg up onto his knee and nearly falling backwards.


    The crab sighed.


    ¡°I was born and raished in Ardville. Dirt poor! Came from humble beginningsh. All I had was my besht friend, Antoine. We were alwaysh together, dreaming and planning how we¡¯d become powerful and influential one day. Rule over the whole city! Then, when we came of age, we made a partnership, shtarted our trading bushinessh with a shmall loan of ten thoushand gold from my father.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Balthazar interrupted. ¡°Didn''t you just say you were dirt poor?¡±


    ¡°Shhhhhhh! Shush it, crab. You¡¯re ruining my shtory!¡±


    Tristan closed his eyes for a moment and held a deep breath. Balthazar glanced at a bucket on the other side of the platform and wondered if he¡¯d be able to reach it in time if the man suddenly decided to throw up. He did not like his odds.


    ¡°Where was I?¡± he finally said, with a long exhale. ¡°Right, bishnessssh. We were the perfect team. I had all the charishma, everyone loved me. I could sell alchemy flowersh to a blackshmith, forging tools to an alchemisht, and then I¡¯d mediate a trade between them and take a perchentage. Antoine was the brainsh. He had all the cunning, knew all the insh and outsh, could smell a good deal like no one else. We complimented each other perfectly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean you two complemented each other?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°No. I meant we complimented each other perfectly. And often. I¡¯d mention how neatly trimmed hish mushtache was that day. He¡¯d point out how well my shoes matched my undercoat. You know, nice thingsh like that. Now shtop interrupting my shtory!¡±


    Balthazar rolled his eyes. Hopefully enduring all that would lead to learning something useful.


    ¡°And over the yearsh, we kept moving up the ladder,¡± Tristan carried on. ¡°Eventshually we opened our A&T Emporium. Biggesht shtore in town! But he didn¡¯t like the name. He alwaysh wanted hish own name on it. That¡¯sh why the firsht thing he did when he got rid of me was change the name. The backshtabber.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, but how did he betray you? Can we get to that?¡± the impatient crustacean asked.


    ¡°Alright, alright, fine!¡± the man agreed. ¡°It was one night, at a party at the mayor¡¯sh house. You shee, I was very liked by all the noblesh in town, very popular, and all but guaranteed to be voted the next mashter of the guild of merchantsh. Antoine¡­ well, he was smart, and cunning, but alsho foul-tempered and not the mosht¡­ friendly. What I¡¯m trying to shay is, nobody really liked him, they jusht tolerated him. And I thought he would be happy for me. What a fool I was¡­¡±


    The drunken man¡¯s head slowly began tilting down, in what at first seemed to be a new fit of tears, but quickly became the start of a nap.


    ¡°Hey! Stay with here me!¡± Balthazar yelled, snapping a pincer in front of the man¡¯s face. ¡°You can sleep after you finish telling me about Antoine.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?! Oh, right, right,¡± the inebriated storyteller said. ¡°Party at the mayor¡¯sh houshe. Everyone important was there. Every noble, bushinessh owner, politichians¡­ you name it. And little did I know, Antoine already had a plan to ruin my reputation. We knew each other like no one elsh. I knew hish shcretsh, he knew my weaknesshesh. He got me drinking. A lot. I got¡­ a little too drunk. And then he took me away from the party hall, all friendly and joking. We shneaked out to the mayor¡¯sh botanical garden. Big fan of gardening, that one. And¡­¡±


    Tristan¡¯s face became somber, and his lower lip quivering.


    ¡°In my drunken shtate, he¡­ he made me do shomething I regret to thish day.¡±


    He started sobbing again.


    ¡°What did you do, man?! Just tell me already!¡± the exasperated crab said.


    ¡°The mayor¡¯sh pride and joy,¡± Tristan said between hiccups and loud sobbing. ¡°Sho beautiful, and I¡­ I¡­ what was I thinking?!¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s anticipation was killing him. Could Antoine really have gone that far? Had he made his friend commit some unforgivable act? Was there a murder behind Antoine¡¯s ascension to power?


    ¡°Who, damn it?! The mayor¡¯s pride and joy, Tristan!¡± the manic crab demanded. ¡°Give me a name!¡±


    The inebriated man bawled as tears rolled down his face, mumbling unintelligible words. Between his sobbing, all Balthazar could make out was one word. ¡°Camellia.¡±


    ¡°What? Camellia? Who was that? The mayor¡¯s wife? Daughter? What did you do to her? Did you hurt her, Tristan? Did Antoine make you kill someone?!¡±


    The man¡¯s sobbing suddenly stopped, and he lifted his face from his soaked hands, looking at the crab with confusion.


    ¡°W-what? Kill shomeone?¡± the befuddled drunk said. ¡°What are you talking about? Camelliash are shrubs that bloom beautiful flowersh. The mayor had a rare, huge camellia at the center of hish garden, it was hish mosht prized treashure.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ shrub?¡± Balthazar repeated in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right? This whole story, and it was about a plant?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t undershtand!¡± Tristan cried out, burying his face back in his hands. ¡°My reputation was ruined after that night. The mayor was furioush, everyone shaw it, I was publicly humiliated!¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± the still irritated crab said. ¡°What was it you actually did, though?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I was drunk, a little too happy,¡± the man whispered sheepishly. ¡°Antoine dared me, like it was a fun little joke, and I¡­ I¡­¡± His gaze went to the floor, his voice down to an ashamed murmur. ¡°I urinated on the bush.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the former merchant for a long moment, his expression unable to decide between being mad, or bursting out laughing. The result was a slightly manic chuckle that slowly grew as the crab abandoned all attempts at remaining sane.


    ¡°You¡­ you peed on the mayor¡¯s prized bush?¡± the crab said, between nervous laughter. ¡°That¡¯s how Antoine ruined your reputation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯sh not funny!¡± Tristan cried out. ¡°I had so much to drink, all the flowersh wilted by the time Antoine got all the guestsh to catch me in the act. That shrub never gave a shingle flower again.¡±


    The man continued bawling his eyes out.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I¡¯m over here thinking you were someone with a good reason to want to get back at Antoine, but you¡¯re just a drunk who peed on some flowers and got in trouble for it.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the man quickly said, his crying coming to a sudden stop as he tried to stand back up. ¡°You don¡¯t think I want revenge on that backstabber more than anything in this world? I was going to be the next guildmaster of the merchants. I worked for years to get there. And he took all I earned away from me with one dirty rug pull. If I had a shred of power left, I¡¯d be doing everything to get back at him, instead of drinking myself into a stupor every night to forget my woes.¡±


    Balthazar couldn¡¯t help but stare in surprise at the man, his speech suddenly no longer slurred, determination in his eyes. Whatever feelings he had towards his former business partner, they were strong enough to even sober him up.


    An idea surged in the crab¡¯s mind. It was a tempting one, but he still had his doubts about the risks of it.


    He wanted to get back at Antoine for what he was doing to Madeleine. A former associate of his with a grudge against him was a good asset to have. He also wanted to find someone to represent him in town, and that wouldn¡¯t be suitable for Rye, or a common thief like Rob. A drunk would also not be a good choice, but according to his story, it seems Tristan used to be a successful merchant. Question was whether that merchant was still there, under all the booze and self-pity.


    There was only one way for the crab to find out.


    ¡°Hey, Tristan, how would you like a chance at remaking your reputation and getting payback on Antoine?¡±

 Chapter 55: The Carpenter

    ¡°Tristan?¡± the confused crab called, looking around for the man who was suddenly gone from his side.


    ¡°Holy shmokes!¡± the disheveled man said, standing in front of a shelf, gawking at it with a dumb expression on his face.


    ¡°Great, that sobering up didn¡¯t last long,¡± Balthazar muttered. ¡°Back to being a drunken fool, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Babaurhum!¡± the drunkard mumbled.


    ¡°What?¡± the annoyed crab said. ¡°You¡¯re slurring your words again.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Thish!¡± Tristan exclaimed, pointing a wobbly finger at an old dark bottle on the shelf. ¡°It¡¯sh a bottle of Babaurhum rum! How didsh you get thish?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°It was some wandering woman who sold it to me. She sold me an egg too, but that¡¯s a whole other story. She said it was some special rum from¡­ wherever.¡±


    ¡°Babaurhum!¡± the man joyfully repeated.


    ¡°Yes, that place.¡±


    ¡°They shay it¡¯sh the mosht shweet of nectarsh,¡± Tristan said, his eyes shining as he gazed at the dark bottle with wonder. ¡°I had heard about it, alwaysh wanted to try it one day, but it¡¯sh imposshible to find thish far away from the deshert.¡±


    With a quick turn, the drunken man faced Balthazar with both hands together in a pleading manner and fell to his knees.


    ¡°Pleash! You musht let me have a tashte of it. Even jusht a drop would bring me shush joy. I beg of you!¡±


    The golden crab looked down at the disgraced merchant with awkward discomfort. While he cared little for most humans, the sorry state of Tristan was too much of a low, even for Balthazar¡¯s disdain. He had no intention of enabling the drunkard any further.


    However, while feeding into his addiction was too unscrupulous even for the crab, benevolent subterfuge was not.


    ¡°Alright, stand up, you¡¯re making it too awkward now,¡± Balthazar told him. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t like you being at eye level with me. Your breath stinks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you, thank you!¡± the overjoyed drunkard said, a goofy smile on his face. ¡°Sho you¡¯ll let me have it?¡±


    ¡°What? Just like that?¡± said the crab. ¡°Of course not! I thought you used to be a merchant, too. I¡¯m running a business here!¡±


    ¡°But shir,¡± the man said, his smile instantly changing into a crying pout and watery eyes, ¡°I have no money. I am a ruined man. I cannot afford it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I heard your story. And that¡¯s exactly it. If you want to get back at Antoine, you¡¯ll help me, and if you do a good enough job, I¡¯ll let you have some of that rum.¡±


    ¡°Help you? What do you got to do with Antoine?¡± the other said, his crying face now turning into a puzzled expression. The speed at which he changed emotions was baffling to Balthazar.


    ¡°I got my own chitin to pick with him. He¡¯s trying to disrupt my success, not too unlike what he did to you in the past. I don¡¯t intend on letting that happen. So, are you interested?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I shee. The enemy of my enemy ish a crab,¡± Tristan said, rubbing his chin while precariously tilting back and forth on his heels. ¡°If it meansh taking a shwing at that two-fashed traitor, all while alsho getting a tashte of delicioush Babaurhum, count me in!¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± exclaimed Balthazar. ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re also a drunk, so you¡¯ll excuse me for not putting too much faith into your trustworthiness just yet.¡±


    ¡°Fair, fair,¡± the drunkard agreed, his eyes closed as he rocked himself from side to side.


    ¡°So, for now, I¡¯m going to give you a very simple task. If you manage to do this for me, maybe we can work together. You paying attention there, Tristan?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, yesh, I¡¯m all earsh!¡± the man said, pulling his eyes away from a fluttering butterfly passing above them.


    ¡°I need you to go back up to town¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait! We¡¯re not in town?!¡± Tristan asked, looking all around with a confused expression. ¡°How in the world did I end up here?¡±


    ¡°Focus, Tristan!¡± Balthazar yelled. ¡°Go back up there, find and convince the best carpenter in town to come down here and do some work for me. Maybe sober up a little, so they¡¯ll take you seriously. Do this for me and you can have a sip of the rum, as well as more important tasks. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Yesh, shir!¡± the drunk said, making a mocking salute with his hand that went a little higher than his forehead. ¡°But¡­ what doesh a carpenter have to do with Antoine?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I just need one for something else, but I can¡¯t really go into town myself, so that¡¯s where you come in. Do this right, and I might start believing you¡¯re more than just a fumbling drunk.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh, gotcha! You won¡¯t regret it! I¡¯ll make the mosht out of thish opportunity, you¡¯ll shee. I shall return to you with a barber and earn that shweet nectar!¡±


    ¡°Carpenter, Tristan! I asked for a Carpenter!¡±


    ¡°Right! That¡¯sh what I meant,¡± the inebriated man said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t regret thish. You and I are going to become great partnersh, I¡¯m shure!¡±


    Balthazar, however, was not so sure.


    ***


    Morning had passed, and the crab was finishing his dessert before carrying on into the afternoon. The dessert for that day, as well as the appetizer and main dish, was raspberry jam tarts, and no matter how many times Balthazar kept telling himself the next one was going to be the last, he couldn¡¯t resist eating just one more each time.


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    ¡°Hmm, jusht sho delichioush!¡± he said to himself, his mouth full of tart, the outside of his mouth covered in jam.


    ¡°Partner! I have returned!¡± a voice shouted from below.


    Looking down from his lunch break boulder, Balthazar saw Tristan returning from town with an older man in tow.


    ¡°Oh, great, the addict is back,¡± the crab said, quickly shoving one last tart into his mouth before hopping off the rock and joining the arriving men.


    ¡°There you are! Missed me?¡± the strangely joyful man said.


    Balthazar noticed he had at least sobered up some, as his speech was not as slurred anymore, even if he was still zigzagging wildly towards the trading post¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Like I miss the birds in the sky.¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha! I¡¯m going to take that as a yes,¡± Tristan said. ¡°As agreed, I have gone into town and found you the best woodworker you will ever know. Meet John, the carpenter!¡±


    With an excessive flourish, the town drunk took a step to the side and bowed slightly as he pointed both arms towards the figure behind him.


    He was an old man with a bushy grizzly beard and a rugged face, from what little of it could be seen between his vast facial hair, thick eyebrows, and the shade of the flat cap firmly stuck to his head. He wore simple worker clothes, and if his sturdy physique, despite his age, didn¡¯t already declare it, his calloused and scarred hands confirmed him as a manual laborer.


    Hanging from between his lips was a wooden smoking pipe from which a soft plume of white smoke rose as he eyed the crab, and in his left hand he brought a wooden toolbox.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± John said, with a husky voice.


    ¡°Hello there,¡± the crab responded. ¡°I¡¯m Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the talking crab,¡± the seasoned man said as he adjusted the smoking pipe with his hand. ¡°Not going to lie, I thought your man here was spouting nonsense when he walked into my workshop claiming there was a crab looking for a carpenter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, heh,¡± said Balthazar, realizing the downside of sending a drunk man to recruit someone in his name. ¡°And you, uh, still came down here anyway, despite his¡­ state?¡±


    ¡°Ah, what can I say,¡± the carpenter said with a chuckle, ¡°Your fellow here strikes me as the trustworthy kind, even if he is in his cups.¡±


    Balthazar nodded. It would seem Tristan was really not overselling his charisma before.


    ¡°See? Told you I would not disappoint!¡± the happy drunk exclaimed. ¡°Now, about that rum?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, of course,¡± the crab said. ¡°I¡¯ll just show the place to John over here first, and then we can talk about that. Wouldn¡¯t want to leave him waiting now, would we? That¡¯d be rude.¡±


    ¡°Right, of course, you¡¯re right,¡± Tristan agreed, while nodding enthusiastically. ¡°Proper manners are a hallmark of any good merchant, absolutely. Go on, do your business. I¡¯ll just be waiting over here.¡±


    As he finished his sentence, the inebriated man sat on the floor, leaning against a crate, and immediately fell asleep.


    ¡°Well, alright then,¡± Balthazar said, turning his attention back to John and pointing his pincers to the inner side of the trading post. ¡°Shall we get to business?¡±


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± said the grizzly man.


    ¡°Not sure how much Tristan told you when he came to you,¡± the merchant said, as they both started walking.


    ¡°Lots of things, but most of it was incoherent mumbling, so just assume you have to explain it to me from the start. What does a crab need a carpenter for?¡±


    ¡°Well, see these?¡± Balthazar showed his pincers to John. ¡°Turns out they¡¯re great for a lot of things, but not for handiwork. And I need a roof built over this place before the rains begin falling. My assistant built this platform we¡¯re standing on, and even that footpath over there, but his amateur skills can only do so much. As I¡¯ve learned the hard way recently, a roof is no easy thing to build.¡±


    The carpenter nodded as he stroked his beard and looked around.


    ¡°Right you are, fella,¡± the man said. ¡°Building a roof over your here platform would be a bit of work. More than an old man like me can do all on his own. I¡¯d need a lot of muscle.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that I think I can help with,¡± the smirking crab said. ¡°Would a lot of stone help?¡±


    John looked at him with a bushy eyebrow raised high.


    ¡°Hey, Bouldy! Come here,¡± Balthazar called towards the inner islet.


    A rock with two eyes and a mouth peeked from behind the tree before the golem stood up and approached the other two, crossing the water with three effortless steps.


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°John, this is my friend Bouldy. And he¡¯d be more than happy to help with all the heavy lifting. Think that would do?¡±


    The carpenter took the pipe out of his mouth and slowly tilted his head back as he stared up at the giant boulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of rock,¡± he said, slowly nodding at the golem. ¡°Aye, that¡¯ll do, crab. That¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°Great. And for an extra pair of smaller hands,¡± Balthazar continued, ¡°you¡¯ll have Druma to assist you. Hey, Druma, where are you? Come out here.¡±


    A pair of green ears with a wizard hat in between popped up from behind a pile of hay before the goblin walked around it, one cheek full, his face still covered in meat pie crumbs.


    ¡°Boss call Druma?¡± he said between loud chewing, as he joined the group.


    ¡°Yes, I did. This is John, a real carpenter. You will be helping him with anything he needs to build our roof, and hopefully you¡¯ll get to learn some new things about working wood, too.¡±


    Druma hopped left and right while clapping with joy, a grin on his face, which was still covered with crumbs. ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a problem with working alongside a goblin, I hope?¡± the crab asked the man.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I ever did work with any,¡± John calmly said, as he placed his smoking pipe back on his lip, ¡°but the little fella seems amicable enough. I ain¡¯t got a problem with no one who ain¡¯t got a problem with me.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°So, does that mean you¡¯ll take the job?¡±


    The old carpenter turned to face the platform, thoughtfully measuring up the place as small puffs of smoke floated away from his pipe.


    ¡°It would take a few weeks, even with your helpers,¡± he finally said. ¡°And I¡¯d be spendin¡¯ my whole day all the way out here, but hell, it ain¡¯t like there¡¯s anybody home missin¡¯ me. Besides, I¡¯ll get to say I was hired by a crab once, and worked alongside a golem and a goblin. That¡¯ll make for a hell of a tale. I¡¯ll take the job.¡±


    ¡°Good, good!¡± the enthusiastic crab said. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss payment and¡­¡±


    The veteran raised a hand in a halting gesture.


    ¡°Before we can talk about pay, I¡¯m gonna need me some supplies from town for the job.¡±


    ¡°I thought you already brought your own stuff,¡± the merchant said, pointing to the man¡¯s toolbox.


    ¡°These are me tools, crab. The actual supplies, like nails and many other bits and pieces, you gotta pay for yourself. It ain¡¯t gonna be my roof once it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Well, we got lots of nails and other supplies around here that you could use. Druma can show¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nah, crab,¡± the man interrupted. ¡°You don¡¯t get it. I need very specific materials to do my job right, and there¡¯s only one supplier in town I trust for quality stuff. I ain¡¯t using none of the crap you get from those airhead adventurers. I wouldn¡¯t sleep under something built with pieces that came from some kid who don¡¯t know the measurements of a two-by-four.¡±


    Slightly annoyed, but unable to argue the validity of his last point, Balthazar conceded to the old man. ¡°Fine. I guess I can send Tristan back to town to get your supplies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your call,¡± John said as he pulled a pencil and a piece of paper from his box. ¡°I¡¯ll make a list of what I need.¡±


    The crab walked back to where the other man was still asleep, a dribble of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Hey, big charmer, wake up!¡± Balthazar yelled, while snapping his pincers in front of the drunk.


    Startled, Tristan opened his eyes and looked around with confusion.


    ¡°Huh? What? Where am I? What happened? Can I have that sip of rum now?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± the golden merchant started. ¡°You don¡¯t remember? You already had a glass of it. It must have been really strong. You fell asleep right after.¡±


    ¡°Gods damn it!¡± the drunk said, slapping the floor with his palm. ¡°The worst part of getting drunk is forgetting the good parts of getting drunk.¡±


    ¡°Yes, real tragedy. Now get up, I got another job for you. Do it right and there might be another taste of that rum in it for you.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s gaze snapped up to the crab, his eyes with a child-like glow to them.


    While some might consider it dishonest, Balthazar preferred to see his actions as a good deed, in order to keep a drunk from drinking himself into an even deeper stupor. The fact that what he was doing would allow him to keep paying with the same never-ending bottle was just a nice bonus.

 Chapter 56: Measuring Up

    The crab tapped on the floorboards with a restless leg as he stared impatiently at the road.


    Nearby, John opened his toolbox, its many drawers and compartments unfolding neatly as he did it, the contents all correctly arranged and lined in their perfectly sized spots. Hammers of different types, chisels of different sizes, levels and rulers, everything within had clear signs of wear, yet was all carefully cleaned and clearly well maintained.


    The grizzly man retrieved a measuring tape and calmly made his way to one corner of the platform.


    ¡°You know,¡± the old pipe smoker said to the crab, ¡°if you keep doing that, you¡¯re going to drill a hole into the wood. Wouldn¡¯t want to compromise the structural integrity of your floor now, would you?¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, starting to pace back and forth. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have sent a drunk into town with a bunch of my money. What was I thinking? What if he never even comes back?¡±


    ¡°Crab,¡± the carpenter said, as he crouched down with difficulty and stuck the tip of his measuring tape to the corner of a floorboard, ¡°he left only a few minutes ago. You need to calm yourself.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it,¡± the distressed merchant said. ¡°I gave him a pouch with 50 gold. He¡¯s surely going straight to the first tavern he sees to drink it all away! He¡¯s not even going to remember the list of supplies you gave him anymore. He probably already used it to wipe his lips after downing the second or third bottle.¡±


    ¡°I think you should give the fella a bit more credit than that,¡± said John as he stood up and stretched himself with a hand pressed against his lower back. ¡°He strikes me as the honest type underneath all the booze. Besides, is 50 gold really going to set you back so much that it¡¯s worth all that worry?¡±


    Balthazar sighed as he watched the man leisurely walk his way to the opposite corner of the trading post, measuring tape stretching behind him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you find him to be very convincing, yes,¡± the crab said, ¡°but that¡¯s probably just his natural charisma in action.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know about that,¡± the man said, while bringing the tape down on the end of the floor¡¯s corner. ¡°I heard a lot about the charismatic golden crab down by the pond outside of town, and as far as I¡¯m concerned, the jury is still out on whether you¡¯re the trustworthy kind.¡±


    ¡°A bit harsh,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°but I¡¯ll let it slide.¡±


    ¡°You need to learn to quiet your mind, fella. It does you no good to worry so much over things you can¡¯t do nothing about.¡± He looked down at the number on the tape and took his pencil from behind his ear. ¡°Mind passing me that piece of paper?¡±


    ¡°What? This?¡± asked the crab, pointing to the man¡¯s notes next to the toolbox.


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s the one.¡±


    Balthazar grabbed the paper and skittered across the platform to give it to the man. ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Much obliged,¡± John said, jotting down the measurements on the paper.


    ¡°But yes, like I was saying,¡± the upset merchant continued, ¡°how am I supposed to be sure a drunk isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can you do me a favor?¡± the old man interrupted. ¡°Can you unhook the tape on the other end over there? These old knees aren¡¯t made for bending up and down anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ yes, sure,¡± Balthazar agreed, rolling his eyes as he walked back across the trading post to the opposite corner. ¡°Just unhook and let it go, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The crab flicked the tape with the tip of his pincer and watched it retract towards the man while walking back in the same direction.


    ¡°So, point being,¡± Balthazar tried saying again, ¡°could I really¡ª¡±


    ¡°My, my. Quite the damage you got here,¡± John interrupted once more.


    The carpenter was looking at the area where the tree trunk had previously fallen and broken the fence, as well as damaged some floorboards.


    ¡°How did you manage to do this?¡± the man asked.


    Balthazar sighed. Both because he did not like to be interrupted while doing one of his favorite activities¡ªtalking¡ªand also because that area and the events behind it were still a sore spot for him.


    ¡°It was before I decided to hire a proper professional to do the roof,¡± the crab muttered between his mouth parts. ¡°One of the big tree trunks over there fell down and crashed through it.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm. Going to need to replace the railing here. Can¡¯t have someone falling off from here now, can we? And this floor needs patching up. Someone might lose a boot to that.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but as I was¡­¡±


    ¡°Be a pal and pass me that level over there, will you, youngster?¡±


    Balthazar scrunched up his mouth as he turned to the toolbox and grabbed the level tool sitting at the top.


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    ¡°There¡¯s your level.¡±


    ¡°Appreciate it,¡± John said, as he received the tool and carefully placed it on top of the wooden fence. ¡°Ah, there it is, just as I thought. Your goblin fella made a good effort, for a novice, but this railing is not entirely straight.¡±


    ¡°Really? It looks fine to me,¡± the merchant said, eyeing the top of the guardrail. ¡°Maybe a little crooked, but I think it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the woodworker with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m sure you do.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± the grumpy crab asked.


    ¡°Not a thing,¡± the grizzly old man answered, still smiling to himself.


    The crab wasn¡¯t sure what was amusing the old man so much. He was certainly a strange one. Not necessarily in a bad way, but Balthazar couldn¡¯t quite figure him out yet.


    ¡°Anyway, where was I?¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Right here.¡± The carpenter pointed to a cracked floorboard underneath them. ¡°This is as far as this floor needs replacing. I¡¯ll probably fix up the fence and the floor before I start on the roof. Make sure the whole thing is done right.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, that¡¯d be nice, but will probably raise the cost of the whole project,¡± the crab said. ¡°Which reminds me, we still haven¡¯t discussed the budget.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I won¡¯t charge you any extra beyond the original price for the roof.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great and all, but¡­ we still haven¡¯t determined what the original price for the roof is going to be.¡±


    ¡°Paaaaaarrrrrtner!¡±


    Balthazar recoiled as he heard Tristan¡¯s voice yelling from the entrance.


    ¡°I have returned!¡± the drunkard announced, still sounding happily drunk.


    ¡°Go on,¡± John said, while adjusting his smoking pipe into the corner of his mouth and rolling up his sleeves. ¡°I¡¯ll get started on patching this up while you make sure our errand boy didn¡¯t spend your precious gold on the wrong screws.¡±


    Begrudgingly, the crab turned around and made his way across the platform.


    He almost didn¡¯t want to find out what Tristan had done with the money. How likely would it be that a drunk, when given a pouch of gold coins, would go and buy carpentry supplies instead of wasting them all away on getting more drunk?


    As it would seem, not that unlikely.


    Stumbling his way into the trading post, the former merchant placed the wooden box he was carrying in his arms on the nearest table he could find. Inside it Balthazar could spot not bottles, but actual hardware supplies.


    ¡°You¡­ you actually got the stuff?¡± the incredulous crab asked.


    ¡°Course I did, partner!¡± Tristan proudly answered, a big smug grin on his red face. ¡°I told you I was, hic, good for it.¡±


    Balthazar wasn¡¯t sure what he found more unbelievable, the fact that he had actually gone into town and used the gold to purchase the instructed supplies, or that, even after all those hours, he was still as inebriated as he was.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure you got everything?¡± Balthazar asked, still trying to cling to the belief that it was all too good to be believed.


    ¡°Sure did!¡± the drunk said, reaching into his vest¡¯s pocket and pulling out the list John had made. ¡°At first I thought the gold you gave me wasn¡¯t going to be enough for everything, but then I realized¡­ heh¡­ I was seeing double, so I only needed half of the things I thought.¡±


    The crab looked at the giggling drunkard with skepticism.


    ¡°Let me see that,¡± he said, snatching the list from the other¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s all there. I checked thrice!¡± Tristan said, while holding up two fingers.


    ¡°Nails¡­ check. Wooden screws¡­ check,¡± Balthazar murmured, as his eyes went back and forth between the list and the contents of the box. ¡°Wood glue¡­ check. I can¡¯t believe it. It really is all here. Even the right size of dowels for the butt joints.¡±


    ¡°Heh, you said butt,¡± the drunk man-child mumbled between chortles.


    ¡°But there¡¯s no way this all came down to exactly 50 gold,¡± the baffled merchant said. ¡°Come on, admit it. You pocketed the rest and went to the tavern, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Tristan answered, shoving a hand into his jacket¡¯s pocket and retrieving a crumpled up piece of paper. ¡°Here is the receipt. It all came down to 39 gold. And here is the remaining 11 gold. Hic!¡±


    Balthazar received the paper with his left pincer and the coin pouch with the right, his mouth slightly ajar, his eyes still in disbelief at everything he¡¯d just witnessed.


    Tristan had to be the most odd drunk the crab had ever met. And he had met a drunk giant before.


    ¡°So,¡± the disheveled man started, combing his graying blond hair back with a hand, ¡°do you believe I¡¯m a proper business partner now?¡±


    The crab looked back and forth, left and right, arguments eluding him.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re still a drunk and a mess! Not exactly a great business look.¡±


    ¡°Pfah! Nonsense! It adds to the charm. I¡¯m telling you, everybody loves me even more when I¡¯m drunk.¡±


    ¡°Not everybody,¡± Balthazar muttered. ¡°But either way, even if you did manage to do this errand properly, that still doesn¡¯t prove you¡¯d be able to carry on my next move against Antoine properly.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s goofy expression hardened, and his brow furrowed.


    ¡°You give me the chance, just one chance,¡± he said, staring into the crab¡¯s eyes, ¡°and I¡¯ll prove to you how much I want to get that son of a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I get it!¡± the crab hurriedly said. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then first I need you to do a little digging.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, really?¡± the man complained, his sudden focus apparently already gone. ¡°That¡¯s going to ruin my nails.¡±


    ¡°Metaphorical digging, you fool!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, right. I suspected as much.¡±


    ¡°Like I was saying,¡± Balthazar continued, ¡°I want you to go to Ardville and start digging into who owns spots at the market other than Antoine. Make a list of them and gather as much information as you can. Once you¡¯ve gathered enough details, we can discuss our next move.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, alright, I can do that,¡± Tristan said, scratching his unshaven chin thoughtfully. ¡°I think I still know someone who works at the registry office. And this will lead to striking Antoine in some way?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Sort of. In a way, eventually,¡± the crab said. ¡°For now, focus on the job I¡¯m giving you and leave the details to me. And before you leave, help me carry those supplies to John.¡±


    Tristan picked up the box of items once again and followed the crustacean.


    ¡°He was just about to start fixing the¡­ fence¡­¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s words trailed off as they approached the corner where John was working.


    To the crab¡¯s great surprise, the fence was already completely repaired, replaced with newer and stronger parts, and the floor was good as new, practically impossible to tell it had been ever damaged by a crashing tree trunk.


    ¡°How¡­ how did you do all this while I was talking to Tristan?¡± the befuddled merchant asked.


    ¡°This? Not that hard to fix, really,¡± the handyman said, while wiping his hands and hairy arms with a rag, pipe still firmly stuck to the corner of his mouth. ¡°Do something for enough years and you get the hang of how to do it right and fast.¡±


    While not displeased with the results and the speed, Balthazar was still in disbelief at how quickly the old man had fixed the corner. Perhaps the drunk did bring him the best carpenter he would ever meet.


    ¡°Hey, by the way,¡± Tristan called from behind the crab, ¡°I got all these supplies. Don¡¯t I deserve a little sip of Babaurhum?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, of course you do,¡± said the golden crab, ¡°which is why you had it right before leaving. You know, to strengthen you for the way up the road.¡±


    ¡°I did?¡± the puzzled man said, looking emptily at the floor. ¡°Well, damn, I didn¡¯t even remember.¡±


    How easy it was to trick a drunk. Balthazar almost pitied Tristan, so easy to distract and misdirect. The crab was just thankful he was not as easily fooled. Nothing would ever go unnoticed and forgotten by him like that.


    Not a thing.

 Chapter 57: A Bit of a Stretch

    Balthazar woke up just as the sun appeared over the horizon.


    Hurriedly stuffing some leftover pie from the previous night in his mouth, the crab rushed his way across the bridge to the trading post.


    John, the carpenter, had promised to come down to the pond first thing in the morning to get started on the roof, and Balthazar wanted to be up and running business before he got there. He would have no Ardville citizen running gossip about him being a lazy crab who didn¡¯t start his work day early. He wouldn¡¯t give them that satisfaction. Appearances matter.


    Sunlight was barely reaching into the area yet, making it harder for Balthazar to find his feather duster amid the mess of items between some boxes. His plan was to give some shelves a good dusting before the old man arrived, and give a look of having been up for a while, working since the early hours.


    If the inhabitants of the nearby town were going to talk about him, he¡¯d make sure they¡¯d talk about how much of a hard worker the crab was.


    And perhaps how good his shiny shell looked as well.


    ¡°Aha!¡± he exclaimed, finally finding his duster shoved inside the leg of a tall steel boot.


    Grabbing the feather duster with his silver pincer, Balthazar turned to finding a good spot to clean when a gravelly voice startled him.


    ¡°Morning, crab.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Balthazar yelled out, his duster flying off his pincer as he saw a large, shadowy figure appear by the entrance of his trading post, the faint light of the dawning sun not yet reaching into that corner.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to scare ya,¡± John¡¯s husky voice said, as he stepped forward out of the shade and picked up the duster that had landed near his feet. ¡°Thought you¡¯d be up and about by now, so I figured I¡¯d come down early to get started on things.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes,¡± Balthazar said, trying to compose himself after nearly having a heart attack that was in no way related to his diet of mostly sweets. ¡°I¡¯ve been up for a while now, done lots of things while waiting, even. I was just so focused on cleaning up that I didn¡¯t hear you approaching, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m wide awake.¡±


    ¡°Now you surely are,¡± the man said, with a benevolent smile between his thick grizzly beard, as he handed the duster back to the crab. ¡°If your fellas are up too, I could get started on the first pillar.¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, Bouldy won¡¯t be a problem,¡± the merchant said, taking the duster and glancing back towards the central islet. ¡°That one doesn¡¯t actually sleep. But Druma¡­ that one is always hard to wake up early in the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Morning, boss!¡± the cheerful and wide awake goblin greeted as he suddenly came hopping into the trading post. ¡°Druma ready to work!¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡± the surprised crab exclaimed. ¡°Since when do you willingly wake up this early?¡±


    ¡°Druma can¡¯t sleep,¡± the green helper said, tapping his feet, his oversized hat bouncing up and down on his head. ¡°Druma want to help John and learn to work wood better.¡±


    Somehow, even after all that time, the small goblin¡¯s excitement over things still managed to surprise Balthazar. And not in a bad way.


    ¡°Well then, good on you, Druma,¡± the crab said, before turning back to the old man. ¡°Guess that means you got all you need to get started.¡±


    ¡°No wastin¡¯ more time then,¡± John said, stepping forward towards the first corner. ¡°Sunlight doesn¡¯t last forever. We got a lot of work to do before we got ourselves a proper roof.¡±


    Balthazar looked over at the sky. The morning light was only now finally beginning to spread across the pond and fully turning night into day.


    Calling the golem over to join the group, the crab approached the area outside the trading post where they would be working. The tree trunks his two workers had previously gathered were piled horizontally on the ground, with many other smaller pieces of wood grouped nearby, next to a cutting board, a work table, and a paraphernalia of other working materials that Druma had thrown together the day before under the carpenter¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Alright,¡± John said, putting down his heavy toolbox on the working table and unlocking it. ¡°We¡¯re going to start by turning those tree trunks into proper working pieces of wood for the support beams. That¡¯s where the big guy will come in. With his strength to move them around easily and a good saw, we will get that done in no time. Meanwhile, the little guy can get started on digging a hole for the foundations. If you want a roof that doesn¡¯t get toppled with the first gust of wind that hits it, you need to have a proper, solid foundation.¡±


    Bouldy began lifting one of the trunks up onto his shoulder, while Druma quickly grabbed a shovel and made his way to the area where the first beam would be.


    ¡°Alright, and what about me? Do you need me to do something?¡± Balthazar asked. ¡°Maybe trace some plans? Stand on some high vantage point and call out instructions? Go around making sure everyone works well together?¡±


    The man chuckled.


    ¡°Nah, I think we¡¯ll work better without a foreman walking around the build site,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry. Without a forecrab. Let me do my thing and you do yours. Feel free to do your business and trading while we work. I¡¯ll let you know if we need a pincer with something.¡±


    The carpenter adjusted his smoking pipe into work mode and began rolling up his sleeves.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sure¡­ I guess I¡¯ll be over there,¡± Balthazar said, slowly walking away.


    He wasn¡¯t necessarily interested in doing any manual labor, but he still didn¡¯t quite enjoy being excluded from the group activity.


    Long had been the way since that lone crab who would loathe the idea of sharing the same space with anyone, let alone doing things in a group.


    If Balthazar didn¡¯t take care, others might start getting the idea he even enjoys having company.


    Couldn¡¯t have that. Next thing he knew, they¡¯d be expecting a discount.


    Freeloaders, the lot of them.


    And right on cue, as the crab returned to the platform, an adventurer stepped through the entrance.


    He was an imposing man, mainly around the waist area, which was nearly the same size as the crab¡¯s entire circumference. He had a thick mustache and his face was sweating profusely as he dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief, despite the coolness of that morning and his light clothing.


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    He wore a loose tunic shirt stained with sweat and very stretched out burlap pants, the only piece of armor on him being his steel boots.


    ¡°Holy tarts, he looks like he just came out of my pond,¡± the crab whispered under his breath while eyeing him through his monocle.


    [Level 21 Horseman Fighter]


    Balthazar took a moment to wonder if the system was trying to insult the adventurer. Despite his rather large proportions, he clearly wasn¡¯t a ¡°horseman¡± for he had no horse features to him, like a mane or a tail. More system nonsense, as usual.


    ¡°Oof! Good morning, good crab!¡± the panting man greeted. ¡°Are you open yet?¡±


    ¡°Hello. Yes, sure. Come on in, make yourself at home,¡± Balthazar responded, before lowering his voice back to a whisper. ¡°Just please stop leaking all over my floor, the wood isn¡¯t even varnished!¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness. I was just heading out onto the road when misfortune struck me and my chest armor broke,¡± the large adventurer said. ¡°Total loss. All straps on it ripped apart and the lining completely torn. Unbelievable, it¡¯s the third time it happened this month. I¡¯m never going back to that armorer. Clearly his quality is shoddy.¡±


    ¡°And you think the junk adventurers sell me is any better?!¡± the merchant muttered.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing. Say, have you considered that maybe the problem is¡­ well, never mind, not my place to make observations. What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, if it wasn¡¯t obvious enough, I was hoping you had a replacement chest piece, so I don¡¯t have to go back up to town.¡±


    ¡°Chest armor then, is it?¡± Balthazar hesitantly said. ¡°Sure thing. Let¡¯s see what we can get you.¡±


    The crab looked through his displayed pieces of armor. Finding something that would fit the man was going to be a challenge.


    ¡°How about this iron chest plate?¡± he said, picking up the armor from a shelf and presenting it to the client. ¡°Basic, but guaranteed to protect your¡­ softer parts.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe,¡± said the horseman. ¡°I¡¯ll have to try it on first.¡±


    ¡°Be my guest.¡±


    The man started pulling at his shirt and undoing the first buttons on it.


    ¡°Aaaaalright, really taking the whole making yourself at home seriously. I don¡¯t need to see this. I¡¯m going to give you some privacy while you change and go check on some¡­ work.¡±


    The crab hurriedly skittered away from the scene and went to check in on the progress by the outside corner.


    ¡°Hey, guys, how¡¯s the¡­ pillar¡­¡±


    Balthazar gazed in surprise at the support beam that had not only already been made, but also placed into the ground and fully held in place by a solid base built around it.


    ¡°I was¡­ I was just here a few moments ago,¡± the befuddled crab said. ¡°How in the hell did you guys already do all this while I was away?!¡±


    ¡°Elbow grease,¡± said John while putting down his hammer on the table. ¡°Your fellas here being hard workers helps too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ still¡­ how?¡± Balthazar asked, confusion spinning around inside his shell.


    ¡°A little help, please?!¡± a voice yelled from the center of the trading post.


    Quickly running back, the crab found his client trying his best to fit the iron plate around his large torso. Unsuccessfully.


    ¡°I cannot seem to fasten these straps on the side,¡± he said, huffing and puffing. ¡°Are you sure this piece is not defective?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no¡­ certainly not defective, at least not yet,¡± Balthazar said, looking at the stretching leather with concern.


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t you do anything? Get a breastplate stretcher or something!¡±


    ¡°A¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°A breastplate stretcher!¡± the constricted man repeated. ¡°You know, to¡­ adjust the breastplate to my¡­ physique.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a thing,¡± said the skeptical crab.


    ¡°Are you sure? I could swear I heard about them somewhere before,¡± the adventurer said, his face turning alarmingly red. ¡°Well then, damn it, help me out of this thing before I stop breathing!¡±


    Balthazar pulled at the front of the chest piece with all his strength until it finally dislodged itself from the man¡¯s robust figure.


    ¡°Oh, phew, that¡¯s a relief,¡± he said, taking a deep breath and leaning down with his hands on his knees. ¡°Alright, what else you got that is a more¡­ muscular size?¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ I¡¯m afraid this is as big a size as I have,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°But perhaps something less rigid and a bit more¡­ stretchy?¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine, stretchy sounds good,¡± the other said, standing back straight and fanning himself with his hand. ¡°Bring it on.¡±


    The merchant returned to the shelf and put away the now very sweaty iron plate while retrieving a brown piece of armor.


    ¡°Here, let¡¯s try this leather doublet.¡±


    The client put each arm through the doublet with difficulty and then attempted to bring it together at the front. The leather creaked under the strain of being stretched over the man¡¯s torso. With beads of sweat rolling down his face, he finally managed to button it up halfway down the front before giving up doing the rest.


    ¡°Not too bad looking, huh?¡± he said.


    The white fabric of his tunic was appearing from the spaces between each button as he moved around, and Balthazar suspected that had the doublet a mouth, it would be screaming for dear life.


    ¡°I like it,¡± the horseman said. ¡°Gives me a very¡­ athletic look.¡±


    As he moved to flex an arm, one button at the very front of the doublet suddenly shot out with great force, whizzing right past the crab¡¯s shell and hitting a metal helmet on a shelf with a loud plink.


    They both looked in awe at the button¡¯s trajectory, which shot up after ricocheting off the helmet and hit a bird that was flying by above. With a loud squawk, the bird dropped limp from the sky and landed motionless on the central islet, right in front of the red cushion where Blue was asleep, startling her awake. The drake lifted her head and looked at the bird first and then around and up, confused by the sudden food delivery.


    ¡°Can¡­ Can you do that again?¡± the baffled crab asked.


    ¡°Bah! It¡¯s no use!¡± the man said, while angrily taking off the doublet. ¡°This won¡¯t do either. It clearly cannot contain my¡­ musculature. Surely you must have something else?¡±


    Balthazar glanced back at his shelves. ¡°Hmm¡­ the only thing I could imagine might fit you would be some robes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, whatever, just let me try them,¡± the impatient client said, motioning with his hand for the crab to give them to him.


    The merchant offered the biggest size of robes he had in stock and watched as the adventurer put them on.


    ¡°Ah! Much better. This fits nicely and is not restrictive at all. Very comfortable, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but like I was saying, those are wizard robes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s inconvenient. I am a fighter, after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s a fighter that fights horse-men?¡± the crab considered under his breath.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Just agreeing that it¡¯s a shame those robes don¡¯t work very well for a fighter.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the man pondered, while looking at his loose sleeves. ¡°Perhaps I should just wear these. What¡¯s the worst that could happen, anyway? I¡¯m a more than capable warrior. I have no need for armor if I never let anyone strike me. Really, if anything, the armor only restricts my agility in combat.¡±


    ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± the other said, ignoring the crab¡¯s question. ¡°I shall start a new trend! A robed fighter. Ha-ha! People will remember this moment as the beginning of something new, crab. How much for the robe?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they will,¡± Balthazar said, shaking his shell. ¡°And the robe costs 15 gold. 16, if you ask me to fold it for you.¡±


    Pocketing the payment into his money bag, the merchant watched his satisfied (with himself) client leave, chin held high as he strutted away in his new wizard robe.


    ¡°Oh well, at least he can¡¯t say I persuaded him into that one,¡± said the crab, as he walked back to the build site.


    ¡°Where did everybody go?¡±


    Balthazar looked around, confused by the absence of the carpenter or his assistants, until he looked to the other corner of the platform and saw them all there, with yet another support beam already fully built.


    ¡°How in the hell do all those keep showing up all finished every time I turn around?!¡±

 Chapter 58: Perfectly Normal

    John had arrived early in the morning for another day of work at the pond, and Balthazar observed him from nearby, a pincer tapping on his chin, wondering what the old man¡¯s secret was.


    The crab may not have known much about building things, he had never even put any points into the carpentry skill because he knew they would be a waste without hands and fingers, but even he knew things don¡¯t just pop up into existence and fully formed out of nowhere.


    Balthazar felt as though he was missing something, and he was not a crab to let details evade him. His senses were too sharp. He couldn¡¯t let things go over his head. Not a chance he¡¯d ever let something go unnoticed.


    Casually dusting off a table near the fence, the merchant kept glancing at the carpenter through the corner of his eye, trying to spot anything unusual, but all the seasoned handyman did appeared perfectly normal.


    He¡¯d put his toolbox down on the table, he¡¯d calmly open it, select his required tools, and carry on doing everything without so much as a hint of a rush to him. Yet, how did things always get done so quickly while Balthazar was not around? The question plagued the crab.


    For the fifth time that morning, he looked at the carpenter through the Monocle of Examination.


    [Level 16 Veteran Carpenter]


    And just like each of the other times, the text said the same.


    There was nothing out of the ordinary about the man, at least that the crab could spot.


    ¡°So what is your secret, old guy?¡± Balthazar muttered to himself, while absentmindedly hovering his feather duster over some statuettes on a shelf, doing nothing to actually clean them.


    The woodworker picked a few nails out of the box and moved to the edge of his worktable, a hammer firmly held in his hand. With his smoking pipe in one corner of his mouth, he held three nails between his lips in the other, while his left hand pointed a fourth down on a piece of wood and began hammering it down.


    The crab attentively observed as he picked another nail from his lips and repeated the process.


    Balthazar wanted to absorb every detail until he could spot something out of the ordinary, even if he understood next to nothing about woodworking.


    He did not know exactly what the man was doing, but as far as he could tell, he was hammering those nails pretty well. What that would achieve, however, was beyond the crab¡¯s understanding.


    The bell by the entrance rang, startling Balthazar from his pretend dusting.


    ¡°Damn it, not now!¡± he complained to himself, as he tried to continue peeking at John between crates and tables while moving away towards the entrance.


    ¡°Good day, sir crab,¡± an older lady greeted as he reached the front of the trading post.


    ¡°Yes, yes, hello. What do you need? I need to get back to my¡­ dusting,¡± Balthazar said, barely looking at the woman, his gaze still trying to peer through the obstacles between him and the working area.


    ¡°Oh my, I did not mean to intrude on your housecleaning,¡± said the lady with an apologetic smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t know crabs did dusting, but that¡¯s very nice, dear. A clean house is very important.¡±


    ¡°Right, but what about what you came here to trade? Can we get to that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course, silly head of mine,¡± she said, hurriedly opening her purse and digging through it for something. ¡°I need some alchemy herbs. I have a list of their names around here somewhere.¡±


    Balthazar tapped his foot impatiently. Slow clients always seemed to have a way to show up at the worst times, be it when he¡¯s about to close for the day, or while he¡¯s trying to spy on a hired worker.


    Not that the latter happened all that often.


    ¡°Ah, here we go, found it,¡± the woman said, pulling a piece of yellowed paper from her purse. ¡°Oh wait, no, that¡¯s not it. This is a receipt for an umbrella I left to repair. I should really go pick that up soon.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eye stalks sagged in desperation.


    ¡°I know I put it here this morning,¡± she continued, while rummaging even deeper into the purse. ¡°Found it! This is the one. Let¡¯s see then, what was it I needed¡­¡±


    The elderly lady raised her eyebrows as she stared down at the paper and her hand patted around the area between her neck and chest, as if trying to grasp something. ¡°Where did I leave my glasses?¡±


    Balthazar exhaled sharply. ¡°Right there, on top of your head!¡±


    ¡°Oh, goodness! Silly me,¡± she exclaimed with surprise as her hand went up above her forehead and brought the thick black rim glasses down onto her nose, their thin chain that looped around her neck rattling as she put them on.


    The crab looked anxiously to the back of the trading post, torn between his curiosity and his love for making coin.


    ¡°I need some¡­¡± The woman held the paper further and then closer to herself, struggling to make out the writing on it. ¡°Peppermint leaves. Do you have some of those, dear?¡±


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    ¡°Peppermint, peppermint,¡± Balthazar repeated, hurrying to one of his shelves and shuffling through its contents. ¡°Yes, here are some. Anything else, lady?¡±


    ¡°Let me see,¡± she said, looking back at her list. ¡°What about¡­ ginger? I need a bit of that, too.¡±


    ¡°Ginger?¡± the skeptical merchant said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I don¡¯t have that at the moment, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bother! Well then, what next¡­ parsley?¡±


    ¡°Pars¡­ Lady, what the hell kind of alchemy are you doing that requires parsley?¡± the exasperated crab asked.


    ¡°And also some¡­ butter?¡± the confused woman continued, her eyes running down her list. ¡°Oh, goodness gracious! This is my groceries list. I must have picked up the wrong paper before I left earlier.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eye twitched as he took a long, deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, dear,¡± the elderly lady said with an apologetic expression. ¡°This is clearly not a grocery shop. I¡¯ll have to go back and find my other list. So sorry to have wasted your time.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ problem¡­ at all,¡± the shaking crab muttered, doing his best to contain an outburst of frustration. ¡°Please come again.¡±


    Holding the most forced of smiles, he side-walked away.


    As soon as the crab was out of the exiting woman¡¯s sight, he rushed back to the build area which had only been hidden behind a few crates and shelves that whole time.


    ¡°I better not get there and find the whole thing already built again!¡±


    As he reached the fence, he found everything looked the same. John was hammering away at some nails, Druma was vigorously sawing logs, while Bouldy picked up larger pieces of wood onto his shoulder to move them.


    Everyone looked busy, despite no actual visible progress being made.


    ¡°Highly suspicious,¡± Balthazar whispered.


    The more he observed the whole thing, the bigger his suspicions grew that something was not adding up.


    Skittering away from the platform, the disbelieving crab decided to try a new test approach. He grabbed his spyglass and climbed up to one of the nearby boulders, settling down in a half hidden position behind the cover of the stone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens when I¡¯m not around,¡± he said, while looking down the lenses.


    Through the spyglass, he watched as the three workers continued on doing the exact same tasks they were doing before.


    The human hitting the nails with his hammer. Why he would need so many nailed pieces of wood to build a support beam was something the crab could not answer.


    The goblin was sawing away at a log. For all Balthazar knew, the log still looked to be the same one he had been sawing the whole time, with no progress on splitting it actually being made.


    And the golem was shouldering yet another trunk to drop in a different area nearby. Weirdly, the two piles of wood did not seem to have changed size no matter how many times the giant rock moved them.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± the puzzled crab said, bringing the spyglass down from his eye.


    Something was clearly amiss there, but he did not understand what. For a moment, he nearly questioned his own sanity, but his ego quickly assured him he was too smart to be going insane, and that was all the crab needed to be convinced.


    That left few other options. Either it had to do with the new factor in the equation, John, or something else was the cause of the weird events. And there was only one thing Balthazar always associated with strange things happening: his strange system.


    He brought the spyglass up in front of his monocle and peered through it once more.


    Scanning through the group, he saw nothing anomalous. Everyone looked and registered the same as before. Not even any strange errors like the system had thrown at him a few times before. It was all normal. At least as normal as a talking crab watching people through a spyglass can be.


    A low growl caught Balthazar¡¯s attention from behind.


    He looked back at the ground behind the boulder and found Blue standing there, looking up at him with a raised brow.


    ¡°What? Weren¡¯t you napping?¡± he whispered to the drake, despite the others being far enough away to not hear him had he spoken at a normal volume.


    The winged creature¡¯s response was to climb the boulder herself, trying to get on the same vantage point as the crab.


    ¡°Hey, ouch! Watch it! What are you doing?!¡± Balthazar said, struggling to remain atop the rock as Blue¡¯s wings bumped against his face.


    As she reached his level, she scanned the view in front of them, likely looking for anything interesting.


    ¡°Are you happy now? Get down already, you¡¯re not letting me see!¡± the crab complained.


    Clearly unsatisfied yet, the young drake leaned further to look down under the boulder, and then up, determined to figure out what the crab was observing.


    ¡°Ow! Watch the tail!¡± he exclaimed, as one sudden turn of her body knocked Balthazar off the boulder and onto the ground behind it.


    ¡°Damn it, blue! Why do you have to be so nosy?!¡± the irritated crustacean said, propping himself back onto his eight feet and shaking the dirt off his golden shell. ¡°Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s bad manners to be snooping on what others are doing?¡±


    Picking the spyglass off the ground with his ironic claw, Balthazar walked around the boulder and looked over the trading platform.


    ¡°No!¡± he exclaimed in a mix of anger and disbelief.


    Across the way, behind the fence and boxes standing between, the crab could see the top of another support beam standing where the trio was working.


    ¡°I barely looked away for a few moments! It can¡¯t be!¡± he argued to himself, as he rushed around the platform.


    Balthazar turned the corner and saw the new pillar perfectly placed in the corner, base buried under the ground, supports firmly built at the bottom.


    Druma and Bouldy cleaned up the remaining bits of wood around, while John sat down on a nearby stump, readjusting his smoking pipe to a more relaxed position at the front of his mouth.


    ¡°There ya are,¡± he said, seeing the crab. ¡°Perfect timing. We just got done with another beam. Should be able to get started on the roof proper by tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Perfect timing?!¡± the upset crab repeated. ¡°There was no ¡®timing¡¯ here! How?! How are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°Doing what?¡± the old man asked in a calm manner, but with an eyebrow raised at the crab¡¯s questions.


    ¡°This! One moment there¡¯s nothing built yet, not even in the process of getting it started, and then, just as I go away one moment, I look back the next and the whole thing is completed. No in between phase! Just all done in the blink of an eye! How?!¡±


    ¡°Crab, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about there,¡± said the carpenter, leaning forward on the stump, one hand on his knee and the elbow bent outwards. ¡°What I know is that your fellas and I did some long, hard work here and built you a fine pillar for your roof, and instead of being appreciative, you¡¯re running in here babbling on about who knows what.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ but¡­ you didn¡¯t¡­ I was¡­¡± Balthazar mumbled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as a bad fella,¡± John said in a calm manner, ¡°but I think you rile yourself up too much. You need to learn to sit back and take it easy. Especially when the going isn¡¯t easy. Don¡¯t try to control everything, you can¡¯t. Accept some things are outside your control, or your understanding. Take life as it comes. Just the advice of an old man who¡¯s be around for a while, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The crab threw his arms down in defeat. The old man¡¯s wisdom would have been fine under normal circumstances, but those were far from that, at least for Balthazar. Problem was, he seemed to be the only one finding something wrong with what was happening.


    Was the carpenter in on it, or just some other unwilling part of whatever was going on? Was it in some way related to whatever was broken with the damnable system? Or was there someone¡ªor something¡ªplaying tricks on him?


    The crab did not have the answers, and he was finding it harder and harder to just ignore the questions.


    He needed answers, and there was only one person he could think of asking.

 Chapter 59: Bear the Burden

    Balthazar stared out into the horizon, his arms hanging over the wooden fence next to the entrance of his trading post, his eyes glancing over the plains grass.


    The crab sighed.


    He didn¡¯t even want to look toward the build site, as he didn¡¯t want to grow even more annoyed by whatever nonsense was happening there. He needed to find some adventurers that could help him find the person he sought. But as always, their kind would only show up when it was most inconvenient.


    Or, sometimes, they would show up only to prove the crab wrong.


    Two figures appeared from the south, walking up the road. One was a female adventurer, carrying a bag over her shoulder and another hanging from her hand. The second adventurer was a young man, a few paces behind, walking with difficulty, struggling with each step, despite not carrying any visible baggage except for the sword on his back.


    Hopping down from the fence, Balthazar quickly made his way around it and onto the road so he could greet them and make his inquiry.


    ¡°Well? Come on then, hurry, you¡¯re falling behind,¡± the girl said to the other adventurer, with a hint of smugness to it.


    ¡°Greetings!¡± the gilded crab exclaimed, waving a pincer as he approached them.


    ¡°Oh, hey, look, it¡¯s that talking crab,¡± she said. ¡°What was his name? Balthazar, right?¡±


    The young man mumbled something unintelligible as he finally caught up to his partner, both now stopped in front of the crab.


    Balthazar gave them a closer look.


    [Level 14 Fighter]


    [Level 15 Swordsman]


    ¡°Hey, I remember you two!¡± the crab said, pointing his silver pincer at the pair.


    ¡°Looks like he even remembers us now,¡± the fighter said to the swordsman. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s learned to be a nicer crab.¡±


    ¡°Your names were¡­ James and Lilah, that was it!¡± the merchant said, looking proud of himself for recalling the names of two adventurers.


    ¡°Aaaaand never mind, I take that back,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°No, crab, he¡¯s Jack, and I¡¯m Leah. But points for trying, at least.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, potato, tomato, who cares? Let¡¯s not allow those little details to get in the way,¡± the merchant said.


    Balthazar glanced at the other adventurer, who was oddly quiet, given his usual boastful nature the previous times. He was slightly hunched over, with both hands on his knees, breathing like he had just gotten there sprinting.


    As the crab observed him, he realized the swordsman wasn¡¯t even wearing any armor like the other times they¡¯d met. Instead, all he had on was a light tunic shirt, some cloth pants, and simple shoes. Aside from that, the only other thing he carried on his person was his weapon.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Ah, nothing, don¡¯t worry,¡± said Leah. ¡°He¡¯s just tired from being overburdened.¡±


    ¡°Overburdened?¡± the crab repeated, even more curious now. ¡°But he¡¯s not even carrying anything.¡±


    ¡°He is. That stupid sword on his back.¡±


    ¡°This sword,¡± the young man said, finally breaking his silence between light panting, ¡°has saved our hides multiple times, Leah. You should show a little more appreciation.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but so could a lot of other swords, if you had switched by now,¡± the other adventurer said, looking annoyed at her companion, before turning to the crab again. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he insists on still using that thing. It¡¯s like it¡¯s cursed, but he refuses to get a new one.¡±


    ¡°Because, Leah, this will be my weapon of legend,¡± said Jack, making an effort to stand straight again. ¡°It has grown in power with me, and the more I use it, the more powerful it becomes. Something like that is a once in a lifetime find. I wouldn¡¯t trade it in for some regular steel poker now.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Jack. I know that thing is very strong and you¡¯re all emotionally attached to it, but look at the state you¡¯re in. You can barely carry it!¡±


    ¡°A true hero does not back down in the face of adversity,¡± the swordsman said, trying to strike a stoic pose with a hand in front of his inflated chest but giving up halfway. ¡°Besides, you know damn well we wouldn¡¯t have made it yesterday if it wasn¡¯t for this sword.¡±


    ¡°What happened yesterday?¡± Balthazar asked, growing curious about the sword he once traded for his first slice of pie.


    ¡°A bear,¡± Leah said.


    ¡°Not just any bear,¡± Jack corrected. ¡°It was a massive beast of a bear. Around level 50, or something.¡±


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    ¡°It was level 39,¡± his partner said. ¡°But yes, even then, an enemy like that, at our levels, deep within the forest? I thought we were done for.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± the young man exclaimed. ¡°And how did we make it out of that situation? This very sword, as usual.¡±


    Leah sighed. ¡°Please don¡¯t start doing another one of your dramatic tales.¡±


    ¡°We were deep within the depths of the forest.¡± Jack tried hopping on a stone by the edge of the road, but gave up and sat on it instead, rubbing his lower back. ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll let Leah take over on this one. She¡­ she can do the explaining.¡±


    She shook her head and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°So, how did you two get away from the bear?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Get away?¡± the girl said. ¡°No, no, we killed the beast.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Jack started.


    ¡°You killed it with your sword,¡± Leah quickly said. ¡°Yes, I know.¡±


    ¡°With that big of a level difference?¡± the skeptical crab said. ¡°Just with an enchanted sword?¡±


    Leah shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. Fact is, once Jack finally managed to lift the damn blade and I played bait to bring the bear close enough, the sword cut through it like butter. Ended the beast in one strike.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s curiosity had enough of being piqued.


    ¡°Hmm, mind showing me that sword?¡± he said to the adventurer sitting on the stone.


    ¡°Sure, but you¡¯re not thinking I¡¯ll sell it back to you, I hope?¡± Jack said, standing up with difficulty and bringing a hand over his shoulder and to the hilt of the sword.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have no use for swords. I¡¯ll gladly stick to pies. I just want to examine your¡­ marvelous weapon. I never really had a chance to, before.¡±


    Straining to unsheathe it, the swordsman brought the blade over his shoulder and let its tip drop to the ground, both of his hands firmly wrapped around the grip, struggling to keep that end from falling too.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have a proper breakfast this morning, is all. I can swing it just fine if you give me a moment.¡±


    Adjusting his Monocle of Examination with his pincer, the crab took a good look at the weapon.


    [Sword of Heavy Might]


    [+1 to damage and weight per enemy slain]


    ¡°Uh¡­ any idea how many enemies you¡¯ve taken out with this sword?¡± Balthazar asked, glancing over the monocle at the young man.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Dozens? Probably hundreds, if I count every single kill.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ wow¡­ how are you even still using this thing?¡± the merchant asked. ¡°It must be encumbering you like crazy.¡±


    ¡°A real hero does not let the burden of his destiny stop him from carrying on!¡± Jack said, trying to raise a clenched fist, but quickly regretting that choice and bringing it back to hold the sword.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even wear armor anymore because of the weight, you fool!¡± Leah exclaimed, dropping both of her bags on the floor and throwing her hands up in frustration. ¡°I have to carry everything now, because you¡¯re no help at all. You need to get rid of that thing before you get yourself killed!¡±


    ¡°And give up all this damage?!¡± He turned back to the crab. ¡°She keeps trying to get me to change weapon, but why should I, when this sword can do this¡­¡±


    Taking a deep breath, the swordsman buckled his knees and made an effort to raise the blade from the ground.


    With his teeth clenched and face turning red, Jack slowly brought the sword up in front of himself and took a trembling step forward.


    Balthazar skittered out of his way quickly, worried the overburdened adventurer might suddenly drop the blade on him.


    ¡°Jack, you¡¯re going to hurt yourself if you keep doing that! Just stop!¡± Leah pleaded.


    Ignoring her, he slowly approached one of the large boulders between the road and the pond. With sweat rolling down his face, he grunted and lifted the sword above the rock that stood nearly as tall as him.


    Letting out a yell of both pain and relief, he brought the blade down, cutting through the stone with a thunderous crash.


    Panting and stumbling, he turned to the other two. ¡°See? I told you. I can¡¯t just give this up.¡±


    He collapsed to the ground, arms and legs sprawled, sword lying next to him.


    ¡°Just going to take a moment here. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°Very, uh¡­ impressive,¡± Balthazar said, looking at the exhausted adventurer with an awkward expression. ¡°Assuming your opponent is immobile and unable to strike you back while you try to raise your sword.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no use,¡± said Leah, bringing her palm to her face. ¡°He¡¯s just too stubborn and won¡¯t listen. He got into his head that sword is some kind of destined artifact of legend that he needs to keep using in order to become the big hero of these lands, or some nonsense like that. Sometimes he¡¯s so childish I just want to leave him on the side of the road and carry on alone. But then I know I¡¯d feel bad and go back, so what¡¯s the point?¡±


    A large, rocky face peeked over the corner from the path leading down to the pond.


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Balthazar.


    Bouldy walked around the wall of boulders and approached them, his concerned eyes going from the crab to the shattered pieces of stone the sword had just cut through.


    ¡°Sorry, buddy,¡± Jack said, sitting up. ¡°I hope that wasn¡¯t a cousin of yours?¡±


    ¡°Friend¡­¡± the golem lamented, tilting his head as he looked at the remains of the boulder with sadness.


    ¡°Either way,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°you¡¯re still going to have to pay for that. It was private property.¡±


    The adventurer groaned and let his torso fall back down to the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him,¡± the other human said. ¡°We don¡¯t really have much coin on hand right now, but hopefully this will cover it.¡±


    She opened one of her bags and pulled a large, thick piece of black fur from it. ¡°It¡¯s the pelt from the bear. You can have it. I¡¯d rather be rid of it and just get to the inn quick. My feet are killing me and looking at it just brings me bad memories of how close we were to dying.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I was going to have a cloak made from it!¡± Jack protested as he stood back up to a sitting position.


    ¡°And how are you going to wear it with that thing taking up all your carrying capacity?¡± Leah retorted, with the tone of a mother admonishing her child. ¡°If I can¡¯t rid us of that cursed sword, I can at least get rid of this stupidly heavy pelt. I don¡¯t want to carry this reminder of our near deaths a minute longer.¡±


    The young man crossed his arms but did not complain further.


    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind taking that off your hands,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°But I¡¯d also like something else from you. Information.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Mister merchant needs information from us, ignorant adventurers?¡± the girl said, raising her eyebrows.


    ¡°Precisely. It has to do with igno¡­ with adventurers. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you. I can¡¯t really go up into town and visit your guild myself, on account of¡­ all the work I have to do here and all, but if I needed to have a message relayed to one of your fellow adventurers, is that something they could do there?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Leah responded. ¡°Most of us move around all the time, traveling between cities across the whole continent. It¡¯s common for the guild to save and deliver messages to its members whenever they stop by.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± the crab said with enthusiasm. ¡°Think you could take a message from me up there?¡±


    ¡°I guess? We are going there either way. It won¡¯t hurt to do you that favor after the big hero over there just rudely broke a piece of your property for no damn reason!¡± she said, raising her voice towards the end of the sentence and glaring at her partner, who was still lying on the ground with his arms crossed. ¡°Who do you want to send a message to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking to send word out to a certain adventurer. Her name is Ruby...¡±

 Chapter 60: Chasing a Bone

    Balthazar yawned loudly and his eye stalks grew heavier as the night grew longer. Standing behind him, Bouldy opened his cavernous mouth and imitated his friend. Whether he was doing it because yawns tend to be contagious, or simply because he wanted to blend in, was anybody¡¯s guess.


    Nevertheless, it still made the crab chuckle, and the golem smile.


    ¡°Looks like he¡¯s late tonight,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Friend?¡± the golem replied.


    ¡°Well, I guess he¡¯s always late, but I mean later than usual.¡±


    The tired merchant sighed and looked up and down the road again. As much as he wanted to make coin off the merchant skeleton, he also really wanted to collapse on his pillow and get a good night of sleep.


    Far off in the distance, a small dim light appeared, bouncing up and down over the dark road.


    ¡°Ah, there he comes. Finally!¡±


    As the light grew nearer, Balthazar noticed it was moving too fast and swaying too wildly for a normal walking pace.


    ¡°What in the world?¡± he muttered, trying to peer further into the darkness.


    With a growing sound of bones rattling, Tom¡¯s bone-white face came into view, running in with his lantern stick and loot sack bouncing up and down over his shoulder.


    ¡°The hell happened? Why are you running?¡± the suddenly awake and alert crab asked as the skeleton stopped in front of him, both hands on his knees and breathing heavy.


    ¡°Chased¡­ by¡­ by some humans,¡± Tom answered, between loud panting.


    ¡°What humans?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Also, how are you out of breath? You don¡¯t even have lungs!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the skeleton, bringing his heavy breathing to a sudden halt and standing back straight. ¡°You¡¯re right. I completely forgot about that when they started shooting fireballs at me.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s they?!¡±


    ¡°Right! The two adventurers trying to pick my bones. I usually do a pretty good job of avoiding them by traveling at night, but now and then there are some numskulls that get lost or stay out past bedtime and bump into me on the road.¡± He glanced over his shoulder with a look of urgency. ¡°You gotta help me hide. I don¡¯t know how, but they keep tracking me down and I don¡¯t want to spend all night running away.¡±


    ¡°Not difficult to do when you¡¯re running away in the middle of the night with a lantern above your head signaling to everyone where you are,¡± Balthazar said, pointing a pincer at the firefly lantern hanging from the skeleton¡¯s walking stick. ¡°Turn it off before they spot you again!¡±


    ¡°Turn it off?!¡± Tom repeated in an exasperated tone. ¡°They¡¯re fireflies! How do you expect me to turn them off? Squish them between my fingers?! Just let me in and hide me somewhere!¡±


    ¡°Fine! Go in and get inside one of the empty crates,¡± the crab said. ¡°Go with him and help him close the lid, Bouldy. I¡¯ll handle the adventurers.¡±


    The golem nodded and, together with the traveling merchant, walked down into the trading post.


    As Balthazar turned back to the road, he spotted two men running down the road from the same direction Tom had arrived. One was a fighter holding a mace and shield, while the other was a robed mage with two small orbs of fire glowing within his fingers, ready to be shot out.


    ¡°Evening, fellas!¡± the golden merchant greeted, a pincer in the air and a trained customer service grin on his face. ¡°Nice night for a stroll, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You, crab, have you seen a skeleton running this way?¡± the fighter asked.


    ¡°Skeleton? Hmm, let me think¡­¡± Balthazar said, glancing past a boulder towards the trading post, where the golem had just finished covering a crate with its lid and was now waving back with a rocky thumbs up.


    ¡°He had a big bag of loot and a lantern. You couldn¡¯t have missed him,¡± said the mage.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I have, no,¡± the crab casually said, shaking his shell as he tapped on his chin with the tip of his pincer. ¡°Been pretty quiet around here since nightfall.¡±


    ¡°We saw his light heading down this road. How could you not have seen it?¡± the mace wielder insisted.


    ¡°Why are you out here this late at night anyway?¡± the other added. ¡°Crabs aren¡¯t nocturnal, are they?¡±


    ¡°No, but we are very professional,¡± the merchant retorted. ¡°I am always looking out for any adventurers in need of supplies, no matter the time of day. Say, you gentleman in need of some potions? Bug repellent? Maybe a new pair of comfortable socks? I¡¯ve just got a new collection of wool ones in pink and baby blue that you¡¯ll love, I¡¯m sure. Some of them even come with pre-made holes for your convenience!¡±


    ¡°Bah, he¡¯s just trying to sell us junk now,¡± said the fighter. ¡°Let¡¯s go before we lose the skeleton.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. What if he¡¯s trying to fool us?¡± the mage said to his partner. ¡°I swear the light ran right this way. There¡¯s no way it could have passed here without him noticing.¡±


    ¡°Wait! What¡¯s that?¡± the crab yelled, with one claw firmly pointed towards the middle of the plains on the other side of the road. ¡°I just saw a dim light moving between the tall grass there. Was that what you two were looking for?¡±


    The two adventurers turned their heads in unison to where Balthazar was pointing.


    ¡°Where?!¡± said the robed one, both of the flames in his hands flaring up.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°I think I see something,¡± the other said. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go before it gets away.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± his companion asked, but the fighter was already rushing into the plains with his mace at the ready.


    The mage groaned but followed behind, after throwing a skeptical glare at the crab.


    ¡°Heh, good luck, suckers,¡± Balthazar muttered under his breath.


    After making sure the pair had fully disappeared into the faraway sea of grass, the shrewd crab made his way off the road and back to his pond.


    ¡°You can come out now, they¡¯re gone,¡± he said to the conspicuous crate with a yellow light glowing from its gaps.


    The lid slid off and the top of a white skull peeked over from within, followed by two empty eye sockets.


    ¡°Is it safe? You sure they¡¯re gone?¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry. I threw them off your trail, sent them off on a chase through the plains.¡± The crab turned to the golem. ¡°Bouldy, go stand watch by the entrance, just in case. Let us know if anyone shows up.¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± the rock giant said with a nod before heading to the access path.


    ¡°Semmel¡¯s bones, that was close!¡± Tom exclaimed, as he stepped out of the crate and put his wide brim hat back on. ¡°Those two were persistent. Chased me down all the way from the woods by the foot of the mountain. Like dogs with a bone, heh.¡±


    ¡°Why were they chasing you with such fervor, anyway? Did you do anything to them?¡±


    ¡°Me? Of course not. I¡¯m a trader, not a fighting skeleton!¡± the other merchant said. ¡°Guess you must have gotten too cozy with them humans by now, forgot not all of us are so lucky to be in their good graces. Adventurers see a skeleton and they get all murderous.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you technically already dead, though?¡± Balthazar joked.


    ¡°Not funny!¡± Tom yelled. ¡°Alright, maybe just a little. Guess my humor is finally rubbing off on you a little. But still, when those maniacs see an undead, there¡¯s no reasoning or talking to be had, they just shoot first and ask questions never. Add to it a skeleton carrying a big sack of loot, and you can almost see them foaming at the mouth as they run after you. Had to haul it out of there faster than a cleric at a succubus lair.¡±


    ¡°Well, you got away with all your bones,¡± said the crab. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°Yes, appreciated,¡± the other said, while looking up and around at the wooden frame built around the platform. ¡°Anyway, looks like you got a sort of skeleton of your own around here now. Got envious of my perfect form, eh?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± Balthazar said, looking annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m getting a roof over the place before the rains come.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. Why the face, though? You not happy with how it¡¯s turning out?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± The crab stopped and thought for a moment before continuing. ¡°You ever seen or heard of things being in one state, and when someone goes away and then comes back, they are suddenly different?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow,¡± Tom said, scratching the side of his bony temple with an equally bony fingertip.


    ¡°Like, for example, say the carpenter I have working on this roof is working around one of the support beams, nothing¡¯s really happening, everything looks the same, and only when you go away and aren¡¯t looking does the pillar suddenly come up and is all built by the time you check back. That make any sense to you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, I think I get it now!¡± the skeleton said, nodding his skull. ¡°We have that all the time in the dungeon, too.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the excited crab said. ¡°You ever had that happen to you?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean we do stuff like that after adventurers have visited.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know, someone has to clean up after those ruffians have gone through our place and before the next batch comes around. They make a mess of the whole dungeon. They break stuff, they turn everything upside down looking for treasure, bleed all over our floors and walls. And do you think a single one of them ever stops before leaving and does a little cleaning up, maybe pick up their trash? Hah, of course not! Clearly, nobody ever taught them manners back home.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°But then what?¡±


    ¡°Well, once they leave, we come out of our holes and quickly sort the place out.¡± The skeleton picked the crab¡¯s feather duster off a table and waved it around. ¡°Clean up any bodily fluids they left behind, dump the bodies of the ones who didn¡¯t make it, refill and lock the chests, reset all the traps, fix anything that might be broken, and make sure everything is ready before any more arrive.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you actually see all of this happen with your eye¡­ sockets?¡± the hesitant crab asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Tom answered. ¡°We do it all away from adventurer eyes. They¡¯re the only ones not meant to see it.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ why not?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡± The skeleton shrugged. ¡°I never really bothered wondering why. It¡¯s just the way things are. One of those natural facts of life. Like water taking longer to boil if you¡¯re watching it, or rain coming right after you put clothes out to dry.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me,¡± the crab started, staring emptily at the floor, ¡°that the whole things changing when out of sight only happens for adventurers?¡±


    ¡°Yes, pretty much. Why do you ask? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re an adventurer. Why should you care, right? Hah!¡±


    ¡°Yes, heh, right,¡± Balthazar agreed, with a weak chuckle. ¡°Was just curious. Forget I asked.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I almost forgot to ask between all that chase chaos,¡± Tom said, ¡°have the orcs visited yet?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the other merchant, perking up from his pensive state. ¡°They did. You told them about me?¡±


    ¡°Sure did!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but how come you¡¯ve sent them my way when you could have kept their business all to yourself? They got a lot of junk to sell.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, they do,¡± the skeleton responded. ¡°Way more than I¡¯d ever buy from them. Besides, most of their stuff is way too high level for our little dungeon. We have to keep our loot tempting enough for newbies to come, but not so high that the more experienced adventurers start raiding us, too. We couldn¡¯t handle those.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Makes sense, I guess.¡±


    ¡°And beyond that,¡± Tom continued, ¡°it doesn¡¯t hurt to send business each other¡¯s way. We non-humans got to stick together. Not all of us are so lucky to fall in the good graces of the adventurers. And maybe today they like you, but maybe tomorrow they¡¯re putting out quests to hunt you down. Trade with them all you like, but you¡¯re still never going to be one of them. You should remember that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I get that, don¡¯t worry,¡± the crab said.


    ¡°If you¡¯re getting along well with the orcs, who knows, maybe they¡¯ll send others your way too. That¡¯s how a lot of us do business behind the human¡¯s backs, through word of mouth. Your little pond here has been the talk of the night lately. The crab who makes business with adventurers. Catches a lot of ears. You should consider how to make the most of it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡± Balthazar asked, crossing his arms and rubbing his chin with a pincer.


    ¡°Sure is,¡± the merchant skeleton responded, while combing the feathers of the duster with his finger bones. ¡°If you played your cards right, you could even turn this place into a trading hub for all of us rejects to do some trading without having to keep looking over our shoulders by the side of the road.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that would go well with all the adventurer clients I got,¡± the skeptical crab pointed out. ¡°And I¡¯m not about to give up their plentiful coin to start a clandestine business that might not even pay as well.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± said Tom, tossing the duster into a crate. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to bump into them on my way in or out, either. Why do you think I do my business at night? Hardly any of them around. Why only use half of the day to make a profit when there¡¯s plenty of other clientele while your main one is hiding in their towns?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± the other merchant said, suppressing a yawn, ¡°but I also got to sleep at some point, you know?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, sleep. Forgot that¡¯s a thing. Oh well, either way, just something to think about.¡±


    Tom leaned over the crate he had been hiding in and retrieved his lantern and loot bag.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, turning back to the crab, ¡°if you really want to keep expanding your business, you really should consider giving this place a name. Not very marketable when I have to keep referring to it as ¡®that trading post owned by a talking crab¡¯ to everyone. I bet your adventurer buddies feel the same.¡±


    ¡°A name? I never really thought about giving it one.¡±


    ¡°Well, consider it another thing to think about then,¡± said the skeleton, tipping the brim of his hat.


    ¡°You know, maybe you''re right. Maybe a name is what this place needs," the golden crab said, looking around with a knowing smile.

 Chapter 61: Counter Offer

    Morning had come, and the sun was well on its way up to the highest point in the sky, but Balthazar was none the wiser to that, as he was still fast asleep on his purple cushion, both of his pincers hanging off the sides, a stain of drool staining the fabric.


    He occasionally twitched and mumbled, his mind dwelling in dreams filled with sugary treats and piles of shiny gold coins.


    In the background of all those, his beloved pond, beautiful and enchanting as ever, but also not quite the same. The vegetation was different and more vibrant, seasons had come and gone, the weather was no longer the same summer tone he had grown used to. The acacia tree that marked the very center of his domain also looked more alive and verdant than it ever had, despite its old age.


    Staring off into the distance, Balthazar admired the snowcapped mountain that stood behind his land and from which the waters that filled his pond flowed.


    Closer than all that, however, was the trading post, which was no longer just an open platform, but a full building with walls and windows. The crab found it strange. He had never been inside a building, only read about them, and seen drawings in books, yet it still felt comfortable and safe. Like a home.


    The background sound of a crowd talking, laughing, and moving around grew higher and broke his attention away from the back of his trading post.


    Turning around, the merchant saw the inside of the building crowded with many figures, each doing their own thing without directly paying him any mind.


    His trading post now looked like a proper shop, like those he had heard existed in towns. Proper, beautifully crafted shelves covered the walls, all manner of goods filling them. Display stands dotted the area, with armors and clothing of all types and qualities. Everywhere he looked, something new and interesting grabbed his attention, from new books to items he had never seen before, begging to be examined.


    Balthazar strolled through the room, watching familiar faces everywhere he looked.


    Off by a corner, Madeleine was putting down a large tray of cookies on a table, with a radiant smile on her face. Sitting at the table were a handful of adventurers, Rye among them, eagerly reaching for the tray as they all cheered her.


    Close to the center of the room, lying on a pile of pillows, Blue rejoiced as three young girls that looked to be adventurers were joyfully petting and pampering her with a giddy excitement.


    Looking towards another corner, the crab spotted Druma showing off his staff stances to an amused Tweedus, who stood by with his hands behind his back, chuckling at the goblin.


    Hearing a loud clamoring from nearby, Balthazar pushed through a small crowd of random adventurers, and much to his surprise, what he saw was the orc chieftain, Khargol, sitting at a table, a small group of other orcs behind him, cheering loudly, as he arm wrestled a muscular human adventurer sitting opposite of him, an exhilarated crowd of his own surrounding his side. Everyone was laughing and chanting for their favorite to win, as they both struggled to bring the other¡¯s arm down, with defiant smirks on their faces.


    Spinning around, the surprises continued, with Tom, the skeleton, standing by the front door chatting with John, the carpenter. Their conversation was imperceptible under all the other loud chatter, but whatever it was, they seemed to be having a great time, going by the constant laughter and chuckling.


    The gilded crab did not fully understand the scenario he found himself in, but he felt content, and despite the oddness of it all, things just felt right.


    Just as an open smile began forming on his face and he started considering who he wanted to join first, something startled Balthazar.


    The wooden floorboards under him began vibrating lightly, a rumbling quickly forming from it. He couldn¡¯t tell what was causing it, but a feeling of panic rapidly grew within him. He knew something bad was coming, he just did not know what.


    As he turned around, the whole room was suddenly empty, everyone who had filled it just a moment before gone without a trace.


    The tremor grew even closer. It was coming from the outside, and with his heart pounding in his shell, the crab skittered to the door.


    The daylight flooding in through the open door frame blinded him as he ran towards it. Balthazar brought an arm up to shield his eyes, but it was as if the blinding light only grew more intense, until he could see nothing else.


    ***


    Balthazar jolted up from his pillow, his groggy eyes struggling to adapt to the brightness of the daylight flooding into his tent, his mouth opening and closing, trying to recover from its dryness.


    ¡°Gah, how late is it?!¡± he said to himself. ¡°Damn it, I must have overslept. Was I dreaming? Ah, who cares. If I can¡¯t remember it, then it must not have been important.¡±


    Stepping out of the tent, the crab looked up at the sky.


    ¡°Oh crap, that¡¯s more than half the morning lost!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Why the hell did no one wake me up?¡±


    He looked around, looking for anyone to blame nearby, but not even the drake was on her cushion, which was unexpected from the creature who spent most of the day napping.


    Looking further off into the distance, Balthazar realized there was a big change in his territory.


    The roof over his trading post was no longer just an empty frame, but a fully finished structure.


    Excited to look closer, the crab rushed across the bridge to the other side.


    The platform was now more like a very large gazebo, its thick six support beams holding a slanted hexagonal roof covered with dozens of wooden shingles and ending on a small pointy cupola at the very top.


    Emerging from the opposite side of the roof, Blue climbed to the top, her claws gripping the iron tip of the central hub as she let out a screech that seemed to declare approval for her new perching spot.


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    Turning the corner came Druma, running from the worksite area towards Balthazar.


    ¡°Boss, boss! We finish roof for boss!¡± the goblin proudly announced, jumping up and down.


    ¡°I can see that,¡± the crab said. ¡°How come you all let me sleep this late, though? I must have lost tons of business this morning.¡±


    ¡°Boss stay up late because of skeleton,¡± said the assistant. ¡°Druma no want cranky boss all day, so Druma let boss sleep. And we want to surprise boss with finished roof when boss wake up. We tell humans we close for renovation, come back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ thanks¡­ I guess? Not sure how I feel about the whole thing, but I guess your intentions were in the right place, so I¡¯m just going to leave it alone. Where is John?¡±


    ¡°Right here,¡± the old woodworker announced, rounding the same corner Druma had come from, with Bouldy passing close behind, carrying a large wooden beam on his shoulder.


    ¡°There you are,¡± Balthazar said to the carpenter. ¡°I see you¡¯ve finished the roof while I was sleeping. Once again, I saw none of it being built. That sure is a big coincidence, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Again, I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re complaining about,¡± the other responded. ¡°The work is good and was fast. Isn¡¯t that good enough for you? Let¡¯s go on in. I want to show you a few things.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess this isn¡¯t the right time to be complaining. This looks pretty good from the outside. Interested in seeing the inside.¡±


    The crab and the carpenter stepped onto the deck, the shade provided by the new roof making the whole trading post much darker than Balthazar was used to.


    ¡°As you can see if you look up there,¡± John started, pointing up at each cardinal point of the roof, ¡°we hung some iron lanterns from the ceiling with chains that each run down a pillar over there, allowing them to be lowered to light and extinguish as needed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, pretty neat. I like it,¡± Balthazar said, looking up at the whole system and nodding.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also replaced the fencing around the whole place with something sturdier,¡± the carpenter continued, ¡°and made a taller and stronger fence with a gate for this entrance area here leading down from the road, so you can lock things down and keep nosy people from strolling in whenever you¡¯re closed.¡±


    ¡°Great! I like it!¡±


    ¡°Also, I took the liberty of doing something a little extra,¡± the old man said, walking to the far end of the trading post. ¡°Your little green friend may not be the most skilled builder, but I still wouldn¡¯t feel right killing his spirit by replacing the furniture he made with better ones. Instead, I decided to make something brand new with his help that I thought you could use.¡±


    Balthazar walked around a stack of crates and saw the man stop next to a long wooden counter and give its surface a gentle slap.


    ¡°A proper shop should have a counter for its merchant to stand behind while receiving his clients,¡± John said with a smile between his thick beard.


    ¡°Oh, wow, this is just like the ones in all those fancy shops I¡¯ve read about,¡± the impressed merchant said, admiring the fine craft and finish of the counter. It was without a doubt a substantial step up from the crudely crafted pieces made by the goblin alone. ¡°And you say Druma helped you make it?¡±


    ¡°He sure did. Well, mostly it was me, but he still helped. His major contribution went into something else. Check behind the counter.¡±


    Balthazar walked around the new piece of furniture and found a stool. Not just a regular stool like the others he already had, but a wider one, with a slant on the back for access and at the right height to accommodate a crab rather than a human.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡± the excited crab said, hopping on the stool and placing his pincers on the counter¡¯s surface. ¡°I can actually reach it this way. Very nice.¡±


    ¡°Thank your assistant,¡± John said. ¡°I mainly just gave him the instructions. The work was mostly his.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°But speaking of work, you finished the whole job and I¡¯m just now remembering you¡¯ve managed to dodge talking about the payment this whole time. Is this the part where things go sour and you try to charge me a ridiculous price for something I can¡¯t return? Because I must warn you, I¡¯m not an easy crab to haggle with.¡±


    The grizzly old man chuckled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, crab. There¡¯s a good reason why I didn¡¯t want to talk about a payment before. It¡¯s because I never intended to charge you anything at all.¡±


    ¡°You what?!¡± the incredulous crab yelled out. ¡°You''re crazy? I like free as much as the next merchant, but I also know there¡¯s no such thing as free work. What¡¯s the catch? If you ask me for one of my legs, I swear I¡¯ll break this stool in two on your head.¡±


    ¡°No catch, you have my word. I have my own reasons why I don¡¯t want to charge you.¡±


    ¡°And what would those be?¡± the suspicious merchant questioned.


    ¡°I hear what goes around in town. Everybody¡¯s been catching wind of your feud with our esteemed merchant master and how much of a thorn in his side you¡¯ve become.¡±


    ¡°Alright, maybe so, but what¡¯s it to you?¡±


    ¡°You think you and your drunken friend are the only ones who¡¯ve been wronged by Antoine before?¡± the man said. ¡°That sniveling coward stepped over a lot of people on his way to where he is today.¡±


    John leaned over the counter and rested an elbow on it while staring off into the distant waterfall.


    ¡°I used to have a nice carpentry workshop right in the middle of the commercial district up in town years ago. But unfortunately for me, it happened to be next to his damn emporium, and soon after he became its full proprietor, he decided the place wasn¡¯t big enough and he wanted to expand it. My workshop was in the way of his plans, so he bribed, blackmailed, and manipulated his way into getting me kicked out of the shop so he could tear it down. I worked in that place every day for over two decades, and he took that away from me simply because of his greed and need for grandeur.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m... sorry. I didn¡¯t know,¡± Balthazar said, feeling awkward. ¡°If Antoine had his way, he¡¯d run me out of my beloved pond too, so I guess I¡­ can understand how you feel.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± the old man said, turning back to facing the crab, a sorrowful smile on his weathered face. ¡°When that Tristan feller came looking for me for a job at the talking crab¡¯s place, I decided I wanted to come see what kind of character you really were. Judge for myself if you were as good or as bad as people comment.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°You might not be a bundle of joy,¡± John said, ¡°but my gut told me very early on you got a good heart somewhere down there. And I tend to trust my gut.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I tend to do the same,¡± the crab said. ¡°Especially when it tells me to eat more pie.¡±


    The carpenter chuckled.


    ¡°Well, there you have it. Once I decided what my opinion of you was, I knew there was no way I¡¯d charge you anything for the job. It might not have anything to do with Antoine directly, but anything that helps you setting up your place better is sure to annoy and frustrate that arrogant bag of wind, and that brings me great joy.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Balthazar started, ¡°I¡¯m not totally sure what to say to that, but I can appreciate the sentiment.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± the old man said, pushing himself off the counter, ¡°just say you¡¯ll keep giving him a hard time and we¡¯ll call that my payment for the job. How does that sound for a budget?¡±


    ¡°As rare as it is for me to say this,¡± said the merchant, ¡°that is one price I¡¯m happy to pay. You got yourself a deal.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear. Give him hell, crab,¡± the man said. ¡°But for now, I think my work here is done and I need to go back home and give these old bones a rest.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the crab said, getting down from the stool and walking around the counter to accompany the carpenter. ¡°I guess the least I can do is say thanks. The roof really came out great, even though I still have no idea how you did any of it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot,¡± said John, stopping by a crate and pulling something from behind it. ¡°I had a nice bit of wood left while working the other day and it looked perfect for a nice sign to hang outside your entrance, so I figured I¡¯d turn it into one and give to you, in case you have any use for it.¡±


    The old man handed the flat piece of wood to Balthazar, who took it into his two pincers.


    ¡°You know, John, this is actually perfect,¡± he said to the man. ¡°I wanted to finally give this place a name, and this will be perfect for that.¡±


    ¡°Well, there you go, glad I could be of help on that, too. Just please tell me you will not put ¡®emporium¡¯ on the name,¡± the grizzly old man joked.


    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t. I had something else in mind,¡± the merchant said, gazing at the wooden plaque¡¯s empty surface with a smile. ¡°What do you think of¡­ Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar?¡±

 Chapter 62: Inauguration Party

    Balthazar put the brush down next to the open bucket of paint and picked up his new wooden sign. Holding it between his two pincers, the crab looked upon his finished work and nodded.


    ¡°Might have taken me an hour to write two words, but I think it looks pretty good,¡± he proudly said to himself.


    Carrying the plaque across the newly roofed platform, he opened the new gate at the entrance and stepped outside. With great care, the merchant hung the sign on the fence using the nail John had left already placed for him.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± the crab said, as he took a few steps back and looked at the wooden panel with an open pincer in front of his eyes, measuring how straight the placement was.


    The finely crafted piece of wood spelled the new name for his trading post with crudely painted letters made by crustacean pincers: Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar.


    The crab wasn¡¯t entirely sure where he had gotten the idea for the name from, but it just felt right and as if it had always been there in the back of his mind.


    He wondered if perhaps it came to him in a dream, but promptly decided that was silly, as he hardly ever remembered his dreams.


    Whatever it was, he was just pleased with his own crustacean inspiration.


    Truly a genius to be hailed by his peers. If he had any.


    ¡°Ah,¡± he sighed, ¡°sometimes I almost feel bad that there is no one around that can compare to me.¡±


    Turning around, Balthazar made his way out onto the road, looking for any potential clients.


    Looking north, he spotted a group of three young adventurers walking down from Ardville. One was a level 8 young man with a shortsword attached to the side of the backpack he carried over his shoulder, while the other two were both level 7, one a boy with a shortbow and light armor, the last a young girl wearing wizard robes.


    ¡°Hello, adventurers!¡± he called out to the humans, with both pincers in the air. ¡°How would you like to come in, check my new place, and maybe sell or buy something?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± the first one said, stopping in front of the crab with a hand holding his pack¡¯s strap. ¡°I know your place. You¡¯re the talking crab that trades stuff with people. I was just there last week. I already know your trading post.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± said the merchant, ¡°but we¡¯ve undergone some¡­ renovations. We even got a roof and everything. And more importantly, this trading post now has a proper name. Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar! Spread the word, let everyone know!¡±


    ¡°That name sounds kinda silly,¡± the girl said, holding back a giggle.


    ¡°And you¡¯re wearing a pink robe and a pointy hat, so I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d take your opinion on what¡¯s silly too seriously,¡± the crab threw back with a dismissive tone.


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s meant to be white, but I accidentally washed it with some red socks. And what¡¯s wrong with my hat?¡±


    ¡°You guys should get inside with the party and check out the inauguration offers,¡± Balthazar said to the group, ignoring her question.


    ¡°Alright, why not?¡± said the one with the bow. ¡°I like parties, and maybe there¡¯s something worth grabbing.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± the first adventurer said. ¡°Just a quick look.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± the crab said, before leading the trio down the path and through the gate.


    ¡°Oh, nice roof,¡± the higher level adventurer said, looking up. ¡°Makes the whole place look nicer.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± the archer said, looking around the platform. ¡°You mentioned a party, but there¡¯s no one here partying.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°You are here now, and you are a party of adventurers, are you not?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the kind of party¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± the crab shouted at the wizard girl, who was reaching for a plate of butter cookies on a table. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I thought these were for the customers?¡± she sheepishly said, pulling her hand back to her chest. ¡°You know, like snacks for the inauguration guests?¡±


    ¡°Those are my snacks,¡± the annoyed merchant said. ¡°Why the hell would I give my pastries to clients for free?¡±


    ¡°I thought you said this was an inauguration. Those usually mean you offer free stuff to your guests!¡± one of the others exclaimed with a shrug.


    ¡°Free stuff? Are you nuts?¡± the incredulous crab exclaimed back. ¡°I¡¯m trying to inaugurate a place, not run it into the ground. And stop eyeing my cookies!¡±


    Balthazar took the plate and moved it away from the girl, who pouted and crossed her arms, looking disappointed she couldn¡¯t have one.


    ¡°Alright, fine, whatever,¡± said the one with the shortsword. ¡°We should be heading out there anyway, not stand around here all day eating cookies. So let¡¯s just do business and get going.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± said the crab, as he placed the plate on the counter and hopped onto the stool behind it. ¡°Don¡¯t want you wasting too much of my time here.¡±


    ¡°My guy, you went out there and called us in for your inauguration!¡± the bowman exclaimed, his arms thrown up in exasperation.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°Yes, and now you¡¯re here. Let¡¯s trade so you can scamper already. I didn¡¯t want you to come in so you could loiter around all day. I got things to do, other people to trade with.¡±


    ¡°Worst inauguration I¡¯ve ever been to,¡± the grumpy mage muttered, her arms crossed, her expression still looking upset about the cookies.


    ¡°Whatever!¡± the adventurer with the backpack yelled out. ¡°Let¡¯s just check the special offers and go. You two need anything?¡±


    ¡°I forgot to bring lock picks. Again,¡± the ranger said, while looking through his satchel. ¡°Damn it, I can never remember them before we leave town. And it¡¯s always when I don¡¯t have any that we find those locked treasure chests.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± the other adventurer said, turning to Balthazar, ¡°crab, you got any lock picks?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Here¡¯s a set of ten lock picks,¡± he said, grabbing a small bundle from under the counter and placing them on top of it. ¡°How many you want?¡±


    ¡°Just the one will do,¡± the one with the satchel responded.


    ¡°Great. Are these covered by the special prices?¡± his partner asked to the crab.


    ¡°Of course. Everything is for sale at a special price,¡± answered the merchant.


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°5 gold for the bundle.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± the bow user interjected. ¡°I bought some lock picks from here last week and they cost 5 gold for a bundle of ten too. That¡¯s the same price!¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Balthazar casually said.


    ¡°How is that a special offer then?¡± the other adventurer asked.


    ¡°All my prices are special offers,¡± the golden merchant answered. ¡°I have great prices every day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what a special offer means!¡± the annoyed adventurer said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± said the crab. ¡°My prices are the best around, so that makes them special offers. If you don¡¯t like them, you can go shop somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°But how does that make them any different from any other day, then?!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t. I never said the special offer was just for today, did I?¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡± the archer yelled. ¡°Just forget it. Pay the crab so we can go.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± the other said, pulling five coins from his pocket.


    ¡°Pleasure doing business with you,¡± the merchant said, picking up the coins with his silver pincer.


    The young man threw him an irate glare as he snatched the bundle of lock picks off the counter.


    ¡°Guys, wait,¡± the girl said from behind a nearby shelf. ¡°I think I found a nice new white robe.¡±


    The other two groaned in unison.


    ¡°Come on, hurry up, please! I bet the crab won¡¯t even let us have any of his lemonade while we wait,¡± one of them said to her.


    ¡°Right you are, boy,¡± Balthazar said, gripping the handle of the lemonade jar resting on the counter and sliding it closer to himself. ¡°But take your time. I got something to, uh¡­ check down here.¡±


    He pulled a random book from the shelf area below and opened it over the counter. Pretending to look at its pages, the crab looked through his system notifications.


    [Items traded. Experience gained.]


    [[Lock pick x10] traded for [5 Gold]]


    [You have reached level 14!]


    Balthazar swiped through his notifications and menus while keeping an eye on the adventurers in the background.


    While they surely were used to doing similar things with their own systems, the crab felt no urge to explain himself to them if they were to realize a crab was using a system and leveling up.


    Adventurers were already pestering enough as they were. There was no need to give them one more thing to bother him with.


    With eyes staring down at the book, but actually reading the text of the system, the crab pondered on his choices.


    The attribute point was not even worth stopping to think about. It went into Intelligence as always, because until someone or something gave him a strong reason to change, he was going to continue developing his intellect.


    Not that he was lacking in that department, of course, being the genius crab he knew he was, but there was always room for more brain power in his big shell.


    The more difficult choice was, as usual, where to spend his skill point.


    [Status]


    [Name: Balthazar] [Race: Crab] [Class: Adept Merchant] [Level: 14]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 3] [Agility: 2] [Intelligence: 24]


    [Skills]


    [Charisma: S(+5)] [Medium Armor: A] [Speech: A] [Reading: B] [Fishing: C] [Imbuing: C] [Leadership: C] [Slashing Weapons: C]


    Tapping his chin with a pincer as he acted interested in what was written on the pages of the ¡°Gazebo Catalog XXIV ¨C 100 Beautiful Designs for Your Garden¡± in front of him, Balthazar considered whether he should raise the rank in one of his already taken skills, or look for a new one.


    There was nothing new he felt he needed at that moment, and the crab had a natural dislike for most things new, but at the same time, he also couldn¡¯t find a standout choice in his list of skills.


    Perhaps improving Leadership once more could be a good choice, especially with the way he was slowly growing his sphere of influence with others. For someone who had spent most of his life avoiding being social, he found he was getting pretty good at being a leading crab.


    Without a doubt because of his natural talents, and not because of some silly system skills. It was all pure crab.


    The other option would be to save the point for later.


    Except the little pulsing icon in the corner of his eye indicating he had an unspent point really annoyed Balthazar.


    It was always the little things that got to him.


    ¡°Heeeey! Helloooo?¡± the wizard girl called out, waving a hand in front of the merchant.


    ¡°Oh!¡± he exclaimed with surprise.


    Balthazar had gotten so lost in thought he had forgotten about the bothersome clients.


    ¡°You sleeping on the job or something, crab?¡± she asked.


    Trying to focus on both her face and the menus still in his eyes, Balthazar fumbled through the options and quickly selected his Leadership skill without any more thinking, bringing it up to a B and confirming it, so he could close everything faster.


    ¡°Nope, just lost in thought, was all,¡± he finally said, uncrossing his eyes. ¡°You done picking what you wanted?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re weird,¡± the adventurer said, with an expression of discomfort. ¡°And yes, I¡¯ll take this, please.¡±


    She placed a folded white robe on the counter, while signaling for the other two by the exit to wait.


    ¡°That will be 25 gold,¡± the crab said. ¡°And try not to mix this one with colored clothing while washing. I don¡¯t do refunds if the product is stained.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you¡¯d do a refund if it wasn¡¯t stained?¡± the adventurer asked, while counting coins out of her purse.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why even say¡­ whatever, not even going to ask,¡± she said, placing the coins on the counter. ¡°You know, your inauguration sucks. You should learn to value your clientele and treat them better.¡±


    She gave the plate of cookies at the end of the counter one last longing glance before turning around and leaving with the rest of her party.


    The merchant shrugged. Clearly, the traders in town spoiled adventurers far too much. He, however, saw no reason to try that hard. Where else would they go for trading around there? It was not as if he had any competition in his slice of the market.


    No one would ever be crazy enough to set up shop near his pond. Surely.

 Chapter 63: Mister Big Crab

    The drake took a deep breath and spread her wings as she shot a stream of blue flames over the pond¡¯s water, her talons firmly gripping the ground as she screeched.


    Pulling her head back and relaxing her body, Blue looked at the crab standing next to her.


    ¡°Very good, girl!¡± he cheered, snapping his pincers together in what one could only assume was his version of clapping.


    The winged creature closed her eyes in a vaguely smug way while straightening up her neck. Draconic creatures seemed to very much enjoy receiving praise, Balthazar had noted.


    ¡°Your fire breathing range is getting better,¡± he said. ¡°Just need to keep practicing it and you¡¯ll reach even further soon. I can also tell you¡¯re holding it for longer. Very impressive!¡±


    Blue shook her wings and let out a low growl of contentment as the crab walked around the small pool of pond water in front of them.


    ¡°Alright, girl, one more try,¡± the crab said. ¡°But remember, shoot over the water. Don¡¯t want to set anything on fire.¡±


    Balthazar hurried back to her side and out of the line of fire as she drew in another large breath.


    ¡°Hold¡­¡± the crab said, holding up an open pincer. ¡°Picture a nice, big bird, just begging to be roasted. You need to time it, or it will fly away. And¡­ fire!¡±


    He snapped his pincer and the drake let loose the flames from her mouth, which shot in a straight blue line over the water¡¯s surface, which bubbled up as it boiled from the heat.


    ¡°Well done!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, looking at the water with a pleased expression. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough. You can rest up and recover your breath. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me¡­¡±


    The drake watched with curiosity as the crab walked around her and disappeared behind some boxes.


    A moment later, he reappeared with a white linen towel over one of his claws, quickly skittering his way back to the edge of the water.


    Placing the towel down on the ground, Balthazar carefully dipped the tip of a leg into the water.


    ¡°Oof! Nice and hot!¡±


    Blue frowned as the crab slipped into the pool of heated water.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, seeing her air of disapproval. ¡°It¡¯s already heated, would be a shame to let it go to waste.¡±


    Throwing her head back, she turned around and left, looking slightly miffed.


    ¡°Bah, she¡¯ll get over it,¡± Balthazar said to himself, making a dismissive gesture with his claw.


    Relaxing his body and letting himself sink further down into the improvised hot spring, the crab looked up at the sky as the warmth seeped into his shell.


    Balthazar was used to relaxing in the waters of his pond. Sometimes they would even be warm from the sun, but a proper hot bath was never an option for him before.


    He had wondered if it was really all that good after having read humans enjoy them so much, and now that he was experiencing it for himself, he found every bit of it to be true.


    The small pool of water that split from the main body of the pond was steaming from how hot it was, but the crab did not mind it. The heat felt good on his insides.


    He also found the smell to be quite pleasant.


    And for some reason, it was also making him a bit hungry.


    ¡°Yah-wee! Smells like steamed crab in here!¡±


    The loud voice startled Balthazar, who was nearly falling asleep in the water.


    He recognized the drunken speech as being Tristan''s, and if further confirmation was needed, the drunkard gave it by appearing behind the fence of the trading post.


    ¡°Balthazar! Buddy!¡± the man yelled, cheerfully throwing both arms up before climbing over the fence and letting himself fall flat on the ground.


    ¡°Tristan, there¡¯s a bell by the entrance, couldn¡¯t you just use it?¡± the annoyed crab asked as he hurried out of the water and wrapped the towel around himself.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see no bell,¡± the drunk said, as he stood up with difficulty. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even find the entrance from before. Whole frigging place looks different! Did you do some renovations?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. It was you who found me the carpenter!¡±


    ¡°Ooooooh! Right, yep, that sounds like something me would do.¡±


    The man stopped and stared at the crab with a confused frown for a moment.


    ¡°Hey, why are you wearing a towel?¡±


    ¡°Because you interrupted me while I was in the middle of taking a bath!¡± Balthazar responded.


    ¡°But you¡¯re a crab. Aren¡¯t you always naked, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ just shut up about it!¡± the embarrassed crab said. ¡°Just tell me why you¡¯re here. I hope it¡¯s because you bring news about the market space, and not because you got lost on the way to a tavern again.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ a bit of both,¡± Tristan said, as he followed the crab back inside the bazaar. ¡°But yes, I do bring news about my little research.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Great. Let¡¯s hear them,¡± said the merchant, as he tossed the towel to the side and climbed onto his stool behind the counter.


    ¡°Oh, wow! Watch the modesty. I can totally see the underside of your shell now,¡± the drunk said, covering his eyes in mockery.


    ¡°Shut up and start talking,¡± the unamused crab said.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m drunk, but isn¡¯t that a little contradictory?¡±


    ¡°Oh, for fruitcakes! Just tell me what you found in town!¡± Balthazar yelled.


    ¡°Alright! Alright! Don¡¯t pinch me,¡± Tristan pleaded. ¡°I paid a visit to that old acquaintance of mine at the office of registries and after some charming and chatting I got a list of people who own spots in the town¡¯s market.¡±


    He pulled a wrinkly piece of paper from his chest pocket and unfolded it with an exaggerated flourish before presenting it to the crab.


    ¡°Good, good,¡± Balthazar said, glancing at the names on the list. ¡°Now, who among those would be most willing to sell a market space?¡±


    ¡°This one right here.¡±


    He wobbled in place before firmly planting a finger on the wooden surface of the counter.


    Looking down at his own hand with a squint, the man tried again, that time placing the finger on the top name of the list.


    ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± said the crab. ¡°And you¡¯re sure this person would sell it?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, absolutely,¡± Tristan responded, nodding. ¡°That old lady is looking to sell all the real estate she owns except her house. Her husband died, they had no kids, and now she just wants to retire and enjoy her years with comfort.¡±


    ¡°And is her spot at the market not currently occupied?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no. See, she was the one using it. The couple sold jewelry together at the market, but now that he¡¯s gone and she feels too old to continue, she¡¯s looking to let go of it. Like I said, perfect candidate for selling.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this is it then,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°How much coin will her space at the market cost me?¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait,¡± the raggedy man said, holding both arms in front of himself. ¡°You want to buy her market spot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course! Why else would I have sent you to do all this?¡± the exasperated crab said.


    ¡°Look, buddy, I¡¯m drunk as a skunk, and even I know they would never let a giant crab into town to sell at the market. You been hitting the bottle too? Or maybe you got a little too much steam into your shell?¡±


    ¡°No, you idiot,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I have no interest in going to their market. I¡¯m fine with my place down here. The stall at the market is for someone else. For a¡­ friend.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Tristan exclaimed, grasping the edge of the counter with both hands to keep himself from falling. ¡°You actually got friends?! Can I be one of them?¡±


    Balthazar sighed loudly and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Focus, Tristan! There¡¯s this baker in town, Madeleine. She sells at that market too, but Antoine bought her spot, and he is hiking up her rent to get back at me.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, I think I get it now,¡± the drunk man said, scratching his cheek with a finger. ¡°So that¡¯s the baker that makes all your pastries, and Antoine is trying to punish you through her. Yep, that does sound like him, I will admit.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± the crab said. ¡°Now you get why I want to buy another market space, so she can move to it, and then he won¡¯t be able to do anything about it, because I¡¯ll be the one who owns it. And that will thoroughly piss him off for sure.¡±


    ¡°I like that,¡± the smiling drunkard said while nodding. ¡°But wait, that still won¡¯t work. Even if you don¡¯t intend on using it yourself, there¡¯s no way they will allow an outsider to just purchase a lot on the market, let alone one who isn¡¯t even human.¡±


    ¡°And that, my drunken friend, is where you come in,¡± said Balthazar, pointing his pincer at Tristan.


    ¡°Did you just call me friend?¡± the surprised man asked, pointing sheepishly at himself.


    ¡°Urgh, try to pay attention, damn it!¡± the merchant said. ¡°I want you to go back up there with the money and purchase the space from that lady. You¡¯re a human and a local. Even if you¡¯re a little¡­ dubious in your sobriety, they will still have no reason not to allow you to own a piece of land if your money is good. The whole thing will just be a front, of course. The money will be mine and I will be the one who really owns it. You will just be representing me¡­ without them knowing that small detail.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, clever,¡± said Tristan. ¡°You¡¯re starting to remind me of Antoine.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just offending me,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. At least you¡¯re not doing this purely for selfish reasons, like everything Antoine does.¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly,¡± said the crab, doing his best not to think of all the pastries he might lose if Madeleine¡¯s business went under.


    ¡°Well,¡± the former merchant continued, ¡°the price for the space will depend. I can try to negotiate with the old lady, but I¡¯d never expect anything less than 2,500 gold for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s a lot of money,¡± Balthazar said, his shell deflating slightly.


    ¡°A space at the central market isn¡¯t cheap. Hundreds of people pass through there every day.¡±


    The crab glanced at the Bag of Holding Money tied to the side of his shell and how much it contained.


    [Bag of Holding Money (9490)]


    He knew he had more than enough to afford it, and that it was for a good cause, but parting with such a large sum still pained him greatly. Especially when so close to reaching ten thousand coins. Would something happen once he reached that value? Likely not, but something about reaching arbitrary round numbers gave the crab a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.


    It was likely a very crustacean trait that humans would not understand.


    Balthazar exhaled loudly as he thought of poor Madeleine, working day and night to make enough money to pay the tyrant landlord Antoine. It was a lot of coin, but he would not easily find a better use for it than that investment.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve made my decision,¡± the crab announced, startling the drunk, who was about to fall asleep with his head down on the counter. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the money and you will make the deal with this lady for the space and return here with the deed, but if you spend even a single coin¡ª¡±


    ¡°Furious pincers will descend upon me, blah, blah, blah, I remember,¡± Tristan interrupted, rolling his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t let you down yet, have I? I can be drunk out of my mind most of the time, but even like that, I¡¯m still a better trader than most sober people. I¡¯ll see it done.¡±


    ¡°Right, but it¡¯s a lot of money, so it¡¯s better to remind you,¡± Balthazar said, while fetching a few large coin pouches.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± the drunk said, rubbing his chin, ¡°after all that investigating I did to find you this list, don¡¯t I deserve a little reward? Like a little taste of delicious Babaurhum rum?¡±


    ¡°Tristan,¡± the crab said in a serious tone, while pinching coins from his bag and into the pouches, ¡°I am about to give you a large chunk of my life savings, it¡¯s a very large sum of money, you know how much it pains me to part with it? You have any idea how long it took me to make all of it? The hard work it took? And then, on top of that, you still ask me for something else?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ the money isn¡¯t really for my¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you really trying to guilt me into giving you even more?!¡± Balthazar blurted out, in a faked outrage. ¡°Have you no pity on a hard working crustacean?¡± Tristan looked down at his own shoes, looking embarrassed. ¡°Maybe I will give you some after you come back from this job, as a thank you, but for now I really think you don¡¯t need to be even more drunk while carrying all this money.¡±


    ¡°Damn, fine, I get your point,¡± the defeated drunkard said. ¡°I was really looking forward to having another taste of that sweet nectar, but I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Balthazar said, while wondering what taste did the man imagine the rum had, considering he had never actually had any of it to drink.


    Finishing the money transfer, the merchant put the pouches on the counter in front of Tristan.


    ¡°Now go and make that deal, but be careful with the money, or I swear I¡¯ll empty that whole bottle of rum into the pond right in front of you if you lose any of it.¡±


    Tristan gasped loudly as his eyes widened and Balthazar could almost swear a small tear had formed in the corner of the man¡¯s eye.

 Chapter 64: Toad Stand

    Balthazar started his day the same way as always, crossing the wooden footpath over the water while munching on a sweet pastry.


    On that morning, the crab carried a raspberry scone in his pincer and hummed away as he went, taking little bites off it while thinking about all the business and coin he would make on that day.


    And as he arrived at the center of his bazaar, he heard the chatter and commotion of people outside by the road.


    ¡°Ah, early clients today, excellent,¡± he exclaimed, tossing the last bit of scone into his mouth and heading to the front gate.


    As he opened it and stepped outside, the hubbub grew louder, the sounds of multiple voices happily talking and laughing like music to his ears. Whoever they were, their spirits were high, and Balthazar liked that. People in a good mood tended to have much looser purse strings.


    ¡°Fret not, adventurers, Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar is now open for¡ª¡±


    The merchant¡¯s words faded as he quickly realized the small group of about half a dozen adventurers on the road was not waiting by the path to his pond, but instead were all huddled up around something else on the opposite side of the road.


    As they began to disperse, storing their coin purses and other belongings back in their bags and satchels, Balthazar saw a wooden stand behind them, like a market stall planted on the side of the road.


    Anger quickly grew inside him. Whatever that was, it wasn¡¯t there the previous day, and he had some choice words for whoever was behind that little stunt.


    ¡°Excuse me, excuse me,¡± the crab said, while trying to pass between the adventurers. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey, it¡¯s the talking crab,¡± one of the adventurers said, as he stored two bottles of potions in his pack. ¡°You came to see the new merchant too?¡±


    ¡°New merchant?!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± a deep female voice that resembled a croak said, ¡°that would be me, dear.¡±


    Balthazar looked up at the stall, and on the edge of the counter area, a toad appeared. The creature had rough dark green skin that resembled that of a melon, and was about the same size as one. Its eyes matched the color of the skin and had horizontal irises that looked down at the crab as its already wide mouth extended even more into a smile.


    [Level 9 Toad]


    ¡°And who the hell are you?!¡± the gilded crustacean asked, with no friendly manners.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Henrietta, and I¡¯m looking to settle my new business on this road, neighbor,¡± the smiling toad announced.


    ¡°Like hell you are!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°This road already has a merchant, and that¡¯s me. We don¡¯t need anyone else.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit rude, don¡¯t you think?¡± the other merchant said. ¡°A competitive market is always a positive thing. I¡¯m sure our clients would agree, right, fellas?¡±


    ¡°You mean my clients!¡± The crab turned to the surrounding adventurers. ¡°You guys already have one talking animal trading jun¡ªI mean, trading goods with you down here. You don¡¯t need a bad copycat, right? The original is always better.¡±


    The small crowd grew quiet, and they all looked up at the sky or in some random direction to avoid eye contact.


    ¡°Well,¡± one of them finally said, ¡°having variety is always nice, and truth be told¡­ her potions were cheaper than yours. And also not watered down.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s mouth opened in outraged shock.


    ¡°My prices are perfectly reasonable!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°And I don¡¯t water down my potions. I just add pond water as a special bonus to my clients. You should count yourselves lucky. Not my fault the potion bottles don¡¯t have enough space and I need to take a bit of potion out from each to add the water.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I don¡¯t know about you guys,¡± the human said, looking at the others, ¡°but I think I¡¯ll be on my way now, let these two get to know each other, settle their affairs, and all that.¡±


    The others quickly started nodding and picking up their things, clearly glad to exit the situation.


    ¡°Oh yes, you¡¯re right. Look at the time, I really need to get moving.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Those dungeons won¡¯t loot themselves.¡±


    ¡°Would love to stay, but I left my goblins in a pit. See you all later!¡±


    As the adventurers walked away, the crustacean and the amphibian were the only two left on the road, staring at each other.


    ¡°Well, I will be the first to say it is nice to meet you,¡± the toad started. ¡°You haven¡¯t had the good manners to introduce yourself yet, but I know you¡¯re Balthazar. Your reputation precedes you.¡±


    She gave the crab a nod of recognition that was not returned.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve heard about me, then you should know I¡¯m the only merchant around these parts,¡± the displeased crustacean said. ¡°We don¡¯t need no frog stealing business here.¡±


    ¡°First off,¡± the other merchant calmly started, ¡°I¡¯m a toad, not a frog, as you can tell by the name of my stall.¡±


    She pointed one of her forelimbs up at the top part of the stall. On the front of the wood, two words were written.


    ¡°Toad Stand?¡± Balthazar read. ¡°That¡¯s a stupid name.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Henrietta said, resting an elbow on the edge of the stand and nodding at the wooden plaque on the other side of the road with a condescending air.


    ¡°What?!¡± the crab asked, looking behind at the sign and then back at the toad. ¡°Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar is a great name!¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Oh, bless your heart, honey, of course it is,¡± she responded, with the friendly expression of someone who is just humoring the other. ¡°Whatever floats your lily pad, I ain¡¯t judging. And you shouldn¡¯t judge others either.¡±


    ¡°Whatever! Stop being so friendly when I¡¯m trying to argue with you!¡± Balthazar yelled out, throwing his pincers up in frustration. ¡°The point is that this road is already taken by one trader, me, and if you don¡¯t scram, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll call the guards on you for settling down without a permit!¡±


    ¡°The guards?¡± the toad asked, before letting out a deep chuckle with some croaking mixed in between. ¡°Everybody knows this area here is outside the town¡¯s boundaries now, thanks to yourself, I might add. The guards have no business here. This is free land for anyone to settle. And I found this place very nice and pleasant to settle down and start my business.¡±


    The fuming crab took a step back and looked at the small stand again.


    ¡°What is your business anyway?¡± he asked. ¡°This stall is tiny and has nothing on display.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a little of everything,¡± Henrietta answered, hopping around and reaching down into the back of the stall and away from Balthazar¡¯s sight. ¡°And appearances can be deceiving. I got everything I need right here. Something you''d like, dear? Maybe a Potion of Mouthwashing?¡±


    She appeared at the front of the counter again, pulling a small green bag with her.


    Feeling suspicious, the crab looked at it through his monocle.


    [Bag of Holding]


    It was a magical bag similar to the one he carried everywhere for his money, except that one was not restricted to just coins. From what Balthazar had read, those could carry nearly anything, and were extremely rare and valuable.


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± he bluntly asked.


    ¡°My bag?¡± the female toad said. ¡°A lady never tells her secrets, and a merchant never reveals their sources. You should know that, dear.¡±


    The crab squinted at her, growing even more irritated. She could act nice and friendly all she wanted, but Balthazar would not buy it. The toad was interfering with his business, and that was a mortal offense by his standards.


    ¡°Toads don¡¯t just go around talking and trading stuff, so where did you come from, anyway?¡± he questioned.


    ¡°Says the talking merchant crab,¡± she responded, followed by a low-pitched laugh. ¡°Why don¡¯t you answer first? How did you come to be what you are now?¡±


    Balthazar hesitated. He had no intention of getting into the details of his background with anyone, let alone with a toad stepping into his market.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± he finally said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s not,¡± she agreed. ¡°And likewise, my business is my own.¡±


    The frustrated crab exhaled sharply. The obvious question picked at his brain: could she be like him? An unwitting animal who touched a strange scroll, gained an even stranger system, and decided to start dealing with humans?


    Something told him she did not feel like any of the other adventurers he saw every day, but he had no rationale to back that up. For all he knew, he also was nothing like them, yet he could level up and acquire skills, unlike all the non-adventurers.


    As curious as the crab was, he had no way to find out without tipping his own cards, and more important to him than finding out the background of the peculiar talking toad, was to get her out of there quick, before she could steal any more of his business.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are or where you came from,¡± the exasperated merchant said. ¡°You¡¯re not inside town territory, but you are in my territory, so either leave or get thrown out!¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± the toad said with a deep, low croak.


    Was he? The crab wasn¡¯t sure. Such ire did not seem like his usual self, but something deep within told him something¡ªor someone¡ªmuch more nefarious had to be behind this bump on his road.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you,¡± Balthazar declared. ¡°Leave on your own, or I will¡­ I will¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, but I¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± Henrietta said, crossing her stubby arms. ¡°I¡¯ll be here earning my coin, whether you like it or not.¡±


    An unnatural heat rose inside the shell of the cold-blooded creature.


    ¡°We will see about that.¡±


    Turning around, Balthazar stomped his way back down to his place. Given his crab legs, however, the stomping was more akin to an angry clacking.


    Halfway across the deck, he yelled out. ¡°Bouldy, get over here!¡±


    The golem peeked over the tent on the other side of the water before getting up and quickly making his way across.


    ¡°Friend?¡± the walking boulder said, as he leaned down to enter the bazaar.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± the crab commanded. ¡°I got something for you to take care of.¡±


    Doing his best not to hit the hanging lanterns with his head, Bouldy followed Balthazar out through the front gate and onto the road.


    As the crab and the golem arrived in front of the Toad Stand, Henrietta was already tending to another client, a young mage girl admiring a selection of jeweled necklaces the toad was presenting to her on the counter.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Balthazar started, ¡°last chance. Pack your things and go peddle your wares elsewhere.¡±


    The girl took a step back, looking surprised and confused by what was happening.


    ¡°Or what?¡± asked the green merchant.


    Puffing up his shell, the golden merchant turned to his bodyguard.


    ¡°Bouldy, please remove this stand from my territory.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± the golem asked, looking unsure.


    ¡°Yes, of course I¡¯m sure!¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°No, she¡¯s not dangerous to me, but¡­¡±


    The rock above the golem¡¯s eyes formed a sad frown. ¡°Friend¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, I should solve things by talking? You don¡¯t even know how to say more than one word!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me? What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± the mage girl asked in a loud and outraged tone.


    ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing?¡± the grouchy crab said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get rid of a squatter.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?! This poor little Toad is just trying to earn a living too, you know? You big bully!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ But¡­¡± Balthazar stuttered. ¡°What about my living?!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± a voice asked from down the road.


    Another pair of adventurers approached, looking intrigued by the scene.


    ¡°The crab is trying to get rid of this toad because she has better prices than him,¡± the girl answered.


    ¡°Oh, hey now, who said anything about prices?¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Wow, unbelievable,¡± one of the other adventurers said, as they reached the group. ¡°I actually thought you were an alright guy, crab, but guess I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± his partner said, ¡°this sweet lady just sold us some refreshments a little while ago, and now you¡¯re trying to get rid of her business? Shame on you!¡±


    Balthazar looked around at the adventurers nervously. ¡°Guys, come on, let¡¯s all calm down and¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, guys! Come see!¡± the mage girl yelled at a trio of fighter adventurers coming down from town. ¡°Looks like Balthazar let power get to him and has turned into a bully.¡±


    As the crowd grew larger, the crab began stepping back and away from the Toad Stand, unsure of what to do or say.


    The adventurers were turning against him. They were siding with the toad over him. He could not believe it. What had he ever done to deserve that? Except maybe acting rash, but since when was that cause for trouble, except for all of the other times?


    Standing on the road with his golem by his side, Balthazar watched on as the group of adventurers surrounded the stall, talking and comforting Henrietta while giving him the cold shoulder.


    He had never cared for the adventurer¡¯s appreciation, so why was it that he was now feeling such a sting from what was happening?


    Could it be jealousy?


    Could he be in the wrong?


    Could her prices really be better than his?


    He did not know, but he did not like the feeling.


    With a friendly smile, Bouldy gave the crab a gentle pat on the shell. ¡°Friend.¡±


    Balthazar looked up at the big rock.


    ¡°What do you mean, you¡¯re sure I can do better?¡±

 Chapter 65: Toadwatching

    ¡°What¡¯s your secret?¡± Balthazar whispered to himself. ¡°How are you getting in their good graces so easily?¡±


    The grumbling crab peered through his spyglass once more, his mouth twisted into a frown as he observed the toad across the road, sitting atop her booth, cheerfully chatting it up with a pair of adventurers.


    He had twisted and turned inside his shell, racking his brain trying to figure out what could possibly be her trick to win the stupid humans favor so easily, but nothing made sense.


    A spell, a magical item, some hidden skill. He couldn¡¯t figure out a sure answer for it, and it was only riling him up even more.


    Adventurers were barely even stopping by his bazaar since she arrived, and if Balthazar did not figure something out quickly, his clientele would be reduced to nothing.


    ¡°How dare she?!¡± he grumbled, ducking behind a boulder to make sure none of them saw him spying. ¡°Setting up business right outside a busy area to take advantage of the passing adventurers in order to trade junk at a profit. That¡¯s just dirty!¡± The crab snapped his right pincer angrily. ¡°That was my whole shtick!¡±


    Raising his eyestalks over the rock, Balthazar checked if the two adventurers were still there.


    ¡°Thanks, Henrietta!¡±


    ¡°See you later, have a nice day!¡± the adventurers yelled, waving as they left.


    ¡°Bye, dears. Be safe out there,¡± the lady toad said.


    ¡°Pfft, they never wish me a nice day when they leave,¡± the crab begrudged.


    Just as soon as the other two walked away, a new adventurer came down the road, strolling her way from the town gates.


    ¡°Damn it, they just don¡¯t stop coming today, do they?¡± Balthazar complained, bringing the spyglass back up to one of his eyes. ¡°Come on, come on. Maybe this one will ignore her and turn this way.¡±


    The crab¡¯s hopes were swiftly dashed as the amphibian merchant called out to the human adventurer, and, much to his dismay, the woman stopped and approached her.


    Balthazar groaned and rolled his eyestalks before focusing back on his spyglass.


    The adventurer wore long, fancy vestments of multiple folds and colors. She did not look like the fighting type, so Balthazar¡¯s guess leaned towards a magic user, and one with deep pockets, judging by her attire and accessories.


    In less than a minute, the two of them were already happily chuckling away at each other like they were old friends exchanging the latest juicy gossip.


    ¡°She¡¯s a frog, and you just met her!¡± the incredulous and exasperated crab exclaimed to no one that could hear him. ¡°How are you already so cozy with her?!¡±


    Redoubling his attention, Balthazar watched as the toad said something he could not hear from the distance he was at and then pulled her Bag of Holding up onto the counter. Propping the bag open, she peered into it and with a sudden movement shot her long tongue inside it.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    With another quick move, the toad pulled her tongue back and stuck to the tip of it came a blue potion bottle, which she skillfully placed on the wooden surface.


    The adventurer was smiling and nodding as she retrieved a few gold coins from her purse and placed them in front of the toad. She said something unintelligible and took the mana potion.


    ¡°Eww, her sticky tongue was just touching that!¡± the disgusted crab said. ¡°But then they look at me sideways for grabbing a cookie with the same pincer that was counting their money. Who can understand these idiots?¡±


    Just as with all the others, the adventurer waved at the toad as they said their goodbyes, all smiles and niceties.


    ¡°Bye-bye, honey! Good luck with your butterfly collection,¡± Henrietta said to the woman as she walked down the road.


    Balthazar felt his stomach turn. Even with the high tolerance for sweetness he had built up through copious amounts of pastries, there was only so much he could take before feeling sick.


    ¡°Blah! How can she keep that act up so well?¡± he asked, throwing his tongue out in disgust. ¡°Pretend to care and like them like that?¡±


    He looked through the spyglass again, sizing up her market stall. It was simple, not very big, and crudely assembled, but still far beyond something a mere toad could have built on her own. Balthazar wondered who could have helped her set it up.


    ¡°Surely there¡¯s someone else behind this toad,¡± he mumbled to himself. ¡°I just don¡¯t believe a toad popped up out of nowhere and started doing business with a stall, coin, items, and even a Bag of Holding just like that. There¡¯s got to be more to this.¡±


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    All he wanted was for her to go away from his road, to go back to being the sole merchant there. He didn¡¯t like company, and he certainly did not like competition.


    Competition for profits, of course. Nothing to do with the attention from the adventurers. What did the crab care for that? Nothing at all.


    The obsessed crab pondered on what he could do to rid himself of the toad, but all options led back to the same problem: she was already too beloved by the adventurers, and any action he took against her would almost surely turn him into a pariah.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t even know what a pariah is, damn it!¡±


    No matter how many times he turned and twisted over the subject, Balthazar kept coming back to the same sneaky suspicion, like something coming from deep within his merchant senses, that the toad being there wasn¡¯t just a mere coincidence. Someone put her up to it. Someone who hated the crab.


    ¡°I need to find evidence,¡± he pondered to his buttons that he did not have. ¡°Something that would expose her as the big fraud I know she has to be!¡±


    As if a lantern had lit up above his shell, the crab snapped his pincer and ran down the path and around his roofed platform, searching for his goblin assistant.


    ¡°Druma! Come here,¡± he called, spotting the small worker rummaging through a few crates.


    ¡°Yes, boss?¡± the goblin answered, running to the crab, wizard hat bouncing up and down on his head.


    ¡°I have a very important task for you,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Boss can count on Druma!¡± the other said, standing to attention like a soldier responding to a superior. ¡°What boss need Druma to do?¡±


    ¡°I need you to sneak to the road through the back of the bazaar.¡±


    The goblin looked at him with confusion.


    ¡°Why boss want Druma to hide?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want the frog on the other side of the street to see you,¡± the crab explained. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know you yet, so I want you to take a couple of coins and walk up to her stand, pretend you want a refreshment, or something, just keep her distracted, and while she¡¯s busy, snoop around, behind her stall, under it, inside her bag if you can. Just find anything that looks suspicious and bring it back to me.¡±


    The assistant scratched the back of his head, looking puzzled.


    ¡°Boss want Druma to be sneaky?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Exactly, you got it,¡± said the merchant, while retrieving a couple of gold coins and shoving them in the goblin¡¯s hands. ¡°Now go on, take the long way around the back. I¡¯ll be watching from over here.¡±


    Leaving the confused assistant to his task, the crab hurried back to his watching spot.


    As he popped his eyes over the boulder, he spotted yet another small group of adventurers gathered around the toad, happily trying on rings, putting hats on, and checking her selection of potion bottles.


    ¡°Curse you, fools!¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve got all that stuff too, and it doesn¡¯t come with toad spit all over it!¡±


    The increasingly agitated crab continued watching the adventurers as they bought and sold, many shiny gold coins being exchanged right in front of him, and none being spent with him. Frustration was growing in him in such a way that he had even skipped his mid-afternoon tart.


    Balthazar never skipped his mid-afternoon tart.


    Soon after, the adventurers left. Bringing his spyglass back up to his eye, the crab saw Druma approach the rival merchant¡¯s stand.


    ¡°Yes, there you go, Druma. You can do this,¡± Balthazar whispered, eyestalk firmly stuck to the smaller end of the spyglass as he tapped a few of his feet impatiently.


    Too far away to hear their exchange, he watched as the toad greeted the goblin, who was looking sheepish and shy as he responded to her.


    ¡°Come on, little guy, don¡¯t be so conspicuous! Act natural.¡±


    They continued exchanging words back and forth for a while, the amphibian looking endearingly at the goblin, who slowly seemed to grow more confident and talked to her with a wide grin on his face.


    ¡°What the hell is taking so long?¡± muttered the impatient crab. ¡°I told you to distract her, not have her adopt you.¡±


    Henrietta smiled and said something to Druma, before hopping to the other end of the stall, where a small keg stood, surrounded by a few cups. Pushing one cup under the tap, the toad began filling it with a clear yellow liquid.


    ¡°That¡¯s your chance! She¡¯s got her back turned, snoop around!¡±


    Balthazar watched with anticipation, but the goblin kept grinning and talking while hopping from side to side in apparent excitement, until the toad finally turned back to him and he took the cup, sipping from it with visible satisfaction.


    ¡°What are you doooooooing?¡± the crab howled under his breath.


    The other two exchanged a few more words and smiles before the goblin left, hopping away with a happy grin on his face.


    The befuddled crustacean got down from the boulder and circled back to where his assistant was coming from.


    ¡°Druma!¡± Balthazar yelled, startling the gleeful goblin who was scampering his way into the bazaar with the cup still held in his hands. ¡°What the hell? You didn¡¯t do any of what I told you to do!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, boss,¡± the assistant said, ears sagging as he looked down. ¡°Toad lady too nice, she offer Druma free lemonade, don¡¯t even take coin. Druma feel bad to snoop on nice toad.¡±


    ¡°Even you, Druma?¡± Balthazar said in a defeated tone of someone being stabbed in the back.


    ¡°S-sorry, boss. Druma bring some lemonade for boss¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want lemonade! I wanted to know who¡¯s banking her business!¡±


    ¡°Druma is sorry,¡± the goblin said, with a guilty look in his eyes. ¡°Druma no want to make boss mad. Druma think toad lady maybe is just nice.¡±


    Balthazar took a deep breath and brought a pincer up to his face.


    The amphibian was crafty, he would have to give her that. She had some way of endearing herself to others with great ease. Untrained eyes might claim it¡¯s simply called being kind, but Balthazar knew better. He knew that couldn¡¯t be it. Since when did kindness alone win anyone over? Absolute nonsense. Something else was there, he could feel it in his bones. If he had any. Which he didn¡¯t, but if he did, he¡¯d feel it for sure.


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not mad at you. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s her, she¡¯s the problem. I should have known her trickery would be too much for you. You¡¯re no match for whatever cunning scheme she has going on.¡±


    ¡°Boss not mad at Druma?¡± the small goblin asked, perking up slightly.


    ¡°No, buddy, it¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have sent a goblin to do a crab¡¯s job,¡± Balthazar said, determination flaring up in his eyes. ¡°If I want something done right, I should do it myself.¡±

 Chapter 66: Balthazar’s Dissing Booth

    Balthazar rummaged through a shelf, picking items and tossing them into a small open crate by his feet as he grumbled to himself.


    ¡°No, no, no, not this. Maybe some of this. Oh yes, definitely a couple of those! This thing can stay where it is. Why do I even have a dozen of that?!¡±


    As the crab continued frantically filling the crate with all manner of odd things, Druma came running into the bazaar through the front gate with a stone hammer in hand and sweat rolling down his forehead.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± he called. ¡°Druma is done. Boss can come out and see.¡±


    Balthazar turned to the goblin with excitement. ¡°You put it up where I told you? Did you place the stool there, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Druma responded, the tip of his wizard hat bouncing back and forth as he nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Good. Help me with these then and let¡¯s go,¡± the crab said, pointing to another already filled box on a table.


    Druma picked up the box, while Balthazar grabbed his own crate with both claws and balanced it on top of his shell as the pair made their way out of the bazaar and into the sunny outside.


    Walking onto the road, the toad¡¯s stall was opposite of them, on the western side of the road, and now a new stall had been built on the eastern side, directly across from the other.


    The crab gave it a quick look over. It was clearly built in a rush, but it was solid enough. It had a modest counter area and some shelf space under it, with a small cloth canopy above to provide some shade. Hanging in front of the improvised stand was a wooden sign with the name ¡°Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar Booth¡± painted on it.


    ¡°Good job, Druma,¡± he whispered to the goblin, as they both arrived behind the booth and put their boxes down. ¡°You clearly learned some things while working with John.¡±


    A wide grin grew across the small assistant¡¯s face, his eyes shining with pride. ¡°Thanks, boss!¡±


    Peeking with one eyestalk over the counter, Balthazar looked to the booth on the other side of the road. The toad sat on her counter, watching the road, trying to not pay the crab¡¯s stand any mind.


    ¡°Heh, bet if you could wear any boots, you¡¯d be shaking in them right now,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°You wanted to compete with me? Well, now you¡¯re going to learn the hard way who¡¯s the better merchant.¡±


    The crab hopped on the stool John had made for him and that his assistant had brought out from behind the bazaar¡¯s counter. Placing both shiny claws on the counter, he propped his golden shell up, doing his best to look imposing.


    ¡°Oh, hiya there, neighbor!¡± Henrietta yelled from her side. ¡°Beautiful day for being out here doing business, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Sure is,¡± Balthazar yelled back, ¡°if you¡¯re a legitimate business owner, and not some pretender playing merchant!¡±


    ¡°This again?¡± said the toad. ¡°You know, people in town have their stores and market stalls right next to each other everywhere and have to make their businesses attractive and competitive instead of complaining about one another. This road is big enough for the both of us!¡±


    ¡°I disagree!¡± said the crab. ¡°I was here first, just by myself, and that¡¯s how I like it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear, you don¡¯t really mean that.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, I do. And stop trying to act so nice!¡±


    ¡°Why, worried I might win you over?¡± Henrietta responded with a cheeky wink of her eye.


    ¡°No!¡± the flustered crustacean yelled back. ¡°I would¡ª¡±


    Balthazar left his sentence unfinished as he glanced to his right and spotted a young lady walking down the road from town, wearing a white gown and carrying a long white staff over her shoulder.


    ¡°Hello, adven¡ª¡± the crab started, but the toad quickly cut him off with a loud croak.


    ¡°Well, hello, sweetie! Don¡¯t you look lovely as a peach today!¡±


    The girl moved one side of her sheer veil behind an ear and looked at the toad who had just greeted her. ¡°Uh, hello, and thanks. You look very¡­ green, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh now, no need for pleasantries with an old toad like myself. I know we can¡¯t all be such a looker as yourself. But you know what would go really well with a pretty young lady such as yourself?¡± Henrietta said, pulling her Bag of Holding closer and opening it. ¡°A nice piece of jewelry. Looking at your beautiful eyes and blonde hair, I¡¯m going to say something¡­ silver!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t hurt to look,¡± the adventurer said with a shrug, as she watched the toad displaying a few silver pieces of jewelry on the counter.


    Over on the other side of the road, Balthazar watched in disbelief. How had she done it so effortlessly?


    She was good, but he knew he was better.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss healer,¡± he called, puffing himself up and putting on wise airs. ¡°Would not an adventurer such as yourself be better served by purchasing some enchanted jewelry, rather than some¡­ common baubles with nothing special to them?¡±


    The girl pulled the other side of her veiled back and looked over to the crab¡¯s booth.


    ¡°Oh, how did you know I¡¯m a healer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just very observant,¡± the gilded merchant responded, smirking as he adjusted his monocle. ¡°Come, come, I think I have a magical item that you¡¯re going to like.¡±


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    Seemingly forgetting about the toad, the healer walked across to the other booth without so much as looking back. Henrietta¡¯s face frowned with annoyance.


    Balthazar looked over the girl¡¯s shoulder with a smug look, before returning his attention to the client.


    ¡°What¡¯s this magical item you speak of, crab?¡± she asked, looking intrigued.


    ¡°As a healer, I¡¯m sure you will appreciate this,¡± he said, reaching down into one of his boxes and retrieving a small case.


    Placing it on the wooden surface separating them, the merchant leaned closer to the girl and spoke in a more hushed tone.


    ¡°This is a very rare¡­ Dagger of Cure Poison.¡±


    Balthazar removed the cover from the case, revealing a small dagger inside, its pristine blade glowing faintly with a wavy green and white effect.


    ¡°A¡­ what now?!¡± the confused adventurer said.


    ¡°A Dagger of Cure Poison!¡± the crab repeated, looking pleased with his big reveal. ¡°It¡¯s a silver dagger with a cure poison effect enchanted onto its blade.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ But¡­ Why would anyone enchant¡­¡± the bewildered girl stammered. ¡°How does it work?¡±


    ¡°The same way any dagger does?¡± Balthazar said, looking confused by her question, and picking the weapon up with his pincer. ¡°You take the dagger and stab someone with it.¡± He made several thrusts forward with the dagger, startling the girl. ¡°And then the enchantment cures any poison effects the person might have.¡±


    ¡°But then, instead of being poisoned, they will have a stab wound!¡± the veiled girl blurted out, with the look of someone beginning to question the crab¡¯s sanity. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be making things even worse?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the crab said, shrugging his shell. ¡°You¡¯re a healer. Can¡¯t you just pray their wounds away, or something?¡±


    The adventurer looked at the merchant in pure disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±


    Giving no time for a reaction, she turned away and started walking down the road.


    ¡°Miss! Wait, come back, I¡­¡± Henrietta called from her stand, but the girl did not hear or did not care to listen and continued marching away. ¡°Great, I hope you¡¯re happy, crab. Now neither of us made any business because of you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Balthazar said to the toad. ¡°How was that my fault? She was clearly not a very good healer!¡±


    The toad opened her mouth to respond, but they both turned their attention back to the north side of the road, as two more adventurers came walking down their way.


    ¡°Hey, look, Balthazar¡¯s out on the road now,¡± one of the adventurers said to the other. ¡°I wonder why.¡±


    ¡°Who cares?¡± his partner said, quickly moving closer to the crab¡¯s stall, paying no attention to the other stand. ¡°Just means we can save more time. Let¡¯s see if he has the gear we couldn¡¯t get in town and get going already.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, gentlemen! What can I do for you?¡± the cheerful crab loudly said, peeking over to the other side and smiling as he saw the toad¡¯s annoyed expression.


    ¡°Hey there, Balthazar,¡± the first adventurer said as he joined his friend in front of the booth. ¡°We¡¯re going into a cave, so we need some cave exploring gear, but the store in town was short on some stock. We were hoping you had some of the stuff we need.¡±


    ¡°Certainly! Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar has everything the discerning adventurer could ever need,¡± the pompous crab exclaimed.


    ¡°Yeah, awesome, anyway,¡± the man said, looking down at the contents of his backpack, ¡°you got any¡­ torches?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± The crab turned to his goblin assistant, who was approaching with a third crate of items from the bazaar. ¡°Druma, fetch us a handful of torches, will you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡± the goblin said, hurriedly running back inside.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t forget the rope too,¡± the second adventurer said to his companion.


    ¡°I got some rope right here,¡± Balthazar said, pulling a coil of rope from the shelves under his booth and placing it on the counter. ¡°Special offer on it today, too. Just 15 gold.¡±


    ¡°15 gold?¡± one of the clients said. ¡°That¡¯s a special price? It¡¯s still even more expensive than what it would cost us in town.¡±


    ¡°According to you two, the store in town is out of rope, so 15 gold for it is still a better price than no rope at all, I say,¡± the crabby merchant retorted.


    ¡°Howdy, fellas!¡± a deep but friendly voice called from the other side of the road. ¡°How y¡¯all doing? I got some rope here for you, if you need. Just 12 gold for it, too.¡±


    The two men looked back at the toad and then at each other.


    ¡°Did you know there was another talking animal selling stuff out here?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. Did you?¡±


    ¡°No, but her rope is cheaper, so we should buy it there.¡±


    ¡°Wow, hang on, let¡¯s not be so quick to jump ship here, guys,¡± Balthazar pleaded. ¡°You guys realize that the reason my rope is more expensive is that it¡¯s a special rope, right?¡±


    ¡°Special rope?¡± said one of the adventurers. ¡°Special how?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s, uh¡­ it¡¯s a coil of Rope of Entanglement!¡± the quick thinking crab exclaimed.


    ¡°Oh, damn, really?¡± the other adventurer said, looking closer at the coil with an intrigued frown. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard of that somewhere. What does it do?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ well¡­ it entangles a target, restricting their movements.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, got it, but¡­ how?¡± the other said. ¡°Is there like a magic word you gotta say, some special spell, or what?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ you just have to, you know¡­ wrap it around whatever your target is,¡± the merchant said, making a rotating motion with his claws. ¡°Until it¡¯s¡­ entangled.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the befuddled adventurer said. ¡°But that¡¯s just like any other piece of rope! You can¡¯t just slap a fancy name on it and say it¡¯s special!¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°but since you guys drive such a hard bargain, and because I like you, I¡¯ll make the price¡­ humph¡­ 10 gold. Final offer.¡±


    ¡°If you fellas come over here, I¡¯ll make it 8 gold and offer a fresh cup of lemonade to each of you!¡± Henrietta shouted from her booth.


    ¡°Screw it, I¡¯m thirsty. Let¡¯s go check the toad,¡± the adventurer said to his friend.


    ¡°But¡­ guys, what the hell? Why would you want to buy junk from a toad on the road?¡± Balthazar yelled as they walked away.


    One of them turned back halfway across and yelled back. ¡°You realize you¡¯re on the road too, right?¡±


    Henrietta chuckled as they reached her stall. ¡°You know what they say, don¡¯t buy crap from a crab!¡±


    The three of them laughed as the crab scrunched up his face on his side of the road. ¡°That doesn¡¯t even rhyme!¡±


    But they did not seem to care.


    Once again, the damnable toad was winning another one on the crab.


    Balthazar¡¯s mind raced, trying to come up with an explanation amid his frustration.


    Offering lower prices was pure dirty play on her part. The one low he would not stoop to.


    How did she intend to keep undercutting him and not go bankrupt? It was not a sustainable tactic for any business. That was not even crab economics, it was simply common sense.


    That question, added to Balthazar¡¯s previous suspicions about where the toad had come from, only further reinforced his theory. Someone else was behind the slimy merchant, and it was likely a certain other slimy figure.


    Jumping off his stool, the crab walked back down the path to his pond, mumbling to himse.


    ¡°Boss? Druma got torches,¡± his assistant said, running up from the bazaar with a stack of torches in his arms.


    ¡°Never mind the torches, Druma, I don¡¯t need them anymore,¡± Balthazar said as he walked past the goblin. ¡°What I need is information, and a new strategy. Fetch me the strongbox where we keep the precious gems.¡±

 Chapter 67: Green With Envy

    The conspicuous crab walked out of his bazaar with a tiny pouch in one pincer and a wrapped napkin in the other. He stopped in front of the horizon, where a large streak of orange was painted over the late afternoon sky, and looked around suspiciously, as if looking for anyone following him.


    As Balthazar approached a dense area of vegetation, he stopped between some ferns, and while looking off into the distance, the crab leaned closer to a bush and spoke.


    ¡°You got the information?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got it. Wasn¡¯t easy, though. Had to jump through a lot of hoops to get it,¡± the bush responded.


    ¡°Alright, give me the details,¡± Balthazar said, sitting down next to the bush and unwrapping the piece of key lime pie he had brought along.


    ¡°So, I thought your request was a bit weird,¡± the informant started. ¡°What could Antoine, a prolific, rich merchant, have to do with some random toad, but I¡¯ll give you that, you were onto something.¡±


    ¡°Of course I was, Rob. My gut is always right,¡± the crab said, proceeding to fill said gut with small chunks of pie while still not looking directly at the plant he was conversing with, and instead staring off into the distance, as if only there to enjoy a sunset supper.


    ¡°Right¡­ anyway,¡± the thief said from within his hiding bush. ¡°I poked around some of my sources and¡­¡± He paused, his eyes peeking from behind the leaves, staring at the crab¡¯s pie. ¡°Hey, you, uh, think I could have a piece of that while I tell you about it?¡±


    ¡°My pie?¡± Balthazar said, chewing with his mouth open. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would look very odd if anyone saw me tossing pieces of my precious pie into a bush? They might suspect something. Better not risk it.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right, and that¡¯s the only reason you won¡¯t share,¡± Rob said begrudgingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m already paying you, am I not?¡± the chewing crab said. ¡°So start talking before I finish this.¡±


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± the man continued, ¡°I asked a fellow¡­ worker about it.¡±


    ¡°Another thief, then?¡± Balthazar interrupted.


    Despite being hidden within the bush, the eye roll Rob made was strongly implied in his answer. ¡°Yes, a thief. Can I keep going now? He had some information regarding mister guildmaster and a toad that he had received from a tavern keeper. You know how it is. People have a little too much to drink and start blabbing on, so those guys always have some juicy info in their pocket.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, really?¡± said the crab. ¡°Never would have expected Antoine to be the type to get drunk in taverns.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± said the thief. ¡°It wasn¡¯t Antoine. The tavern keeper heard this from a carriage driver who stops by every night after work. Guy gets in his cups and ends up sharing some funny tale about this toad in the guildmaster¡¯s manor.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. So it was Antoine¡¯s carriage driver. Makes sense. I can definitely see him having one of those.¡±


    ¡°No, no! You¡¯re getting it wrong again,¡± Rob hurriedly said.


    ¡°So Antoine doesn¡¯t have a carriage driver?¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°No. I mean, yes, he does!¡± the frustrated informant exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s just not this driver in specific, this guy doesn¡¯t work for Antoine.¡±


    ¡°Then what the hell does he have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°I was getting to that! This driver knows Antoine¡¯s actual carriage driver. They¡¯re buddies or something. And he told his friend something about the toad, which he then repeated one drunken night at the tavern. Are you following now?¡±


    ¡°I am. I think?¡± Balthazar said, sounding slightly confused. ¡°So Antoine¡¯s carriage driver saw this toad and then mentioned it to his friend and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wrong!¡± the bush interjected. ¡°The driver didn¡¯t see anything himself.¡±


    ¡°Then who did?!¡± the increasingly annoyed crab asked.


    ¡°I was trying to get to that, if you¡¯d stop interrupting me!¡± the angry shrub muttered. ¡°The carriage driver and the maid at Antoine¡¯s manor have a bit of a fling, and they like to sneak around back at the end of the day when no one¡¯s around. In one of their little encounters, she apparently mentioned to him something about a toad.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so it was the maid!¡± Balthazar concluded.


    ¡°Yes!¡± said Rob. ¡°The maid saw the toad, and then she told about it to the carriage driver, who then mentioned it to the other carriage driver, who then spilled the story while drunk to the tavern keep, who then shared it with my informant in that part of town, who hooked me up with the details, which I am now relaying to you! Is that clear now?¡±


    ¡°Hardly! But what are the actual details, damn it?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, right, almost forgot that,¡± the thief said, shifting around inside his bush. ¡°The maid says the servants are never allowed in the manor¡¯s basement, but one day she caught a glimpse inside when Antoine was stepping out, and she could swear she saw he kept a toad in a cage there, which seemed like a very strange pet for a man like him.¡±


    ¡°I knew it!¡± the crab exclaimed, clacking his claws together. ¡°There is no way that¡¯s a coincidence. That had to be Henrietta!¡±


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    ¡°I agree, but where did he get a talking toad, anyway?¡± Rob wondered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but you should keep digging to find out more,¡± Balthazar said, swallowing the last of his pie while standing up.


    ¡°Can do, but before you leave, aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡± the informant asked, moving around in his shrub.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not. Here¡¯s your pay for the info.¡± He retrieved a tiny emerald from his pouch and tossed it inside the bush. ¡°Now scram, before someone sees me throwing gems at the shrubbery.¡±


    The crab walked away from the vegetation, back through the same path he came, the sun now almost gone over the horizon.


    Curious to see if the toad was still at her stand, Balthazar took a quick look across the road. His eyestalks shot up as he found the toad on the ground, bag around her body, looking ready to leave for the day, but still held back in conversation with three large figures around her.


    Khargol, the orc chieftain, and his two warrior-brothers stood by her stall, arms crossed, exchanging words with Henrietta that the crab couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°No!¡± Balthazar whispered to himself, as he hid behind a boulder. ¡°Even the orcs?¡±


    The toad¡¯s trickery clearly knew no bounds, and now even the mighty orcs were falling prey to her scheming.


    Feeling like the last bastion of sanity around those parts, Balthazar had half a mind to run out there and try to snap them away from her snare, but the crab had learned better by that point. Acting rash always seemed to end up going badly for him and favoring his competitor. He needed to act smarter, be the clever crab he knew he was, to outmaneuver Antoine and his toady.


    Balthazar snapped out of his thinking as he realized the toad was leaving and the orcs were coming his way.


    ¡°Well, well, well, look who it is,¡± the shiny merchant said, stepping out from behind the rock. ¡°Had a nice conversation with my competition, did you?¡±


    The orc chieftain looked down at the crab with a scowl slightly more disapproving than his usual one.


    ¡°I sense you have words you wish to speak, crab,¡± Khargol bluntly declared.


    ¡°Me? No? You think?¡± the snarky crab replied.


    ¡°Perhaps not, then,¡± said the orc.


    ¡°Do your people not have a sense of sarcasm?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°We do, but we find it displeasing.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s mouth twisted into a frown, but he decided it was best not to engage in a bickering battle. Old and frail tax inspectors were one thing, but tall and muscular orc chieftains were something else entirely.


    ¡°Come on, we shouldn¡¯t stay on the road. It¡¯s almost dark,¡± the crab said, waving for them to follow him inside.


    As the trio stepped inside the bazaar, they all looked around, examining the new constructions.


    Burz and Yatur inspected one of the pillars, running their hands through the wood and giving it a few knocks with their knuckles.


    ¡°Solid work,¡± Yatur grunted, with an approving nod.


    ¡°I had heard you were improving your camp,¡± Khargol said, looking around at the roof over their heads. ¡°You should be proud of the outcome.¡±


    ¡°Oh, did you?¡± Balthazar said, still feeling miffed. ¡°From whom?¡±


    ¡°Our mutual connection, the traveling skeleton.¡±


    ¡°Looks like everybody¡¯s talking about me these days,¡± the crab said with a hint of sarcasm.


    ¡°This displeases you?¡± the chieftain asked. ¡°This should be good news to a trader, to have their name be spread through the lands. Even the lizardfolk from the marshes have mentioned hearing tales of you to us recently.¡±


    ¡°Lizardfolk?¡± Balthazar repeated, looking intrigued.


    ¡°They are reclusive and mostly keep to themselves,¡± the orc explained, ¡°but as ostracized races in lands largely occupied by humans, we maintain relations and meet often, to exchange goods and show goodwill to one another. Perhaps you would be interested in dealing with them too, one day. They are fine fishers and weavers.¡±


    ¡°Sure, maybe,¡± the crab said. ¡°For orcs, you sure get along with just about anybody. Skeletons, lizardfolk¡­ even toads.¡±


    Khargol crossed his bulging arms and stared down at the merchant.


    ¡°Are you under the impression that we owe you some kind of exclusivity? We came here to do business with you, but if on the way we met another merchant with offers to make, it is only logical that we stop and converse with her. Would you not follow the same reasoning if it were you, crab?¡±


    Balthazar scrunched up the corner of his mouth. Damnable orc and his logical thinking. Who gave the pile of muscles a pile of brains too?


    ¡°Yes, well, maybe you¡¯d be more hesitant to deal with someone if you knew they were bad news,¡± the merchant said to the orc.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the skeptical orc asked. ¡°She seemed quite respectable to me. We might have even conducted some business with her, had she not said she was late and couldn¡¯t stay longer.¡±


    ¡°Probably late to run back to her owner!¡± Balthazar exclaimed with disdain. ¡°I looked into her, and you know what I found? She works for Antoine!¡±


    ¡°And who is this Antoine you speak of?¡± Khargol asked, with one eyebrow rising.


    ¡°He¡¯s the pompous master of the merchants guild up in town who¡¯s been trying to put an end to my business ever since I started cutting into his profits. He¡¯s played all sorts of dirty tricks, even had a group of thugs try to frame me for stealing and nearly clobber me to death once, and looks like his latest scheme involves that Henrietta character. I had a contact of mine look into it, and they found from a trustworthy source that Antoine kept a toad in a cage down in his basement. Now suddenly she shows up, right across from my pond? No such thing as a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± the orc said, uncrossing his arms. ¡°It sounds like you have an enemy in this man. Perhaps you should consider a wiser approach in your battles against him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°You should try to make more allies, rather than increase your list of enemies.¡±


    ¡°How so? Surely you¡¯re not suggesting her, right?¡± the skeptical merchant said.


    ¡°And why not?¡± said the chieftain, with a hint of a smirk behind his large tusks.


    ¡°Because she¡¯s an ally of Antoine, my direct enemy, in case you didn¡¯t catch that part yet!¡± Balthazar blurted out, opening his arms in outrage at the mere suggestion being made. ¡°Why would I ever want to befriend someone like that?¡±


    ¡°Tell me, merchant crab,¡± the orc said, ¡°would you consider someone who keeps you in a cage in their basement your ally, a friend, or someone that deserves your loyalty?¡±


    The crab froze for a moment, staring off to the side, vaguely focusing on one of the other orcs, who was looking around the bazaar, casually inspecting a crate full of cabbages. ¡°Oh. Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you see what I am getting at now?¡± Khargol asked.


    Balthazar pondered on the chieftain¡¯s point. He had not really considered things in that way, but his logic was, once again, solid.


    But reason and logic be damned, the crab just wanted to keep hating on the toad. Was that too much to ask?


    As he would come to find, it was.

 Chapter 68: Accursed Toad

    The crab hid among the rocks by the roadside, blending in almost perfectly, save for the fact that none of them were blindingly shiny and golden as his carapace.


    Gazing up towards the town gates, Balthazar awaited for any signs of the toad. He knew that had to be the direction she would come from. He just wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.


    Unfortunately for him, the edge of his boundaries around the pond still very much filled him with a sense of paralyzing dread when approached, and Balthazar had no interest in experiencing that feeling again. Standing a good dozen paces away from it was as close as he was going to get.


    ¡°If only I could go up there and catch you leaving town,¡± he muttered to himself, ¡°then you¡¯d have no way to deny it.¡±


    Under him was a small handkerchief, unfolded to reveal a handful of crumpets that the crab quietly munched on as he watched the road. His determination¡ªand obsession¡ªtowards his rival was so strong, he was willing to have his breakfast between some rocks on the side of a road, like some wild animal.


    Just as the last bite of a delicious crumpet went down his gullet, Balthazar spotted movement coming down the grass from the direction of the city gates.


    With a hop, Henrietta emerged, the green Bag of Holding tied around her.


    Just as soon as she made it far enough down the road to cross the invisible area Balthazar knew he couldn¡¯t pass, the crab jumped out from behind his hiding spot and onto the middle of the road, next to the passing toad.


    ¡°Goodness gracious!¡± she croaked, giving a startled hop back. ¡°What are you doing?! Nearly made my heart come out of my mouth!¡±


    ¡°Well, well, well. If it isn¡¯t our new merchant,¡± the smug crab said. ¡°Coming down from your marsh? Wait, no, that can¡¯t be. There¡¯s no swamp that way, only Ardville. Now that¡¯s odd. Why would you be coming down from there, huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Henrietta said, restarting her hopping down the road.


    ¡°Oh come, we both know that you do,¡± Balthazar insisted, following her. ¡°They don¡¯t allow random talking animals to just walk into town like that, so that begs the question of what were you doing up there? Got someone to visit?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re trying to insinuate, but I don¡¯t have to answer to you. I¡¯d suggest you leave me alone to my business now,¡± said the toad, hopping her way up to her stand¡¯s counter and taking off her bag.


    ¡°Seems to me like you¡¯ve got a supplier, maybe even a patron, behind your business. Is that not right, hmm?¡±


    The toad began sweating. Or perhaps that was just her natural skin moisture. It was difficult to tell. Just like it was hard to tell if her eyes were looking around nervously, or simply acting like regular toad eyes. Balthazar chose to believe she was growing uncomfortable about his questions.


    ¡°What? Got nothing to say, frog?¡± the confident crab said to the toad.


    ¡°Balthazar, buddy, there you are!¡± a roaring and slurred voice shouted from up the road.


    Turning around, the golden merchant saw Tristan stumbling his way towards them with a rolled-up piece of parchment firmly grasped in his hand.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t wait to bring you the good news!¡± the drunk exclaimed, holding the paper tube high above his head. ¡°I got the deed right here!¡±


    ¡°Alright, Tristan, great, but can you maybe not shout it so loudly? We¡ª¡±


    ¡°The old lady was tough as nails,¡± the man continued, ignoring everything else around him, ¡°but in the end, I closed the deal. And for the 2,500 gold, too. Hah! This old merchant still got it!¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, but you can tell me all about it once we¡¯re inside,¡± the crab said, gesturing for the other to shush. ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of an intimidation right now. I almost had it, and you are kind of throwing me off now.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ oooh! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Tristan said in a hushed voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were doing that. But who are you trying to intimidate?¡±


    The confused drunkard squinted his misty eyes as he looked around before finally landing his gaze on the toad sitting in the stall behind the crab.


    ¡°Tristan?¡± the green merchant said with hesitation and a hint of surprise.


    The man¡¯s eyes squinted even harder at her. ¡°Henrietta?¡±


    ¡°You know her?!¡± Balthazar asked, looking back and forth between them.


    ¡°I do,¡± said Tristan, still staring at the toad. ¡°She was the innkeeper across the street from our emporium back in the day. She was quite something to look at, too, but¡­ there¡¯s something different about her now. I can¡¯t quite put my finger on what, though.¡±


    ¡°Eww, she¡¯s a frog!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, looking disgusted.


    ¡°I¡¯m a toad, not a frog,¡± Henrietta said, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± the drunk yelled, smacking his fist against his open palm. ¡°I knew something looked different! She used to be a human!¡±


    ¡°Eww, she¡¯s a human?¡± the crab asked, looking even more disgusted.


    ¡°Yes, or at least I think so. Memory¡¯s a bit hazy sometimes,¡± Tristan said. ¡°What happened to you, Henrietta?¡±


    The toad¡¯s eyes gazed down at the road, her expression looking sad and ashamed. ¡°Oh, Tristan. So much. It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    ¡°Does someone mind explaining to me what the hell is going on?!¡± Balthazar blurted out. ¡°How do you know her? And more importantly, how did she end up down here being a thorn in my side?¡±


    ¡°I told you,¡± Tristan said, ¡°I knew her from the inn across from our emporium back when Antoine and I were getting started as business partners. You know, way back before he... ruined my reputation. Henrietta owned a nice, cozy little inn with a tavern. I used to go there every night for some mead. Then, after Antoine stabbed me in the back and took everything from me, I¡­ I just stopped showing my face around that part of town for a while. Some time later I found out the inn had closed, never really heard anything about her again, figured she might have left town, or something.¡±


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    Henrietta continued staring emptily at the wooden surface she stood on, with a look of melancholy as she listened to Tristan¡¯s words.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked the toad. ¡°How did you end up like¡­ that?¡±


    She sighed, still avoiding eye contact. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t really talk about it.¡±


    ¡°But why not?¡± said Tristan.


    ¡°This conversation was already enough of a mistake. I wish you wouldn¡¯t have recognized me. Please, just forget you saw me.¡± She glanced at the crab. ¡°I might have already ruined things too much at this point. Best I say nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Come on now, Henrietta, you know me,¡± the man said, his baggy eyes and cheeks sagging as he frowned. ¡°Maybe a little less drunk, and better looking, but surely you still know you can trust me. Tell me what happened.¡±


    She opened her mouth, but hesitated to speak, as her gaze went to Balthazar once again.


    ¡°And you can trust him too,¡± Tristan said.


    ¡°She can?!¡± the crab exclaimed, looking surprised at the drunk.


    ¡°He¡¯s all crabby and rough around the edges,¡± the man continued, ignoring the question, ¡°but he¡¯s good, I promise. If this has anything to do with Antoine, trust me, we¡¯re all on the same side.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the toad asked. ¡°He¡¯s been nothing but unpleasant to me since I got here.¡±


    ¡°Well, you were sent here by my nemesis to screw with my business. What did you expect? Tea and crumpets?!¡± the outraged crustacean said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s just a little hot-blooded sometimes,¡± said Tristan.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not! Do they teach you nothing about crustaceans in your schools?!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, tell us everything,¡± the other continued, paying no mind to the crab¡¯s ranting.


    ¡°Alright, if you promise, Tristan¡­ I¡¯ll trust you,¡± Henrietta said with a sigh. ¡°You know, back when the whole thing with you and the mayor happened, I knew something didn¡¯t sound right about it. I never liked that partner of yours. He always felt skeevy and untrustworthy to me. When all that unpleasant business at the mayor¡¯s house came out and everyone was talking horrible things about you, I didn¡¯t believe it. I knew that had Antoine¡¯s finger on it, that he must have finally pulled one on you.¡±


    Tristan nodded gently as he made a sad smile. ¡°Thank you. I should have known at least you would believe in me, Henrietta.¡±


    She returned his smile before continuing. ¡°Of course, soon after he took over your guys¡¯ emporium, he began making moves to expand and take over whatever he saw fit. He started putting pressure on the neighboring shops to sell so he could expand the building, even managed to throw that old carpenter out from his workshop up the street, if you can believe that. And then, of course, one day he walked into my inn, suggesting I sell it to him, stay in my own place as a tenant, working for him, paying most of my profits to him, just to fall in line with his expansion.¡±


    ¡°His greed just doesn¡¯t know any limits,¡± Tristan said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Well, you know me, I ain¡¯t one to take stuff like that home,¡± she continued. ¡°I said a good few things and basically told him to go graze with the goats. Of course, fancy boy didn¡¯t like that. He started putting the squeeze on me and my business. First with thugs trying to intimidate me, then causing trouble in the tavern. This went on for months, but you know what kind of woman I am, Tristan. I wasn¡¯t going to break to mister fancy-silk-pants.¡±


    ¡°Damn right, Henrietta!¡± the former merchant exclaimed, waving a fist in front of himself.


    ¡°Except when it started going around that some lowly innkeeper was embarrassing the brand new guildmaster, it became personal, and he made it a mission to get what he wanted, to make a point for everyone else. For a while, I thought he might really have someone, you know¡­¡± She rolled her eyes back and twisted her neck to the side with a croak. ¡°But no, he¡¯s petty and malicious. He didn¡¯t just want me gone, he wanted to punish me for standing up to him. So, I later found he hired an adventurer passing through town, some black-haired witch.¡±


    ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Let me guess: the witch¡¯s name was Velvet.¡±


    ¡°Yes. How did you know?¡± the surprised toad asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯ve had the displeasure.¡±


    ¡°Well, anyhow,¡± Henrietta continued, ¡°he paid the witch to do some black magic stuff that witches do, not like I understand any of it, and then had his thugs grab me behind the inn one night. They put a bag over my head and took me to a basement, and¡­ and well, you can guess the rest. The witch¡¯s curse left me like this.¡±


    The toad sighed as she looked down. Tristan briefly gestured towards her, as if wanting to comfort her, but unsure of how. Actions failing him, he finally found the words to speak.


    ¡°Damn him. Damn him to hell!¡± the ragged man said, sounding much more assertive and clear than his usual drunk self. ¡°Just when I thought I couldn¡¯t resent him more, he finds a new low. All this time, people just assumed you had sold the inn to him and left town with a big payout without saying anything to anyone.¡± He shook his head, his expression rigid and bitter. ¡°Surely there¡¯s a way to reverse that curse, or whatever it is he had the witch do to you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hun,¡± Henrietta said, ¡°I¡¯ve spent so long in a cage in Antoine¡¯s basement, being kept as a pet for him to toy with whenever his day goes wrong. He made sure to remind me often how only he could have the curse reversed. That without his say, I¡¯d be stuck like this forever. To break my will and keep me in line.¡± She closed her eyes as if she couldn¡¯t bear to face the other two. ¡°And it worked. Over time, I stopped trying to escape, to defy him. When one day he walked into that basement, looked at me through the bars of that cage, and told me he had a task for me, that he would let me go back to being my old self if I did everything he told me, I¡­ didn¡¯t hesitate. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here, doing his biding. He doesn¡¯t even need a leash, because he knows I can¡¯t get away from him, if I ever hope to return to normal. Look what he did to me! In the end, he always gets what he wants.¡±


    She turned around, attempting to hide the tear that had just rolled down her rough green skin.


    Tristan looked distraught, as if part of him wanted to rage, while another wanted to sob with her.


    Meanwhile, Balthazar stood to the side, watching them both with a sore lump in his throat. He was so invested in hating Henrietta and exposing her ties to Antoine, but now that he had learned the truth, the crab felt foolish and embarrassed. Compared to her woes, his grudge with the guildmaster felt small and insignificant.


    What was worse, he now realized how close to his nemesis he was behaving, driven by greed, envy, and willing to stoop to the same low levels as Antoine to achieve what he wanted.


    As the crab stood there, staring at the cobblestones on the road, he realized how lucky he was to have the one thing Ardville¡¯a guildmaster lacked to keep him in check: real friends.


    That, and how close he came to letting them¡ªand himself¡ªdown. It was a feeling he wanted to never experience again.


    ¡°He won¡¯t get away with it forever, Henrietta,¡± Tristan said, finally breaking the silence that had set between them. ¡°I¡¯ve spent long enough feeling sorry for myself. It¡¯s about time I do something about that two-faced traitor. If not for me, then maybe for you.¡± He turned to Balthazar. ¡°And believe it or not, this crab here is our best ally against him. Join us, help us get back at him.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ the curse,¡± the toad said, trying to contain her sobbing.


    ¡°Oh, my dear, I thought I had it bad, spending the last few years in a constant stupor, from tavern to tavern, hating myself. In reality, you were the one who really had it worse. He really did your head in while he held you prisoner. You know, you must know, that whatever Antoine promised you is a lie. He will never willingly reverse the curse.¡±


    ¡°He might not, but perhaps the witch will,¡± Balthazar said, finally finding the will to break the lump in his throat. ¡°I¡¯ve encountered her before, and I¡¯m sure I will again. If there is a way to undo what¡¯s been done to you, we will get it out of her.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you want to help me?¡± the lady toad said, looking at the crab in disbelief. ¡°After everything between us the last few days?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, that was¡­ before,¡± the other merchant said, darting his eyestalks around to avoid looking at the toad. ¡°Let¡¯s just not make a big deal out of that and move on, alright?¡±


    ¡°See? I told you,¡± Tristan said to the former innkeeper. ¡°We can help. Don¡¯t go back to Antoine, there will be nothing other than a cage waiting for you there.¡±


    Henrietta took a deep, shaky breath. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ve been fooling myself for so long, but no more. I thought I was all alone, but now that I¡¯ve found you, Tristan, I¡­ I think I can do this. Whatever it is you fellas are cooking up, I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± the human rejoiced. ¡°You will not regret it, you¡¯ll see. But, speaking of which, Balthazar¡­ what exactly is it we are cooking?¡±


    ¡°Not cooking, Tristan. We are baking,¡± Balthazar said, a smile coming onto his face. ¡°I want you to go back to town and contact a few people. I think it¡¯s time we get together and start getting organized.¡±

 Chapter 69: The Pie Council, Part 1

    The sun was about to set on Balthazar¡¯s pond, but unlike usual, there was no calm in the air. Instead, the murmuring of voices and the shuffling of multiple figures filled the bazaar as crates were pushed and tables moved around.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good. Put it there,¡± the crab said to the golem, who was carrying a large round table in his two massive hands.


    ¡°Tell your golem to be careful with it. That¡¯s some fine wood. I don¡¯t want to see it getting scratched,¡± said John, the carpenter, sitting in a chair by the corner, smoking his trusty pipe.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me to tell him,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°He may only say one word, but he understands most things just fine.¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± Bouldy said, smiling at the crab as he gently placed the table at the very center of the deck.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± Druma called, running in through the front entrance. ¡°Miss baker and her boyfriend are here!¡±


    ¡°Good, just on time, too,¡± the crab said. ¡°And I told you, don¡¯t refer to Rye as her boyfriend yet. The damn boy is too shy to ask her, and we shouldn¡¯t pressure them.¡±


    Just as he finished correcting the goblin, the two just-really-good-friends walked in through the gate.


    Madeleine was wearing her usual baker outfit, nearly all white, some remnants of flour still left on her apron, hinting that she had likely left directly from her baking to there with no time to get a change of clothes. Her face, while still gentle, showed the clear signs of someone getting far too much work and too little rest, with slight circles forming under her green eyes, and her usual jovial smile taking a leave of absence, replaced by an expression of someone who dearly missed their bed.


    Rye, following right behind her, looked nearly the same as always. Green and white clothes, with some pieces of light leather armor covering his torso, his hunting bow and quiver tightly fit against his back. His light facial hair still looked like it hadn¡¯t grown any further in the weeks since he had started letting it grow, but Balthazar noticed the hair on his head was a fair bit longer, now tied back into a short ponytail. The crab frowned and, for whatever reason, found himself wishing he could snip it with his pincer.


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± the baker exclaimed, opening her arms before dropping them against the sides of her thighs. ¡°Do you mind telling us what in the gods'' names was so urgent you¡¯d have us come down here this late? I have so much work to do back home. I can¡¯t be running down here whenever you fancy another flavor of pie.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Madeleine,¡± the cheerful crab said. ¡°I know you¡¯ve had to work very hard lately, and that is part of the reason I called you down here. But let¡¯s wait for everyone to arrive before I explain. Did you bring what I requested, by the way?¡±


    The girl raised an eyebrow at the crab, but replied without posing further questions. ¡°Yes, it was a bit last minute, but we brought it.¡±


    She turned to Rye, who stepped forward with a large carton box in his hands and placed it on the edge of the central table. ¡°Right here, bud.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, my, that smells delicious,¡± the old carpenter said from his corner, taking the smoking pipe off his mouth and closing his eyes in delight as he took a sniff of the air.


    The two recent arrivals turned their heads to him, noticing his presence for the first time.


    ¡°Right, guess you might not know each other,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°This is John, the carpenter who helped us build this roof above our heads. John, this is Madeleine, the baker I told you about, and Rye, her, uh¡­ basket carrier.¡±


    They all nodded at each other before the craftsman spoke again. ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking me what¡¯s this all about, because I also ain¡¯t got a clue. I got called down here same as you, and since I had nothing better to do, I just figured I¡¯d come check it out.¡±


    Madeleine sighed and shrugged. ¡°Well, I trust you¡¯ll have a good reason to drag us all out here tonight, but since I¡¯m already here, I might as well make the most of it¡­¡±


    She smiled and stepped around the table, approaching the large red cushion where Blue rested.


    The drake lifted her head and immediately welcomed the girl''s touch as she started petting the back of her head, tail wagging gently against the floorboards.


    ¡°Heeeeey! Everyone here yet?¡± a happily inebriated voice asked.


    Tristan stepped up onto the deck from the back, with Henrietta hopping behind him.


    The drunkard was wearing a different, more ornate vest under his regular jacket, both still very worn out and missing a few buttons. His usual unkempt graying hair shoddily pulled back into some kind of slick mullet, face still unshaven, with light stubble covering his baggy cheeks. Despite his appearance, he looked happy and ready to celebrate something.


    ¡°Ah, damn, more introductions to make,¡± Balthazar grumbled.


    But before he could say another word, the former merchant was already taking Madeleine¡¯s hand into his and shaking it vigorously.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tristan, Balthazar¡¯s new associate. Delighted to meet you at last after hearing so much about you!¡±


    ¡°Hey! I never said¡ª¡± the crab started, but before he could finish, the drunk had somehow already slipped around him and was now giving Rye a firm handshake.


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    ¡°You as well, dear boy. It¡¯s great to finally put a face to the name!¡±


    The young adventurer nodded and smiled awkwardly, taken aback by the sudden vigorous greeting.


    Tristan then turned to the toad, who was still by the steps.


    ¡°Well, go on, don¡¯t be shy, Henrietta! Say hello to them.¡±


    ¡°Hi, hello,¡± the toad said, in a timid voice, raising a foreleg.


    ¡°Oh, my gods!¡± Madeleine exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. ¡°Did that toad just talk?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes?¡± Henrietta responded.


    The baker rushed towards the toad and crouched down next to her. ¡°I loved frogs and toads when I was a little girl! I always wished they could talk to me whenever I saw one.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t see you making such a big fuss the first time you saw me talking,¡± the crab muttered under his breath.


    The toad quickly changed to a more relaxed demeanor and the two quickly engaged in conversation, completely ignoring everything else around them.


    Balthazar, Tristan, and Rye exchanged glances and shrugged at one another before the crab spoke. ¡°You guys mind helping pull up the chairs to the table?¡±


    The group started grabbing chairs and moving them next to the round table while the two ladies continued happily chatting on the side, when suddenly Madeleine let out a scream that startled everyone in the bazaar.


    The girl stood up, horror on her face, finger pointing to the entrance. ¡°A¡­ a skeleton!¡±


    Everyone else turned their heads in unison to the front gate, except for the crab, who had to turn his whole shell, for lack of a proper head and neck.


    There stood a skeleton with a sack over one shoulder and a walking stick with a lantern hanging from it over the other. He had a black wide brim hat on his skull, resembling what an undertaker might wear, and covering his skeletal figure he wore a dark brown jacket and trousers, both old and full of moth holes. His outfit almost made Tristan¡¯s look like fine couture. Druma walked in next to him shortly after.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Hello?¡± Tom said, with a quick wave of his bony hand. ¡°Your boy Druma here told me to come on in, buuut¡­ I think I might have arrived at a bad time?¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine! I was expecting you,¡± Balthazar hurriedly said, moving next to the skeleton. ¡°Everyone, please, no need to worry. Tom here is a skeleton, but he¡¯s not a threat. I know him.¡±


    Madeleine finally lowered her arm, but continued to look at the traveling merchant with a look of distrust, while Rye slowly slid the arrow he had already reached for back into his quiver.


    ¡°What the hell, Balthazar?¡± Tom whispered, leaning down slightly. ¡°This is way too many humans for my taste. I thought you¡¯d know that.¡±


    ¡°Relax, they¡¯re all people I trust, and I need them here¡ªas well as you¡ªfor what I¡¯m about to discuss.¡±


    The skeleton gave the other merchant the side-eye socket but did not protest further.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Tristan exclaimed, his booming voice breaking the icy silence that had settled in the bazaar. ¡°Is that everyone now? Can we start?¡±


    ¡°No, not everyone,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°We¡¯re still missing¡ª¡±


    The crab paused as three large figures appeared on the door frame behind Tom.


    ¡°The orcs,¡± Balthazar finished.


    The chieftain, Khargolmazornyarmarz, stepped inside, his posture confident but his gaze looking around with suspicion.


    Once again, the room froze, everyone staring at the imposing warrior.


    Madeleine covered her mouth with a hand.


    The toad gulped.


    Rye¡¯s hand hovered near his bow, unsure if he should draw it or not.


    John remained seated in his chair, blowing circles of smoke from his pipe, appearing to find the entire scene very entertaining.


    Tristan looked around at everyone else as if searching for any cues on how to react.


    Tom finally broke the silence. ¡°Khargol, my orc! How¡¯s it going? Didn¡¯t expect to find you here, too.¡±


    The chieftain gave the skeleton an acknowledging nod. ¡°Greetings. I, too, did not expect to encounter you here tonight. Or all these people, for that matter.¡± He turned his scowl to Balthazar. ¡°Care to explain, crab?¡±


    ¡°Oh, relax, dour face,¡± said the crab. ¡°Not every human attacks orcs on sight, as you can see.¡±


    ¡°It is not our safety you should be concerned about if they did,¡± the stern orc responded.


    Balthazar turned and faced the group. ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s all take a seat at the table, get to know each other better, and I¡¯ll explain everything. It will all make sense and you won¡¯t regret it, I promise.¡±


    Turning to Bouldy, the crab spoke in a lower voice. ¡°Go stand watch by the road, make sure no one shows up unannounced, alright?¡±


    The golem nodded and left through the front gate. Khargol turned to his two warrior-brothers that were still by the entrance and gave them a nod that was apparently enough of an instruction, as they stood guard by the door without saying a word.


    Slowly and hesitantly, everyone started taking a seat around the table at the center of the bazaar. Balthazar climbed up to his stool, overseeing the table.


    Madeleine, still keeping an eye on the skeleton, slid into the chair to the right of the crab, while Rye sat on the chair next to hers.


    To Balthazar¡¯s left, Tristan sat in his chair, nearly missing and falling to the floor at first.


    In the space after him was a wooden stool, which Henrietta hopped onto.


    Finally deciding to stand up, John grabbed the back of his chair and brought it next to Rye¡¯s, taking a spot at the table as well.


    Clearly feeling out of place, Tom sat on one of the chairs opposite of Balthazar, furthest from everyone else.


    Still scowling at the group, Khargol decided to take the seat between Tom and the toad, the wooden chair creaking uncomfortably as the heavy orc sat on it.


    ¡°About damn time! Can we finally get to eating?¡± A muffled voice said from the darkest corner of the bazaar.


    Everyone turned their attention to the source of the protest, where a verdant bush quietly sat, looking slightly out of place on the wooden floor.


    ¡°Did that shrub just talk?¡± asked Rye.


    ¡°Ah, right, I completely forgot about him,¡± said Balthazar, scratching the space between his eye stalks with the tip of a pincer. ¡°That¡¯s Rob. He¡¯s my¡­ let¡¯s say ¡®underworld connection¡¯ in town. He¡¯s more or less trustworthy, just maybe be mindful of the contents of your pockets before you leave here tonight. Come on, Rob, join us at the table. We¡¯re ready to begin.¡±


    The bush shuffled forward until it reached the open space between the skeleton and the carpenter, where it planted itself back down.


    Khargol sniffed loudly as he crossed his arms. ¡°I knew he was there the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Is he¡­ going to stay hidden in that bush?¡± said Rye, looking at the shrub next to the table with a puzzled expression.


    ¡°Hmm, yes, Rob, you know you can come out of that now, right?¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer to stay as I am, thanks,¡± the thief said from within his leafy disguise. ¡°You have a lot of people here, most of them I don¡¯t even know. I think it will be safer for me if they don¡¯t know what I look like. It¡¯s too risky. Better to stay anonymous.¡±


    ¡°We already know your name is Rob, genius,¡± said the carpenter sitting next to him.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡± Rob quickly retorted. ¡°What if I cleverly had Balthazar say that name to throw you all off? My name could be Bob instead!¡±


    ¡°In that case, why would you tell us that now and make everyone aware of the lie?¡± asked Henrietta from across the table.


    ¡°Alright, alright, enough of that!¡± the crab exclaimed. ¡°This isn¡¯t important right now. Let Bob Rob over there stay in his bush if he wants. What matters is that everyone is present.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me,¡± said Tom. ¡°Can we just finally get to the explanation of what we¡¯re all doing here?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°But before we begin, let¡¯s get the first order of business out of the way. Pie!¡±

 Chapter 70: The Pie Council, Part 2

    Balthazar gave his goblin assistant a nod, and Druma promptly opened the box Madeleine and Rye had brought over. The goblin carefully slid a plate out of the carton and onto the table surface, revealing a pie, much larger than the ones the baker usually sent to the crab. Its wide crust was lightly brown and perfectly toasted, a glimmer of caramelized sugars coating its edges all around. The top had been neatly covered in thin slices of apple, each one nearly identical in size and shape, forming a pattern that covered the entirety of its surface like a weaved fabric.


    His breathing heavy, Balthazar nearly lost track of where he was and what he was doing for a moment, mesmerized by the sheer beauty of his beloved, as the goblin fetched a long knife to carve it with. He could barely wait to see its insides.


    Shaking his shell away from more steamy thoughts of smoking hot pie slices, the crab tried to gather his thoughts and return to his explanation.


    ¡°Oh, Druma, let me help you with that,¡± Madeleine said, standing up and walking behind Balthazar to reach the goblin, who was struggling with the size of the pie, because of his short arms and the huge cutting knife.


    ¡°I asked Madeleine to bring this large¡­ beautiful¡­ pie for us as we gather here today, as a gesture of goodwill,¡± Balthazar said, addressing the table. ¡°I know some of you probably know me for not being too keen on sharing my pastries¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± Rob muttered under his breath from within his bush.


    ¡°But I figured it would be fitting for me to share one of my favorite things with you all,¡± the crab continued, ignoring the snide comment, ¡°while sharing my plans for us to work together. Together like a team. Like a big pie.¡±


    Around the table, some exchanged glances at each other, but nobody said a word, while Madeleine and Druma were busy cutting and distributing slices of pie onto smaller plates.


    ¡°I admit, I¡¯ve never been the best at working with others¡ª¡±


    ¡°Or at socializing,¡± said Madeleine, as she placed another slice of pie onto a plate held by Druma.


    ¡°Or at having manners,¡± Henrietta croaked.


    ¡°Or at not complaining about everything and everyone,¡± said John with a chuckle.


    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, starting to question his own idea of bringing everyone around that table. ¡°We all get it. Point is, I¡¯ve come to learn that there is strength in numbers, and that it is best to work as a team than to stand alone against everything and everyone.¡±


    Across the table, Khargol gave a knowing nod of approval, despite his crossed arms in front of his chest, still giving the impression of someone displeased with being there.


    The baker and the goblin began distributing plates of pie around the table. Balthazar couldn¡¯t help but notice Madeleine was avoiding going anywhere near Tom as they went around the table.


    ¡°That¡¯s great and all, but who or what exactly are we meant to be standing against here?¡± the skeleton said, as Druma placed a plate in front of him. The traveling merchant looked down at the pie with a hint of confusion on his bony face, looking unsure of what to do with it.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s take this by steps,¡± the crab responded. ¡°And I think first, we need to address the toad in the room.¡± He turned to his left and looked at the small amphibian next to Tristan. ¡°Go on, Henrietta, introduce yourself and tell us about you.¡±


    Balthazar sat back down on his stool, glad to pass the focus to someone else for a moment, so he could tackle the slice of pie Madeleine had just served him, its delicious smell flooding his shell with desire.


    The green merchant propped her forelegs up, sitting straight on her bench, looking nervous now that everyone¡¯s gaze had turned to her.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Henrietta, and I¡¯m a toad.¡±


    ¡°Hi Henrietta,¡± most of the group said in unison, their levels of enthusiasm varying.


    She looked nervously to her right, where Tristan gave her a comforting nod as he mouthed two words. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°Well, most of y¡¯all probably don¡¯t know me,¡± the toad began, after a deep breath, ¡°but I used to own an inn up in Ardville. I was also a human.¡±


    There were a few raised eyebrows, and some surprised murmuring around the table, but she carried on.


    ¡°That was until Antoine¡ªsome of you might know he is the current master of the Merchants Guild¡ªdecided he wanted to take over my inn and I dared say no. I don¡¯t want to take too much of everyone¡¯s time with my story, but in short, he saw it fit to get a witch to curse me into¡­ this, and then lock me in a cage in his basement.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Madeleine, who had just sat back down on her chair after being done serving everyone pie, covered her mouth with both hands, muffling a loud gasp.


    Two seats to her right, John slowly shook his head. ¡°So that¡¯s what really happened to that innkeeper. I always thought the whole story that she had sold the inn and taken off overnight didn¡¯t sound right.¡±


    ¡°That man isn¡¯t just awful. He¡¯s a monster!¡± Madeleine exclaimed, finally moving her hands down from her mouth.


    ¡°Indeed, and that¡¯s one of the reasons I brought you all here,¡± Balthazar said, still struggling to chew and swallow the large portion of pie he had stuffed into his mouth while the toad was speaking.


    The baker frowned and gave him a disapproving glare.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m hungry and I already heard her story before!¡± said the crab.


    ¡°That¡¯s truly awful, I mean it,¡± said Tom, giving Henrietta a nod of sympathy, ¡°but I¡¯m still not sure what any of that got to do with me or why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t mean to be unpleasant or anything,¡± Rye said, ¡°but can we address the skeleton in the room, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please. A moving and talking skeleton makes me way too nervous,¡± Madeleine said, glancing at the skeleton in tatters across the table.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a talking toad right there and I don¡¯t see ya being nervous about her!¡± Tom said with a shrug.


    ¡°Because she¡¯s adorable!¡± the girl retorted.


    ¡°Alright, enough bickering!¡± Balthazar yelled. ¡°We¡¯re all supposed to be on the same side here.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, what is she talking about? I¡¯m adorable as hell,¡± the skeleton muttered to himself, crossing his arms and looking away.


    ¡°Look, I hear you, Balthazar,¡± Rye started, ¡°but you must understand it¡¯s a bit odd to be sitting at the same table as a skeleton when I¡¯m used to, you know¡­ shoot at them all the time while delving into dungeons.¡±


    ¡°Oh, those things?¡± Tom asked, pointing at the arrows in the adventurer¡¯s quiver. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. Really, they¡¯re barely an inconvenience for us. We don¡¯t take it personally either.¡±


    Rye squinted with a confused expression, but Balthazar spoke before the young man could say anything else.


    ¡°Tom over here is from a nearby dungeon. Without getting into too much detail, he¡¯s also a trader of sorts, and I¡¯ve been doing business with him for a while. He comes by at night, when most adventurers are gone, and we trade. I trust him. He has good bones.¡±


    Balthazar looked at the two humans to his right. Both Madeleine and Rye gave an awkward shrug of acceptance before the crab continued.


    ¡°And similar situation goes for Khargol over there. We do business every few days. Don¡¯t let his charming personality and friendly looks fool you. He drives a hard bargain in most trades, but he¡¯s a fair orc.¡±


    The chieftain let out a quiet grunt, and for just a brief flash, Balthazar could almost swear he saw a hint of a smile form in the corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Now, as for why I wanted the two of them here with us,¡± the golden crab continued, ¡°the reason is that I see a lot of business potential with the non-human populations out there. Adventurer money is all nice and good, but I see no reason I shouldn¡¯t expand and diversify. I¡¯m in a privileged position, as being a crab, I am beloved by all!¡±


    Balthazar opened his arms wide, looking at the group with a wide smile.


    Everyone looked around in different directions, some clearing their throat quietly, others adjusting their collars, a few even pretending to examine their nails. From within the bush came a quiet snickering.


    ¡°Well, anyway,¡± the crab said, the smile fading away from his face, ¡°I already have the business from one dungeon thanks to Tom over there, and I have dealings with Khargol¡¯s tribe. He also tells me of this settlement of lizardfolk far to the south. I¡¯d like to do business with them and many more in the future, maybe. There are only two problems with that. One is that this side of my business would have to be run during night hours, and as dedicated of a merchant as I am, even I still need to sleep.¡±


    The group around the table was now listening with a lot more interest, the orc chieftain having gone as far as uncrossing his arms and leaning forward on his chair at the mention of the lizardfolk.


    ¡°So, what did you have in mind?¡± Tom asked, tapping his skull¡¯s chin with a pointy finger.


    ¡°I¡¯d need someone else to run that side of the business at night,¡± Balthazar answered, turning to his left. ¡°And who better than a nocturnal toad?¡±


    ¡°Actually, did you know not all toads are nocturnal?¡± Rye said, raising his hand, as if requesting permission to speak.


    ¡°Not right now, Rye,¡± Madeleine whispered, shaking her head at him.


    The young man slowly lowered his hand, returning his now embarrassed gaze to the plate of pie in front of him.


    Trying to ignore the unsolicited piece of trivia, Balthazar carried on.


    ¡°Henrietta and I had a discussion and decided to set our differences aside to make the most of our skills and join our forces towards a common goal.¡±


    ¡°Make more coin?¡± asked Tom.


    ¡°Well, yes, that too,¡± the crab responded. ¡°But mainly I meant the second problem: our common enemy, Antoine.¡±


    ¡°Again, I agree this Anthony guy, or whatever, sounds like a douche,¡± the skeleton said, ¡°but that¡¯s got little to do with me, or even Khargol over here.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not yet,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°but I take it you two would be interested in getting in on the possibility of using this place as a nighttime bazaar where all sorts of non-human races could gather to do business, would you not?¡±


    The orc and the skeleton exchanged quick glances at each other before nodding slightly.


    ¡°Well, Antoine seems to have a problem with my business, and wants to put an end to it by whatever means necessary. If he has his way, no Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar for you or anyone. So if we all here want to do business together, we need to accept he will be our common enemy.¡±


    ¡°I do not see this as an impediment,¡± Khargol said. ¡°If this puny human merchant poses any kind of trouble to me or mine, I shall simply crush him like any other fool who stands up against me.¡±


    ¡°As much as I like your thinking,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°this guy is the guildmaster of the merchants in town and a pretty important figure. Getting rid of him that way would bring a world of trouble down on all of us that we can¡¯t really afford. Do you really want a war between your tribe and the humans? Because I certainly don¡¯t want the guards coming down here to arrest me for murder. I¡¯m not made to live in a cage!¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± the orc said, reclining back in his chair and crossing his arms again. ¡°Then what do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°Simple, my orcish friend,¡± the gilded crustacean replied with a sly smile. ¡°An independent settlement.¡±

 Chapter 71: The Pie Council, Part 3

    ¡°A what now?!¡± Tom asked in disbelief.


    ¡°An independent¡­ settlement,¡± the crab repeated slowly.


    ¡°You, Balthazar, want to turn this place into a settlement?¡± said Rye, holding back a mocking smile. ¡°The Balthazar we all know? The crab who hates company and wants his pond all to himself?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Rye, me,¡± the merchant responded, looking unamused. ¡°And who says that just because I want to turn this into a settlement that has to mean I want to give up my pond?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure you understand what a settlement is,¡± Rye said.


    ¡°Oh, but I do,¡± the crab insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t actually want much to change about how things work around here. My intention is to declare this place an independent area, its own governing body, so as to complicate matters for Antoine or anyone else who keeps messing with us. One thing is screwing with the inhabitants of a roadside pond in the middle of nowhere, another is to do it with a neighboring settlement. Trust me, I¡¯ve read a lot of books on diplomacy and politics. And also a bunch of intrigue novels.¡±


    ¡°So, your idea,¡± Rye started, stroking his chin, ¡°is to put the pressure on Antoine if he tries to do anything against you, by making it¡­ a diplomatic matter?¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re starting to get it! Nobody cares if the big merchant sends goons down the road out of town to rough up some talking animals, but if this was a proper place on the map, I bet Ardville¡¯s mayor and his people wouldn¡¯t like Antoine stirring the pot and causing conflict like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡± Rye winced lightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, far-fetched?¡±


    ¡°And how would you intend to make the humans recognize your claim?¡± Khargol asked. ¡°What¡¯s stopping them from seeing you as a threat right outside their door and send men down here to torch this place?¡±


    ¡°Appearances! And, of course, money,¡± Balthazar responded. ¡°Every adventurer and their mother knows about this place by now. Everyone has stopped by and traded here at some point or another. And if there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned even the people in power seem to care a lot about, is keeping adventurers happy. Besides, I don¡¯t intend to act like some hostile military force stationed outside their border. I¡¯m a friendly merchant crab! Happy and willing to trade and build business relationships with my neighbors! You never heard that you¡¯ll catch more crabs with cookies than with vinegar?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how the saying¡ª¡± Rye said sheepishly.


    ¡°Anyway!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°All of this will take time, and a lot of work to get to. For now, we need to start with smaller steps. Don¡¯t worry about the details of the greater plan. Just trust that I have it all figured out, will you?¡±


    The crab looked around the table with arms open and a wide smile once more.


    Instead of the cheering he expected, everyone was awkwardly quiet, shifting around in their seats, or playing with their piece of pie. At least the crickets in the background were willing to cheer him on.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll let you all warm up to my idea over time,¡± Balthazar said, sitting back down and breaking a piece of pie from his slice. ¡°Now, can I at least get to some good news I¡¯ve been trying to give before everyone kept derailing the conversation?¡±


    Seeing that no one protested, the crab turned his attention to his right.


    ¡°Madeleine,¡± he started, ¡°I¡¯ve got something for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?!¡± the surprised baker asked, halfway through bringing a small piece of pie up to her mouth.


    ¡°Yes, for you. Tristan, if you would, please?¡± Balthazar said, without looking away from Madeleine. ¡°Tristan?¡±


    The crab finally turned to his left, where the drunkard appeared to have dozed off, the plate in front of him already picked clean. Even Balthazar wasn¡¯t sure how someone could have eaten all that pie so fast, without him noticing, and already have fallen asleep on the spot like that.


    ¡°Tristan!¡±


    ¡°Huh?! What?! Who? How many??¡± the startled man blurted out, jolting awake.


    ¡°The deed, please,¡± the crab said bitterly.


    ¡°Oh, right, right!¡± Tristan said, quickly looking through his jacket''s pockets. ¡°Here you go, partner!¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Balthazar, taking the rolled-up piece of parchment with his pincer and turning back to the baker. ¡°This is the deed for a new stall spot on the market in town. I¡¯d like you to move your business there, so that Antoine can no longer extort you with his inflated rent prices as a way to get back at me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Madeleine said, looking flabbergasted. ¡°Balthazar, you can¡¯t be serious, right? You¡­ you went and bought a market spot, with your gold, for me?¡±


    The baker¡¯s big green eyes started looking shinier than usual as she dropped the piece of pie back on her plate and held her hands together against her chest, staring at the piece of paper like it was a baby drake or a talking toad. Balthazar began feeling too awkward for his taste.


    ¡°Uh, yes, I did. Looks like I¡¯m your new landlord now.¡± The crab chuckled nervously. ¡°Anyway, just, uh, make sure you move your stuff there tomorrow so you can get away from Antoine¡¯s grasp as soon as¡ª¡±


    Before Balthazar could react, he found his shell being wrapped into a hug by the baker¡¯s arms, her soft face pressed against his rough chitin above his eye stalks. ¡°Thank you, Balthazar!¡±


    The crab was taken aback and unsure of what to do as he wondered why his shell felt slightly moist where her cheek was, and whether that was normal for humans or if he should be concerned that something was wrong with her.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Henrietta sniffed loudly and started trying to wipe her eyes with her forelegs. ¡°Oh, gosh! I¡¯m so sorry, I just can¡¯t help it when I see scenes like this. I get so emotional. You really do have a heart deep under all that rough exterior. I would have never expected you to actually go and spend your own coin to buy a market space for someone else other than yourself, and then to just give it away to her rent-free.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Balthazar exclaimed in surprise, as the girl finally let go of him and sat back in her chair, smiling and wiping away her cheeks.


    The crab looked around in confusion before his gaze landed on Tristan, who widened his eyes at him and gave him a discreet head tilt.


    ¡°Oh, heh, right, of course,¡± the golden merchant said nervously. ¡°And from now on, Madeleine, you don¡¯t have to worry about rent anymore. It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s all¡­ free.¡± The last part of his sentence was nearly a whisper, as Balthazar felt a small portion of himself dying inside.


    ¡°Again, thank you so much, Balthazar,¡± the overjoyed baker said. ¡°You have no idea how much this means to me. The last few weeks have been terrible, trying to make ends meet. It¡¯s such a massive weight off my shoulders.¡± She smiled even more and placed a hand over his pincer. ¡°And if you won¡¯t let me pay rent, then from now on, mister, you can expect free pastries for life. No arguing allowed either!¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eye stalks perked up as he felt another portion of himself come alive inside him. ¡°No arguing from me!¡±


    ¡°Hey, so, uh, not to ruin the nice moment or anything,¡± Rob¡¯s voice said from within his bush, accompanied by chewing noises and lip smacking, ¡°but what exactly am I here for?¡±


    ¡°You mean aside from stealing other people¡¯s pie?¡± Balthazar said, pointing a claw at the empty plate in front of Tom, who clearly hadn¡¯t eaten anything.


    ¡°Hey, what the¡­¡± the skeleton exclaimed, jolting up in his seat. ¡°When did he do that?!¡± He looked around and then lifted the plate to look underneath it, as if expecting a large chunk of pie to be hidden there somehow.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s not like he was gonna eat it!¡± the thief argued, his mouth still sounding full.


    ¡°Ah, whatever, he¡¯s right. Let him have it,¡± said the skeleton with a slight cackle of amusement.


    ¡°Alright, well, your job, Rob,¡± Balthazar said, pulling his plate slightly closer to himself, despite being on the opposite side of the table from the thief, ¡°will be to keep your ear to the ground in the town¡¯s underworld. Knowing what we know about Antoine now, he is likely to try something against Madeleine or her stand after he finds out what we just did. I want you to find out if he tries to hire any thugs or makes any moves, and if so, immediately inform Madeleine so she can get out of dodge. Last thing we need is him turning anyone else into another animal.¡±


    ¡°Right, right!¡± Tristan said, nodding vigorously. ¡°Let¡¯s not allow him to make any more victims like Henrietta and Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, like me?¡± the crab asked.


    The drunkard looked at him with a confused gaze. ¡°You know, like you said, turning people into animals. Isn¡¯t that what he did to you?¡±


    ¡°What?! No!¡± Balthazar yelled. ¡°What the hell are you on about? I¡¯ve always been a crab!¡±


    ¡°Oh! really? This whole time I thought you used to be a cranky old man.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for the love of pie¡­¡± the crabby merchant muttered, rubbing the space between his eye stalks with a pincer. ¡°Anyhow, that¡¯s another point. We need to find a way to reverse Henrietta¡¯s curse. Antoine paid an adventurer, a witch called Velvet, to turn her into the toad we see now. If any of you ever encounter her, we need to capture her and get her to undo whatever spell she did.¡±


    ¡°Hey, uh, Balthazar?¡± Tristan said, looking unusually sheepish. ¡°Do you think this curse could be like in those stories?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know¡­ cursed into an amphibian form¡­ the only way to turn back is a kiss from a charming prince¡­¡±


    ¡°I am not kissing any frogs, Tristan!¡± Balthazar quickly exclaimed. ¡°We find the witch. That¡¯s the plan!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean you¡­¡± the blushing drunk whispered, his voice fading so quiet no one else heard him.


    ¡°I appreciate your kindness, and everyone else¡¯s. Truly,¡± Henrietta said, trying to ignore the previous exchange.


    ¡°What about you two?¡± Balthazar asked, looking at Tom and Khargol. ¡°What do you say? Can I count on you to help spread the word among the other sentient creatures out there that Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar is a safe and open market to do business?¡±


    ¡°Hell, why not? I¡¯m in!¡± said the skeleton. ¡°I like this nice little place you¡¯ve got, and if it meant I could come straight here some nights and trade in one spot instead of hauling my hip bones all the way across the land to do business, I¡¯d be happy to shell out for your bazaar.¡± Tom cackled again, his jaw bone bouncing up and down. ¡°Get it? Shell out? Hah! Priceless!¡±


    Ignoring the skeleton¡¯s humor, the orc next to him stroked his chiseled chin in contemplation. ¡°Hmm, this arrangement could be an agreeable one, under the condition that we do not have to deal with any humans during those hours.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Adventurers are hardly ever on the road during night hours, and we¡¯d keep watch outside to ensure no pesky humans¡ªpresent company excluded¡ªcrashed our party.¡±


    ¡°Then I shall see that those we trade with will learn of your bazaar and your intentions,¡± Khargol declared, with a nod.


    ¡°Excellent! Then I think that settles most of the important matters we needed to get this going.¡± The crab started listing things off while using his pincers to count them. ¡°Madeleine will move to her new spot tomorrow, getting away from Antoine¡¯s grasp. Rob will keep an eye on any shady moves he might pull against her. Henrietta will stay here helping at the bazaar during the night. Khargol and Tom will spread word about our after dark deals. Yep, I think that¡¯s everything covered.¡±


    ¡°Well, not to sound like I¡¯m complaining,¡± John interjected, leaning forward from his chair, pipe in hand while he chewed the last of his pie slice, ¡°this has been very entertaining and I¡¯m having plenty of fun watching you all go back and forth, but I¡¯m still not sure what I¡¯m here for.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, I almost forgot about you there,¡± Balthazar said, scratching the side of his shell.


    ¡°Must be because of the bush I¡¯m sitting next to,¡± the carpenter said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Well, I wanted you in on this because I figured that with the plans to keep expanding and turning this place into an independent settlement, there will be a lot of need for construction, and I don¡¯t really know anyone else for that. So¡­ I was hoping you¡¯d be willing to help with building whatever becomes necessary in the future? You¡¯d be paid for your work, of course.¡±


    ¡°Hah! That¡¯s it?¡± the amused old man said, placing his wooden pipe back in the corner of his lip. ¡°You could have said it from the start. So long as it¡¯s about building things, you can count on me. Beats staying locked up in my workshop all day fixing wagon wheels. Would feel nice contributing to something new and purposeful, for once.¡±


    ¡°Great to hear,¡± said the crab, turning to the rest of the table. ¡°Now, unless someone else has anything to add, I think this will be all. Meeting¡¯s over, this council is adjourned, you can all go home, or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Rye. ¡°This feels like a pretty important thing you¡¯re starting here with this group. Shouldn¡¯t we decide on a name for ourselves?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Balthazar asked, squinting at the archer. He was really looking forward to seeing them all leave so he could finally tackle the remaining pie all on his own.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the young adventurer said with a shrug. ¡°It just feels like something important groups do.¡±


    ¡°Fine, whatever,¡± the crab said, glancing at the half pie left on the large plate, beckoning him with its glistening beauty. ¡°Anyone have any suggestions for a name, so we can get on with this?¡±


    The members of the group exchanged looks and a few shrugs at each other, but no one made a claim for a name.


    ¡°Come on, anything?¡± the increasingly frustrated merchant pleaded, gazing longingly at the pie. ¡°I really want to go back to that pie, and you guys aren¡¯t helping much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it!¡± Henrietta exclaimed with a sudden croak. ¡°Why not call this The Pie Council? Sounds very fitting to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a completely silly name,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°We¡¯ll take it. I now declare the first meeting of The Pie Council officially over!¡±

 Chapter 72: Barbisitter

    Looking over the pond, Balthazar observed Henrietta sitting on a rock by the small waterfall that rolled down from the mountainside. The toad had her eyes closed and a content expression on her wide face. She had been like that all morning, and the crab had a feeling she was not about to get tired of it any time soon.


    As much as he felt protective of his little pond, even the grumpy crab had a hard time not empathizing with her. After having spent so long being held prisoner in a cage, down in a basement, suffering at the hands of a petty, vindictive man, he could only imagine how good it must have felt for her to just sit idly by the water, feeling the sun and enjoying the breeze.


    The more he thought about it, the more he realized how precious his little territory was, and how much he needed to value what he had.


    ¡°Speaking of value¡­¡± Balthazar said, finally snapping out of his trance and focusing back on the gold coins he was counting on the counter.


    Just as he was about done with his count, the sound of heavy steps coming from the road pulled his gaze up to the bazaar¡¯s entrance, where soon an imposing figure appeared.


    It was a woman, muscular and taller than most. She wore a sleeveless leather top that exposed her toned arms, which matched her chosen weapon that hung from her back: a long and thick wooden handle ending in a steel axe head. Swinging such a weapon could not be an easy task for most.


    As the woman stepped inside, she looked around, light blue eyes peering from behind her helmet. Whatever that piece of headgear was, it resembled an upside down metal bucket with two holes for the eyes and a portion of the edge cut off for the mouth.


    Balthazar eyed her through his monocle, wondering what kind of adventurer had stumbled upon his place that day.


    [Level 26 Barbarian]


    As the crab hopped off his stool and moved to meet the new arrival, he noticed there was a second, much smaller figure following behind the barbarian.


    A young man, scrawny figure and messy sun bleached hair, framed by a large backpack strapped to his back that seemed to threaten to topple him at any moment.


    [Level 4 Farmer]


    ¡°Hello there,¡± Balthazar greeted, staying a few extra paces out of reach from the intimidating adventurer. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Soles,¡± the barbarian woman grunted bluntly.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± the crab asked, confused by the request. ¡°Souls? I don¡¯t really have any of those to sell.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she grunted again, slightly louder, before lifting her foot off the floor and pointing at the bottom of her thick leather boot, which was riddled with holes and small tears. ¡°Soles!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Soles, like shoe soles,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I get it now. Still, I don¡¯t sell those either. I can sell full boots and shoes, though. You can look around at my selection of footwear over on that shelf. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find something that will suit you.¡±


    The merchant directed her attention to a nearby shelf full of shoes with his pincers, and the barbarian followed them with her eyes before walking over to inspect the wares without giving another word.


    ¡°Strong silent type, that one,¡± Balthazar casually remarked, before turning his attention to the bag boy. ¡°What about you? Need anything from Balthazar¡¯s bazaar, young adventurer?¡±


    ¡°Who, me?¡± the boy responded, pointing a finger at himself, as if surprised to be noticed at all. ¡°Oh, no, no. I¡¯m no adventurer. I¡¯m just tagging along.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not an adventurer? But you¡¯re traveling with one?¡± the now intrigued crab asked.


    ¡°Not really traveling. Well, sort of, I guess.¡± He readjusted the strained straps of the backpack on his shoulders, eyes scanning the floor, looking as if he was feeling awkward about his own explanation. ¡°I¡¯m just a humble farmer from outside Ardville, see? My friend over there, she passed by my family¡¯s farm three weeks ago, and I asked her if she would help me look around the nearby fields for our mule that had escaped through a hole in the fence.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said the merchant. ¡°Did you just say three weeks ago? You¡¯ve been looking for a runaway mule for that long?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, no, not exactly,¡± the farmer boy said. ¡°We concluded the stubborn thing was probably gone for good after just a few days and that it was time to escort me back to my farm.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you just said you¡¯re from the farms outside Ardville. Aren¡¯t those right outside the gates of town to the west? That¡¯s barely a couple of hours'' walk, as far as I know. How the hell are you still here, going south of town three weeks later?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you know how it is,¡± the boy said, scratching the back of his head. ¡°She has a lot of open quests, and so one thing keeps getting in the way of another. Get a little sidetracked here, a little sidetracked there, and next thing you know, weeks have gone by, you¡¯ve visited half a dozen dungeons, went halfway across the continent and back, but never get around to pass by the farm again.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the baffled crab exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! Why don¡¯t you just go back home on your own?¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Alone? No way! The whole reason I asked an adventurer to help me look for the mule was because I didn¡¯t want to go out there into the wilds on my own. There¡¯s no chance I¡¯ll try going back home on my own. I wouldn¡¯t even know how to handle a rat by myself. No sir! I¡¯m sticking with Thunk. She can handle everything we¡¯ve come across so far.¡±


    ¡°With¡­ Thunk?¡± Balthazar repeated, unsure if he even should be asking.


    ¡°Oh, yes, that¡¯s her name,¡± said the farmer boy. ¡°Or at least, what I call her. I¡¯m not entirely sure what her name is, but she really seems to like that word, ¡®thunk,¡¯ so I took to using it as her name. She¡¯s not the talking type.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed,¡± the crab muttered, looking back at the barbarian, who was still browsing the shelves, having picked up a boot and brought it up to her ear, as if expecting to hear something from within. ¡°Not the type to invest much in Intelligence either, I suspect.¡±


    ¡°What you said?¡± asked the farmer.


    ¡°Nothing, never mind.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well, that¡¯s her, brave and strong barbarian. I¡¯m Joshua, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, nice to meet you,¡± the merchant said dismissively. ¡°Balthazar. The name¡¯s outside. I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t miss it. Not sure about her, though. I have my doubts she can read, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, she¡¯s not so bad,¡± Joshua said.


    Balthazar turned his gaze back to the young man, looking him up and down with an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°Boy, you just wanted to go look for a mule, and now you¡¯ve been roped into being a bag boy to an adventurer for almost a month! How are you not mad about it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so harsh,¡± the overburdened companion said, his knees occasionally buckling from strain. ¡°I kind of enjoy it, to be honest. It gave me an excuse to get out here, leave the confines of the farm I¡¯ve lived my whole life. I actually get to see the world, go on adventures! It feels almost like I¡¯m an adventurer myself! I know it started as a small quest for her, but now it feels like my own epic quest! Besides, look at her, she¡¯s great! What¡¯s there not to be impressed by?¡±


    Balthazar turned to look at Thunk again, who was impolitely scratching her backside while looking at a horned helmet on a nearby shelf before scoffing away from it.


    ¡°Yes, of course. Very¡­ charming,¡± the crab said with little conviction.


    The barbarian rejoined them, bringing a pair of heavy leather boots in her hand.


    ¡°Boot,¡± Thunk grunted, briefly showing her choice of shoes before turning to leave.


    The merchant opened his mouth to protest and remind her his items weren¡¯t free, but Joshua spoke first.


    ¡°No, no, Thunk,¡± the farmer said in a soft tone of someone explaining something to a small child. ¡°We can¡¯t just take things from merchants, remember? The crab isn¡¯t a dungeon monster. We have to pay, like I showed you before, you know?¡±


    The barbarian gazed at the boy for a moment with her mouth slightly ajar and scratched the top of her bucket-like helmet. Balthazar could have sworn that one more second and drool would have started dripping from her mouth.


    ¡°Pay. Give something, like gold coins, in exchange for what we want,¡± Joshua insisted.


    Thunk let out a long grunt that could only be assumed to mean some semblance of understanding had finally reached her.


    The young man put his backpack down on the floor and started looking through its pockets and pouches.


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± he started, wincing slightly as he searched, ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re all out of coin after she used it all to pay for ale at the tavern last night.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame, but no pay, no product,¡± the crab said, reaching for the boots the barbarian was still holding.


    Thunk pulled her arm away, refusing to return her chosen items.


    ¡°No,¡± she grunted. ¡°No coin. No problem. Trade stuff.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Joshua said, looking proud of his adventurer. ¡°We may not have money, but surely we could trade you some loot for the boots, right?¡±


    ¡°If you have something good, sure,¡± Balthazar agreed, giving the side eye to the barbarian, who was looking smug and proud of herself for her grand solution.


    Putting the boots down next to it, Thunk began rummaging through the backpack. Joshua stood back, looking at her with curiosity.


    Finally, she pulled her hand out, holding within her thick leather gauntlet a box, shiny, ornate, and entirely golden.


    Balthazar¡¯s eye stalks popped up at the sight of the box, his monocle falling off and hanging by its chain as the merchant¡¯s mouth opened in surprise.


    ¡°What is that?¡± the farmer boy asked. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you getting that. Did you find it in yesterday¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    The barbarian extended her arm towards Balthazar, offering the ornate artifact to him with a grunt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Thunk,¡± Joshua said. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t trade away that for a pair of boots. It looks pretty valu¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it!¡± the crab blurted out. ¡°That box for the pair of boots. They¡¯re all yours! Done deal!¡±


    The adventurer smiled from ear to ear, pleased with her bargaining skills, as she picked up the pair of boots again with her free hand.


    Balthazar struggled with his monocle, trying to place it back on his eye with his shaky pincers, the excitement of taking a better look at his shiny new golden treasure taking over him.


    As soon as the lens sat in front of his eye again, he saw a new notification.


    [High-value item traded. Experience gained.]


    [[Heavy Leather Boots] traded for [Cursed Music Box]]


    [You have reached level 15!]


    Balthazar scanned through the text quickly, before his eyes stopped and read through the name of the object he had just purchased again.


    ¡°What is that thing, anyway? Some kind of music box?¡± Joshua asked Thunk.


    The barbarian shrugged and placed the boots back down before opening the small box¡¯s lid.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t open that¡ª¡±


    The opening of the box cut Balthazar¡¯s warning short. As soon as the adventurer flipped the lid open, an ear-piercing shriek filled the air around them, like a banshee¡¯s shrill.


    The three of them were forced to cover their ears with their hands. Except for the crab, who did not have hands, so had to use his pincers. To cover the sides of his shell, because he also did not have actual ears.


    Through tearful eyes, Balthazar could see the barbarian and farmer screaming, their mouths open in an expression of pain, but none of their screams could even be heard over the sound the box was producing.


    Just as the crab thought his shell was about to crack from the deafening cries pouring out of the cursed object, the sound suddenly stopped.


    The trio looked at each other, hands slowly coming down from their heads.


    Balthazar looked at the box lying open on the floor through his monocle.


    [Cursed Music Box]


    [Plays a cursed sound when opened that calls out unpleasantness from nearby]


    ¡°What in the world was that?¡± Joshua loudly asked.


    ¡°Shh! Wait. Do you hear that?¡± the crab said, freezing in place as he tried to listen for something over the ringing left by the box that was slowly dissipating from his hearing.


    The farmer and the barbarian looked around and listened as well, their frowns deepening as they caught something too.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s coming from that way,¡± the boy said, pointing to the back of the bazaar.


    Balthazar skittered his way across the shop and towards the back exit, the other two following him.


    As they stepped out of the platform and onto the grounds around the pond, it became clear the sound was coming from the water.


    A buzzing, first quiet and barely noticeable, was rapidly becoming louder and filling the air around them with its noise.


    Noticing tiny ripples appearing all over the surface of the pond, Balthazar squinted at it, trying to figure out what was causing them.


    Tiny black dots were flying above the water, their numbers quickly increasing as if they were materializing from nowhere.


    ¡°Oh, crap¡­¡±


    Balthazar took a step back as he saw the giant cloud of thousands of buzzing mosquitoes that began forming over the surface of his pond and that was quickly rolling in their direction.

 Chapter 73: A Cursed Box

    ¡°Get away!¡± Balthazar yelled at the other two, as the mass of flying insects buzzed furiously towards them. Glancing across the pond, the crab spotted Henrietta jumping in place as she saw the swarm of mosquitoes that formed over the surface before hopping off her rock and into the water for safety.


    ¡°Where the hell did that come from?!¡± yelled Joshua, nearly tripping over his own feet as he started backing away.


    ¡°It was your stupid friend¡¯s stupid box, it was cursed!¡± Balthazar responded loudly as he turned himself around to flee, the sound of thousands of mosquitoes drowning their words as they came closer.


    Seeming unfazed by the whole situation, the barbarian watched the swarm approach with a confused look on her face, both her arms hanging in front of her.


    ¡°Thunk! Get away from there!¡± the farmer boy yelled at her.


    She turned to look at him, dumb expression still on her face. Before either could utter another word, the cloud of bugs reached the adventurer, enveloping her in tiny black dots, buzzing and stinging all over her exposed skin. The woman flailed her arms around wildly, trying to swat away the flying pests, but they were too many, and the cloud around her only became thicker.


    ¡°No!¡± the distraught young man screamed, taking two steps back towards her but stopping as he realized the barbarian¡¯s reaction was not pain.


    A few paces further away from the boy, Balthazar stopped as well, looking at the woman with a mix of concern and disbelief.


    Thunk was flailing her arms, but not because of panic or damage. She was, in fact, giggling like a child, covering her head and swatting away the biting mosquitoes.


    ¡°Are they¡­ tickling her?!¡± the befuddled crab said.


    Balthazar focused on the swarm of insects through the lens of his monocle, and his vision was flooded with a torrent of text.


    [Level 1 Mosquito]


    [Level 1 Mosquito]


    [Level 1 Mosquito]


    [Level 1 Mosquito]


    [Level 1 Mosquito]


    [Level 1 Mosquito]


    [Level 1 Mosquito]


    [Level 1 Mosquito]


    The pop-ups kept appearing everywhere, covering his sight with new entries for each mosquito. The crab felt as if a terrible migraine was taking shape within his shell when the system itself, as if tired of printing all those lines, suddenly stopped and replaced them all with a single new label.


    [Level 10 Mosquito Swarm]


    Unaware of all this, the farmer watched the barbarian as she went from giggling to full on loud laughter. The more the mosquitoes attacked her, the more ticklish she became.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re even damaging her,¡± he said, turning his head to the crab.


    Turning his attention away for just a moment was a mistake.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Balthazar shouted, pointing a pincer at a group of mosquitoes breaking off from the main cloud and darting towards Joshua.


    The boy turned to where the crab pointed and let out a high-pitched whimper before taking a step back, tripping, and falling on the ground. The bugs took no pity and surrounded him before he could get back up, viciously attacking his skin and forcing him to cover his face with his arms as best he could, at the cost of having the latter be stung by the famished swarm.


    His yelling and cries of pain made the ticklish barbarian open her eyes and lift her head from under her arms, the giggling suddenly stopping.


    As if they were nothing more than a cloud of fog around her, Thunk stepped through the swarm of mosquitoes towards the boy while pulling her massive felling axe from her back.


    ¡°No hurting my friend!¡± the barbarian angrily shouted, making even Balthazar glad he was a crab and not a mosquito.


    With a roar, the woman started swinging her weapon around, the blade cutting through the air above the boy, but doing nothing to the tiny insects, which continued to bite away at the two of them.


    ¡°An axe isn¡¯t going to do anything to a swarm of mosquitoes, you moron!¡± Balthazar yelled.


    As if reminded of his presence by the warning, a large chunk of the mosquito cloud swooped down in the crab¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Me and my big mouth!¡± he muttered, turning around to run away, but the tiny winged menaces were too fast and came down upon the crab like hail.


    ¡°Oh! Ow! Ouch!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, as they swarmed all over his chitin and he waved his claws around, attempting to shoo them off him.


    ¡°Hey, wait a moment¡­¡± the crab said, slowly bringing his arms down and ceasing his struggling. ¡°What am I doing? I don¡¯t have any skin. I can¡¯t even feel their bites!¡±


    Realizing the pointlessness of his worries, the crab turned back to the two humans still trying to fight off the cursed attack on their skins.


    ¡°Well, that is still a problem, though,¡± the golden crab covered in small black spots said to himself. ¡°I can¡¯t have them dying at my place.¡±


    Balthazar pondered on what to do, all the while hundreds of mosquitoes continued to try piercing through his shell, to no avail.


    Calling for Druma and Bouldy was a no-go, as they were both out collecting wood. And he doubted the golem¡¯s impressive strength would do much better than the barbarian¡¯s powerful axe swings against such tiny foes.


    ¡°All this loud buzzing really isn¡¯t helping me think,¡± the crab complained, making a useless attempt at swatting the bugs away with his right claw.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    A few paces away from him, Thunk continued her own pointless efforts, alternating between swinging her axe and punching the mosquito cloud around her and her companion, no doubt feeling very frustrated that her usual problem-solving skills weren¡¯t working in that instance.


    There was only one thing Balthazar had left as an idea, and he worried whether it would work, or go the same way as the previous times.


    For the crab¡¯s own good, but especially for the other two fools sake, he really hoped she had changed her ways enough since the last time he found himself in a time of need.


    ¡°Blueeeeee!¡± Balthazar yelled up to the sky, both pincers cupped around his mouth, more to keep mosquitoes from flying in than anything else.


    He tried to scan the air around for signs of the drake, but the mass of angry insects grew so dense it nearly blot out the sun, keeping him from seeing anything. The frenetic buzzing was so loud the crab also couldn¡¯t hear for any signs of his call being answered.


    Through the countless little zipping dots, Balthazar watched as the farmer whimpered on his knees, trying to cover his head as his protector changed from trying to swing an axe at the mosquitoes to punching them, with equally fruitless results.


    As much as the creatures could not actually harm him, Balthazar felt a dire sense of desperation for what might happen if something wasn¡¯t done quick.


    Just as the horrifying question of whether he had left his box of pie uncovered earlier and whether those mosquitoes were also attracted to sweets, a loud screech came through the ceaseless buzzing of the swarm.


    She had answered his call.


    Swirling his larger iron claw around to create a brief opening in the mass of insects flying around, he peered through them to spot Blue, flapping her wings above the whole scene, hovering in place with a frown in her expression.


    ¡°A little help,¡± Balthazar yelled, nearly swallowing a handful of mosquitoes. ¡°Please?¡±


    He pointed his other claw at the two humans, still struggling with the cursed swarm.


    The drake¡¯s brow furrowed even deeper. Whether it was determination to help, or merely her taking offense at having another flying menace around her territory, Balthazar would never know for sure, but she was angry and ready to show it.


    ¡°Get down!¡± the crab shouted as loud as he could at the other two, before throwing himself flat on the ground.


    The farmer peeked between his shielding arms, first at the crab, and then briefly at the drake above them. Understanding what was about to happen, the boy threw himself down to the ground as well.


    The barbarian, however, did not. Either too busy punching air, or simply too dumb to understand the warning, she remained standing and swinging at her foes.


    Blue pulled back while still hovering over the cloud of insects and with a loud screech let out a long stream of blue flames right above the crab first, and then swiftly moving over the other two. The fire jet extended until right above the ground level, causing a scorching heat around the group, but leaving them unscathed from any direct burns.


    All except the barbarian.


    As the swarm of mosquitoes quickly turned to ash and was blown away by the breeze, Joshua raised his head just as the last flames enveloped his traveling partner.


    ¡°No! Thunk!¡± he cried out, extending a red, swollen hand, covered in mosquito bites.


    Balthazar hopped back onto his eight feet once the cloud of smoke and ash around them began dissipating and ran closer to the boy, who was on his knees, still reaching for where the barbarian last was.


    The crab winced, unsure of what to say to him. Part of him wanted to mention how it was all her own damn fault, but another small part also knew that was likely not going to improve the situation. He just hoped not to end up taking the blame for his drake carbonizing the barbarian.


    But just as the smoke from the last of Blue¡¯s fire began clearing, they noticed a figure still standing amid the flying ash.


    Thunk stood there, unharmed, only a few minor scorch marks on her leather chest piece, huge felling axe still in hand, looking around confused, as if lost on why her flying opponents had suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°T-Thunk?¡± the young companion said in a choked voice, a faint smile forming on his face that was covered in small red circles, quickly swelling up into blisters.


    ¡°Joshy!¡± the big woman whimpered, quickly putting her axe on her back again and sliding down to him. She took his hand into her much larger palm and looked at him with a deeply concerned expression, despite the helmet that covered most of her face.


    ¡°Did you just call him¡­ Joshy?¡± Balthazar said, his mouth twisted into a frown of slight disgust.


    ¡°Get bag!¡± Thunk yelled in a commanding bark.


    Startled, the crab jumped in place before skittering to the farmer¡¯s backpack with no thought about questioning the barbarian¡¯s order.


    Dragging it by its straps with difficulty, Balthazar brought the pack next to them. Blue had landed atop a nearby rock, observing the scene with curiosity.


    Thunk cradled the boy in her muscular arms while he winced in apparent pain. With a feeble movement, he reached one hand up towards the woman before speaking in a faint voice.


    ¡°It¡­ it itches.¡±


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me,¡± the annoyed crab muttered, staring disapprovingly at the boy.


    ¡°Give!¡± Thunk barked, while pulling the backpack to herself and quickly rummaging through it with one hand, while the other arm continued holding the young man.


    Balthazar crossed his arms in annoyance while he watched the barbarian pull a red potion from the bag and quickly pour it into the boy¡¯s mouth, who seemed very content with the whole thing, despite his supposed state of suffering.


    ¡°You done?¡± the crabby crab asked, throwing his arms up.


    ¡°I-I feel much better now. Thanks, Thunk,¡± Joshua said with a smile, as the mosquito bites slowly started losing their redness and swelling. ¡°I should have known there¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t take, be it mosquitoes or fire.¡±


    Despite his claim, the barbarian stood up with the boy still in her arms and pulled the huge backpack onto one of her shoulders.


    Balthazar followed her as the woman walked back into the bazaar through the back entrance.


    Hearing soggy hopping behind him, Balthazar looked back to see Henrietta joining them after having jumped out of the water.


    ¡°Gods, is everyone alright?¡± she asked, looking concerned. ¡°I saw what happened from the other side of the pond, but there was little I could do to help.¡±


    ¡°You could have hopped over and eaten a few to help, you know?¡±


    ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re a toad, aren¡¯t you? Toads eat all sorts of bugs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a human, Balthazar!¡±


    ¡°In a toad¡¯s body! Could have played your part, at least.¡±


    Henrietta scowled at the crab, her mouth twisting in disapproval and annoyance.


    ¡°Either way, don¡¯t worry, it could have been a lot worse,¡± the merchant said, before turning back to the other two. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t change the fact that you just tried to sell me a cursed box!¡±


    ¡°You have to believe us! I swear neither one of us knew that thing was cursed!¡± Joshua pleaded, still sitting in the barbarian¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Judging by her intellect, I can actually believe that,¡± the crab said, ¡°but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that there¡¯s no way I¡¯m accepting that thing as payment for the boots you wanted!¡±


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± Henrietta called. ¡°Did you not already close the deal?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, I did, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± the toad asked in a tone of disapproval. ¡°As a merchant, all we have is our word. If you made a deal, you don¡¯t take it back! You should know better!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ that thing is cursed!¡± Balthazar argued, pointing both pincers at the open box on the floor.


    ¡°And that¡¯s on you for accepting a shiny trinket without checking it first! Seriously, what kind of merchant accepts a trade without making sure what they¡¯re getting is safe? Have you never encountered cursed items before?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ no?¡± the crab said, trying to disguise his embarrassment.


    Henrietta looked at him like the crab had just spontaneously grown a second head.


    ¡°How have you gotten this far as a merchant?!¡±


    Balthazar glanced at the golden box once more, trying to avoid the toad¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°You think that now that it¡¯s been opened, it will be safe to keep?¡±


    Henrietta¡¯s cheeks puffed up with air as she croaked angrily, but before she could answer, Thunk¡¯s mighty foot crushed the box under her boot, smashing it to smithereens, one stomp after the other, until there was nothing left but tiny, unrecognizable fragments.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± the crab exclaimed.


    ¡°Evil!¡± Thunk groaned, her eyes bulging behind her helmet¡¯s visor.


    ¡°You know what, whatever, fine, I¡¯m sick of this whole situation already,¡± Balthazar yelled. ¡°Just take the damn boots and get out of my sight!¡±


    Without hesitation or another word, the barbarian took herself, her bag boy, and her bag out through the front gate. Joshua peeked over her shoulder on the way out with an apologetic look on his face.


    ¡°You know, you really should work on your customer handling skills. That and maybe read up on cursed items. Any merchant worth their salt knows about those things,¡± Henrietta said, before turning and hopping back out of the bazaar through the back exit.


    ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Balthazar begrudgingly said under his breath. ¡°Speaking of cursed things, I¡¯d better check this system level up, so it stops annoying me in the corner of my eye.¡±


    [Level 15]


    [Congratulations, you have reached the maximum level!]


    ¡°Say what now?!¡±

 Chapter 74: Crab Ltd

    ¡°No, this can¡¯t be right,¡± the bewildered crab said, reading through the text in his eyes over and over again, but arriving at no different conclusion.


    ¡°You have reached the maximum level¡­¡± he repeated to himself. ¡°At level 15?! How does that make any sense?¡±


    Balthazar started pacing back and forth in front of the bazaar¡¯s counter, his mind racing to find logic in that new development.


    ¡°Why would the max level be 15? And I¡¯ve seen plenty of adventurers out there way beyond that level!¡±


    He rubbed his chin with his silver pincer, while clacking his iron claw as he walked around in circles, lost in thought.


    ¡°This system. This damnable system. From the beginning, there¡¯s always been something wrong with it. I keep trying to ignore it, keep trying to not think about it, but each time this thing keeps making that more difficult.¡±


    Balthazar looked over his attributes.


    [Level 15]


    [Attribute Points: 1]


    [Skill Points: 1]


    [Strength: 3] [+]


    [Agility: 2] [+]


    [Intelligence: 24] [+]


    [Skills]


    ¡°This still seems to let me assign attribute points¡­¡±


    He hesitantly pressed the plus sign next to his Intelligence with his eyes, as he had always done from the start, and it changed to 25.


    ¡°Yes, still works. Now there¡¯s just the skill point.¡± The crab paused, looking at his one remaining skill point and the list of his skills. ¡°What if this really is the last level I can get? That means I will not get any more skill points.¡±


    His stomach dropped slightly, thinking how little thought he had given to it until then. He had never considered those points as a finite resource, made any plans for them, or double checked any of his choices before. Now that he had abruptly discovered that might be his last one, it was as if he was experiencing choice paralysis over it.


    ¡°Should I spend it on something entirely new while I still can?¡± the crab muttered to himself while standing alone in the middle of his bazaar. ¡°Or should I use it to improve one of my already selected skills for one last upgrade while I still can?¡±


    His eyes drifted over to his list of skills.


    [Charisma: S(+5)] [Medium Armor: A] [Speech: A] [Reading: B] [Fishing: C] [Imbuing: C] [Leadership: B] [Slashing Weapons: C]


    His Charisma, still boosted by his imbued golden shell. Balthazar remembered the past comments about how imbuing wasn¡¯t supposed to be permanent, and the questions on how his use of it didn¡¯t seem to run out. Yet another unanswered mystery, but one he was sure had to be related to whatever odd thing was going on with his system.


    His Slashing Weapons skill, the Medium Armor, even his Fishing skill. All things he recalled already having some proficiency on when first discovering skill points. They were all worthy options for upgrading.


    And then there were still things like Speech, Reading, and even his more recent Leadership skill. He liked them all, and knowing there was only one point remaining, he could not decide which one was more important to invest in.


    ¡°This is ridiculous!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, as he hopped on his stool and slammed his powerful iron claw against the counter. Fortunately for him, the carpenter¡¯s work proved sturdy, and the wood did not budge under his strike. Unfortunately for him, that did not serve of much consolation against the annoying fact that he, Balthazar, the proud and confident crab, was now finding himself too hesitant to make a choice, even a reckless one.


    He wondered what had changed. The old crab had never been one to second guess himself, or hold back from taking a chance without caring much for the consequences that might come later.


    It was as if he now felt differently about everything. As if he now felt he had something to lose. As if he had things he... cared about.


    Other than just himself, naturally.


    Balthazar realized he now had many things he was never used to before, and one of them was responsibility.


    Something else he was not accustomed to was self-reflection.


    With a long sigh, the crab dismissed away all his system menus.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just save that skill point for now. Wait for the right moment where I might need it, just in case it really is the last one I¡¯ll get. I need to make it count.¡±


    Crossing his arms, Balthazar looked out of the bazaar, his gaze lost on the rays of sunlight that pierced through the clouds and hit the ground outside.


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    ¡°If only I could discuss this with someone,¡± he let out, with another sigh. ¡°But the only adventurer I ever encountered that seemed to know about these things had to go and vanish after one visit. So many damn adventurers pass through here every day, but of course, the one I need never shows up again.¡±


    It had been weeks since Balthazar had put the word out that he was seeking to deliver a message to Ruby the enchantress, but he had yet to hear any news back.


    Lacking in patience, the crab decided he would not keep waiting, and that he needed to try again, and harder this time.


    ***


    ¡°And you are absolutely sure nobody has seen or heard from her lately?¡± Balthazar asked, standing outside his bazaar with nothing else near him other than a very inconspicuous berry bush.


    ¡°No, I already told you, nothing yet. Don¡¯t know how many more ways you want me to explain it to you,¡± the piece of shrubbery replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I really need to speak with her, Rob,¡± the crab explained.


    ¡°What do you want with that one anyway?¡± the thief asked. ¡°I¡¯ve done some digging on this enchantress since you first asked me to find where she was, and let me tell you, your Ruby lady has quite the reputation.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Balthazar, intrigued to find out more about the mysterious woman.


    ¡°She moves around a lot, and wherever she goes, trouble seems to find her. She always seems to be looking or researching for something, and asking inconvenient or strange questions. Most people think she¡¯s kind of a nutcase, full of conspiracy theories. A few think she¡¯s hiding something. Whatever is the truth, she seems dodgy, you might want to be careful who you associate yourself with, bud.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the crab said, giving the shrub his most ironic stare possible.


    ¡°Alright, fine, I guess I get that¡¯s not saying much coming from me,¡± Rob responded, making shuffling noises that Balthazar suspected came from him shrugging and throwing his hands up. ¡°But at least you know what I¡¯m about. There¡¯s no doubt on whether I am a criminal and a thief. With this mysterious scarlet enchantress? Who knows what you¡¯re getting yourself into. All I¡¯m saying is, she smells like trouble to me, and I¡¯m telling you, I got a nose for these things.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you do,¡± the crab said. ¡°Just like I¡¯m sure you have a nose for precious gems.¡±


    ¡°Wow, uncalled for, man,¡± the hidden adventurer said. ¡°No need to be so cranky. I also have some good news I think you¡¯re gonna like.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what¡¯s that?¡± asked the crab, his interest suddenly piqued again.


    ¡°It¡¯s about your favorite rival merchant, Antoine.¡±


    ¡°Really? Please, do share!¡± Balthazar requested, visible excitement transpiring through his slightly wicked smile. ¡°The anticipation is killing me here!¡±


    ¡°Well, first he was seen being very irritable at his emporium the day after your new friend Henrietta didn¡¯t go back to him. Most people don¡¯t know why, of course, but some mentioned he was going around the corners muttering stuff about toads and how he should have known better. They must be thinking he¡¯s kinda losing it, hah!¡±


    Balthazar let out a booming laughter of pure satisfaction, accompanied by an amused giggling from the bush next to him.


    After the two of them finished laughing over Antoine¡¯s woes, Rob continued.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t end there, though! A couple of days later, he found out your baker girl was moving out of his market spot and to a new one. He was not amused, heh. My sources say he went straight to the town offices to find out who her new spot belonged to, demanding an audience with them, probably planning to strong arm them too. My contact in there said his face was redder than a tomato when he heard his old business partner, Tristan, was the one who owned the space. Yelled and shouted, said it couldn¡¯t be. His stupid little mustache was all curled up by the time he stormed out of there, stomping his feet like a spoiled brat who didn¡¯t get his way. I¡¯m telling you, man, even though I¡¯m not the one who has beef with him like you do, it was hilarious to hear about it.¡±


    Balthazar listened to every word being related to him with unwavering attention, holding back his laughter as best as he could, his face turning red as his cheeks filled up with air.


    Rob¡¯s hands opened a larger clearing between the leaves of his shrub as his eyes peered through to give the crab a better look.


    ¡°Are you alri¡ª¡±


    Unable to hold it in any longer, Balthazar finally exploded into laughter, his cackling echoing all the way around them, through his bazaar and pond, over the plains to the west, and against the mountain to the east.


    Nothing in a long time had brought him so much amusement and joy as the mental image of his nemesis Antoine having his plans frustrated by a crab and being extremely mad about it. It was purely cathartic.


    After a couple of minutes, as Balthazar¡¯s laughter finally wound down, Rob spoke again.


    ¡°You, uh¡­ you done there?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m done now,¡± the crab responded, still struggling to speak between his final panting and wheezing. ¡°I just¡­ I just really needed that today.¡±


    ¡°I can tell,¡± the thief said, sounding vaguely concerned. ¡°So, anyway, it seems your dear enemy is none too pleased with your moves. I¡¯d be careful about a response. I doubt he will just let this go and do nothing to get back at you.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I have you,¡± Balthazar said, having finally regained his composure, but still wiping away a tear from his eye. ¡°You keep doing your thing, and keep me informed of any danger coming our way.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of danger,¡± said Rob, shifting around in his bush, ¡°I heard some rumors at a tavern last night that might concern you.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes? And what were they? Were they talking about a handsome crab who lives by the side of the road?¡±


    ¡°No, not like that,¡± the other responded, trying to sound serious. ¡°Some adventurers who had come to town from the Black Forest through the plains and got a little lost for a while said that when night started falling, they heard haunting sounds out in the distance and spotted ethereal green lights over the horizon. They said they ran the other way and made it inside the gates as quickly as they could, so never found out what it really was, but they seemed really shaken up by whatever they experienced out there.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I wonder what that could have been?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, but it might be related to something else that happened earlier this week.¡±


    ¡°And what was that?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Some party of adventurers set out to the plains early in the morning and said they found a dead adventurer on the side of the road,¡± the thief told. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be that unusual, except for the fact that this guy looked¡­ strange. He was this very large guy. One of the party members recognized him as some pompous fighter from the guild, except he was dressed in wizard robes. Now why in the world would a fighter be out there in the wild wearing arcane clothing instead of his armor?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes, very odd indeed,¡± Balthazar agreed, trying to sound as casual as possible about it.


    There was certainly no need to make any mention of his previous interaction with the now deceased adventurer. Surely there was no relevance. He bought the robes out of his own free will. The poor merchant had no blame for his bad decision making. He was an innocent crab.


    ¡°Anyhow, that wasn¡¯t the worst part,¡± Rob continued. ¡°When they found him, he was pale as a corpse.¡±


    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you just say they found him dead?¡± Balthazar interrupted. ¡°So, wasn¡¯t he already a corpse?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but¡­ it was a way of speaking, man, alright?!¡± Rob responded, shifting around abruptly and causing some leaves to fall off the bush.


    ¡°A dumb way of speaking, but sure, go on.¡±


    ¡°His face was frozen in a terrified expression of shock, like he was petrified in the middle of screaming. They said he had no visible wounds or any other signs of harm that could have killed him. It was as if he died from¡­ horror.¡±


    Balthazar paused after listening to the emphasis Rob put into that last word.


    After a moment, the crab suddenly spoke. ¡°Bah! I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, man. There might be something out there. Something dangerous. These plains are vast, but maybe watch your back out here at night.¡±


    ¡°You adventurers love to make up tall tales,¡± said the boastful crab. ¡°If there really is something out there, I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t scare me.¡±

 Chapter 75: Green Deal

    Night had just fallen over the pond and the plains across from it were dark and quiet, save for the chilly breeze that blew across the grass. With summer finally gone, being out after sundown was no longer as pleasant, but Balthazar stood steadfast by his bazaar¡¯s entrance, no chill or sleepiness able to pull him away from such an important moment.


    That night would be the first meeting between him and the mysterious lizardfolk he had heard so much about.


    And by so much, he actually meant barely anything.


    He knew they were reclusive, they lived in the marshes far to the south, and little more. The orcs had been short on words about them, despite the orc chieftain¡¯s claim that they hold good relations with their tribe, and human books were of little help, as it was usually the case with any sentient nonhuman race, since they merely described the lizard people as savages and dangerous.


    It came as no surprise to Balthazar, seeing as, according to human books, crabs were also just unintelligent invertebrates and their writers seemed entirely unaware of them possessing any ability to start a business or even talk.


    Clearly, human knowledge was very limited in certain fields. If he was not so busy running his bazaar and talking to low intelligence adventurers all day, Balthazar would love to educate them on crab greatness.


    Standing next to him was Bouldy, guarding him as usual, and Henrietta, sitting on the ground with her Bag of Holding strapped around herself.


    If the giant crab looked small next to the golem, the toad looked just tiny next to the two of them.


    That night was also important for her, as it would be Henrietta¡¯s first time handling the night business for Balthazar. If all went well, the plan was that in the future she would stay up, dealing with the nighttime clientele, while the crab enjoyed his much deserved rest after a day of adventurer handling.


    As much as Balthazar liked to be very claws-on with his business, he knew there was no feasible way for him to do both shifts, and the idea of leaving potential coin on the table upset him slightly more than having a toad working for him.


    ¡°Working with you,¡± said Henrietta.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± Balthazar said, snapping out of his thoughts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t work for you,¡± she clarified. ¡°I work with you, remember? You¡¯re not my boss. I¡¯m not taking orders from any big ego merchants ever again.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes, of course,¡± the crab said, nodding his shell while wondering at what point had he started thinking out loud.


    Before he could ask her any further questions, the light of a torch announced the arrival of the orcs.


    Stepping out of the grass, Khargol and his two warrior-brothers, both carrying large bags of loot over their shoulders, approached the awaiting trio.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± said the chieftain with a nod.


    His expression was serious and only mildly intimidating, which Balthazar had come to learn meant the orc was probably in an agreeable mood.


    It was a very fine line to distinguish.


    ¡°Welcome, fellas,¡± the crab said, opening both arms in a welcoming manner. ¡°Let¡¯s step inside, where it¡¯s warmer.¡±


    The six of them walked inside the bazaar, where the warmth of the fire pit and shelter from the cold outside breeze made for a much more cozy environment. Despite that, Balthazar had a feeling the visitors cared little for such things, or else they would not be walking around with sleeveless leather armor. Or perhaps they just enjoyed the feeling of a gentle breeze on their biceps. The crab would just never know for certain.


    ¡°The lizardfolk envoy will be arriving later,¡± Khargol bluntly stated, before Balthazar made any questions. ¡°Their homeland is much farther away from here than ours, but worry not, their kind are masters at navigating the wilds quickly and discreetly.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I look forward to meeting them, but until then, I¡¯m guessing you guys brought some business of your own?¡± He pointed towards the other two orcs and their heavy bags.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the chieftain confirmed, while signaling for his companions to come forth with their cargo. ¡°A large party of foolish humans came upon our settlement recently. We advised them to turn back and leave.¡±


    The two orcs opened the bags and unceremoniously dumped their contents on the floor between them. Multiple pieces of leather and steel armor with blood splattered all over them, a helmet with a patch of hair still hanging from it, and even some loose teeth came rolling out of the bag like dice being thrown.


    Khargol crossed his arms, and a smirk formed behind his tusks. ¡°They did not turn back and leave.¡±


    Balthazar glanced at Henrietta, who sat next to him with wide eyes and a mixture of concern and disgust as she looked at the display of items in front of them.


    ¡°Uh, very¡­ interesting choice of goods you brought us today,¡± the golden merchant said.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°We will take 110 gold for the lot,¡± the orc stated in his usual assertive tone that was meant to sound final.


    Balthazar gave the bloodied gear another glance. ¡°Well, I guess if¡ª¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Henrietta said, looking at the crab. ¡°If I may?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ yes, sure, go ahead,¡± Balthazar said with some hesitation. ¡°I suppose I should let you take care of it, since that was the plan. Force of habit, I guess.¡±


    The toad hopped forward as the crab skittered back to give her space.


    ¡°So, if I¡¯m getting this straight,¡± she started, ¡°these are items you took from fallen adventurers who came to your village and fought you, right?¡±


    The corner of Khargol¡¯s mouth twitched slightly and made a brief snarling sound before he answered. ¡°Yes, they are. They came to us, we are entitled to collect the spoils of foolish¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, no, I get that part,¡± Henrietta interrupted. ¡°A bit gruesome, but I¡¯m not going to dwell on the whole human slaying part right now. Business is business.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then what seems to be the problem?¡±


    ¡°Well, for starters, look at this.¡± She extended both of her forelegs towards one of the leather chest pieces. ¡°Big hole right over the heart. I¡¯m guessing from one of your blades. Who¡¯s going to want to buy torso armor with holes over the important parts?¡±


    ¡°Minor damage,¡± the orc said, giving the armor a disdainful look. ¡°Nothing some quick patchwork won¡¯t fix.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright, and who¡¯s going to do that work? Not you, apparently. So, us? The client? Who covers the costs of repairs?¡±


    Khargol¡¯s lips twisted in a displeased manner behind his fangs. Balthazar swallowed dry and considered interjecting, but before he could say anything, Henrietta continued.


    ¡°And look at those pants, all bloodied. Nobody¡¯s going to buy gear covered in blood. Do you have any idea how hard it is to remove dry blood from these? No, of course you don¡¯t, since you clearly made no attempt to wash it off before bringing it here. I¡¯m guessing your wives do all that back home, so you¡¯re used to things just appearing clean in front of you, without putting any value into what it takes to make that happen.¡±


    Khargol¡¯s brow furrowed even deeper than usual, which was already pretty deep by default, and his crossed arms tightened on each other. Balthazar could swear the sound he was hearing was the leather from his armor straining as his chest puffed out.


    ¡°I think what Henrietta is trying to say is that 110 gold is perfectly¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done, Balthazar,¡± the toad quickly and firmly stated. ¡°I think 100 gold would be a fair price for these pieces if they were all in good condition, which is clearly not the case, so 110 is not an acceptable value at all.¡±


    ¡°110 is our only offer,¡± Khargol said in a low, deep tone. ¡°If you don¡¯t want them, then we will just leave with the items.¡±


    The chieftain signaled for the other two orcs and they began opening their bags to collect the weapons and armor.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the green merchant calmly said. ¡°Better no deal than a bad deal. You might try your luck with a human merchant next, or stop by one of the many other non-human trading outposts on your way home. Perhaps you can bring all these back to your village and ask your wives to wash and fix them up before you try selling them again. I know enough about orc women and their temper to know they would probably not be too pleased to find you returned after being out all night without selling anything and that you shamed orcish pride by presenting such dirty and poorly maintained gear to a trading partner. From what I hear, it¡¯s them who do all the leather working and smithing in orc villages, right? I can only imagine the talking to they¡¯d give seeing these presented as what their tribe has to offer for trading.¡±


    Khargol¡¯s eyes slowly grew wider as the toad spoke, and Balthazar started fearing for the worst, until the chieftain held one hand up, ordering his fellow orcs to stop picking the items back up.


    ¡°Go stand outside, keep an eye out for threats and let us know when the lizards arrive,¡± he said to them in a low and calm voice.


    The warrior-brothers nodded and promptly walked out of the bazaar through the front gate, leaving their chieftain standing alone over the bloodied weapons and torn up pieces of armor strewn across the floor.


    ¡°You are astute, toad,¡± Khargol said, his arms still tightly crossed, enhancing his bulging muscles in a mildly threatening manner. ¡°I will accept a deal of 90 gold pieces this time, in the interest of a good starting relationship.¡±


    Looking not the least bit threatened or bothered, Henrietta responded without even taking a moment to think. ¡°80 gold.¡±


    The orc let out a quiet snarl once again. ¡°85 gold, no less.¡±


    ¡°75.¡±


    Balthazar could nearly swear he felt the gust of wind that shot out of the orc¡¯s nostrils as he heard the toad¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Fine, 80 gold pieces and we talk no further of this matter,¡± the tall orc said, letting his shoulders relax down but still keeping his arms firmly crossed.


    ¡°Deal,¡± Henrietta said with a wide smile.


    ¡°You are a shrewd deal maker,¡± the chieftain said, finally uncrossing his arms and letting his scowl ease up a notch. ¡°I will come to respect that once my displeasure for this deal fades away.¡±


    ¡°No hard feelings, chieftain,¡± said Henrietta, with a gentle bow of her head. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re a harsh but ultimately fair one to deal with.¡±


    As Balthazar stood to the side watching the other two, he felt a mixture of very confusing and conflicting feelings.


    He felt nearly inadequate, watching such a polite exchange between them, making him wonder if it really wasn¡¯t the norm to walk out of a trade where one party was strong-armed either feeling triumphant and superior or irritated and hating the other¡¯s guts.


    The crab also felt a slight hit to his own pride, realizing the toad had just quickly and nearly effortlessly done what he had never achieved, by making the orc chieftain accept a lower offer for his goods.


    Was he not as great and successful of a merchant as he had thought?


    Had the charismatic crustacean really just been schooled on the art of making deals by an amphibian?


    A hint of prideful irritation was starting to bubble up inside his shell, but then, as if throwing pond water over flaming coals, Balthazar felt that feeling subside.


    He realized he should not be upset. If anything, he should be happy instead. Maybe there were a few things to learn from others, and if they made him an even better merchant, that would be his own gain. Her being a good deal maker was, in fact, a great thing, as it would mean he could rest easy every night knowing she would handle things at his bazaar well.


    There was no reason for him to feel diminished, for at the end of the day, he was still the famous merchant who owned his own bazaar down by his beautiful pond, and such a crab had no reason to compare himself to others.


    Balthazar would not feel any lesser, because he already knew he was great.


    Content with the lesson he had just learned there, and feeling sure he had taken the right conclusions out of it¡ªat least for the most part¡ªhe turned to the toad to congratulate her on a deal well made.


    ¡°Nicely done, Henrietta. That was nearly as good as if I had done it myself. I¡¯m glad the night business will be in good hands.¡±


    The toad squinted at the crab¡¯s remark, but before she could say anything, one of Khargol¡¯s traveling companions stepped back into the bazaar.


    ¡°The lizardfolk envoy has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the chieftain said with a nod. ¡°Let us introduce you to him, crab.¡±


    ¡°Worry not, Khargol,¡± Balthazar said, giving the top of his golden shell a quick shine with the back of his claw, ¡°first impressions are one of my specialties.¡±

 Chapter 76: The Lizard Envoy

    ¡°Henrietta, how¡¯s my shine?¡±


    The toad gave the crab a firm thumbs up. ¡°Lustrous!¡±


    ¡°Alright, time to dazzle some lizards!¡± Balthazar turned to the orc standing by the entrance. ¡°Tell the envoy to come in.¡±


    Khargol¡¯s companion disappeared through the gate once again and after a moment, a different figure stepped in.


    Slender and tall, the lizard creature was far more humanoid than Balthazar expected. He had two arms, two legs, and walked upright. His head and facial features were clearly reptilian, as was his green and scaly skin, but he was as much of a lizard as he was a person.


    Once again, human books had given the crab all the wrong impressions. Writers, what an unreliable bunch.


    The lizard looked around the bazaar as he calmly stepped forward, approaching the group without paying them any mind yet.


    As he came closer to the light of the fire, Balthazar gave his outfit a closer look. He wore pants and a vest, both made of what the crab first assumed was leather, but upon closer inspection, he realized whatever material it was, it had hard scales all over it, and a slight sheen to it. He had never seen anything like it before.


    The merchant peered through his monocle.


    [Level 22 Lizard Commander]


    Something else that stood out was the fact that the envoy wore no shoes. Looking at his long and sharp claws and how watching him walk made it clear to Balthazar that lizardfolk were digitigrade, it made sense that boots would not be the most practical thing for them.


    How had a crab who lived all his life at an isolated pond learned what digitigrade even meant? Human books. Maybe not entirely unreliable after all.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± the lizard said in a soft, slithering voice. His eyes landed on Balthazar and observed him with piercing intensity, their shape and gaze reminding the crab of Blue¡¯s, except for the fact that the drake¡¯s eyes were an intense golden yellow, while the envoy¡¯s were a dark amber.


    ¡°Salutations,¡± Khargol said, bringing his hand to his chest. ¡°As promised, this is the merchant, Balthazar.¡±


    The lizard crossed one arm in front of his chest and extended the other out, taking a gentle bow towards the crab as his tail coiled around one of his legs. As he did, Balthazar spotted the new arrival¡¯s weapon strapped against his back: a long, sharp spear.


    ¡°I am Jorg¡¯ath, envoy of my people, the lizardfolk of the deep marshes. Pleased to meet you.¡±


    His voice and mannerisms were polite, yet Balthazar felt as if he was being intensely watched and judged. He needed to make a good impression.


    ¡°I am Balthazar, merchant of this, uh¡­ bazaar. Crab of¡­ this here pond. Nice meeting ya, pal!¡±


    The crab smiled and nodded at himself. Level cap or not, his speech and charisma were still unmatched.


    ¡°Oh! And this is Henrietta, the fro¡ªI mean toad responsible for nighttime trade here. Big chunk of rock behind me is Bouldy. He¡¯s a friend.¡±


    The golem smiled and waved a hand at the envoy. ¡°Friend.¡±


    ¡°It is an honor to make your acquaintance, friends,¡± Jorg¡¯ath said, releasing himself from his bow and relaxing his tail. ¡°With me tonight, I bring my loyal watcher. Her name is Jazk.¡±


    The commander extended his hand to his right, towards one of the darker corners of the bazaar.


    Balthazar¡¯s gaze followed the envoy¡¯s hand, confused as to what he was talking about. Just as he was starting to wonder if the lizard wasn¡¯t right in the head and had a habit of talking to imaginary friends, the crab jumped in place.


    Two eyes appeared in the dark, large and purple, their gaze even more intense than Jorg¡¯ath¡¯s. As Balthazar began making out the shape of the other lizard in the shadows, she stepped forward and into the edge of the flame¡¯s light, giving the hosts a gentle bow of her head.


    Even more slender than her commander, Jazk wore the same strange type of scaly leather armor from neck to ankle, her scales darker than his, yet smoother looking.


    [Level 20 Lizard Shadowstalker]


    ¡°Goodness gracious!¡± Henrietta exclaimed, startled by the sudden appearance of a second lizard from the shadows.


    ¡°Many apologies,¡± Jorg¡¯ath said. ¡°We did not intend to frighten you. It is customary for watchers to be discreet and to go on unnoticed, in order to better keep¡­ watch.¡±


    The envoy gave an apologetic bow of his head, but a smile still appeared on his face. Somehow, Balthazar felt the situation had greatly amused the lizard.


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s fine,¡± the crab said, clearing his throat and attempting to speak in a deeper and tougher voice. ¡°I knew she was there all along. I bet the chieftain over here knew, too. Right, Khargol?¡±


    ¡°I did not,¡± the orc said, crossing his arms and lifting his chin.


    Balthazar rolled his eye stalks.


    ¡°Anyway, no matter,¡± said the golden crab. ¡°I¡¯m glad you made it here safe. I appreciate you coming such a long way from home to meet me.¡±


    ¡°The appreciation is all mine,¡± said Jorg¡¯ath. ¡°It will have been a worthwhile journey, if it means good business to our people.¡±


    ¡°Right! Let¡¯s get down to it then, shall we? I¡¯m sure our mutual friend here told you I¡¯m the best merchant around.¡±


    ¡°I told him you were the only non-human merchant around,¡± the chieftain corrected, a serious scowl still on his face.


    ¡°And thus the best, by default,¡± Balthazar quickly added, with a nervous chuckle.


    ¡°Do not worry,¡± the lizard envoy said, raising one hand calmly. ¡°Let your own deeds with us speak for you. If you deal fairly with us, we will do much business together.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, speaking of which, what exactly are you here to trade? I don¡¯t see you carrying any baggage. Oh, maybe your, uh, watcher has it?¡±


    Balthazar looked over to the corner again, but Jazk was not there anymore. He looked around, confused, but found no trace of the other lizard.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Just for peace of mind, he glanced back at the pile of cookies he had left on the counter. They were still there, all four and three quarters of them. At least that was a relief.


    ¡°You misunderstand, Balthazar,¡± Jorg¡¯ath said. ¡°I came here today not to sell, but looking to buy from you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, excellent!¡± the crab exclaimed, perking his shell up and clapping his claws together. ¡°Here to buy then. We love that! And what are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Alchemy paraphernalia,¡± the lizard responded.


    ¡°Hmm! Sure thing,¡± Balthazar quickly said, turning his eyes to a nearby shelf. ¡°We got lots of alchemy ingredients around here somewhere. Do you want some bitterbloom petals? Just got a new batch of those. Perhaps some fresh purple moss grown under the southeastern side of a geode rock? Oh, I know! You look like the type who¡¯d be interested in giant toenail clippings. That means they¡¯re toenail clippings from a giant, not that the clippings themselves are gigantic. Well, they also are pretty big, because, you know, they¡¯re from a giant, but I¡¯m sure you get what I mean.¡±


    ¡°No, Balthazar,¡± Jorg¡¯ath said in a soft voice, raising his hand gently again to attempt to interrupt the overly excited crab. ¡°I am afraid you misunderstand me once more.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I said we are interested in alchemy paraphernalia. Items related to the production of alchemical brews, not ingredients. We have a long and rich tradition as makers of potions, poisons, and other concoctions, and our marshes are rich in plenty of ingredients. We have little need to outsource those. What we are after are things such as glass bottles, tools for potion making, like beakers, vials, mortars and pestles.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± said the crab, rubbing his chin. ¡°But if you have such a long tradition making that stuff, how come you don¡¯t already have plenty of tools to do your thing?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, an astute question, as expected from such a famously astute merchant,¡± the lizard said with a smile and an interested gaze. ¡°We have our means and ways to produce our poisons and remedies the traditional way. A more¡­ rudimentary way, if you will. I would like to change that. For you see, we recently began learning of how humans do their own alchemy, their precise ways of measuring, their longer-lasting metal tools, instead of wood or stone, and their ability to achieve greater purity and efficiency through use of glassware. I would like to bring such advancements to our kind, for while we may possess ancient knowledge on the arts of alchemy that no human could ever hope to match, it shames me to admit they do have the advantage on those other fields.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see,¡± Balthazar said, crossing his arms and nodding his shell. ¡°Got to admit, not what I was expecting. I¡¯m a general trader, mostly. Not specialized in alchemy stuff or anything.¡±


    ¡°So you cannot help us?¡± inquired the envoy. ¡°That would be such a disappointment after coming all this way. Our kind may be great alchemists, but we do not have a tradition of forging metals or the art of crafting glass. It would take a great deal of time and dedication to develop those tools ourselves. We were very much hoping to expedite this process through you and your mercantile connections, Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°No, no! Don¡¯t get me wrong, I can provide you with the stuff,¡± the crab quickly assured. ¡°I just don¡¯t really have much of that around right now. I didn¡¯t really know what to expect from you. However, I¡¯m sure I can come up with something for tonight, and if you give me a little time, I¡¯ll have more proper merchandise for you at our next meeting.¡± Balthazar turned to the toad. ¡°Henrietta, if you don¡¯t mind, give me a little help.¡±


    The crab skittered his way behind some boxes and shelves with the toad hopping close behind.


    ¡°Alright, I only got an old mortar and pestle around here somewhere, but there are plenty of glass bottles around. I¡¯m thinking I¡¯ll sell him this junk for now, to keep him hooked, and before his next visit I¡¯ll get Tristan to buy some basic alchemy tools in bulk for cheap from the town¡¯s alchemy shop, and then sell them to the lizards for a much higher price.¡±


    ¡°Junk? Reselling for an inflated price? Isn¡¯t that a bit dishonest of you, Balthazar?¡± said Henrietta with a slightly angry croak.


    ¡°Shhh!¡± the crab hushed, before peering through a gap between the shelves. ¡°It¡¯s called smart business, Henrietta. If I can get him what he needs, it¡¯s only fair that I make a profit, don¡¯t you think? He stills gets the items he wants, without having to deal with humans directly, who¡¯d never trade with him, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I just hope you know what you¡¯re doing,¡± she said, giving the other merchant the side-eye. ¡°Don¡¯t go ruining what could be a good future business relationship for a quick profit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ruin anything. After all, it¡¯s you who will be dealing with the lizardfolk in the future, not me,¡± Balthazar added, giving her a grin. ¡°Now hurry, help me collect any empty glass bottles we have lying around. Get some of those over there as well, dump their contents, wash them in the pond, and bring them too.¡±


    ¡°These? Are you sure we should waste the potions?¡± the toad asked, pointing at a row of bottles filled with a light blue liquid.


    ¡°Yes, do it. They¡¯re intelligence potions. Nobody ever buys those. It¡¯s a mystery why,¡± the crab said, with a sarcastic tone at the end.


    ¡°Alright, if you say so. What about these?¡± She pointed at another row of orange potions behind the first ones.


    ¡°Hmm, no. Not those, they¡¯re fire resistance potions. Adventurers buy those now and then. Let¡¯s keep them.¡±


    After hastily collecting everything he could find, the golden merchant rejoined Khargol and Jorg¡¯ath by the front of the bazaar, carrying a large basket over his shell.


    ¡°Back!¡± he exclaimed, putting the basket down. ¡°This is what I could get on such short notice. A few empty glass vials, a fine mortar and pestle for your appreciation, and plenty of empty glass bottles for all your potion needs.¡± He looked back at the toad returning from the shore, who quickly started retrieving even more bottles from her Bag of Holding. ¡°And even some more right here.¡±


    The envoy looked at the selection of items in the basket while nodding his head.


    ¡°I understand this was very short notice for you, Balthazar, but I am glad you still managed to provide such an impressive sample of goods. You truly live up to your reputation as a merchant. I have no doubt you will have much more for us next time.¡±


    Balthazar glanced at the toad with a knowing expression. She rolled her eyes.


    ¡°So long as you have the pay, I will always have the goods,¡± the confident crab declared. ¡°Which brings us to the matter of payment for these. Sorry, but we don¡¯t have a policy of free samples here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I understand,¡± Jorg¡¯ath softly said, reaching for the side of his waist and retrieving a small pouch. ¡°I am told you deal in human currency. Golden coins. The swamps of our homeland gift us with many surprising things, including the occasional unfortunate dead adventurer who met their end in the bogs. We waste not, so we retrieve everything the marsh provides us with, including their coin, even if we have little use for it ourselves. I am hoping you will find this a suitable amount for these.¡±


    The lizard gently placed the pouch on a nearby wooden table.


    Balthazar looked at it through his monocle, and it nearly fell off his eye. 250 gold.


    ¡°A fair amount, fair lizard,¡± the merchant said. ¡°In fact, on the spirit of starting this relationship right, I won¡¯t even haggle. I¡¯ll just take this as payment and let¡¯s call it there. Rest assured, I¡¯ll procure more of this stuff for your next visit.¡±


    ¡°I am wondering,¡± Khargol started, uncrossing his arms, ¡°how exactly do you plan to keep a supply of things coming and going, especially involving humans, without them ever getting suspicious about your side of the business? Questions will be asked, sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about that, dear orc,¡± said Balthazar, smiling and picking up the money pouch. ¡°I intend to get ahead of all that by also upgrading my relationship with Ardville. I am here to stay, so it¡¯s only right that we establish some kind of trade deal. Don¡¯t worry about it, though. I¡¯ll handle it all, and you won¡¯t have to worry about any pesky humans.¡±


    Both the orc and the toad gave the crab a glare, although probably for different reasons, Balthazar imagined.


    ¡°I do not mean to be an ungracious guest,¡± Jorg¡¯ath said, picking up the basket, ¡°but I would very much like to return to my people with these as soon as possible, and we have a long way back. If this is agreeable with you, I would like to say our farewells now.¡±


    ¡°Of course, my new favorite green client!¡± Balthazar cheered, looking at Khargol from the corner of his eye and smirking mischievously. ¡°Let me walk you guys out. You coming, Henrietta?¡±


    The toad waved them down with a foreleg. ¡°Oh no, that¡¯s alright, someone needs to go sort out all the mess of armor and weapons you guys left all over the floor, and I¡¯m not about to wait for poor Druma to wake up and do it. It was a pleasure to see you, gentlemen. Until next time!¡±


    After a brief exchange of nods, she hopped further into the bazaar, while the rest of the group stepped out onto the road with Bouldy following behind.


    As they arrived outside, under the chilly air of the plains, dark and silent, lit up only by the flames of the torches the two guarding orcs were holding, Balthazar realized Jazk was standing right behind Jorg¡¯ath, half covered by the darkness at the edge of the halo of light. Once again, the crab had no clue where she had come from.


    ¡°Well, fellas, it was¡ª¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± the lizard envoy hissed, raising one hand and stretching his neck up.


    Balthazar frowned at the command. ¡°A bit rude, don¡¯t you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Silence, crab!¡± Khargol said, in a whispering but still deep voice. ¡°Listen.¡±


    The merchant tried to listen, but all he heard was the soft crackling coming from the torches, and all he saw were three orcs and two lizards standing at the ready, tense and apprehensive, as they stared at the tall grass from the plains.


    ¡°Guys, I really don¡¯t hear¡­¡±


    Finally, he heard it, like a chorus of moaning in the distance. And then he saw it as well: an aura of ethereal green light forming over the grass, emanating from a slowly creeping cloud of green fog growing in their direction.


    ¡°Oh. That.¡±

 Chapter 77: Old Acquaintances

    ¡°Hey, I think I heard some rumor about this recently,¡± said Balthazar, rubbing his chin casually.


    Both the orcs and the lizards did not share his calm, however. The three warrior brothers tensed up, their muscles flexing as their brows furrowed deep. The lizard envoy peered deep into the darkness, looking for movement while his watcher moved closer to his rear, hiding in his shadow as she scanned the area behind him for any danger.


    ¡°There is something foul upon the lands tonight,¡± Khargol said.


    ¡°Oh, please,¡± the dismissive crab said with a shake of his claw. ¡°Some adventurer told me about something like this the other day, but knowing how those idiots are, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°I would be more concerned if I were you,¡± said Jorg¡¯ath, pulling his long spear from his back. ¡°I smell the stench of death.¡±


    ¡°I swear it wasn¡¯t me,¡± Balthazar joked, attempting to lighten the mood with no success.


    The dense cloud of green mist poured out of the grass and washed over the cobblestones of the road like bile, the moaning and grunting growing louder as the sound of dragging feet joined its unsettling chorus.


    ¡°Stand ready, brothers!¡± the chieftain commanded. ¡°And you, crab, if you value your golden shell, stick close to your bodyguard!¡±


    ¡°I sense movement from within the mist.¡± Jorg¡¯ath gripped his spear tight before hissing a command to his watcher. ¡°Jazk, to the shadows!¡±


    Balthazar barely had time to look behind the envoy and see the other lizard step out of the light and into the darkness, making no sound or leaving any trace.


    Still skeptical about the threat, but seeing no reason to risk his precious behind, the crab remained close to Bouldy¡¯s legs as the golem used his higher point of view to look over the approaching fog.


    As his rocky friend pointed one of his thick fingers towards the center of the green mass, Balthazar saw the first figure emerge from it.


    The tall figure of a man in black, tattered robes slowly walked out of the mist, his head slightly thrown back and his mouth ajar. He had sickly pale skin and a gaping hole where one of his eyes used to be.


    Balthazar winced in disgust, but for some reason, he felt like he recognized the man from somewhere.


    Following close behind came another two figures, both moaning and shambling along aimlessly.


    One looked to have been a wizard at some point, his robes now old and filthy. He had the most erratic walk among the trio and most of his body was contorted in unnatural ways, as if most of his bones were broken.


    On the other flank came what looked like your average adventurer, wearing common armor and no remarkable features, other than that he looked very dead. As the crab looked closer, however, he realized his face was partially smashed in.


    Balthazar squinted at the walking dead coming out of the grass, focusing hard on the nagging feeling that there was something familiar there, but it wasn¡¯t until he looked again at the one with the smashed face and noticed him dragging a leg as he walked that it finally dawned on him. The undead adventurer¡¯s ankle was nearly cut off from the rest of his leg, like it had been snapped.


    Snapped by a mighty pincer of karma.


    ¡°Wait a minute! I know these clowns!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, pointing his claw at the shambling dead.


    His words, however, were either ignored or not heard by the others, as the chieftain shouted warnings to the others.


    ¡°Burznarfuogol, take the left! Yaturwurtguthvarbu, to the right! I shall hold the middle,¡± Khargol ordered, before looking at the lizard envoy. ¡°Jorg¡¯ath, there may still be more dangers hiding in the mist. I trust you can cover our flanks?¡±


    The lizard nodded. ¡°I got it covered, friend.¡±


    Both of the orc warriors tossed their still lit torches down on the road, their orange light overpowered by the now much stronger green glow coming from within the mist, as they pulled out their clubs from their belts.


    Balthazar shook his shell as he watched the group of warriors preparing for combat. Not only did he wonder how the orcs didn¡¯t find it unpractical to say all those long names in the middle of battle, but he also didn¡¯t understand why they were making such a big fuss over a few dumb former adventurers.


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    Pinching his monocle with his silver pincer, the crab tried to take a better look at the approaching ghouls.


    [Level 13 Zombie Necromancer]


    [Level 7 Zombie Wizard]


    [Level 5 Zombie Fighter]


    As he suspected, they were three of the first adventurers he interacted with so long ago, when he first came in contact with the Scroll of Character creation on that one fateful day.


    ¡°Guys, come on, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve met these idiots way back when they were still alive, and trust me, if they weren¡¯t smart before, I bet they¡¯re even worse now.¡±


    The others did not seem convinced by the crab¡¯s reassurances, but as they prepared to engage with the zombies, the shamblers suddenly stopped.


    A fourth shadow began forming behind the smoke-like substance surrounding the dead. The green glow grew stronger as the shade took shape, as if whoever was approaching was the very source of the sickly light.


    Balthazar¡¯s eye stalks stretched forward, trying to see who was coming their way and inspect them with his monocle.


    A man, or at least what resembled one, stepped out of the fog, wearing long, embroidered dark robes covered in runic symbols. A hood extended from the robe¡¯s shoulders, pulled over his head and face that looked more like a skull covered by a thin layer of skin.


    He waved his left hand, and the mist moved aside as if commanded by his will. In his other hand, he held a long, twisted staff ending on a green ball.


    [Level 30 Arch-Necromancer]


    There was something else that came with him, something Balthazar couldn¡¯t quite see or explain, but the air that surrounded the man was heavier, and even more green, as if he himself were emanating a green glow.


    What finally gave the crab reason for concern, however, were the effects it seemed to have on the others.


    Khargol and his two warrior brothers had frozen in place, fists clenched tight, teeth grinding as if flinching against a strong gust of wind. The lizard envoy, Jorg¡¯ath, held on to his upright spear with one hand as the other one went down to the ground along with one of his knees, looking as though an unbearable weight had fallen upon his shoulders.


    Something was amiss. Something about the Arch-Necromancer himself was affecting them, but despite Balthazar also feeling the same cold, heavy air around him, he could not feel anything else different.


    ¡°What¡­ kind of sorcery is¡­ this?¡± the orc chieftain strained to say, between clenched fangs.


    ¡°Ahh, finally,¡± the ghoulish figure uttered, in a voice that sounded like someone who really needed a drink of water for how dry it was. ¡°Corpses that will be worth raising. Strong, muscular, and agile. Not flabby, unfit, and ridiculous looking like some of those other adventurers I¡¯ve found so far. You will definitely be a worthy addition to my army.¡±


    ¡°Uh, excuse me, creepy fella?¡± Balthazar asked, rising a claw. ¡°This here is the front of my bazaar. If you could maybe take your stench elsewhere, that¡¯d be nice, alright? Thanks.¡±


    The man looked in the crab¡¯s direction as if it was the first time he was noticing his presence. With a short and swift motion of his hand, his three servants stepped aside and made way for their master to go forward. He walked, yet his slow motion towards Balthazar looked almost like he was floating over a thin layer of fog around the edge of his robes.


    ¡°How peculiar,¡± the Arch-Necromancer said, bringing his long, creepy fingers that reminded Balthazar of a spider¡¯s legs up to his chin.


    ¡°Yes, I know, a talking crab. I get that a lot,¡± the unbothered merchant said, turning his arms and claws into a shrug.


    ¡°You seem unaffected by my aura,¡± the other continued, ignoring Balthazar¡¯s words. ¡°That is most unusual.¡±


    ¡°You have an aura? You mean other than the stink mist one?¡± the crab said, one eye stalk raised higher than the other.


    Through the corner of his eye, Balthazar spotted Jorg¡¯ath, who was now behind the man¡¯s view. He could barely raise his head, but he was letting go of his spear and letting himself fall to the side, as if making room for¡­ something.


    Out of the dark at the edge of the road, a lizard in dark armor leapt into the light with a speed and grace that made not a sound around her.


    With one swift move, Jazk grabbed her commander¡¯s spear and spun into the air, rushing towards the Arch-Necromancer with the tip of the weapon held in front of her.


    The ghastly man tilted his head calmly, not turning but yet making it clear he had noticed someone was coming at him.


    The Shadowstalker did not make it any closer to him than two or three steps. As if pushed down by an invisible hand, she fell to her hands and knees, the spear rolling away from her as she struggled not to collapse completely.


    That weird figure completely incapacitated all five of his guests, and he had not even needed to raise a finger to make it happen. Balthazar was beginning to suspect he might be dangerous. At least just a little.


    Puzzled by how he was doing it, Balthazar looked around, trying to make sense of it, when his monocle picked up on something and gave him a notification.


    [Dread Aura]


    [Demoralizes lower level sentient beings in the area and keeps them from fighting back.]


    Balthazar would have snapped his fingers, had he any.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what it is!¡±


    Once again, the man seemed to pay no mind to the crab¡¯s ramblings and continued on his own monologue.


    ¡°There must be something special about you if you can resist my powers. I have never reanimated a crab before, but perhaps you will be the first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question,¡± Balthazar said, also paying little mind to the fact that a powerful Arch-Necromancer was a mere five paces away from him. ¡°Why the hell is that aura thing doing nothing to me?¡±


    He rubbed his chin for a moment before his eyes bulged out and then frowned as he put it all together.


    ¡°Hey, wait a moment! Is this stupid system insulting me again by insinuating I don¡¯t count as sentient?! Oh, that is just typical!¡±


    The undead master tilted his staff horizontally and began swinging it slowly, causing the orb at its tip to glow as green swirls of magic formed around it.


    ¡°You talk too much,¡± the man said menacingly. ¡°Good thing the dead don¡¯t speak.¡±

 Chapter 78: The Bravest of Crabs

    Balthazar glared at the Arch-Necromancer with a snide look as he charged his death blast.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t threaten me.¡±


    ¡°Hah! You may be unaffected by my aura, but a pathetic crab poses no danger to me.¡±


    Balthazar smirked.


    ¡°Maybe not, but you know what else doesn¡¯t count as sentient? Rocks.¡±


    The man¡¯s creepy smile faded slightly as his thin eyebrow rose. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Bouldy,¡± the crab said, turning his eyes up to his friend. ¡°Smack this Arch-Stinker!¡±


    Rising up from his hunched position behind Balthazar, the golem took one step forward towards the surprised man, who quickly flung his charged blast at it. The spell hit the solid rock and fizzled out with no effect.


    The same could not be said of the punch coming his way, sending him flying several paces to the side into a messy pile of rolled up robes.


    Something changed in the air around them as the Arch-Necromancer was hit and Balthazar realized the aura was gone.


    The orcs and lizards felt the same thing as they all let out gasps of relief, finally free of the demoralizing effects.


    Struggling with his robes, the man tried to stand back up, his hood now pulled back, revealing a shiny bald head. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, you useless sacks of bones, attack!¡±


    The three zombies stirred back to unlife and turned to their targets.


    Khargol stood up and shook his head vigorously. After regaining his focus, his gaze landed on the three incoming zombies and he growled. There was a rage in his eyes that made Balthazar glad they were on the same side.


    ¡°Take the fighter, I will handle the wizard,¡± he commanded in a fierce voice, and the other two orcs obeyed.


    Without hesitation at their chieftain¡¯s orders, the two warrior-brothers grabbed their clubs again and moved in on the mangled-face zombie. The former adventurer readied to lunge at them, but the pair split up as they charged, one to each side, making the confused shambler turn his head left and right, unsure of where to focus his limited thinking power.


    The one Balthazar was fairly sure was called Burz struck the zombie behind the right knee with his club, causing the creature to fall with a crisp sound of brittle bone snapping. Yatur quickly moved in as the moaning corpse turned his attention to the orc that had just attacked him, taking the opportunity to deliver a finishing blow to the back of the head.


    The zombie fighter fell to the ground with a loud thud and moaned no more.


    A short distance away, the fallen wizard twisted and flexed his many broken fingers and small blue sparks began crackling between them as he fixed his dead eyes on Khargol.


    ¡°Hey, big guy, shouldn¡¯t you have brought a weapon too?¡± Balthazar yelled from the other side of the road.


    ¡°I would be a shameful orc chieftain if I required a weapon to handle this foul trash,¡± the imposing orc replied, cracking his knuckles as he walked unafraid towards the undead mage. ¡°I have all the weapons I need right here.¡±


    Before the wizard could finish casting, the orc leapt forward with one powerful step and cleared the distance between them with surprising speed for someone so big.


    Leaving no time for his foe to react, Khargol delivered a devastating jab that landed right under the zombie wizard¡¯s chin and sent him flying high into the air before falling back down like a sack of bones.


    ¡°Oof! He levitated and fell down. Again. So unlucky,¡± Balthazar joked with a mocking wince.


    The crab looked up the road, searching for the last zombie that had moved in on the lizards.


    Jorg¡¯ath was the farthest away, still regaining his footing after the effects of the aura cleared. His companion stood between him and the incoming corpse, with her claws flexed and ready to strike.


    The necromancer extended one arm out as he shambled on, mouth ajar, only a sickening moaning coming out. Faint, translucent tendrils of a purple color began forming out of his hand, reaching for the shadowstalker.


    Jazk dodged the incoming strike from one of them by stepping to the side in a smooth, almost dance-like movement. More tendrils pushed forward, and she was forced to do a backwards somersault out of harm¡¯s way.


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    Realizing his watcher was in trouble and unable to get close enough to their opponent to strike herself, Jorg¡¯ath called out to her.


    ¡°Jazk, to me!¡±


    She glanced back at him for a split second, and that was enough to understand his intention.


    As if choreographed and without the need to exchange any words, the watcher rolled to one side, frustrating another of the necromancer¡¯s attacks and wrapping her long tail around the spear she had dropped on the ground before. With one quick twist of her body, she tossed the spear towards Jorg¡¯ath, who jumped up and grabbed it in his right hand. Before even landing from his jump, the lizard commander spun in the air and threw his spear forward with great force as he landed on one foot.


    The sharp end of his weapon cut through the ethereal tentacles and pierced straight through the zombie necromancer¡¯s chest, making another hole right next to the old one he already had, from a certain Sword of Heavy Might.


    His one remaining undead eye went blank, and he dropped dead once again, sprawled on the road with the spear¡¯s handle sticking up from his torso.


    Just like that, all the commanded dead were taken out, and Balthazar chuckled. He turned to look for the Arch-Necromancer and enjoy a good dose of gloating.


    The robed fool was on all fours by the edge of the road, frantically looking for his staff in the grass.


    ¡°Well, well, well¡­¡± the smug crab started. ¡°Like I was saying from the start, I was sure this would be nothing.¡±


    The man stood back up quickly, fighting with his own robes but with the staff back in his grip. He was looking far less intimidating and much more deranged.


    ¡°You may have taken out those weak, useless zombies,¡± he started, panting in between words, ¡°but I will make much better, stronger ones out of you all!¡±


    Just as the tip of his staff was beginning to glow again, and before Balthazar even needed to say a word, a giant stone hand grabbed the hood of the ghoulish man¡¯s robe and lifted him up into the air.


    Taken by surprise, he flailed his arms and legs, dropping the staff. ¡°Put me down! I am a high-level Arch-Necromancer! This is absurd! You are just a crab! I will turn you and your friends into mindless zombies for this!¡±


    ¡°Blah, blah, blah,¡± the crab mocked, while approaching the suspended man and picking up his macabre staff. ¡°You dumb adventurers, always thinking so highly of yourselves. I can¡¯t really have you turning my clientele into worthless zombies, you know? That¡¯s bad for business. I already got one undead client, and that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Balthazar pressed the staff in his large iron pincer and it snapped in two with a loud crack and a small burst of green smoke. ¡°No more of that.¡±


    ¡°You will pay for that, crab!¡± The man flailed even harder, swinging his arms forward helplessly as the golem continued holding him up. ¡°Put me down! Put me down right this instant!¡±


    Balthazar smirked. ¡°You heard our fiend, Bouldy. Do as he said.¡±


    The boulder looked at the crab, looked at the man, shrugged, and pressed the Arch-Necromancer down against the ground with his giant palm.


    There was a slight squish sound accompanied by some muffled cracking, and after Bouldy lifted his hand, the man moved no more.


    Balthazar winced again. ¡°Ooh, should have been more clear with your request, I guess.¡± The crab poked the back of his bald head with a claw, getting no reaction. ¡°Ah well, at least you won¡¯t be bothering us anymore now. Good riddance.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright, Balthazar?¡± Jorg¡¯ath asked, forcibly pulling his spear out of the other necromancer¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Me? Oh, I¡¯m fine,¡± the merchant cheerfully replied. ¡°Told you all it would be nothing.¡±


    ¡°That did not feel like nothing,¡± Khargol said as he joined them with his heavy scowl. ¡°That was foul magic. I¡¯ve never felt more horrible in my life. I nearly felt¡­ cowardly.¡±


    Balthazar did his best to hold back an amused smirk as he saw what looked like a shiver run down the orc¡¯s spine.


    ¡°He is right, my friend,¡± said the lizard envoy, turning to Balthazar again. ¡°This Arch-Necromancer used some very powerful magic aura to sap our morale and steal the courage from our very hearts. I know myself, my watcher, and even our orc friends here. None of us are weak-willed. Yet, you managed to resist it. This is most astonishing.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the chieftain said, crossing his arms in his usual fashion. ¡°Perhaps I have misjudged you yet again, crab. You must have a brave heart and a strong mind inside that shell, if you could show such unabashed grit in the face of such a vile foe.¡±


    Balthazar stood still for a moment, staring at the other two, as if unsure whether they were pulling his leg or were actually serious. Then he remembered one of them was Khargol, which answered that rather quickly.


    ¡°Heh,¡± chuckled the crab. ¡°Bravest of crabs. Yep, that¡¯s me. You caught me. No point being humble about it, I guess.¡±


    Who was he to turn down a free opportunity to be shown the recognition he seldom received from others?


    ¡°I am honored to count myself as one of your acquaintances, mighty crustacean,¡± Jorg¡¯ath said, taking a slight bow after unceremoniously cleaning the tip of his spear in the necromancer¡¯s robes. ¡°And hopefully, in time, perhaps even as a friend.¡±


    ¡°Things could have gone much worse tonight, were it not for you and your golem,¡± Khargol said, bringing his fist to his chest in his traditional form of respectful greeting. ¡°You have earned this orc¡¯s respect, and that is no small feat.¡±


    Balthazar nodded at the two of them. He almost felt humbled by their words. Not quite, but almost.


    Above the crab, Bouldy smiled before giving his friend a gentle pat on the shell. ¡°Friend.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, stop it! Watch the polish, will you?¡± Balthazar said, trying to hold back a smile of his own.


    Behind them, Burz and Yatur picked their torches back up off the ground and double checked all the corpses really were dead by giving them a few kicks. The merchant frowned as he realized Jazk was once again gone without a trace.


    ¡°Hey, Jorg¡¯ath, is your watcher going to be alright?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, worry not, my friend. She will be fine. Her pride may have been harmed, but physically she is uninjured.¡±


    They looked around at the collection of bodies scattered all over the road.


    ¡°Well, crap,¡± Balthazar said, placing his pincers on the sides of his shell. ¡°This is sure to stink up the place by the time the sun comes up.¡±


    The orc chieftain stepped forward. ¡°Do not worry. We will gather these fools and take their remains far away from your business, dump them down some deep hole where they will cause you no trouble or bothersome questions. It is the least we can do after what you did here tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great,¡± said the crab. ¡°That¡¯s a relief, because I¡¯m still terrible at using a shovel.¡±

 Chapter 79: Things Without a Price

    Balthazar sat by the edge of the water, leisurely swirling the tip of his claw over the pond¡¯s surface, idly musing over his surroundings. It had been days since he had even seen a bird around his pond. Maybe they were migrating, maybe it was Blue scaring them away. Whatever it was, he didn¡¯t care, he was just happy to not see them.


    A short distance away, his three carefree companions played around with each other. Bouldy smiled as Blue spread her wings wide, perched up on his shoulder, releasing a screech that would no doubt make any birds who heard it tremble on their tiny little legs. On the golem¡¯s other shoulder, Druma held on to his friend¡¯s neck with one hand, while pumping the other up into the air and jumping up and down, hollering with satisfaction.


    The crab chuckled at how easily amused they were, but for some reason, he was also finding himself amused by their joy. It was still a strange feeling to a crustacean that, until just a few short months prior, would have been greatly annoyed at the idea of any loud ruckus disturbing his peace and quiet.


    Gazing at the other shore, Balthazar spotted the pond¡¯s newest inhabitant, Henrietta, happily sleeping on a floating lily pad, her neck inflating and deflating slightly with each breath.


    Being the one looking after the bazaar at night meant that by the time Balthazar woke up in the morning to start his day, the toad was more than ready to go to sleep herself. She didn¡¯t seem to mind the schedule, however, and business, while still fairly quiet at those hours, had started picking up. According to her, at least two different groups of gnomes had sheepishly come by at dusk to ask if they sold any sugar there, and two nights before, she managed to sell a pair of scissors to some extremely hairy creature she could not name.


    All things considered, his business was expanding well. It was just a matter of giving it time and also move forward with his larger plans.


    Perfectly on cue, a familiar voice sounded from behind the merchant, stirring him away from his thoughts.


    ¡°Hey there, partner!¡± said a very cheerful Tristan. ¡°I didn¡¯t wake you there, did I?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Of course not,¡± Balthazar quickly said in a groggy voice as he stood up and turned to his drunken associate. ¡°I was just thinking. Pondering. You know, just pondering on my pond.¡±


    As the crab gave the man a better look, something stood out to him. He was not wearing his usual ragged clothes, full of moth holes and their colors faded from years of overuse. He had on a nicer jacket, with a green handkerchief sticking out of the lapel pocket, and a tight-fitting undercoat vest with most of its buttons straining to keep both sides together.


    ¡°You like it?¡± Tristan asked, noticing Balthazar¡¯s gaze and doing a quick spin with both arms open. ¡°I got the jacket at a second hand sale, good price. The vest is an old piece I had completely forgotten I even had. I haven¡¯t worn it in years, but it still looks pretty good on me, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    The golden crab eyed him up and down once more. ¡°Yes, very¡­ nice.¡±


    Being in a nice mood that morning, Balthazar couldn¡¯t find it in himself to ruin Tristan¡¯s high spirits with a sarcastic comment. It felt almost odd passing up on the opportunity, but it didn¡¯t bother him as much as he thought it would.


    ¡°Say, buddy, is Henrietta around here?¡± the nicely dressed man inquired. Balthazar couldn¡¯t help but notice his speech also seemed far less slurred than usual.


    ¡°Yes, she is. Right across the pond, sleeping on that lily pad over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, night shift hours. Damn, I forgot about that,¡± Tristan said, rubbing one hand down his face.


    ¡°Did you¡­ shave?¡± Balthazar asked, noticing the lack of a five o''clock shadow on his face. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you, Tristan?¡±


    ¡°What? Just trying to look a bit nicer now that my life is finally turning around. I¡¯ve been down in the slumps for too long. It¡¯s about damn time I pulled myself back up onto my feet.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, right,¡± said Balthazar with a slow nod. ¡°I¡¯m sure this has nothing to do with impressing a certain innkeeper either, does it?¡±


    ¡°What? No. Well, maybe. What if it does? I¡¯ll have you know she was quite the looker back before¡­ you know, the whole toad thing. And I have faith she will one day go back to be her normal self, with our help, and when she does¡­ well, I¡¯d like her to have a good impression of me.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the smiling man, looking across the water at the lily pads on the other side with a twinkle in his eyes. The crab felt almost¡­ happy for him.


    He shook his shell. What a strange day to be feeling so many strange new feelings.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s almost the time she usually wakes up for lunch anyway, so go wake her up, I bet she won¡¯t mind,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Before you do, however, I got a couple of things I need you to do in town for me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, more tasks for your associate?¡± Tristan said with a smile, casting his eyes away from the toad and back to the crab. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°First, I need you to purchase these items from an apothecary.¡± The golden merchant pulled a folded piece of parchment from between a stack of books nearby that he had been reading earlier.


    ¡°No problem, I can do that,¡± Tristan said, taking the list and quickly looking through it. ¡°Hey, wait, how did you write this with those big pincers of yours?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I had an adventurer jot those down for me in exchange for a small discount,¡± Balthazar explained, while handing him a small coin purse for the purchase. ¡°Second, I want you to go to the town offices and find the man in charge there, Mr. Abernathy.¡±


    ¡°Wow there, partner,¡± the other said, raising his eyebrows, ¡°what do you want with a tax collector? Usually we merchants try to see them as little as possible.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Yes, I know, but don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t lost my mind and decided to suddenly start voluntarily paying taxes to Ardville. He¡¯s also the one in charge of other town matters, is he not? So, since I assume the mayor of Ardville isn¡¯t just about to come down here to talk to a crab, I want to present my offer to Abernathy first, so that he can relay it to the mayor.¡±


    ¡°I see. So this must be about your plan to turn your place here into a trading hub of sorts, right?¡±


    ¡°You got it,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°So you go up there and let him know Balthazar wants to make a proposal that should interest him. He will remember me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you got it, partner! I¡¯ll get it done,¡± Tristan said with a joking salute.


    ¡°Oh yes, almost forgot. You take care of these things and I¡¯ll let you have a sip of that Babaurhum you love as usual.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Tristan said with a dismissive wave of his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± Balthazar asked in disbelief.


    ¡°We¡¯re business partners,¡± Tristan explained. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay me for each thing like a job. Besides, to be completely honest with you¡­ I¡¯m trying to let go of my bad drinking habits. I¡¯m a new man. I need new habits. Better habits. Like I said earlier, I¡¯ve been in the slumps for too long, most of it drunk out of my mind.¡± He glanced across the pond again for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t want that to be how everyone sees me anymore.¡±


    This time, there was no avoiding it. Balthazar really felt happy for the man. What a strange day that was shaping up to be.


    ¡°You know what, Tristan? Good for you! Now go on and pay Henrietta a visit. You can take care of these things later when you go back to town.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Balthazar!¡±


    The crab watched the not-so-drunk-anymore man comb his sleek hair back with one hand, covering his balding spot on the top of his head as best as he could, and walking his way around the pond towards the lily pads.


    ¡°Who would have thought, eh?¡± Balthazar muttered to himself with a chuckle.


    Despite all the strange new emotions, he felt like that was perhaps going to be a very nice day after all.


    ¡°Excuse me, mister crab?¡± an irritating voice sounded from inside the bazaar.


    ¡°Well, there goes that,¡± Balthazar said with a roll of his eyes.


    The merchant lazily made his way up the steps towards the arriving client.


    ¡°Yes, here I am, esteemed adventurer. What will it be?¡± the crab said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.


    On the other side of the counter stood a man, in brown robes and a hat that clearly gave him away as a wizard without Balthazar even needing to look through his monocle.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been calling for upwards of thirty seconds now,¡± said the adventurer. ¡°You really should consider putting one of those little bells here on the counter for clients to ring when you¡¯re not nearby.¡±


    ¡°Great idea,¡± Balthazar said with a sarcastic tone. ¡°That way, I could double the amount of annoyance from adventurers. I will certainly consider doing that.¡±


    The man gave the crab a scowl, but elected not to delve deeper into the matter.


    ¡°I have a complaint to make,¡± he said, leaning on the counter with one arm.


    With him being closer and under a brighter light, Balthazar noticed something odd was going on with his face. Other than the stingy airs of a know-it-all, those the crab was certain were a natural thing.


    The wizard had a nasty red rash covering most of his face and his eyes were bloodshot and tearful, as if irritated by something.


    ¡°I was here a couple of days ago, as I¡¯m sure you remember,¡± said the adventurer.


    ¡°I do not, but go on,¡± the crab muttered, casually leaning on the counter with one pincer.


    ¡°I told you I was going into the eastern parts of the Black Forest, and asked what kind of dangers I should prepare for,¡± the man continued. ¡°You told me to beware of bears around this time of year, as they would be looking to fatten up for the winter.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, yeah¡­ I think I remember that now.¡±


    ¡°Right, and do you remember what you sold me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Balthazar scratched his chin and looked up. ¡°A bottle of bear repellent, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly! And look what it did to me!¡± said the mage, pointing at his own face with ire and a small dose of lunacy in his bloodshot eyes. ¡°Either you sold me a bad product, or you were trying to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± the confused crab said. ¡°What the hell happened and how is it my fault?¡±


    ¡°I went into the forest, and soon enough I spotted a bear between the trees, stuffing himself with berries from a bush. I took the bottle of bear repellent you so convincingly told me was guaranteed to keep any bear away from me and quickly sprayed myself with it before the bear would catch my scent.¡± The adventurer¡¯s pitch went higher, and he slammed his fists on the counter. ¡°It was like I had fire ants all over my face! The pain was unbearable!¡±


    Balthazar stared at the wizard with his mouth open in awe.


    ¡°You¡­ you sprayed yourself with the bear repellent?¡± he asked in an incredulous tone.


    ¡°Of course! What else was I supposed to do with a repellent? Drink it?!¡±


    ¡°No, you idiot!¡± Balthazar yelled out. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to spray the bear with it if it comes close to you! It¡¯s meant to repel the bears. It¡¯s not a damn anti-bear perfume!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Well, it¡­¡± the red-faced man stammered. ¡°How was I supposed to know that?! You never told me and the bottle came with no instructions!¡±


    Balthazar slapped the side of his own face with a pincer.


    ¡°Oh bakers, give me patience,¡± he muttered. ¡°People like you are the reason sleep potions have to come with a warning on the side of the bottle telling not to drink them before riding a horse.¡±


    ¡°My magnificent face, it''s ruined!¡± the man cried out in a tantrum. ¡°I swear I even heard the damn bear laughing at me as I ran away! Someone has to take responsibility for that!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you! You literally did that yourself!¡±


    ¡°You, crab, you probably plotted this as some kind of sick joke. Likely because you were so jealous of my looks and my smarts.¡±


    ¡°I can promise you I could not care less about your looks, and even less so about your so-called smarts. That¡¯s as certain as me standing right here on these eight legs.¡±


    ¡°Well, actually,¡± the suddenly smug mage retorted, ¡°as a crab, you have ten legs, so that¡¯s not even true at all.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, alright, mister smarty robes. You ever seen me walking on these?¡± Balthazar raised both his iron and silver pincers. ¡°No? Of course not, because they¡¯re arms, not legs! Two arms, eight legs!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter!¡± the other blurted out in frustration. ¡°What matters is that I demand compensation for the damages I¡¯ve suffered.¡±


    The wizard quickly looked around the bazaar until his eyes landed outside the back exit.


    ¡°That!¡± he exclaimed, pointing at Bouldy who was by the shore, joyfully holding Druma up in the air as he played with Blue, hovering above them both. ¡°I¡¯ll take that golem and we¡¯ll call things even. I might not even make a formal complaint with the guild.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving you scrap! Certainly not Bouldy. He came with the place. You can go complain to whoever you want. I¡¯m an independent worker and I only answer to myself.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll accept a discount,¡± the adventurer persisted. ¡°Name your price for the big rock. I¡¯ve decided he will make for a fitting companion. I want it now.¡±


    The petulant wizard pulled a large bag of gold coins from his robe and placed it on the counter. There had to be at least several hundreds of coins in it, if not thousands.


    Balthazar looked at the enticing bag. Shiny gold coins. His favorite thing right next to pastries.


    He moved his gaze away from the counter and to his three companions happily playing outside.


    ¡°You know,¡± the merchant started, ¡°a different crab, at a different time, might have bartered a deal with you here, but not me. My friends are not for sale. Now get out of my bazaar, you spoiled brat, or I¡¯ll show you my brand new adventurer repellent.¡±


    The crab shoved the heavy bag of money away and left his iron claw open over the counter.


    Exhaling loudly, the wizard twisted his bright red face into an expression of scorn and scoffed at Balthazar as he returned the bag to his brown robes.


    ¡°You will hear from me again, crab!¡± he howled on his way out the front door.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m sure I will,¡± said Balthazar in a dismissive tone. ¡°Hopefully not any time soon.¡±

 Chapter 80: The Stranger

    The afternoon was breezy, and the sun was retreating behind the clouds, quickly ushering in a new cold night. Autumn¡¯s arrival meant days were shorter, and the weather less pleasant, both things bound to impact a crab¡¯s roadside business.


    Balthazar didn¡¯t mind. He liked the pleasant feeling of the wind on his shell, the smells of the trees and their leaves, the colors of the season, with all their browns and oranges.


    It all felt¡­ comfortable to him.


    While stoking the coals of his fire pit with a metal rod, the crab let out a long sigh and decided it was time to close up the bazaar for the day. The orange glow in the horizon was rapidly being overtaken by the purple hue of night winning the day cycle race, and there would be no more adventurers on the road by the time he finished putting his things away, collected his sign outside, and closed the front doors.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it,¡± he whispered, willing himself to stand up from his lazy fire gazing.


    A few more things to do and he would be free to retreat to his central islet, into his tent, onto his comfortable cushion, where he would savor Madeleine¡¯s latest baking experiment: a chocolate-filled ¨¦clair.


    Ever since she moved to her new market spot, away from Antoine¡¯s tyrannical rent prices and the added stress that came with making ends meet, the young baker had found herself much more free and keen to let herself try new things with her products.


    According to Rye, she was spending a few hours every day, after closing her stall, visiting the town¡¯s library, looking for books and any type of literature she could find with more recipes. Old diaries, texts from faraway lands describing exotic delicacies in unknown languages, anything that piqued her interest and gave her new ideas to try in the kitchen. She was no longer satisfied with being just a baker that made the same things every day. She wanted to create new delicious treats that surprised the taste buds, and Balthazar was thrilled for her.


    As well as for himself.


    Being her most loyal client and also favorite crab friend, she was using his very advanced and refined taste for pastries and everything sweet as the test subject for her new creations, something Balthazar was more than glad to help with.


    Because that¡¯s what friends do, of course.


    When your baker asks you to try her new dessert and sends you basket after basket of new and amazing pastries, you just do what you have to do and try them all, for friendship¡¯s sake.


    ¡°She¡¯s so lucky to have me,¡± said the crab, smiling as he took down the wooden sign by the road.


    As Balthazar turned to go back inside, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.


    There was a figure walking up the road, a human silhouette against the green background of the forest behind.


    Whoever it was walked with a slightly abnormal gait, a posture of someone perhaps injured, one arm hanging lower than the other.


    The odd character wore a large hood over the head and part of the face, from what appeared to be a wide poncho that went down almost to the knees.


    Balthazar found himself stuck in place, staring at the figure as it approached. Something about it felt different, unusual, and got the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. And he didn¡¯t even have a neck. Or hair.


    Still holding on to the sign with both pincers, the crab watched quietly as the (presumed) human stopped in front of him, boots covered in dust and mud, the black of the clothing looking washed out from too much time spent under the sun.


    Despite not being able to see the person¡¯s eyes, Balthazar could tell by the head tilt that whoever was under that large hood was reading his sign.


    ¡°Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar,¡± a dry, harsh voice said. ¡°Do you sell any water?¡±


    Whoever that was, presumably a man, sounded exactly like someone in dire need of water. His voice sounded like sandpaper, talking from a parched throat that had not made a sound in days.


    ¡°Of¡­ of course, got plenty of water inside,¡± the crab finally responded, snapping out of his bewilderment and remembering his business instincts.


    Odd as that fellow might be, you don¡¯t deny water to someone in need. Not if they¡¯re looking to buy it, at least.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± Balthazar said, signaling for the man to follow as he walked down the path to his front gate. ¡°I was about to close, but I always got time for one more client.¡±


    The strange figure followed him to the bazaar quietly, limping slightly as he went. Despite everything, the crab did not feel threatened by him, or as if he was dangerous. The stranger simply gave him a sense of¡­ curiosity.


    As the man passed him and entered the hall, Balthazar eyed him with his monocle, interested in finding out what he was.


    Instead, he saw something he had never seen before in all his time using that magic lens.


    [???]


    The crab frowned, peered through the monocle again, even rubbed his eye, but the familiar text that would appear above the person¡¯s head with their level and class insisted on not appearing as it usually did, instead displaying nothing but question marks.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°What in the hell?¡± Balthazar whispered to himself.


    As they went inside, the crab looked around at some random items on his shelves, making sure the monocle could still identify them. Everything else displayed normally, except the stranger.


    Trying to not let his reaction show, the merchant skittered his way around the counter and got onto his stool.


    ¡°Sure was a dry day today, you must be parched, mister¡­¡± Balthazar said with a mercantile friendliness, hanging the last word, waiting for the other to finish it for him.


    ¡°Yes, I am. I would be very glad to get some water, if you have any,¡± the stranger said, half sitting on a stool and placing one arm on the counter.


    As his hand appeared from under the poncho, Balthazar noticed it was covered in strips of bandages, wrapped from his palm all the way down to his fingertips.


    Whoever this mysterious fellow was, he seemed determined to keep his identity to himself.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Balthazar said, grabbing a water skin from under the counter and placing it in front of the thirsty man. ¡°Here you go. 5 gold and you can keep the skin too.¡±


    Without hesitation, the man grabbed the container, opened it, and tipped it into his mouth, drinking loudly from it.


    While Balthazar still couldn¡¯t fully make out the man¡¯s face, he saw more of the same old-looking, stained bandages that covered his hands wrapped around the lower part of his face and his neck.


    ¡°You sure needed that, hah,¡± the crab said with a chuckle. ¡°You got caught out there in the wild without water? It¡¯s pretty late to be wandering too. Found trouble on the roads, maybe?¡±


    The stranger put the water skin down on the counter with a timid slosh sounding from within, indicating there was now little liquid left in it.


    He let out a quiet sigh of relief before speaking again, this time in a slightly less raspy but still coarse voice.


    ¡°You sure are very nosy for someone without a nose.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha ha, good one. So I¡¯ve been told.¡±


    ¡°Do you have some other travel supplies here for sale?¡± the man asked, repositioning himself on the stool slowly and with difficulty, like someone who is sore all over would.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the salescrab exclaimed. ¡°Got a bit of everything in my bazaar. What would you need?¡±


    ¡°Just some basic things,¡± the other said. ¡°Some dry rations for the road. Some salves, a potion or two. A couple of these.¡± He shook the water skin on the counter. ¡°And a torch, maybe even a lantern, if you got any that are travel size.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± Balthazar said as he gathered items from the nearby shelves.


    All of those things were items commonly requested by adventurers going on longer trips through the wilderness, so he was used to selling them daily.


    Glancing back at the man¡¯s worn-out clothes and rags, a thought occurred to the crab.


    ¡°You can pay for these things, right? This is a bazaar, not charity.¡±


    The stranger shifted in his seat.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure I can. I¡¯m sure I got something of value to trade,¡± he said, pulling a satchel from under his poncho and searching through it.


    ¡°I usually prefer coin for¡ª¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he saw the man pull a shiny object out of his bag.


    A statuette in the shape of a woman, some kind of princess or muse, the crab couldn¡¯t tell for certain, and he didn¡¯t much care to, as what really caught his eye was the fact that it was made of pure, solid gold.


    The stranger placed it on the counter with a heavy thud that left no question the figurine was not hollow at all. It was about as tall as the man¡¯s forearm, and the base on which the depicted woman stood had several precious gems encrusted all around it.


    ¡°Hopefully you¡¯ll take this as payment,¡± the nameless adventurer said. ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything else I can pay with at the moment.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ You¡­¡± Balthazar stuttered as his eyes remained fixed on the statuette.


    Gold coins were one thing. He loved their shiny glint and the captivating appeal of their value, but that piece of beautiful art was something else entirely. He wanted its golden perfection.


    Then, as if an echo sounded inside his shell, Balthazar remembered what had happened the last time he let his fascination for a golden artifact take over him.


    Giving the statue a side-eye, he tried looking for any signs of something amiss with it. Could this be another cursed item, like the damnable box that summoned all those mosquitoes the other time?


    The figurine looked perfectly normal. Fascinating and beautiful, but harmless.


    He scanned it with his monocle, looking for any sign of it being cursed like the box, but this time nothing seemed out of place.


    [Golden Statuette]


    It really appeared to be just a statue of a female muse of some kind.


    Still suspicious about such a generous offer from someone so conspicuous, the shrewd merchant turned his gaze back to the man.


    ¡°Where did you get this? This better not be contraband. I don¡¯t deal with that kind of stuff.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m no criminal, I assure you,¡± the stranger said.


    ¡°Is this some kind of elaborate fake?¡± the crab insisted. ¡°You have no money. Where would you get something like this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s entirely genuine, I promise you.¡± the stranger paused for a moment, his face obscured by his hood. ¡°In fact, that statuette came from a hoard.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s left eye stalk rose higher. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°A dragon¡¯s hoard. It was part of the pile of treasure in a dragon¡¯s lair.¡±


    ¡°You trying to pull my leg here, aren¡¯t you?¡± the crab said. ¡°Nobody has seen a dragon in ages.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have,¡± the stranger said, his rough voice going lower. ¡°I have been to places many don¡¯t even know exist. Seen things most don¡¯t even dream of. A dragon lair deep in a cavern under a mountain is hardly the strangest one. I barely made it out, but this was the only thing I had time to grab.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Balthazar asked, his voice mixing doubt with a wish to believe the tale. ¡°A whole cave filled with gold and treasure?¡±


    ¡°As serious as death itself.¡±


    The crab had read the tales, the stories, the myths. The books told of the dragons of old and their taste for treasure and gold. In a way, Balthazar saw a lot of himself in them. Mighty creatures of great intellect with a desire to collect gold and shiny things.


    Balthazar did not actually believe the man''s story. There was no way dragons still existed. If they did, all those insane adventurers would be tripping over themselves for the opportunity to fight it, foolish as that would be. The crab knew when someone was fabricating a fanciful story to impress someone. He would know, he had done it plenty of times himself. It was just that, a story, but that did not change the value of the statuette in his eyes.


    Let the stranger have his tale, so long as the crab would get his prize.


    ¡°And you¡¯re just willing to part with this in exchange for some rations and basic supplies? Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ve been to many places,¡± the odd man said, the weight of someone very tired hanging in his voice. ¡°These things, these¡­ treasures, become meaningless when you¡¯re out there and need the most basic of things, like water, food, or shelter. I don¡¯t need this statuette, but I do need those supplies. So yes, you can have it. To me, it means little at this point. Just another trinket from another adventure.¡±


    ¡°Deal, then!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, waiting not another moment after the man finished speaking. ¡°Better not come back here later with regrets, either. Every sale is final here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t,¡± said the stranger. ¡°Chances are we won¡¯t even cross paths ever again, crab. My journey is long and still nowhere near its destination.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, whatever you say,¡± the crab said, pushing the pile of supplies across the counter, eyes still glued to his new treasure, admiring its beautiful glow, its smooth surface, each perfectly carved detail.


    Seeing the merchant was so taken by his payment, the client simply took his travel supplies, stored them in his satchel under his poncho, and made his way out of the bazaar without another word, off into the sunset.


    Back to his journey, far, far away.

 Chapter 81: The Crab’s New Brews

    Balthazar sat on his comfortable purple cushion in front of his tent as the sun disappeared over the horizon, humming to himself as he took a soft rag around his claw and polished the shine on his new golden statue under the light of a nearby lantern.


    The item was a thing of beauty, depicting an elegant woman with a veil draped over her figure, covering the important bits that would keep the artifact a family friendly piece of art. The weight of it was far greater than its size would make one expect, and the red, green, and blue jewels decorating its base all around were of an incredibly crystalline purity, reflecting the crab¡¯s eye perfectly whenever he stared into one of their facets.


    Enthralled by his new treasure, the happy merchant did not even notice the approaching toad, hopping her way to him over the wooden bridge until she stood right next to the lantern and croaked.


    ¡°Hey, Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± he responded, with a slight jump in place. ¡°Didn¡¯t see you there, Henrietta. Was so busy admiring my new statuette. You like it?¡±


    She looked the figurine up and down with a raised brow.


    ¡°Impressive. Looks expensive too. Where did you get something like that?¡±


    ¡°Hah! Some strange adventurer traded it to me for some basic supplies. Typical sucker. Also, this is the best part. He made up some story about it belonging to a dragon hoard to make it seem even more enticing!¡±


    Henrietta¡¯s brow went even higher. ¡°Dragons haven¡¯t been sighted in ages.¡±


    ¡°I know! He probably thought he was having me for a fool with his made up dragon story, but I¡¯m the one laughing now, because this piece of solid gold is worth way more than what he got.¡±


    ¡°That sounds almost too good,¡± the toad said. ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no catch to this statue?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not another cursed item, I checked,¡± Balthazar reassured her. ¡°It¡¯s a legitimate item, and I acquired it in a fair deal. Even if it was stolen at some point, that¡¯s not my fault. I couldn¡¯t have known. Anyone who wants to complain can talk to the claw, for all I care. This beaut is mine now.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯re sure...¡± Henrietta said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. ¡°Why are you still up, anyway? You know I got things from here. You can go get your beauty sleep.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the crab said, putting the statuette down, ¡°but the lizard envoy is meant to come back tonight, and I really want to see what he brings us.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± said the night merchant, nodding to the bazaar across the pond, where an armored lizard had just arrived.


    ¡°Excellent! Let¡¯s go greet him.¡±


    The crab stood up and started heading to the footpath before taking a sudden stop.


    ¡°Almost forgot!¡±


    Taking a few steps back, Balthazar picked up the muse¡¯s statue and carried it across the bridge.


    ¡°Really?¡± said Henrietta, rolling her eyes at him.


    ¡°A little flaunting never hurt nobody,¡± the smug crab said.


    As they entered the bazaar, the lizardfolk envoy turned to face them, taking his attention away from the pair of crocodile skin boots he was disapprovingly staring at on a shelf.


    ¡°Jorg¡¯ath!¡± Balthazar greeted, raising one claw while the other cradled his treasured statuette. ¡°Good to see you again. How goes it?¡±


    ¡°Balthazar, Ms. Henrietta,¡± the lizard responded, with a gentle bow. ¡°I am well, thank you. I hope the same can be said of you, friends.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, of course,¡± the crab said as he placed the statue on the counter with a loud thud and climbed up to his stool. ¡°Say, what happened to your watcher? She didn¡¯t come with you this time?¡±


    Jorg¡¯ath¡¯s wide mouth formed a knowing smile. ¡°Jazk came along too. She is just keeping her distance, staying guard outside, in the shadows. She has taken the events from our previous visit very personally and wishes to ensure no such thing ever happens again. Worry not. I doubt anything or anyone will be sneaking up on us this time.¡±


    ¡°I bet,¡± Balthazar idly commented, his eyes more focused on his golden figurine than the envoy.


    ¡°I see you have a very nice piece there,¡± Jorg¡¯ath said, as if he somehow could not have noticed the shiny artifact reflecting the light from every lantern around them from the moment Balthazar placed it on the counter. ¡°An admirer of art, are you?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s golden and valuable, sure,¡± the merchant said with a cocky smile.


    ¡°He¡¯s got himself a new toy and is fascinated by it, that¡¯s all,¡± Henrietta said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Probably just envious that I sealed the deal for it and not her. What do you think of it?¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The lizard ran his hand down his long jaw as he inspected the statuette.


    ¡°I am no sculptor myself,¡± he started, ¡°but it seems like very fine work. There is something peculiar about its scent, however.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Jorg¡¯ath took a couple of sniffs closer to the golden item.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you. It¡¯s as if there was something both strange but also somewhat¡­ familiar to its smell.¡±


    ¡°Is it something bad?¡± asked the toad. ¡°Should we be worried about it?¡±


    ¡°I am uncertain,¡± the puzzled lizard said. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing actually dangerous. Maybe I¡¯m just confused. Pay it no mind.¡±


    ¡°Ah well,¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°You heard the lizard. We¡¯re in the clear!¡±


    Pushing the statuette slightly to the side, the merchant brought a large box up from under the counter and placed it between them.


    ¡°Your alchemy paraphernalia, as agreed,¡± the golden merchant announced.


    ¡°Ah, most exciting!¡± Jorg¡¯ath said, his pupils widening as he gazed at the box.


    ¡°Mortars, pestles, plenty of clear glass vials of many sizes, scales, other measuring tools,¡± Balthazar listed. ¡°Basically, everything for the aspiring alchemist and then some. This should get your fellow brewers back home a good head start into the human techniques of potion-making. I even included a copy of ¡®Alchemy Basics for Novices¡¯ in there, in case you all need some instructions on how to use something.¡±


    The envoy looked through the contents of the box with a wide smile, marveling at the fine craft of some of the silver tools included.


    ¡°This will bring great progress to our production, I have no doubt,¡± he enthusiastically said. ¡°The ingenuity of glass making will never cease to amaze me. These vials, for example, are truly fascinating!¡±


    ¡°Aha, glad you like them,¡± the grinning crab said. ¡°You can have them for the low price of 50 gold per box of a dozen!¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Jorg¡¯ath said, picking the small box of vials up and reading the tag attached to it. ¡°This here says 25 gold, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Oh, heh, a tiny oversight,¡± Balthazar quickly said with a nervous chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s the old price. Just forgot to replace that.¡± The crab quickly pulled the tag from the box. ¡°You know how it is, inflation, costs of transport, taxes. Everything is going up these days. You barely have time to update the price of something, and there¡¯s already something else making it go up again. Nothing I can do about it either, unfortunately. My pincers are tied. I¡¯m a slave to the ebb and flow of the market!¡±


    The crab gave Henrietta a quick glance from the corner of his eye. The toad was shooting daggers at him with her scowl, but thankfully, it seemed the lizard had not noticed or was raising any suspicion over the subject.


    Damnable Tristan had likely forgotten to pull the old prices on the items from the alchemy shop when delivering them earlier. How¡¯s a crafty crab meant to turn a fat profit with such distracted assistants?


    ¡°I have come bearing gifts as well,¡± Jorg¡¯ath declared, finally lifting his gaze from his new toys.


    ¡°Oooh?¡± exclaimed the now very curious crab.


    The visitor pulled his pack down from his back and placed it on the counter. Opening it and pulling the edges down, he revealed a tall rectangular wooden box within.


    ¡°Using the few tools you had already provided last time,¡± he explained, ¡°I had our most talented brewers concoct some of our best potions using their new instruments. Today I bring you the first results.¡±


    The lizard unlatched the box, and it opened itself to the sides, revealing multiple bottles of many colored liquids, each safely attached to the padded walls of the transport container.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Balthazar murmured as he looked at the display of concoctions he had never seen before.


    ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d consider a trade deal,¡± said Jorg¡¯ath. ¡°A partnership of sorts. You provide us with these valuable items, and with them we can produce our special potions in quality and quantities never before possible for our kind. It would be an honor if you¡¯d accept selling some of them in exclusivity here at your magnificent bazaar. We¡¯d make some extra profit from our production without having to deal directly with humans and their not-so-friendly nature towards us, and you would, of course, keep your own cut of the profits.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, interesting offer,¡± the crab said, stroking his chin in thought as if he wasn¡¯t already eager to take the enticing opportunity to make another profit.


    ¡°Allow me to present you with some of what we have to offer. It will hopefully sway you into this business opportunity,¡± the smooth-talking lizard said.


    Carefully plucking a round bottle of a dense dark green liquid from the box as if it were a delicate fruit from a tree, Jorg¡¯ath offered it to the crab before explaining what it was.


    ¡°This is our Hardening Scales Potion. Very tough to get the exact mixture right without years of practice. When taken, it will harden the scales of its user to make one much more resistant to cuts and slashes. Very useful when about to face a foe with either blade or claw.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that might not be very popular with all the skin-having humans I get around here,¡± Balthazar said.


    Jorg¡¯ath chuckled. ¡°It is just a name, friend. I assure you, it will harden the skin of humans just as well as it does the scales of a lizardfolk like myself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, in that case, I can see those selling like hot cakes, the way these guys like to get into a scrap out there,¡± the nodding crab said.


    ¡°There is also this,¡± the envoy pulled a different bottle from his box, this time containing a thick milky white substance. ¡°A few sips of this will greatly increase one¡¯s ability to carry heavy loads, their weight feeling much lighter than normal. We call them Feather Potions.¡±


    ¡°Hah, clever,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Feather Potions, because they make things light like a feather. I get it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jorg¡¯ath asked with a confused blink.


    ¡°The name,¡± the crab said. ¡°You named them Feather Potions because feathers are light, right?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. We just call them that because we use a feather of a rare bird as the main ingredient for them.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°That, uh¡­ that makes sense too, I guess. My idea was more clever but whatever, not important right now! Point is, I think this could be the beginning of a very profitable deal for the both of us.¡±


    Jorg¡¯ath smiled from ear to ear again.


    ¡°I take it that means you are open to discuss my offer, then?¡±


    ¡°You bet! Let¡¯s just settle the details and by morning I¡¯ll be selling the first of those beauties to every single adventurer that comes by!¡±


    ***


    Back in his comfortable tent, Balthazar tucked in for the night with an air of satisfaction painted all over his face. He had his golden statuette next to his pillow, under the light of his lantern, so that he could admire it before falling asleep, he had a plate of delicious pie for his late-night snack, and he now had the exciting prospect of another juicy profit from his new deal with the lizards for selling their unique potions.


    The simple fact that he would be the only one selling such rare brews would put him at an even greater advantage compared to any other merchant around, and if there was something Balthazar loved was taking advantage of things.


    ¡°Suck it, Antoine,¡± he murmured to himself as he munched on his pie and admired the golden shine of his muse.


    As his eyes grew heavier, the happy crab slowly drifted away to sleep, his mind filled with all the thrilling opportunities coming his way.


    The next few days were no doubt going to be very exciting for him.

 Chapter 82: The Dark Mage

    The crab carefully pinched another coin from his counter and deposited it in his Bag of Holding Money. Business was going well that morning. He had only sold a handful of his new potions, but so long as the money continued flowing in, Balthazar would not complain.


    Or perhaps he would, but not more than the regular amount.


    Such as, for example, complaining about all the adventurers that kept asking him if he had any potions with pumpkin flavor, or if his brews contained any spices. The confused crab had no idea what they were on about, but it was getting on his nerves.


    Taking a peek outside, Balthazar saw a mostly blue sky, a few white clouds passing in front of a shy yellow sun, its light barely warm through the chilly breeze blowing across the plains. Afternoon had just started, and the crab was already considering getting the fire pit going.


    ¡°You look a bit nervous,¡± a croaking voice said behind Balthazar.


    ¡°Me, nervous?¡± the crab said, turning to Henrietta. ¡°Nah, just looking forward to getting this done as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be much longer. Tristan said they¡¯d come down after lunch, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hopefully Abernathy gets a nice and full stomach before we talk. I¡¯m not interested in sharing my dessert with him again.¡±


    ¡°Hospitality, Balthazar,¡± the toad said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°You should learn its value.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± said the crab, with a dismissive wave of his claw. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that if I ever open an inn.¡±


    Shaking her head from side to side, Henrietta hopped away to the back of the bazaar, passing Druma as he approached Balthazar.


    ¡°Where boss want Druma to put this?¡± the goblin asked, peeking from behind the large wooden box he was carrying in his arms.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, just anywhere out of sight,¡± the merchant replied.


    Tidying up to make his bazaar look more organized was yet another thing Balthazar disliked about the town officer¡¯s visit, but as Madeleine so aptly told him, good impressions matter, and if he wanted to make a partnership proposal with a whole town, he¡¯d better put in some effort.


    Or at least have his assistant do it for him.


    The crab glanced back at Druma as he waddled away with difficulty, carrying the box filled with random scrap and shoving it out of sight under a table. Little guy had been at it all morning. Balthazar would have to remember to ask Madeleine for a shepherd¡¯s pie later. They were the goblin¡¯s favorite, and he had earned an extra large one.


    Pointing his eye stalks forward again, the impatient merchant sighed as he gazed up the road outside.


    He knew it was probably too early for them to arrive yet, but with nothing else to do, Balthazar found himself twiddling his pincers and constantly checking the road in anticipation.


    If only he had some clients to keep him busy.


    ¡°Aha! Ask and you shall receive,¡± he exclaimed, seeing the figure of an adventurer approach down the path to his front gate.


    Skittering his way to the entrance, the crab held the door open to greet his customer.


    ¡°Come on in! Let¡¯s get you something to spend your coin in, shall we?¡±


    The tall and straight figure stepped through the door without a word or hesitation. The man was clad in black all the way from his shiny, immaculate boots to the finely crafted trilby hat atop his head. Balthazar squinted as he looked the adventurer up and down. He looked vaguely familiar, but the crab wasn¡¯t sure why.


    ¡°Buying or selling?¡± the merchant asked, his voice cracking slightly. Something about that man gave him an uneasy feeling.


    The pale man in dark clothes scanned the room around him without a sound before his eyes landed on Balthazar. Two cold blue eyes that pierced right into his shell like icy daggers.


    He was sure he had met that man before at some point.


    ¡°Neither,¡± said the visitor in a calculated voice that was as cold as his gaze.


    Balthazar jumped in place at the sound of metal crashing against the wooden boards. Druma stood across the room, rooted in place, an upside down box dropped in front of him, the many pieces of cutlery held inside it now strewn all over the floor.


    ¡°Druma! What the hell?!¡± the startled crab exclaimed, but the goblin did not look at him. His face was turning a paler shade of green, and his eyes, shiny and dilated, were fixed on the man next to Balthazar.


    The feeling of unease ballooned in his stomach.


    Druma¡¯s mouth trembled as he slowly raised a finger, pointed at the dark figure. ¡°H-h-him¡­¡±


    Balthazar looked back at the man, who was taking his hat off, revealing a head of long silver hair tied into a ponytail.


    The crab¡¯s eyes widened behind his monocle. He remembered.


    [Level 35 Dark Mage]


    The crab was usually terrible at remembering adventurers who came by his pond, but that one, even after so long, he could not forget. The rude, pompous attitude of that mage who passed by his place once with a small goblin slave following behind, carrying the man¡¯s baggage on his back, all skin and bone, nothing but fear and sadness in his eyes. Balthazar remembered that all too well.


    ¡°You¡¯re not welcome here,¡± the crab said, with a bitterness in his voice that went beyond his usual contempt for some of the adventurers that visited him.


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    ¡°I was hired to deliver a message to you, crab,¡± the mage said as he calmly placed his hat on a nearby table.


    Balthazar frowned at the man, but said nothing.


    Seemingly unbothered by it, the silver-haired adventurer smirked and answered the unspoken question. ¡°A message from your good friend Antoine.¡±


    Balthazar tensed up inside his shell. If he had a bad feeling before, now he knew for sure there was going to be trouble.


    ¡°Mister Antoine says he is done playing games with you,¡± the man continued, casually running a hand down his dark waistcoat to straighten it. ¡°That you have been a stone in his shoe for too long, and that he¡¯s had it trying to get rid of you the quiet way.¡±


    Balthazar took a tentative step back, eyes still fixed on the man.


    The dark mage flexed his fingers, making the black leather of his gloves creak. ¡°Now he just wants you to watch as your place burns.¡±


    ¡°Druma, run!¡± Balthazar shouted as he skittered away from the man as fast as his eight legs could carry him. What a terrible day he had picked to eat a second serving of sponge cake.


    Glancing back, all he had time to do was dive under a table as the mage raised his hands and lightning began crackling between his fingers before shooting out towards the hanging lanterns of the bazaar, spreading out like furious blue tendrils and blowing a hole in the wooden roof.


    Debris fell from above and the crab cowered under the table, covering the top of his shell with his pincers. Realizing how silly it was to be protecting his shell with his pincers, seeing as that was already the purpose of it, Balthazar brought his arms down and peeked between the table¡¯s legs, looking for Druma.


    Thankfully, the small goblin had the same idea as him and took shelter under another table across the room.


    Electricity crackled again and a bright flash of light shot above them, hitting a nearby shelf and making its contents explode into a shower of glass and broken pieces of wood.


    ¡°You can hide all you want, but make sure you watch, crab!¡± the man yelled with a disturbing satisfaction in his voice.


    Waving a claw from under his table, Balthazar tried silently calling for his assistant¡¯s attention, who raised his trembling head from between his knees and looked in his direction.


    Seeing no other way, as his sign language options were quite limited with no fingers, the crab tried mouthing some words to the goblin in as quiet of a whisper as he could.


    ¡°Go get Bouldy!¡±


    Just as soon as Balthazar made his plea to Druma, and the goblin nodded his head affirmatively, two loud sounds broke out one right after the other.


    First, the sound of the wooden table splitting in two above his shell as the mage cracked it with another lightning spell, and then the loud crashing of a golem barging into the bazaar through the back entrance.


    ¡°Friend!¡± Bouldy yelled out as he appeared, his big orbs for eyes quickly going from the crab cowering between the remains of the shattered table and then to the dark mage standing a few paces away, with lightning arcing between his fingers.


    ¡°Ask and you shall receive,¡± Balthazar muttered to himself with a hopeful smile. All that loud commotion the mage made alerted the golem, and with his bodyguard there, things were about to turn in their favor.


    ¡°Bouldy, not friend! Not friend!! Smash!¡±


    The golem frowned with determination in his stony face and stepped forward.


    Without wasting a single breath, the silver-haired man conjured another lightning attack, shooting it straight at the construct¡¯s chest.


    Bouldy staggered briefly, but the attack did not stop him, merely bouncing harmlessly off his stone skin.


    ¡°Hah! Bet your magic doesn¡¯t feel so great now that you met your match, huh?¡± Balthazar yelled out as he skittered out of the golem¡¯s path and sought cover behind the bazaar¡¯s counter.


    As he reached the mage, the giant boulder pulled his right arm back, charging a massive punch.


    In the blink of an eye, the man raised both of his hands open outwards, but this time, instead of electricity, a translucent half bubble of a faint blue hue appeared in front of him, just in time to block the incoming right hook from the golem.


    Confused, Bouldy looked down at his own fist, stopped in place by the mage¡¯s shield spell, as the man himself stood behind it, straining to sustain it, but otherwise unharmed.


    ¡°Crap!¡± said Balthazar, as he looked further around the counter, looking for Druma.


    Finding him still cowering under the same table, the crab vigorously gestured for him to get away to safety. The goblin nodded and quickly ran out from under his shelter on all fours, squeezing out of the gazebo through one of the gaps between the side rails of the bazaar.


    Just as Balthazar breathed a small sigh of relief after seeing one of his companions get out of harm¡¯s way, another shows up behind up, making him jump in place and nearly soil his shell.


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± Henrietta croaked in a panic. ¡°What in blazes is happening?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, for crying out loud!¡± the startled crab exclaimed. ¡°Henrietta, what are you doing here? Can¡¯t you see? There¡¯s a deranged mage, apparently sent by our buddy Antoine to destroy my humble abode!¡±


    They both peeked behind cover. The mage sent out what looked like a pulse of magic through his shielding spell, repelling golem¡¯s fist and pushing him back a couple of steps.


    Balthazar turned to the toad.


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping Bouldy still got this, but just in case, you need to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°What the hell, Balthazar!¡± the freaked out amphibian cried out.


    ¡°No offense, but there¡¯s not much you can do other than risk being a casualty to a stray lightning or stony punch. Slip out back, run up to town, and find Tristan. He should be leaving town any moment now with Abernathy. Tell them Antoine sent a hired mercenary, get them to send help.¡±


    Henrietta opened her big mouth to protest, but this time it was Balthazar who gave her a scowl.


    ¡°Go, now!¡±


    She twisted her mouth, but turned and started hopping away. ¡°Be careful, Balthazar!¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, sure, thanks for reminding me. I was totally going to run out there and start fighting the lightning-shooting maniac myself if you hadn¡¯t warned me,¡± the crab mumbled to himself as she disappeared through the back.


    Popping an eye stalk over the counter again, Balthazar saw with great concern that Bouldy was not having much luck breaking through the evil adventurer¡¯s magical defenses.


    Stumbling back as another of his punches was pushed away by the mage, the golem barely had time to brace for impact before the man quickly took the opening to charge another spell, except this time his attack did not come from his hands.


    With the loud clap of thunder, a lightning strike descended from the sky, ripping another huge hole through the roof and hitting the golem directly.


    Balthazar gulped and felt a trembling shiver run down his shell as he saw his friend being hit by the blinding ray of light.


    For a split second, he was taken back to the memories of being a little crab during his first stormy season, reminded of how much he disliked the loud thunder that broke the skies all night long, and how he¡¯d cower under his favorite boulder, taking cover from the relentless rain and scary lightning. That very same boulder that now fought to protect him.


    It weathered the storm stoically then, and it continued doing so now too.


    Raising his head from between his arms, Bouldy reemerged from between the black smoke being released by the charred wooden floor around his feet.


    ¡°Yeah! Go, Bouldy!¡± Balthazar cheered loudly from behind the counter, pumping a closed pincer up in the air. ¡°That stupid magic is no match for you!¡±


    As thrilled as he was to see his boulder unharmed, it still worried him how they were going to defeat their foe.


    If only they had someone else to help, but the only other card up his shell would be Blue, and as ever, she was nowhere to be found, likely out hunting for her lunch as usual, judging by the time of the day.


    Balthazar¡¯s short-lived smile faded as a smirk formed on the dark mage¡¯s face.


    ¡°Do you really think I will be stopped by a dumb rock?¡± the man spat with disdain in his voice.


    Before Bouldy had time to finish taking another step towards him again, the mage waved his hands and whispered a few unintelligible words.


    First the golem stopped in place, and then he suddenly started ascending, being lifted off the floor like a plume in the wind.


    Confused and unfamiliar with that strange feeling, Bouldy looked around helplessly, attempting to reach for the floor with his hands as he swiftly floated up and through the hole in the roof.


    Balthazar stared in shock as his friend slowly went up and away.


    ¡°Damnable levitation!¡± he cursed. ¡°I should have never given him that tome!¡±


    His attention was quickly brought back down by the sound of crackling electricity.


    Bodyguard now out of his way, the silver-haired mage calmly walked towards the counter with evil intent in his piercing eyes, both hands up in front of him, blue sparks shooting wildly from his fingers.


    ¡°Where were we?¡±

 Chapter 83: What Goes Around...

    Balthazar stepped back and his shell hit the stool John had made for him. All around him there was damage to the beautiful work the carpenter had created for the crab. The holes blown through the roof, the blown up iron lanterns, some still partially hanging from the ceiling by their broken chains, others fallen to the floor, which was marred by black scorch marks from all the lightning spells. The merchant felt a brief feeling of shame as he imagined the disappointment on the old man¡¯s face if he could see that place now.


    A feeling which quickly faded away when he remembered how much trouble he was currently still in.


    Namely, the sadistic dark mage walking up to him with electricity running through his fingers. A slightly more pressing matter at that point.


    Seeing no other option, the crab decided to play his only remaining card: running his mouth.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, putting both pincers up in front of his face like a brawler, ¡°I didn¡¯t wanna have to get my claws dirty, but if you¡¯re so eager to feel the pinch, let¡¯s do it!¡±


    The man stopped walking towards him, and for a brief moment Balthazar thought his bluff might have worked, until the smirk on his foe¡¯s face grew into maniacal laughter.


    ¡°You?¡± the mage said after his fit of cackling subsided. ¡°A pathetic crab thinks he¡¯s a match for me? A mage of unseen skill, who has defeated countless monsters many levels higher than him? Me, who has slain entire parties of scum unfit to be called adventurers?¡± He leaned over the counter, getting closer to the crab. ¡°If your golem couldn¡¯t even scratch me, what makes you think you stand a chance?¡±


    Balthazar swallowed, and for once, found himself with no clever comeback to respond with. He truly was outmatched, and in hindsight, holding up two claws made of metal against a mage wielding lightning in his hands was probably not helping him look very smart, either.


    The silver man threw his head back and laughed loudly again, the whole situation clearly pleasing his sick ego.


    ¡°You will have to wait, though. Your time hasn¡¯t come yet,¡± he said, staring down at Balthazar with his chilling blue eyes. ¡°I was very well paid to make sure you watch everything around you being destroyed, and I¡¯m nowhere near done yet.¡±


    Charging up his spell again, the mage spun around and shot a beam of lightning horizontally across the east side of the bazaar, shattering everything in its path, from books to glass bottles, and even the shelves and wooden boxes caught in between.


    Balthazar watched helplessly as the deranged man wrecked his front gate next, blowing it right off the hinges. He wanted to do something, but didn¡¯t know what. All he could try was to snap his ankle with a claw, but he knew by then that there was no way it would work. There still was a faint blue layer of magic around parts of the man¡¯s body, likely a protection spell similar to the shield he had used before. The mage was too fast and clever to be caught by an attack from a crab when not even one of Bouldy¡¯s punches could hurt him.


    The distraught merchant looked up at the sky through the hole in the roof, looking for his friend. Barely a speck against the clouds, the only way Balthazar could still tell it was Bouldy was the text displayed above it by his monocle.


    [Level 30 Stone Golem]


    With no one else in the vicinity to help, the feeling of defeat started sinking into his stomach, and it definitely did not pair well with the copious amounts of sponge cake already swimming around in there.


    Torn pieces of paper exploded into the air as the wicked adventurer cackled and shot lightning out of his fingertips towards some nearby bookshelves.


    Balthazar should have known better than to think Antoine wouldn¡¯t sink that low if pressured into it.


    It was good while it lasted.


    Maybe a quiet life of fishing would have been better after all.


    ¡°Boss said you not welcome here!¡±


    Both the crab and the man turned to a stack of crates behind the counter, where a scrawny goblin had just appeared, jumping on top of the boxes with a dark wood staff in his right hand.


    The unwelcome visitor seemed to freeze for a moment, as if unsure how to take the scene in front of him. After a pause, he let out a scoffing laugh.


    ¡°Is this some kind of joke?¡± he said, not even bothering to keep his sparking hands up. ¡°A goblin with a magical staff? This stupid little creature that wasn¡¯t even fit to carry my loot? This is what you did with it? You fool, you would have been better off fattening it up and selling it to some hungry orcs. Then again, what could be expected from a pathetic crab?¡±


    ¡°You shut up about boss!¡± Druma yelled out, pointing his Staff of Arcane Bolts at the man.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t play with things you don¡¯t understand,¡± said the mage. ¡°You might get hurt, you little¡ª¡±


    A stream of bright green magic bolts shot out of the staff at great speed, catching the silver-haired man off-guard as he attempted to monologue.


    With surprise stamped on his face, the man was knocked down to the floor by the impact of the bolts, which hit his chest and made his thin layer of protective magic ripple in response. Whatever it was, didn¡¯t seem to do much against the arcane projectiles. If nothing else, the staff the old wizard had given the goblin had at least managed to knock the mage off his feet.


    ¡°You dare strike me with magic, you foul creature?!¡±


    Unfortunately, while they had hit him, the arcane bolts did not seem to cause much damage to the mage, other than to his inflated ego.


    He stood up off the floor, his figure a large shadow growing over the small goblin, looming over him with a dreadful presence. What little courage the crab¡¯s assistant had conjured up to help his boss seemed all gone after seeing his old owner back on his feet.


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    ¡°Out of my sight!¡±


    The dark mage pulled his hand back, but this time there was no bright lightning, only a round bolt of pure darkness, pulsing within his grasp for a moment, before he shot it out towards the goblin.


    The small creature only had time to jump as the dark missile hit the crate he stood on, causing it to collapse on itself and explode into a thousand pieces of shredded wood.


    The impact launched the goblin up into the air, and he disappeared into the mess of debris with a loud thud.


    ¡°Druma!¡± the crab shouted as he ran towards the pile of broken wood and glass.


    ¡°Not so fast!¡± the mage said, hitting the floor in front of Balthazar with a lightning coil that extended out of his hand like a crackling whip, leaving a threatening burn mark on the floorboard.


    The merchant halted his run and took a step back, looking back and forth between the man and the place where his assistant fell.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done with him yet,¡± the mage said, tightening his grip around the lightning whip. ¡°Creatures like him need constant discipline, and since you failed to give it to him, I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done.¡±


    More than helpless, Balthazar felt angry. Both at the despicable man and at himself for being so useless in that moment. He knew it was of no use, but he just wanted to charge him and snap away at his face for what he was doing.


    A furious screech echoed from above.


    The man¡¯s head snapped up, right as a drake dive-bombed on him.


    ¡°Blue!¡± a hopeful Balthazar exclaimed. She had come, no doubt attracted by all the lightning and thunder shooting in and out of her home.


    The adventurer instinctively covered his head with his arms as she descended upon him and began relentlessly clawing and slashing at him.


    Each strike rippled through the protective shield layered over his body, keeping her from sinking her powerful talons into his flesh, but not fully preventing them from opening small cuts and scratches into his skin.


    ¡°Argh!¡± the man howled, as he ducked and dodged, a flurry of flapping wings and angry claws chasing him on his way down.


    As much as Blue¡¯s attack was fierce, it was still not going to be enough to break through his defensive spell.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Balthazar yelled at the drake, but his warning was not fast enough.


    The mage raised one hand between the winged creature¡¯s attacks, and with a twist of his hand called down another lightning strike from above, which hit her directly like a pillar of pure electricity from ceiling to floor.


    She screeched in pain and fell to the ground, wings sprawled to each side.


    ¡°Blue, are you alright?!¡± the desperate crab called out. ¡°Get up, girl! Please, get up!¡±


    The drake lifted her head and neck off the floor with difficulty, and strained to get up to her feet, her eyes burning with a clear desire to get back at the man for that last attack.


    The dark mage stood straight again and looked over his own arms and winced with anger as he saw the multiple tears on his sleeves and the bleeding cuts underneath.


    ¡°How many pests does this hole hold?¡± he spitefully said, as the blue layer of protection rippled and restored itself over his arms.


    No matter how much they seemed to throw at him, that shielding spell seemed to make him nearly untouchable. The only exception had been Druma¡¯s staff.


    Balthazar¡¯s eye stalks stood up.


    ¡°It¡¯s protection against physical damage,¡± he whispered, before turning to the drake and shouting. ¡°Blue, you gotta use magic! Fire him up!¡±


    Without needing to be told twice, the drake breathed in and unleashed a bout of bright blue flames upon the man.


    The mercenary¡¯s eyes widened, and he quickly attempted to cast a new protective shield around himself, but by the time it fully formed, some of the flames had already reached him.


    Blue¡¯s attack did not last long, her fire-breathing soon dying out as she fell to the side, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she panted. Between being hit by a massive lightning strike and putting all her remaining energy into that last attack, it was clear the poor creature was exhausted and completely wiped out.


    As the fire subsided and the mage let his magic shield down, he dropped to one knee, quickly tapping his shoulders and feet with his gloved hands, putting out the few flames still chewing away at his clothing.


    His outfit was partially shredded and burnt, and the previously immaculate pale skin of his face now covered in black soot, but what really seemed to fill him with horror was his long, pristine silver hair, its tips burned up by the drake¡¯s attack.


    ¡°You!¡± he growled between gritting teeth, murder in his eyes as he held a lock of his own hair between his fingers, the silver of it charred black.


    The crab stepped back and looked up at the enraged man as he approached.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had it with you!¡± said the not-so-silver-haired-anymore mage. ¡°Antoine will have to be satisfied knowing you suffered on your way out.¡±


    He held both hands out in a claw shape, fingertips nearly touching each other, and a black orb of energy began forming between his palms, growing as it swallowed all the light around it.


    It was as if the void itself was staring into his soul, but as Balthazar looked up at his executioner, he realized something else.


    ¡°Very scary,¡± the crab said, ¡°but between all this spell casting stuff, you forgot one crucial detail.¡±


    The man frowned as the dark spell kept growing and pulsing in his hands.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The duration of the levitation spell.¡±


    His eyes bulged out, and his dark spell sputtered out as he looked up just in time to see the massive golem coming down from the sky like a meteor.


    All the spellcaster had time to do was throw himself to the side, near the front entrance, right before the descending boulder crashed down on the spot he was standing, breaking through floorboards and rocky ground underneath, creating a large crater on impact.


    The meteoric golem stood up slowly, dust and pebbles rolling off him, and he gave the crab a smile and a thumbs up. There was a crack in the middle of his chest, but other than that, he seemed fine.


    Same could not be said of the unwanted guest, standing up with difficulty, wooden shrapnel from the impact all over him, plenty of new cuts and bruises covering his exposed skin.


    ¡°Enough!¡± he yelled out in a deranged scream.


    He raised his hands again, and the same ball of darkness began forming between them once more, except this time it looked much bigger and more unstable.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you and all your stupid pets gone once and for all!¡±


    A small goblin, scrawny of body but brave of spirit, jumped up on the counter, battered and bruised. His hands firmly gripped his magical staff, aimed straight at the man that once enslaved him.


    ¡°You leave Druma¡¯s boss alone!¡±


    The crab, the golem, the drake, even the mage himself, could only stare in awe as the runes carved on the wooden staff began glowing and, in a split second, a beam of bright green magic shot out of the diamond shaped crystal at its tip.


    The arcane pulse filled the whole bazaar with blinding light and pierced right through the dark orb, dissipating it into nothing and hitting the dark mage squarely on the chest, no shield or protection able to stop it.


    Too bright to look at, the light grew as it swallowed up the man and exploded with a loud blast.


    As quick as it came, the bright light was gone, leaving everything else around untouched, but also leaving not a trace of its victim, except for a brief cloud of dust and ash that blew away in the wind after a moment.


    Druma stood rooted in place, staff still held out, his eyes wide as he stared at his own hands and at the spot where his foe had stood a few seconds before.


    ¡°Woah,¡± Balthazar said, his mouth still half open in shock as he walked up to where the front gate used to be and where the mage had just been vaporized. ¡°Tweedus really wasn¡¯t joking. That was one big boom.¡±


    The goblin let out a short nervous chuckle as he lowered the staff, his expression telling he was still processing what he had just done.


    Something shuffled and grunted outside, and Balthazar quickly turned and stepped through the empty doorway to investigate.


    A small man jumped out from behind a boulder, red in the face, his hair looking as if he had been pulling at it from the sides, a thin, ridiculous pencil mustache disorderly twitching above his upper lip.


    ¡°Why!¡± Antoine yelled out in what sounded more like a screech. ¡°Why can¡¯t you just be gone?!¡±


    Druma came running from inside the bazaar, staff still in hand. ¡°Boss, boss! Want Druma to hit bad man with staff?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Balthazar calmly said. ¡°No need. I got this one.¡±

 Chapter 84: Antoine’s Deeds

    ¡°A fortune!¡± Antoine said, his eyes wide and filled with deranged hatred. ¡°I¡¯ve spent a small fortune trying to get rid of you, an insignificant crab! How can you be so difficult to get rid of?!¡±


    Balthazar stared the rival merchant up and down. He looked like a mess. His usually immaculate outfit was wrinkled and disorderly, one part of the undershirt tucked into his pants, the other not, his cuffs undone and loose. It looked both as if he hadn¡¯t slept in days, but also as if he had slept in those clothes several times.


    One might think the crab almost felt sorry for the man, but no, he absolutely did not. Not even a little.


    Hard to, on account of all the sabotaging, undermining, lying, petty revenge, and, of course, attempted murder. Quite the bummer, that last one.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Antoine?¡± the crab asked. ¡°Sending hired goons to do your dirty work not cutting it for you anymore? You wanted to come down and have a go at it yourself?¡±


    Balthazar knew the pompous merchant was in no way the type to get his immaculate and perfectly manicured hands dirty, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t hope for a shot at giving him a pinch of his mind in a more close and personal form.


    A high level dark mage might have been too much for a crustacean to handle, but that sorry excuse of a merchant? That the crab knew he could handle in a one-on-one, and he¡¯d like nothing more than to finally get a chance at it.


    However, as he looked up the dirt path leading down from the road, at the man standing there, looking mad and deranged, Balthazar saw an even better opportunity present itself.


    ¡°I wanted to watch,¡± said Antoine, his eyes bulging out of his red sockets. ¡°I needed the satisfaction and closure of finally seeing myself rid of you, crab. But you somehow had to thwart my plans once again! How difficult can it be to get rid of a goddamn crab on the side of the road?!¡±


    ¡°What can I say?¡± Balthazar said, making sure to put enough sass and smugness into his voice to drive the man even crazier. ¡°I¡¯m just a very persistent crab, and very good at what I do.¡±


    Antoine clenched his trembling fists. ¡°You¡¯re no merchant! And now somehow you thought you could craft some trade deal with the mayor, right under my nose, and I would sit idly by without doing anything? I knew I should have gotten rid of you long before this. You¡¯re nothing but a disgusting wild animal! A freak of nature who somehow gained some semblance of sentience and decided to get in my way! Ruin my perfectly laid out plans!¡±


    ¡°Get in your way?¡± the crab said, one eye stalk raised higher than the other. ¡°I never even knew who the hell you were until you came down here to threaten me, and I didn¡¯t even care about you until you started sending trouble my way. You really must think you¡¯re the center of the world, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t make it to guildmaster of the merchants by being humble, you dumb crab!¡±


    ¡°No, you made it to guildmaster by backstabbing your best friend,¡± Balthazar shot back.


    ¡°Hah! Tristan?¡± the other merchant spat. ¡°He was never anything but a foolish dreamer. A dunce! He got what he deserved. No wonder you two found your ways to each other. You should have left him to drink himself to death by the gutter where he belonged.¡±


    Balthazar shook his head slowly. ¡°What is wrong with you? What could possibly make you do what you did to your childhood friend?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t deserve it!¡± Antoine yelled out, the derangement coming out of him like an ugly monster clawing through his voice. ¡°I was the brains, I had all the smarts, I always did all the legwork, put in the hours, and then he¡¯d just show up, smile and charm everyone up and get all the praise. It should have always been me picked by the guild! If they would not see that, I¡¯d have to make them see it. Make them see what a fool Tristan really is. All it would take would be a little push, so I pushed. I pushed, and it felt right! He deserved to be humiliated in front of everyone at the Mayor¡¯s house. To get all at once the feeling I felt for years being by his side, always seen as the lesser businessman, the secondary character, the one no one wanted to converse with or even acknowledge.¡±


    ¡°So that was it, envy?¡± said Balthazar. ¡°You threw your only friend into the mud because you wanted to be the only one left? Instead of bettering yourself, you decided to pull your partner down?¡±


    ¡°Shut up! What do you know? You¡¯re just a crab. You cannot understand anything!¡±


    ¡°I may be just a crab, but I¡¯m glad I at least didn¡¯t end up like you. I may have some faults, but one thing I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve come to learn is to value my friends, even when it doesn¡¯t feel so easy. You¡¯re a bitter, lowly man, Antoine.¡±


    The guildmaster spat on the floor.


    ¡°Bah! I don¡¯t need moral lessons from vermin. You may have fooled all those stupid adventurers, you may even have tricked that old idiot at the tax office, but you will never trick me! I know my worth!¡±


    ¡°Your worth?¡± Balthazar repeated. ¡°What is a coward who hires three bandits to plant stolen goods into my place worth?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯d do it again, except I¡¯d hire better goons! This world belongs to those willing to do what it takes to win.¡±


    ¡°Like hiring a witch to turn an innocent lady into a toad because she doesn¡¯t want to do your bidding?¡± the crab threw back. ¡°Is that what it takes for the likes of you to win?¡±


    Antoine pulled his head back and wagged a finger at Balthazar, his mustache twitching angrily under his nose.


    ¡°Henrietta. Oh, that one still has it coming too. Shame she wasn¡¯t here to catch a piece of that roof on her head. All she had to do was do as she was told. Twice! And both times she had to disobey. First when I told her to sell me her place, and the second when I told her to disrupt your business. You¡¯d think after so long locked in a cage she¡¯d be more eager to stay in line, but no, I should have known, lower-class scum like that woman never learn, that¡¯s why they belong at the bottom of the barrel.¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    It was taking more and more of Balthazar¡¯s willpower to not walk up to the man and give him a strong pinch with his iron claw, but the crab knew what he was doing. It would be worth it.


    ¡°For someone who thinks so highly of himself,¡± said the crab, ¡°you really seem to have no problem breaking all the laws. Hiring criminals to plant evidence, bribing and corrupting people, blackmail, extortion, paying to have someone cursed, even hiring a mercenary to destroy someone¡¯s business and kill them. Your greed really knows no boundaries, does it?¡±


    Antoine laughed. Not a laughter of satisfaction, or even mockery. It was a loud, unnerving laughter of someone who seemed to have forgotten whether he should laugh or cry. The cackling of someone desperate, who just doesn¡¯t care anymore to maintain appearances.


    The laughter of someone who finally broke.


    ¡°Rules and laws are made to keep the rabble under control. They are merely obstacles for the right people like myself to navigate around on their way to success. You call it greed. I call it ambition. I did all of those things and many more, and it¡¯s not right that it¡¯s by sheer bad luck that you keep getting away with being a stone in my path!¡±


    Balthazar looked at the poor excuse of a man with disdain.


    ¡°Yes, well, you¡¯re not the first to make the mistake of seeing me as a stone they could step on. The thing is, it wasn¡¯t luck you were lacking, Antoine.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± the other merchant said, throwing his arms open. ¡°Then what is it you think I lack, crab?¡±


    The golden merchant smirked slightly.


    ¡°You lack friends, for example. People who truly care about you and that you can count on in your time of need.¡±


    Antoine scoffed loudly.


    Balthazar ignored it.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand that, I suppose. Something else you lack is charisma, clearly. To be liked by others even when you¡¯re not even trying. Not an easy feat, but not being an unabashed ass would have helped. Nobody¡¯s perfect, but very few of us are completely unredeemable if we at least try. You just never cared to, I guess.¡±


    The small man looked at the crab with contempt, as if his every word was disgusting to him.


    ¡°But,¡± said the crustacean, ¡°more importantly right now, you lack one vital skill. A very basic one.¡±


    ¡°Do I? And what¡¯s that?¡± asked Antoine, his neatly plucked brow furrowing with suspicion.


    ¡°Peripheral vision.¡±


    He looked at the crab in confusion.


    Balthazar nodded towards the top of the path behind Antoine, and the man turned.


    Abernathy, the official from Ardville, stood by the edge of the main road, a livid expression on his face, his two town guards behind him. A few paces off to the side stood Tristan and Henrietta, looking down the path at the scene that had just unfolded with a mix of disapproval and disappointment on their faces.


    Antoine¡¯s breathing trembled, and his mouth opened, but only a shaky stammer came out.


    ¡°Mister Antoine,¡± Abernathy said in a firm tone as he began walking down the path. ¡°Save your breath. You have said quite enough already. We heard everything. Every damning word.¡±


    The mustached man lost nearly all color in his face, going from raging red to pale white in one single gulp.


    Standing directly in front of him, the older and taller man looked down at the guildmaster through his tiny glasses and shook his head.


    ¡°I would be lying if I said I didn¡¯t know what kind of person you were all along,¡± Abernathy started, ¡°but you were always very good at making it very difficult to trace anything back to you. As it would seem, all it took was one resilient crab standing up to you to drive you into incriminating yourself with a town official and two guards as witnesses. Well done.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ he¡­¡± Antoine mumbled. ¡°He¡¯s a crab! You cannot possibly be taking his side!¡±


    ¡°It is not about taking sides, Mister Antoine,¡± the older man said, keeping the same volume but giving his voice a firmer tone. ¡°You have committed numerous crimes. Serious crimes. That is unacceptable, and we have to show nothing but our gratitude towards Mister Balthazar and his associates for bringing them to light.¡±


    Abernathy gestured towards the guards with his head as he placed his hands behind his back.


    ¡°What?¡± Antoine exclaimed as the spear-wielding guards moved to his sides and grabbed him by his arms. ¡°What do you think you are doing? Unhand me! I am the guildmaster of the Merchants Guild! You cannot treat me like this!¡±


    ¡°You are a criminal being arrested, and you will be brought before the mayor himself after I present him with what I¡¯ve heard here today,¡± the town official said. ¡°Do not make your situation worse by making more threats.¡±


    Picking him up off the ground like a child, the two much larger men carried the small merchant up the path to the road as he kicked and screamed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t over!¡± Antoine yelled as he passed Tristan and Henrietta. ¡°You will pay for this humiliation! Mark my words! You cannot do this to me!¡±


    The pair walked down the dirt path to join the tax inspector and the crab as the high-pitched screaming faded into the distance.


    Abernathy adjusted his thin glasses and faced the gilded merchant.


    ¡°Mister Balthazar, I apologize we could not make it here sooner. I wish we could have reached you in time to help with the tragedy that befell your establishment. I admit, when we were approached by a talking toad at the city gates, I almost did not believe her claims.¡± He turned to the other two. ¡°I owe you an apology for that too, madame, as well as to you, Mister Tristan. For too long, you were misrepresented and treated appallingly for your former associate¡¯s scheme.¡±


    A trembling smile formed on Tristan¡¯s face, and he nodded gently. ¡°Thank you. That¡­ that means a lot.¡±


    Seeing how hard his partner was trying to hold it together in front of the town official, Balthazar decided to make use of his greatest gift and started talking.


    ¡°No need to apologize to me, Mister Abernathy. I¡¯m just glad you arrived when you did, at the perfect time to listen to everything Antoine has been doing to us all for so long.¡±


    Abernathy turned to the crab again and nodded. ¡°Just a shame we could not catch him before things got to this point.¡±


    The old man looked up at the blown off gates and damaged roof of the bazaar and threw his hands to his sides.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s too bad,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°but you know, given the outcome just now, I think we¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s just some damage, we can repair it and recover from it. At least nobody got seriously hurt. Well, maybe not nobody¡­¡±


    ¡°Needless to say,¡± Abernathy interjected, raising one hand, ¡°whatever happened within your establishment was obviously all legitimate self-defense, and that is in no way being put up to question. Antoine and his hired mercenary brought this upon themselves.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Balthazar said with a slightly nervous chuckle. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not sure now is going to be the best time for us to discuss the whole matter of a trade deal that you were coming down here for. You know, on account of all the arresting and my place looking like a meteor has just crashed into it. Which is not too far from the truth, if you can believe it¡­¡±


    ¡°No, naturally, of course,¡± the man hurriedly said, shaking both hands in front of himself. ¡°Do not be worried about that right now. You¡¯ve got more pressing matters to take care of. As do I. I shall return to town now and ensure this whole Antoine situation is taken care of and the mayor informed of it. Then, at a more opportune time, we can have our meeting again.¡±


    Balthazar turned to his bazaar.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s a relief, because as fun as all this wasn¡¯t, now I also have to deal with the cleanup, and let me tell you, I am not handy with a broom at all.¡±

 Chapter 85: The Calm

    Balthazar stared out through one of the holes in his bazaar¡¯s roof at the few white clouds sailing by in the blue morning sky. He should be upset, perhaps sad or even angry at the damage done to his precious trading post, and yet, he actually found himself in a good mood.


    There was a mess of broken glass and splintered wood from shelves and boxes all around him, thanks to the previous day¡¯s attack by the dark mage, and still the crab scanned the surrounding room with a smile on his face.


    Despite the damage, the loss of property and merchandise, even the costs that would come from having to repair the building, all of it was a small price to pay for the ultimate satisfaction Balthazar had received.


    Antoine being carried away to jail, finally exposed for his deeds. No amount of coin would have been too much to pay for that.


    Well, perhaps a certain amount. There would need to be some haggling first. He was still a merchant crab after all, and he very much valued gold.


    He looked outside, across the pond, to his tent under the old acacia tree. Thankfully, no damage got anywhere near his personal chambers, and more importantly, to his little hidey-hole, where his most important treasures were hidden, including his new gold statuette.


    If nothing else, he would at least still have the sight of the beautifully golden muse to gaze upon before going to sleep at night.


    It was all about the little shiny pleasures in life.


    The merchant let out a satisfied sigh and focused back on picking up broken pieces of armor from the floor. As he lifted a piece of wood, he found a familiar metal helmet with horns and a small dent on the front.


    Balthazar chuckled. ¡°Of course, this old thing I can never sell survived. Go figure.¡±


    His attention was pulled away from the horned helmet when a small bell rung by the entrance.


    At least that hadn¡¯t been destroyed by the lightning strikes either.


    ¡°Madeleine! Rye!¡± Balthazar exclaimed with an even wider smile, tossing the helmet aside as he threw both claws up enthusiastically. ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡±


    The two humans stepped inside, no door or gate in their way anymore, thanks to the bazaar¡¯s last visitor. Each one carried a wicker basket in their hands and the baker was the first to set hers down and run towards the crab.


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± she said as she knelt down to hug the crab¡¯s wide carapace. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to see you¡¯re alright. I was worried sick when I heard what happened.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the crustacean, taken aback by the sudden and unexpected embrace. ¡°T-thanks. I¡¯m fine. No damage, as you can see.¡±


    His arms hovered over the girl¡¯s back for a second, as he wondered what to do in such an unfamiliar situation. He wasn¡¯t used to hugs. They always seemed to him like an odd gesture. Someone wraps their appendages around your body and you are not supposed to take that as an attempt at suffocating or crushing you and respond accordingly by pinching them? Humans were truly bizarre creatures.


    However, the baker¡¯s embrace felt warm and comforting.


    Perhaps they were onto something with all their silly displays of affection, after all.


    ¡°Damn,¡± said Rye as he approached and looked around. ¡°Same can¡¯t be said of your place. That guy really did a number on it, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°What about the others?!¡± Madeleine quickly asked, pulling away from the hug with wide eyes. ¡°Druma, Bouldy, Blue, are they all safe too?¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± the crab said in a calm tone. ¡°They¡¯re alright too. Blue¡¯s resting up by the tree. She took some damage but nothing serious. She will be fine. Druma and Bouldy are good as well. Here, see for yourself.¡± He turned to the back of the bazaar and called out. ¡°Guys, come in here. We got visitors.¡±


    A goblin holding a broom peeked in from the back exit and a grin formed on his face as he saw the baker and the archer.


    As Druma ran in, arms open, broom still in his hand, Bouldy followed behind, holding a large bucket filled with debris and wearing a frilly apron.


    ¡°Miss baker!¡± the small assistant called out, jumping with excitement. ¡°Druma is magic! Druma save boss from evil man!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are, and yes you did!¡± Madeleine said with a beaming smile. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the story. You were very brave!¡±


    ¡°Yes, he was,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°But we were also lucky he had that staff from the old wizard, or else our fates might have been different. Too bad he had to blow all the charges in it at once, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what everyone is talking about up in the guild today,¡± Rye added. ¡°The crab and his crew who took out a high-level dark mage, and how a little goblin turned him into dust.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s make sure this doesn¡¯t get to Druma¡¯s head. Next thing I know, he¡¯ll be asking for a raise,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Wait, they¡¯re talking about it at the adventurers guild? Should I be worried?¡±


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    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t worry,¡± Rye quickly replied. ¡°That guy might have been technically an adventurer, but his actions violated all sorts of rules set by the guild. No one would question your right to defend yourself against his assault. As far as we adventurers go, he was a stain on the guild¡¯s image by cowardly attacking an innocent weak merchant and got what he deserved. He made his own bed by taking on Antoine¡¯s shady offer.¡±


    ¡°Phew, that¡¯s good to know. Hey, wait, what do you mean, weak merchant?!¡±


    ¡°Bouldy!¡± Madeleine exclaimed, standing up and walking in front of Balthazar to greet the tall boulder. ¡°I heard you flew higher than any golem ever has! And what¡¯s this you¡¯re wearing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an apron,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Some adventurer looted it from a giant¡¯s camp and it never occurred to me that there was no way I was ever going to sell that, so I let Bouldy have it. Take that off now, though. I told you not to wear it when we have people around. You look silly, and nobody¡¯s going to take you seriously as my bodyguard if they see you wearing that.¡±


    The golem slumped down but obliged, bringing the white strap over his head and removing the apron.


    ¡°From what I hear,¡± started Rye, ¡°he went really high before crashing back down on the mage. Is he really alright after that?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, don¡¯t worry,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°He¡¯s a sturdy one!¡±


    The crab stepped closer to the golem and gave his stony chest a gentle tap with his claw. As he did, he spotted something on the living boulder¡¯s torso. Next to the small ¡°X¡± claw carving on the golem¡¯s chest, there was a fissure. A small hairline crack that would have been hard to spot at a distance from how thin it was, but that ran all the way down his front.


    ¡°Oh no. Should we be worried about that?¡± asked Madeleine from behind the crab.


    Balthazar frowned and brought his system¡¯s party screen up to check on his rocky companion.


    [Name: Bouldy] [Race: Stone Golem] [Class: None] [Level: 30]


    [Health: 499/500]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 40] [Agility: 3] [Intelligence: 1]


    Waving down dismissively with one claw, Balthazar turned to the baker.


    ¡°Nah, nothing much, just some tiny damage. He will be fine.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, no need for worry. Some chicken pie, a good night¡¯s sleep and he will be fine,¡± Balthazar joked.


    ¡°Very funny,¡± the girl said. ¡°I know golems don¡¯t need to eat or sleep.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, he doesn¡¯t,¡± the smug crab said. ¡°But you know who does?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know,¡± the baker said, picking her basket back up. ¡°Worry not. I brought you plenty of provisions. I figured you¡¯d need a pick-me-up now more than ever. Although, seeing you now, it seems you¡¯re doing way better than what I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Balthazar said to her, despite his eyes being fixed on the pastries she was taking out of the basket. ¡°Just knowing Antoine finally got what he had coming and won¡¯t be plotting against me anymore makes up for all this chaos and damage easily!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Madeleine said, nodding her head. ¡°It¡¯s such a weight off our shoulders, not having to worry about that creep and his evil scheming.¡±


    ¡°Had I any shoulders, I¡¯d say the same!¡± the crab exclaimed, as he shoved a cream puff in his mouth.


    ¡°Speaking of the damage,¡± Rye said, ¡°we didn¡¯t come here just for a food delivery, you know? Madeleine and I took the day off to give you a hand with the cleaning.¡±


    Balthazar stopped chewing and looked at them with whipped cream smeared all over his mouth.


    ¡°You guys didn¡¯t have to do that,¡± he struggled to say, his mouth still stuffed.


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Madeleine said. ¡°It¡¯s the neighborly thing to do, and also what friends do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, plus,¡± Rye added, ¡°we figured extra pairs of hands are something you could always use.¡±


    The young man chuckled and pointed awkwardly at the crab¡¯s pincers.


    ¡°Get it? Because you don¡¯t¡­ have¡­¡±


    Balthazar stared with an inexpressive look at the archer, his mouth still covered in whipped cream and frozen halfway through his chewing.


    ¡°Just¡­ never mind,¡± the deflated adventurer mumbled.


    ¡°Anyway!¡± the gilded crab said, turning to Madeleine and wiping his face. ¡°If you want to help, there¡¯s still plenty of trash to clear.¡±


    Madeleine placed the basket on the counter and started tying her braids into a bun atop her head while looking around the room.


    ¡°Hey, by the way, where is Henrietta? I haven¡¯t seen her around here yet. Is she alright too?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, she¡¯s fine,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°She wasn¡¯t actually here when that madman started jolting and bolting the whole place. Now she¡¯s up in town with Tristan. They are both giving their testimony about all the horrible things Antoine did to them.¡±


    ¡°Damn right!¡± exclaimed Rye as he tightened his own ponytail and grabbed a broom. ¡°I hope they nail him for everything he¡¯s done.¡± He paused and looked at the hole above him and the scorched wooden below. ¡°Speaking of nails, how are you planning to repair all this damage to your place? Knowing you, I¡¯m sure you value presentation.¡±


    ¡°That I do,¡± the crab responded, polishing the shine of his silver claw on the fabric of the oversized apron Bouldy had left on a nearby table. ¡°My plan is to ask John, the carpenter, to come down and take a look at things, see what he thinks, and if he can fix it. I considered having Druma patch things up, but at this point I think it¡¯s clear his real talents lie in magic more than carpentry.¡±


    Druma stopped sweeping the floor and looked up with a slight frown.


    ¡°Druma good with hammer and staff, boss!¡±


    Rye let out a hearty laugh and turned to the goblin. ¡°You gotta tell me how you took down that mage, Druma. I could never beat a guy his level in a fight. What¡¯s your secret?¡±


    The small assistant perked up and started telling the tale of his devastating spell to the archer, using his broom to re-enact his actions with the staff in an exaggerated way.


    Balthazar chuckled and took a moment to fully appreciate the scene around him.


    Despite the circumstances, there he was, surrounded by friends, having a good time, simply feeling content.


    The crab felt a rumble in his shell and figured it was time to check the contents of Madeleine¡¯s basket again.


    Before he could reach the counter, he felt the rumbling again and froze. Looking around, he noticed everyone else had stopped what they were doing as well.


    The rumbling wasn¡¯t coming from his stomach, and wasn¡¯t, in fact, a rumbling at all.


    A roar, deep and vicious, echoed from outside, making the floorboards under their feet vibrate.


    ¡°Do you guys hear that?¡± Madeleine asked, looking worried.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rye responded. ¡°It sounds far away, and yet¡­¡±


    The roar echoed in the distance once more, but louder this time.


    All at once, they quickly made their way out the front entrance, to the road outside, searching for the source of the intimidating sound.


    It did not take long to spot it.


    Over the plains, far to the east, a large shape took form through the haze of the horizon as it approached through the air.


    A dragon, huge and red, let out another roar as it flew towards Ardville.

 Chapter 86: The Red Dragon

    Despite the season, the sun had been shining pleasantly through the white clouds in the sky. There had barely been a breeze that day. With hardly any people passing by that morning and no birds in sight, everything had been quiet enough that the only sound one could hear in the air was the soothing flow of water dropping into the pond from the mountain cliffs behind it.


    That all quickly changed with the arrival of the dragon.


    The massive creature blotted out the sun as it flew overhead, its shadow casting over the pond like an eclipse.


    Each beat of its wings sent out a gust of wind strong enough to rival the angriest of storms.


    And the peaceful quiet in the air had been filled with roaring powerful enough to make the trees shake in their roots.


    Balthazar¡¯s group stood on the path between the road and his bazaar, staring up in awe at the winged beast as it swiftly glided over the plains and pond, and then circled over the town on the hill and back.


    Its scales were a dark crimson red, each wing easily large enough to span the distance between each side of the cobblestone road, and its claws so massive they¡¯d easily be able to carry away a horse if it wished to.


    The dragon continued circling over the land, as if searching for something, letting out angry roars as it went.


    ¡°Is that really a dragon?!¡± said Rye, his eyes still fixed on the creature high above.


    ¡°It¡­ it can¡¯t be,¡± Madeleine let out, her jaw still dropped in surprise at what her eyes were witnessing.


    ¡°What the hell is it doing?¡± Balthazar said in an exasperated tone, meant to cover his apprehension at seeing the colossal creature flying over his home.


    The dragon circled above the town again, but just as it was coming back around, tiny figures began appearing in the distance, over the city walls. City guards, their bows drawn, emerged all around, aiming up.


    The winged beast let out another roar, and as if that was their command to fire, the archers let loose a volley of arrows towards the attacker. The dragon swerved, knocking away many of the projectiles, many more missed, and the few that landed seemed like little more than pebbles thrown at a giant.


    Seemingly unharmed, but annoyed at the pestering arrows, the dragon glided some distance away from the city walls, out of reach of the guard¡¯s bows, before preparing to descend over the plains.


    As it landed on the side of the road, some distance away from the pond and bazaar, its weight made the ground shake, making the legs of everyone around Balthazar shake, and nearly throwing Madeleine off balance, before she grabbed on to Rye¡¯s arm for support.


    The dragon¡¯s mouth opened, and for a moment the crab expected flames to come pouring out, but much to his surprise, a deep and guttural voice came out instead.


    ¡°I demand what is mine!¡± it shouted to the walled town on the hill. ¡°Deliver the thief to me or face my wrath!¡±


    The creature scanned its surroundings until its eyes stopped at the modest little gazebo next to the pond, and the five small figures standing in awe by the entrance.


    Its lizard eyes narrowed. They were of an intense copper color, each one nearly as big as Balthazar¡¯s whole shell.


    It was like staring at Blue. If she was a different color, and the size of a house.


    Or at least so did the crab think. He had never actually seen a proper house up close.


    Balthazar focused on the creature standing over the tall grass through his monocle, reluctant to find how big of a threat such an imposing being could pose.


    [Level 75 Red Dragon]


    The crab nearly choked as he swallowed. He had never seen anyone or anything that high level. Especially none that were as big and threatening as that.


    The dragon¡¯s nostrils flared, and it turned its body to the bazaar before speaking again, raising its head so that everyone around it could hear what it had to say.


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    ¡°Do not try to lie or delay. I know the thief came this way. I can still smell his scent on the road. Bring him to me or I will find him myself in your ashes!¡±


    Bringing its head back down, the beast flared its nostrils again as it stretched its neck closer to the bazaar.


    Suddenly, a trumpet sounded from the hill above, and the city gates opened.


    Dozens of guards in their matching yellow and white armors rushed out in lines, some holding shields, others spears, and those further back carrying large longbows and quivers on their backs.


    As the guards took formation on the road between the city and where the dragon had landed, the creature turned away from the pond, focusing its angry scowl on the men sent out to meet it.


    ¡°You dare challenge my¡ª¡±


    The dragon cut itself short as a distant human shout from behind the lines of guards ordered them to fire, and countless arrows and javelins were sent flying directly at the red creature.


    With surprising speed and agility for something its size, the dragon swatted away the javelins and most of the arrows with one wing, all while its tail followed through with one swift swipe, hitting the ground between it and the guards like a giant whip.


    The impact sent the front line shield-bearers flying back into the spear holders, knocking most of them down and revealing a rear line of shocked bowmen quickly trying to nock their next arrow.


    ¡°Guys, we can¡¯t just stand here gawking like idiots forever!¡± Rye exclaimed.


    Balthazar shook his shell, as if snapping out of a haze. The entire scene had felt so surreal that he had nearly forgotten everything around him and the danger it all posed.


    Bouldy stood close behind him, his stance ready and defensive, while Druma stood to his left, under the cover of the golem¡¯s arm, concern written all over his brow and large eyes.


    Madeleine turned to them. ¡°If that thing decides to start attacking, there¡¯s no place that will be safe, but in here we will be easy prey. We need to get up to town and help them defend it. It¡¯s our safest bet.¡±


    Balthazar gulped quietly.


    She was not entirely wrong, but he knew he couldn¡¯t leave. Even if he wanted to.


    ¡°The dragon is standing right between us and the gates. There¡¯s no way for us to make it there without it catching us if it wants to,¡± the crab said.


    ¡°Balthazar¡¯s right,¡± said Rye. ¡°Either through or around the road, we would put ourselves directly in the line of fire. If we try to run the other way, we¡¯d have to go into the forest, and it¡¯s not like that would be much safer for cover. We need to hunker down here as best as we can and hope the guards can take care of it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Rye,¡± Balthazar said, pointing a pincer towards the uphill road. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling too confident that they got this covered.¡±


    A cloud of dust was settling over the road, revealing a mass of guards thrown on the ground as their comrades tried their best to drag the injured back, none bothering to shoot the dragon anymore.


    The beast roared once more, as the men hurriedly retreated, stumbling over themselves back to the gates.


    ¡°Well, so much for that!¡± said Madeleine, throwing her hands up in exasperation.


    ¡°And they wanted me to pay taxes for guards like that!¡± Balthazar added.


    On the plains, the dragon roared again.


    ¡°Do not test my patience further, humans!¡± demanded the angry dragon.


    ¡°Come on, guys,¡± said Rye. ¡°Let¡¯s take shelter inside before things get uglier.¡±


    The group made their way back into the bazaar, but outside, as if it had suddenly remembered what it was doing before the small distraction caused by the city guards, the winged beast was turning back its attention to the small pond and its inhabitants.


    ¡°Well, crap,¡± said Balthazar as he looked up. ¡°Not the best place to take shelter when we have a big gaping hole above our heads.¡±


    The light coming through the roof disappeared as the dragon stretched its neck over the bazaar and its big copper eye peered inside.


    ¡°You,¡± the dragon¡¯s voice echoed inside the gazebo. ¡°The thief I seek was here. I can still feel his faint smell from your shack.¡±


    ¡°Did that big lizard just call my place a shack?!¡± the outraged crab said.


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± Rye whispered without taking his sights off the huge eyeball observing them from above, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the detail you should focus on right now.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what it wants,¡± the merchant said. ¡°None of us is a thief. The only thief I know is Rob, and I know there¡¯s no way that coward would dare go anywhere near a dragon.¡±


    Seeing no other option but to use his main talent, Balthazar stepped under the dragon¡¯s gaze and started talking.


    ¡°Er¡­ hey, big guy,¡± the crab sheepishly called. ¡°Hello there. Name¡¯s Balthazar. Owner and proprietor of this bazaar, nice to meet you. Don¡¯t mind the mess, we were doing some cleaning and repairs before you¡­ you know¡­ showed up and started roaring and whatnot. Impressive vocal cords, by the way.¡±


    The dragon frowned and snarled impatiently, letting out a cloud of smoke through its nose.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Balthazar hurriedly continued. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what exactly did this thief you seek look like?¡±


    Letting out another snarl, the creature moved its head further away from the roof.


    The dragon¡¯s mouth opened, revealing a set of terribly sharp teeth, and the group reeled, unsure whether it was about to speak again or do something far more devastating.


    Which one was it, they would never know, for another loud sound broke through the air outside, pulling everyone¡¯s attention away, including the dragon.


    Balthazar and company all leaned over one of the side railings of the bazaar, trying to see the source of the shouting and yelling coming down from the town¡¯s road.


    Dozens of figures were pouring out of the city gates and running down the hill. They were not soldiers in their matching uniforms this time, but a mob wearing a myriad of different armors and colors, brandishing all sorts of weapons as they went.


    Balthazar knew the type well. He had been seeing them daily for months.


    They were adventurers, all rushing out of the city with eagerness and ambition on their faces, clamoring and raring to fight.


    As the mob rolled down the hill, their stampede made the ground shake, and their shouting grew into deafening battle cries.


    ¡°Slay the dragon!¡±

 Chapter 87: Mighty Adventurers

    Over the past several months, Balthazar had met all kinds of adventurers at his trading post.


    From the burly type who loved to wield a large weapon and talk loudly, to the sneaky ones that liked clinging to the shadows and visit during quiet hours so they wouldn''t meet others on the road.


    From scholarly ones wearing robes, pointy hats, and carrying lots of books written in cryptic languages that held ancient magics, to the spry ones wearing flexible armor and carrying bows and daggers.


    To the crab, most of them were a necessary nuisance, in order to gain the coin he so enjoyed collecting. Once in a while there would be the rare one that was tolerable, perhaps even some Balthazar liked, although he would never let them know that fact, lest they get the wrongful impression that earns them the privilege of a discount or something extreme like that.


    Despite adventurers coming in all shapes and sizes, ranks and classes, personalities and degrees of annoyance, one fact was always true in all of them.


    The desire to level up.


    To them, it was their entire life''s purpose. They all craved that sweet experience to bring them closer to the next higher number.


    Be it through slaying the biggest beast they could find, or crafting the same item over and over again, there was little those silly humans wouldn¡¯t do to progress to the next level, just so they could repeat the same process all over again for the next number.


    To what purpose? Balthazar could not tell.


    For while he had secretly shared their ability to gain levels, he never quite understood what the appeal was. Sure, picking some attributes to improve and a new skill was nice and all, but hardly something worth dedicating your entire life to.


    Now, pastries and the accumulation of wealth? That the humble crab would have understood just fine.


    Which was why the merchant watched with mixed feelings as the crowd of adventurers rushed down the hill, charging towards the red dragon with hunger for victory in their gazes.


    They brandished their swords, maces, and axes. They readied their bows and charged their spells. All craving the rewards from slaying what was likely the biggest foe most of them had ever laid eyes upon.


    ¡°Fools,¡± the crab muttered. ¡°All of them, complete fools.¡±


    Throwing his pincers up into a half shrug, Balthazar turned to his group.


    ¡°Well, anyway, hopefully they¡¯ll make for a good distraction for us!¡±


    Rye looked outside while grasping his bow tightly in his hand and a hopeful smile grew on his face.


    ¡°I should get out there and help the fight. Maybe we got a chance, if everyone from the guild came out here to battle it.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°Not you too! Focus, Rye.¡± The crab pulled at the young man¡¯s arms with his claws, forcing the ranger to look at him. ¡°Forget the stupid levels and remember what¡¯s really important. Who you have to help protect.¡±


    The adventurer blinked at the crab for a moment, confused, before turning his gaze to the baker leaning over the bazaar¡¯s railings, looking outside with concern in her eyes.


    He furrowed his brow. ¡°You¡¯re right, Balthazar. We need to get Madeleine to safety.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡±


    Outside, the charging adventurers began encircling the dragon as the creature sunk its claws into the dirt of the plains and bared its fangs. Despite their numbers, it was clear the human forces were not enough to intimidate the ferocious beast.


    Of the few standing on the road, two familiar adventurers stepped out of the formation and ran down the path to the bazaar.


    One was a young woman in mixed leather armor with steel parts, while the other was a young man carrying a large sword strapped to his back and wearing nothing but a loincloth. No shirt, no pants, not even shoes.


    ¡°Crab!¡± the less modest one called, jogging down the path and waving one arm as he struggled to hold the sword against his back with the other.


    Balthazar stared at Jack and Leah with a weirded out look as they entered the gazebo.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the girl said as she met the merchant¡¯s confused gaze. ¡°Don¡¯t even ask. He still refuses to let go of that Sword of Heavy Might.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys doing here?¡± asked Balthazar, deciding there was no time to get into the boy¡¯s heavy issues.


    ¡°Are you joking?¡± exclaimed Jack. ¡°We¡¯re here to slay the dragon, of course! Can you imagine the experience it will give?! And the loot!¡±


    ¡°And also to help the town and the surrounding inhabitants, like Balthazar here,¡± Leah quickly added, as she scowled at her friend.


    ¡°Oh, right, of course, that too, sure.¡±


    Balthazar glanced at the pair through his monocle, not feeling too reassured by their intentions.


    [Level 20 Swordsman]


    [Level 19 Fighter]


    ¡°You guys are sure you¡¯re up for that challenge?¡± the hesitant crab asked. ¡°That¡¯s a mighty dragon out there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s like a hundred of us here. We got this!¡± the confident young man said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best, we promise,¡± said Leah with a sincere smile.


    The naked adventurer adjusted his loincloth and drew his oversized sword.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    ¡°Jack, wait, we¡­¡±


    But the eager swordsman was already running back up to the road, straining to hold his sword up as he went.


    Leah gave Balthazar¡¯s group an apologetic shrug and pulled out her bow as she chased after him.


    The crab and his four companions looked out towards the road and plains, where the adventurers were charging at the massive dragon.


    First were the barbarians and heavily armored warriors, roaring as they ran at the creature¡¯s legs with their battleaxes and longswords. The red reptilian was not impressed. Whipping its heavy tail, the level 75 menace knocked them all down in one fell swoop.


    ¡°You dare challenge my might?¡± it roared.


    Next were those wielding bows, crossbows, slingshots, and any other form of ranged weapon.


    Arrows, bolts, and many other projectiles started flying at the dragon like a flock of birds passing in front of the cloudy sky.


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    Snarling with irritation, the beast batted one wing from the side, kicking up a cloud of dust and blowing back all the incoming attacks.


    ¡°Cease this provocation and deliver to me what is mine or you shall all pay the price!¡±


    Wielders of magic stepped in. Those with healing magics or other forms of support skills came to the aid of the ones felled by the tail whip or wing strike. The rest began casting their attack spells, aiming at the gigantic foe standing before them.


    Fire sizzled, lightning crackled, ice hissed, and a rainbow light show overpowered the glow of the sun itself around the area before they all started slinging their spells in a chaotic cacophony of sounds and blinding flashes.


    The dragon made no move to stop the incoming strikes, and for a split second, it felt as if this charge might be more successful than the previous, but that hope quickly dimmed as the first spells reached their target.


    Bolts of fire hit the rough red scales with no effect, arcs of electricity ricocheted off the creature¡¯s hide, ice shards melted into harmless steam just by coming close to the dragon¡¯s body, and not a single flinch came from the giant lizard.


    For once, Balthazar wished human books had also been wrong about draconic creatures'' high resistance to most forms of magic.


    The spellcasters looked in awe at the inefficiency of their magics and exchanged glances at one another, as if looking for any ideas on what to do next.


    ¡°My patience runs thin, humans,¡± warned the angry dragon. ¡°I have given you plenty of time. I grow tired of your childish attempts at confronting¡ªARGH!¡±


    The creature roared in pain and its tail smacked the ground, causing the mages standing closer to it to wobble on their legs and quickly run back to the other adventurers.


    Underneath the mighty being was a small human figure, standing next to one of its legs.


    Jack, in all of his nakedness, had sneaked up on the dragon and landed a blow to its ankle with his sword, which he was now dislodging from the creature¡¯s flesh with great difficulty.


    ¡°Jack!¡± Leah called out from the larger group of adventurers. ¡°What are you doing, you fool?! Leave that stupid sword and run!¡±


    With one last pull, the hero in the nude pulled his blade from the dragon and fell back on the ground, just in time to evade the creature¡¯s angry stomping.


    ¡°Your homes shall burn for this, humans!¡±


    The enraged lizard whipped its tail around, trying to hit the pesky human who dared draw blood from it, but Jack took advantage of the creature¡¯s blind spot underneath its body and scurried away into some grass and then through a bush, rolling out onto the road with his precious sword strapped around his sweaty torso.


    ¡°Guys,¡± Madeleine said, pulling Balthazar out of his spectator trance. ¡°I hate to say it, but I¡¯m not sure even all of those adventurers will be able to handle that dragon.¡±


    The crab knew she was right. Glancing over the groups of adventurers spread around the road and plains, Balthazar could see many numbers above their heads through his monocle, but barely any of them were even close to being half the dragon¡¯s level.


    Despite their quantity, they all lacked the individual quality to defeat a level 75 red dragon.


    ¡°Madeleine is right,¡± Rye said in a deflated tone. ¡°None of us stands a chance against that thing. If the whole guild came out and they¡¯ve barely made a scratch on it, what¡¯s there left to try?¡±


    Balthazar exhaled sharply as his mind raced.


    As much as his pride and confidence wanted to make him say that was no big deal, he knew this time was different. They had gotten lucky against the dark mage, and he was only level 35. They had nothing against a dragon that dwarfed even his stone golem in size, that could easily swallow a young drake whole, and they had no magic staff powerful enough to make it even flinch. Nothing.


    What was a crab to do against such a threat?


    Balthazar looked at his own golden reflection on a shiny platter in a nearby shelf and frowned at himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m the boss of this pond, damn it!¡±


    Balthazar looked up at the furious dragon, as it roared and swung its tail at the dispersing groups of adventurers, trying to swat them away like annoying flies.


    He was not about to let a giant lizard wreck his little slice of heaven and kill off most of his clientele just like that. Not while he still had a say in it.


    He brought up his system screen and looked at his list of skills. There was still one unspent skill point there, ever since he reached level 15 and the damnable thing claimed he had reached the maximum level. He had told himself he would save that point for when the time was right, to use it wisely.


    His wisdom told him that time was now.


    He looked at his skills.


    [Charisma: S(+5)]


    [Medium Armor: A]


    [Speech: A]


    [Reading: B]


    [Fishing: C]


    [Imbuing: C]


    [Leadership: B]


    [Slashing Weapons: C]


    He knew there was no skill he could spend one point on that would ever allow him to defeat a dragon on his own, but thankfully, he was not alone.


    All those people around him in that moment didn¡¯t need a strong crab or even a merchant crab. They needed a leader.


    Filled with conviction, Balthazar spent his last skill point upgrading his Leadership from a B to an A before turning and facing his friends.


    ¡°Alright, hear me out!¡± he exclaimed to the other four. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but we gotta keep all those adventurers alive.¡±


    The baker, the ranger, the goblin, and even the golem stared at the crab, unblinking.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the plan: Druma and Madeleine will start grabbing potions from the crates back there. We should still have a good supply of fire resistance potions that we can distribute to some of the front line adventurers in case things get heated. Rye, run up to the road and let them know to form a rear guard here to resupply. Health, stamina, mana potions, bandages, quick supplies, whatever they need we¡¯ll provide to keep them in the fight. Just make sure you remind them they¡¯ll still have to pay for them later! Maybe with a discount, but that¡¯s all! Meanwhile, I¡¯ll coordinate things from here while Bouldy covers me. Maybe one of these books I never finished has something about dragon weaknesses.¡±


    With surprising readiness, the group nodded and quickly started enacting Balthazar¡¯s orders.


    Rye ran up to the road, while the rest spread around the bazaar.


    ¡°Hey Balthazar, can you guys help us?¡±


    The crab turned to see two figures coming in through the bazaar¡¯s entrance. Leah came in with Jack¡¯s arm over her shoulder as the young man struggled to walk forward, his feet dragging at every step.


    ¡°Hey, crab,¡± the out of breath adventurer said. ¡°Did you see me striking that dragon out there? Pretty epic, right?¡± He coughed and winced. ¡°I¡¯m kinda running on empty now, though.¡±


    ¡°He can barely walk, let alone lift his damn sword,¡± said Leah, helping her friend sit down on a nearby chair, his sword falling to the floor next to him with a loud clang.


    Balthazar reached behind the counter and pulled a small wooden crate with several colorful bottles inside.


    ¡°Here, stamina potion, that will get you back on your feet,¡± the hurried merchant told the swordsman, handing him a large bottle filled with a green liquid.


    Jack took a swig and his eyes widened as the liquid went down his throat.


    ¡°It must really be the end times, if you¡¯re handing out free items like that,¡± Leah said, eyebrows raised high.


    ¡°Oh, shut it, will you?¡± He grabbed two more bottles from the crate, one orange, the other white. ¡°Take these too. This is fire resistance. I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t need me to explain that one. The other is something that should help you keep your sword up.¡±


    Jack frowned. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a Feather Potion. It will increase your carrying capacity, hopefully making¡ª¡±


    Without hesitation, the young adventurer snatched the bottle from the crab¡¯s pincer and hastily gulped its dense liquid down.


    Shooting up from his seat, Jack stood back on his feet with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. ¡°I feel good as new! Let¡¯s get back out there and teach that dragon a lesson!¡±


    Leah looked at her companion with wide eyes. ¡°What the hell was in that potion?¡±


    ¡°Heh, a little lizardy secret. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Standing next to them, Bouldy leaned down and effortlessly picked the Sword of Heavy Might off the floor with his stony fingers.


    ¡°Friend,¡± the golem said with a friendly smile, as he offered the blade back to the swordsman.


    ¡°Woah. You¡¯re strong,¡± said Jack, looking up at the boulder with awe. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    The young man looked behind the crab, towards some of the broken shelves.


    ¡°Hey, you think I could have that too?¡± he said, pointing at something between the unsorted junk piled next to the debris.


    Balthazar turned to see what he was pointing at. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think so. I have a good feeling about it, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°You know what, sure, why not? It¡¯s yours, for free, even.¡±


    Balthazar picked up the horned helmet from the junk pile, the worn out iron one, with a small dent and crack on the forehead, and gave it to the confident adventurer, who promptly put it on his head.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m ready!¡± he said, taking the sword from the golem and holding it up with both hands, striking a power pose before making his way back out the bazaar, his fighter friend quickly running behind so she wouldn¡¯t lose sight of him.


    As they ran out, a small group of adventurers came in with Rye looking for aid.


    Madeleine and Druma tended to their needs as more came pouring in and out, all seeking to resupply in either stamina, mana, arrows, or whatever else the crab¡¯s bazaar could spare, all while the battle continued raging on outside.


    As the small groups of adventurers came in and out, Balthazar would list them the weak spots on a dragon¡¯s body off an old tome of knowledge he had found under the rubble of his roof, tell the archers where they should position themselves for better support, and even draw quick formation patterns on the wooden floor with the tip of his claw for the brawlers and magic types to advance on the field.


    The thing that felt strangest to the crab wasn¡¯t how naturally all of that was coming from him, it was the fact that they were listening to him and following his plans.


    Maybe what those dim-witted adventurers were missing all along was the right crab to lead them.


    And sell them all the right items at the right prices, of course.


    ¡°They¡¯re putting up a good fight out there,¡± said Rye, a hint of hope returning to his expression as he helped the crab distribute more stacks of arrows.


    But suddenly, a thunderous boom came from outside, and they all rushed to look over the fence.


    The dragon had taken flight once more, beating its wings as it hovered above the adventurers.


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± it roared.


    Its neck began glowing as it opened its maw, and a torrent of flames swirled from within, ready to be unleashed upon the crowd beneath.

 Chapter 88: Running for It

    The adventurers ran away, dispersing wildly across the plains, doing their best to get out of reach from the incoming fire blast building up inside the hovering dragon.


    One of those adventurers, the boldest among them, had gotten closer than anyone else, and was now doing a mad sprint out of the creature¡¯s shadow as the flames began spilling out of its maw. He ran as fast as his naked feet allowed him, his loincloth swaying wildly in the wind from the dragon¡¯s wings as he went.


    Jack dashed with all he had, one hand still holding his sword in place behind his back as he ran, but with the huge fireball now descending from the creature¡¯s mouth, there was little chance he¡¯d make it far enough away in time.


    Far off to the side, between the outer circle of adventurers surrounding the plains, one young woman stood shouting amid the crowds of fleeing fighters, her calls drowned out by the cries and yells of the hundreds scattering away around her.


    Leah shouted and gestured frantically at her friend to keep running towards her, too far from him to do anything else to help.


    The entire scene played as if slowed down in front of the group, watching safely from the bazaar, until the dragon¡¯s fireball touched the ground beneath it, and perception caught up to reality with a vengeance.


    First to feel the power of the dragon¡¯s fury, Jack was blasted away by the fireball, its flames carrying him over the air before he was unceremoniously dropped over a pile of rocks in the middle of the grass and disappeared behind them.


    The impact sent out a forceful blast of dust and heat, followed by flames that lashed at the crowd like hungry tongues. Many who were either too close or too weak to withstand it were sent flying several paces from where they stood, rolling on the ground as they landed, like dolls made of dirty rags.


    Everyone inside the bazaar flinched and ducked as the wave of heat reached the sides of the gazebo like a windstorm from hell.


    As soon as it passed, the few adventurers who had come to resupply at the bazaar began running back out.


    ¡°Come on! We gotta help them!¡±


    ¡°We need to pull the injured away. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°I got a bag of potions. Someone cover me while I make a run for the ones closest to the impact!¡±


    Alone again, Balthazar and his four helpers looked at each other with livid expressions, those with the skin for it looking as pale as the moon.


    ¡°That was bad,¡± said Rye with a hoarse voice. ¡°You think¡­ you think any of them¡­ you know¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t think about that right now,¡± Madeleine quickly said. ¡°We need to focus on helping those still in danger out there.¡±


    ¡°Guys, look,¡± Balthazar said, pointing a pincer outside.


    The dragon soared higher above the plains as the dust settled, revealing a huge crater on the ground below, left by its outburst.


    The crab¡¯s pointy silver claw, however, was aiming at something far smaller on the edge of the crater.


    Running through the smoke and dust, an adventurer clad in leather and steel, carrying a sword on her waist and a bow on her back, made her way to a group of rocks near the impact area.


    ¡°It¡¯s Leah,¡± Balthazar said, squinting through his monocle. ¡°I think¡­ she found Jack!¡±


    Pulling his arm up around the back of her neck, the girl retrieved her partner from the rocks. He stood up, visibly dazed, but conscious, his skin covered in soot and dirt, and his trusty sword still strapped to his back. The horned helmet he had taken from the bazaar was still on his head, and it seemed to have served its purpose, for it looked like he had hit the rocks beneath him with his head, as the dent on the front of the helmet was now much more pronounced, and a thin line of blood ran down his face from under it.


    Jack stumbled, but raised one hand and gave a thumbs up towards the bazaar before his companion helped him back to the larger group of adventurers.


    ¡°Damn,¡± said Rye. ¡°Those potions you gave him might have saved his backside there.¡±


    The crab opened his mouth to make a witty remark about the swordsman¡¯s backside and his torn up loincloth, but a booming voice from the sky interrupted him before he could even start.


    ¡°I have had enough of your affronts to me, humans! If you will not return the treasure that was stolen from my hoard, then your city shall burn!¡±


    Realization hit Balthazar like a rock thrown by an unruly goblin kid up on a cliff.


    A dragon¡¯s hoard. Just like the one that the stranger the monocle couldn¡¯t identify claimed his statuette came from.


    It couldn¡¯t be.


    Or could it?


    Dragons were just a myth, and yet now there was one hovering right outside, demanding something that someone stole from it.


    His precious new golden statuette.


    ¡°I know what the dragon wants!¡±


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    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed the surprised baker.


    The crab peeked outside once more. The dragon was circling back, aligning itself in the town¡¯s direction.


    His eye stalks moved down, looking at the dispersed groups of adventurers still trying to get each other back on their feet.


    ¡°No time to explain!¡± said the panicking merchant. ¡°I need to run to my islet and grab something, but we can¡¯t let the dragon fly to the city and start torching it up, or it will be too late. I need something, anything, to keep it distracted long enough for me to grab what it wants and then get its attention.¡±


    ¡°But what, Balthazar?¡± a desperate Rye asked. ¡°My arrows can¡¯t reach that far, and it¡¯s not like any of us can fly to catch up to it up there.¡±


    A feeble, low growl came from the back of the bazaar.


    They turned to see a young drake waddling her way into the room, her tail dragging behind as she slowly approached.


    ¡°Blue!¡± said Madeleine, bringing her hands to her face and looking worried.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°You¡¯re still too weak. You should be recovering back in my tent, where it¡¯s safer.¡±


    The drake let out another weak growl and raised her neck with difficulty. Some of her blue scales between her neck and wings were still charred from the lightning strike and she was still clearly far from having recovered her strength yet.


    ¡°You¡¯re not seriously thinking of letting her fly out there like that, are you, Balthazar?¡± the baker asked. ¡°Poor thing is still hurt!¡±


    The crab¡¯s immediate reaction was to agree. It was far too risky under normal circumstances, let alone in the state she was in. But before he could say anything, he found himself unable to pull his gaze away from the drake. Despite her feeble state, her intense yellow eyes were fixed on him with a determination strong enough to pierce through his thick shell and reach his very core. Blue did not speak, but her intentions could not be any more clear to him. She wanted to help, and she was going to, whether they liked it or not.


    She was stubborn. Just like Balthazar.


    ¡°Sorry, Madeleine,¡± the crab said with a faint smile, his eyes still fixed on Blue¡¯s. ¡°This one isn¡¯t too keen on doing what I tell her.¡±


    The drake stood up on her hind legs and slowly stretched her wings open with difficulty.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re up for it, girl?¡± Balthazar asked in a whisper as he got closer to her. ¡°All I need you to do is keep that big thing distracted and away from town long enough for me to grab the statuette and show that I have it.¡±


    Blue gave him a gentle nod and unfurled her wings further before taking flight and leaving through the hole in the ceiling above them.


    The crab watched her take to the skies and towards the dragon with a small tightness in his small, cold heart before turning to the others again.


    ¡°Alright, Druma and Rye, you guys protect Madeleine and watch over Blue while Bouldy and I make a run for my tent.¡±


    Wasting no more time waiting for a response, the crab skittered out of the bazaar through the back with the golem close behind.


    A loud roar from above forced Balthazar to slow down and look up at the sky.


    The enormous red dragon swerved into the air as a small blue speck spun around its head, nearly missing its eyes.


    Circling back, the drake dove once more and swiped at the larger creature¡¯s snout with her talons, making it roar again, in either pain, anger, or a mix of both.


    The dragon¡¯s response did not take long, however, for before Blue could get a safe distance away again, a red wing, bigger than her entire body, charged at her in full force, smacking her down and sending her on a spiraling descent towards the ground.


    Balthazar¡¯s run came to a sudden halt, and he yelled to his golem. ¡°Bouldy, catch her!¡±


    Without a second of hesitation, the stone giant pivoted and, with incredible grace and speed for his size, dashed and leapt towards the sandy shore next to the bazaar and caught the fallen drake in his hands.


    The crab held his breath for a second until the golem turned and revealed a dazed but conscious Blue in his arms. Letting out a quick sigh of relief, Balthazar returned to his objective and ran across the wooden bridge over the water.


    As he set one foot on the central islet¡¯s shore, a shadow loomed over him, accompanied by a sudden gust of wind.


    He turned, and the ground shook as the terrible red dragon landed on the opposite shore, its neck stretching out as it extended its head over the water towards the crab.


    ¡°You,¡± it said in a deep and terrifying voice, like an echo spilling out of an old cavern. ¡°Why does a lowly creature keep meddling in my affairs? These humans, everyone and everything else here, seem to revolve around you. Are you somehow their leader?¡±


    Balthazar stared in awe at the giant before him and gulped.


    ¡°I¡ªI didn¡¯t mean to offend... I just don¡¯t want anyone else to get hurt,¡± he said, measuring each of his words carefully.


    ¡°Something was taken from me,¡± the dragon said, ¡°and those humans refuse to bring me the thief. They bring this upon themselves.¡±


    The golden crab weighed his response before speaking, something he was certainly not used to doing, but given the current situation, he knew that saying too much could trigger a reaction he had no way of coming back from.


    ¡°Mister dragon,¡± he started, ¡°I promise you that no one here, including myself, could have possibly known what that stranger had done to you.¡±


    ¡°So finally you admit it,¡± said the dragon, its brow furrowing and its nostrils flaring. ¡°You know the one who took what was mine.¡±


    Balthazar winced and his mind raced, trying to measure his words as best as he could. Saying the wrong thing to an enraged dragon could lead to very undesirable consequences. The crab would need to ease him into it, preferably while offering him his treasure back.


    ¡°Well, no. Sort of. He was just passing through. I can¡¯t even recall which way he was going or what he looked like. But if you give me just a little of your time I promise I can procure your precious treasure¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡± the dragon shouted. ¡°All these pestering humans and you and your annoying companions, I see now that your only purpose was to distract me, to waste my time. I am a mighty red dragon, and insignificant creatures such as yourselves will not fool me. Your disturbances have exhausted my patience and my mercy. I will find this thief, and him and anyone who stands in my way shall burn.¡±


    The dragon pulled its head back and bared its sharp teeth as plumes of smoke shot out of its nostrils.


    Balthazar knew what was coming, and he knew he had no hope of getting away in time. Dragons were not the kind to be swayed by charming words or mercantile tactics. Unless it saw the statuette in front of its eyes, its rage would not subside. If that would even be enough at that point.


    As its maw opened, a wave of hot air spilled out of the creature¡¯s mouth and the bright glow of flames grew within its throat.


    The crab could tell his fate was sealed as far as the dragon was concerned. Its eyes piercing into his with no mercy or remorse for its prey.


    There would be no talking his way out of it any further. He considered confessing he had the statue in his last seconds, but at that point it would likely been seen as a desperate lie from a desperate crab, or it would only serve to anger the creature even more. Anything he could say would only further enrage it. He was out of cards to play.


    He glanced back at his tent, the statuette hidden somewhere below, in his hiding hole. So close, yet too far for him to reach in time and present it to the dragon.


    Would that even still be enough to calm it down? No way to know, and it did not matter anymore. The flames were already spilling out from its mouth, the fireball ready to shoot out and turn him into a grilled crab.


    Not exactly the way he expected to go, but then again, Balthazar always thought he¡¯d live forever up until that point.

 Chapter 89: Friends

    As the doomed merchant was about to close his eyes and meet his fiery end, a blur came around the dragon right as the creature was shooting out its fireball.


    A crack of stone sounded amid the raging roaring of the ball of fire as Bouldy hit the dragon¡¯s jaw with all his strength placed into a powerful uppercut.


    The winged beast¡¯s eyes bulged out as its head was punched up, the fireball spilling out of its mouth and shooting up into the sky and out of sight.


    Balthazar stood frozen in place, his mouth open in shock, his breath held in anticipation.


    The dragon¡¯s eyes rolled to the back of its head, which fell limp on the ground with a loud thud near the edge of the water.


    It was down but not out, just unconscious, judging by the ripples its breathing made on the surface of the pond.


    Bouldy turned slowly to face Balthazar. The crack in his chest had expanded slightly and seemed deeper, but the golem smiled and gave his friend a thumbs up, and the crab finally exhaled again.


    ¡°I can always count on you to save my shell, Bouldy.¡±


    But then they heard it. A thunderous explosion in the distance.


    Balthazar turned and looked up at the mountain above the pond. The fireball that was knocked off-course by Bouldy¡¯s strike on the dragon had shot up into the air, and had just hit the peak of Semla Mountain, sending out a halo of snow around its impact.


    Ice, dirt, and rocks were flying out far up the pearly white mountaintop, but worse than that, the explosion had displaced enough debris that they were now beginning to roll down the side of the peak, turning into an enormous avalanche.


    An avalanche rolling straight down towards the pond.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Bouldy, grab Blue and get to safety,¡± he yelled to the golem on the other shore.


    The crab looked back, first at the rapidly approaching wave of destruction, and then at his little tent.


    The statuette. If the dragon woke up, he¡¯d still need it, if he was to have any hope of talking the beast out of destroying everything and everyone around them.


    With no time for thinking twice, the crab dashed for the tent.


    Throwing plates of pie and pillows aside, he rushed for the hole underneath the piece of wood that served as its lid.


    Rumbling and the sound of rocks splashing into the pond was growing louder from the outside, when suddenly the tent above Balthazar¡¯s head vanished, dragged away by a rolling stone that barely missed him as it zipped by.


    With his claw on the slab of driftwood, he looked up just as a piece of the broken mountaintop crashed against the acacia tree that stood in the middle of the islet.


    Like a cry of pain from the earth below, the old roots creaked as they were pulled out of the ground, the trunk snapping and toppling towards the crab.


    There was no time. All Balthazar could do was let go of the cover and try to run away from the falling tree.


    He had nearly made it to the edge of the water when the tree trunk collapsed on the ground and caught his side, trapping four of his legs under it.


    ¡°Argh!¡± he yelled as the impact slammed his shell down.


    The force of the blow knocked the chain holding his monocle to his shell loose, and it went flying off his eye, before falling to the ground and shattering into tiny glass pieces.


    ¡°No! My monocle!¡± he cried out, part of the pain in his voice coming from his trapped legs, the other from the loss of his beloved trinket.


    But he knew there was no time to cry over spilled glass while rocks, dirt, and snow also spilled all around him as the front of the avalanche continued rushing down into the pond.


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    He pulled, but his left legs were stuck under the massive trunk, which he had no hope of moving with his lowly 3 Strength. Maybe investing it all in Intelligence wasn¡¯t the smartest choice after all.


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± a girl¡¯s voice called, sparking hope in his shell.


    Madeleine and Rye rushed to the crab¡¯s sides, quickly grabbing his shell and trying to pull him out.


    ¡°Ah! You¡¯re going to rip my legs off!¡± Balthazar howled as the pain surged through him.


    ¡°We need to lift the trunk to free his legs,¡± Rye quickly said.


    The baker nodded and without a second to waste, they both gripped the underside of the tree and put all their strength into lifting it, but the tree was too big and heavy to budge.


    The rumbling grew even louder as the mountainside swallowed part of the pond¡¯s water and continued crumbling down onto the islet, large pieces of rocks flying over their heads as they ricocheted off the floor.


    That was when a boulder, easily three times as big as the one Bouldy formed from, rolled past the trio and the tree, through the water, and stopped only at the gazebo housing the bazaar. The wooden pillars snapped, and the west side of the roof, already damaged from the holes in it, collapsed on itself.


    Balthazar panicked. ¡°Blue and Druma, where are they?!¡±


    His monocle was gone, but the system''s status screen was in his eyes, not the lens.


    Forgetting everything else happening around him for a moment, he brought the party screen up.


    [Party Members]


    [Name: Druma] [Race: Goblin] [Class: None] [Level: 3]


    [Health: 60/60]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 2] [Agility: 4] [Intelligence: 2]


    [Name: Bouldy] [Race: Stone Golem] [Class: None] [Level: 30]


    [Health: 498/500]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 40] [Agility: 3] [Intelligence: 1]


    [Name: Blue] [Race: Drake] [Class: None] [Level: 16]


    [Health: 55/150]


    [Attributes]


    [Strength: 8] [Agility: 22] [Intelligence: 5]


    ¡°Bouldy took them to the road while we came back for you, don¡¯t worry,¡± Madeleine told him.


    Balthazar wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but the pain from his legs quickly reminded him why he couldn¡¯t.


    As did the avalanche, growing closer to them.


    The water had absorbed all it could, but the mudslide continued, having nearly covered the islet in rocks and displaced dirt.


    The crab looked further up and, to his horror, he saw an even bigger boulder rolling downhill, straight for them.


    He tried pulling again, but with the same results: more pain and no budging.


    ¡°Madeleine, Rye,¡± he hastily said, in a faltering voice. ¡°You two need to get away now. Don¡¯t get crushed because of me.¡±


    The young humans glanced back at the rapidly approaching avalanche and then at one another.


    ¡°We¡¯re not leaving you behind, Balthazar,¡± said the baker. ¡°That¡¯s not what friends do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We just need to get some leverage on this trunk,¡± Rye said as he picked up a broken tree branch and started forcing it between the tree and the ground.


    The pair continued desperately trying to free Balthazar as the crab watched helplessly, unable to find a single word to say.


    It was too late. The rushing rocks were descending upon them and they would have no time to get out of their path.


    Balthazar shut his eyes and cursed himself for getting them in that situation. If it wasn¡¯t for his greed, none of that would have happened.


    It was all his fault, and he wished no one else had to pay the price.


    The ground was shaking, and even through his closed eyes, he could tell by the sudden disappearance of light that the boulder was right above and about to bury them.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    The sound of stone colliding with stone came from above and Balthazar opened his eyes, surprised by the lack of a crushing feeling in his shell.


    Crab, baker, and ranger were all cowering under the shadow of the boulder.


    The living boulder.


    Dirt, rocks, and snow spilled over the sides as the golem pushed against the rolling stone, straining to hold back the tide as his feet sunk deeper into the ground, his torso and arms like a roof shielding the trio below him.


    ¡°Bouldy¡­¡± Balthazar muttered, his eyes watery as he gazed up at his companion.


    ¡°Come on, help me, Madeleine. We don¡¯t have much time!¡± Rye exclaimed.


    The baker grabbed another branch and started leveraging the tree trunk from her side as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming loose!¡±


    ¡°I got him!¡± said Rye, letting go of his tree branch and pulling Balthazar¡¯s legs free.


    Falling to the side, the crab looked up at the golem.


    The construct looked down, his neck straining to turn as his whole body trembled under the pressure he was under. Still, his eyes smiled at seeing his friend freed.


    Balthazar¡¯s gaze drifted to his chest. The crack was even deeper now, and he could tell the golem was in pain from it.


    ¡°Come on, we need to get away!¡± the adventurer shouted as he and Madeleine dragged the crab across what remained of the wooden bridge, his left legs too broken and limp to walk on his own.


    ¡°No, wait!¡± Balthazar pleaded.


    The crab struggled and fought as the two humans pulled him to the other shore, near where the unconscious dragon was.


    Debris piled on behind the snowy stone, increasing the weight on Bouldy¡¯s shoulders as he tried to turn his body slowly.


    ¡°Bouldy!¡± the distraught crab called out.


    The stone giant turned his face to them, his arms and legs buckling under the pressure, unable to push it away, and he smiled as a strained word came out of his mouth.


    ¡°Friends.¡±


    His arms and legs finally gave in under the weight of the landslide¡¯s pressure on the stone above. The fissure in his chest split in two and his torso collapsed on itself.


    Rocks and snow spilled over the sides as the golem shattered and disappeared under the avalanche.

 Chapter 90: The Crab and His Boulder

    A long time ago, in a small pond tucked away next to an old road leading down from a town on a hill, there was a crab. Not a big crab, at least not yet. He was small, tiny, even, compared to most things surrounding him.


    To the young crab, everything seemed huge and fascinating. The waters of the pond were like a whole ocean, the sandy shores encircling it like endless beaches to explore, and the boulders standing over it all as if mountains for the small crustacean to conquer.


    His pond was his whole world, as far as he understood it.


    The little crab lived alone in his peaceful little domain for as long as he could remember. No family, no friends, not even any other crabs. He did not know why or how he came to be alone in that place, but he also did not know enough to care. His only company were the tiny fish swimming around in his pond, but those were more food than actual friends, and as every young crab knows, you should not play with your food.


    And then there were the birds.


    The bothersome, annoying birds.


    Constantly chirping and singing, making a loud ruckus whenever the crab wanted to rest, always swooping down and trying to steal his food. They were a menace, and the crab hated them.


    What the crab did not hate, however, was sunbathing and napping. Both at the same time, preferably.


    It was during one random morning, at a time when the crab did not yet understand the concept of hours and dates, that he decided it was high time to lie down for some well-deserved sunbathing. And that meant climbing atop his favorite spot for napping under the sun¡¯s warm light: a particularly funny shaped boulder at the edge of his pond.


    The rock was large, so large it felt like a hill to a tiny crab like him, but that¡¯s what made him want to climb it the first time he saw it. For you see, this hardy little crustacean was a determined one, even at a young age. When he¡¯d set his mind to something, he¡¯d stubbornly see it through, no matter what.


    There were other boulders around, plenty, in fact, but none felt quite as right as that one. It was the perfect combination of height and position, with a good flat area on top for him to rest on without slipping. It was everything the crab could ask for in a sunbathing spot.


    Day after day he would climb it and rejoice under the sunlight, sometimes falling asleep right away, others spending some time making bubbles and chattering to himself like crabs do.


    Eventually, he found himself in the habit of directing his ramblings to the stone. The boulder wasn¡¯t very talkative, but the little shelled guy didn¡¯t mind, for he didn¡¯t have much to say either. It was mostly upset noises and angry spewing of bubbles over the latest bird to have annoyed him that day.


    If nothing else, the big rock was a great listener, and that was plenty for the crab, who didn¡¯t have many other options, anyway.


    On that particular day, the little crabber was feeling in a good mood. There had been no bird sightings all morning, and he had enjoyed a nice, juicy fish right before hopping on his boulder to catch his daily dose of sun. Life was good, and he was bubbling away at the rock.


    After a while, maybe because of the sun, the full belly, or a mix of both, his eye stalks started feeling heavy, and a nap was imminent, but as his thoughts faded between dream and reality, he mused over how much he liked his big rock, and how it was probably his best friend in the whole wide pond (which, as far as he was concerned, was his whole world).


    Not that he had much in terms of choice, of course.


    As he happily made bubbles with his tiny mouth parts and his eye stalks bobbed up and down while he struggled to not fall asleep, the crab idly scratched the smooth surface of the stone with the tip of his young pincer.


    It took him a while, but after he was done, the boulder had a small ¡°X¡± marked on it, signing the name of the little crab who had just declared that rock his best friend forever: Balthazar.


    ***


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    Amid the mud and debris, the giant crab clawed through the aftermath of the avalanche, digging desperately where his tent used to be, a tall pile of rocks and snow now occupying its place.


    Balthazar could not even recall how he had just gotten there given his four smashed up legs. Likely by dragging himself through what remained of the footpath and the shore, judging by the looks of his shell and underside, its pristine golden finish now covered in streaks of mud.


    That mattered little to the crab in that moment, however. As did everything else around him, the cacophony of sounds from before pushed away behind a high-pitched ringing in his hearing, and voices sounding like distant echoes. It did not matter that the system now only showed Druma and Blue as his party members. The system was stupid and wrong. All that mattered was finding Bouldy.


    He clawed and tossed pieces of rock and wood aside, desperately searching for any familiar signs.


    A rocky hand giving a thumbs up.


    A giant, dumb smile.


    Something he could cling to.


    Anything at all.


    But the more Balthazar dug, the bigger the mountain of debris felt.


    Two hands, small and warm, landed softly on the side of his shell, startling him.


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± the baker said in a quiet voice. ¡°You need to stop. You¡¯re hurt.¡±


    The crab felt his arms slow down, but not stop completely. His body was exhausted and hurting all over, but his mind raced and did not want to stop, even for just a second. To stop would mean having time to think. He did not want to think, not about that. He wanted to act.


    He wanted to find his friend before he could have a chance to think things through.


    To think that he was gone.


    ¡°Balthazar, please.¡± Madeleine insisted, gently tugging at his shoulders.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to accept,¡± Rye¡¯s voice said from behind the girl, ¡°but we all saw it. He wasn¡¯t just buried, Balthazar. Bouldy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up and help me dig, damn it!¡± the crab yelled, the words finally breaking out of him like water from a broken dam.


    He did not care that he was bawling or that someone was seeing him like that. He just wanted Bouldy back.


    Suddenly, his eyes widened as he shoveled a mound of dirt and roots aside and saw a familiar marking etched on a piece of rock.


    As carefully as his large pincers and urgency allowed him, Balthazar opened a clearing around the surface he had just uncovered.


    His heart slowly sunk as he first found the area where the fissure in the golem¡¯s chest was, and then discovered that there was nothing else attached to it.


    It was just a large piece of broken boulder, with an old ¡°X¡± carved on it.


    Balthazar let out a quiet whimper as he lifted the broken stone from the debris.


    If any hope yet remained in him, it was all extinguished when he saw what was underneath.


    A round orb of a muted red rested in a cradle of pulverized rock.


    It was the golem core, lifeless and broken in two halves.


    He felt the girl¡¯s grip tighten slightly on his shell, accompanied by a quiet sob. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Balthazar.¡±


    Rye got down on one knee by the other side and placed a hesitant hand on his shell, too. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to not find the right words, choosing to give him some comforting pats on the back instead.


    ¡°It¡­ it was all my fault,¡± said the distraught crab.


    The crab slumped down and let his body slide off the side of the avalanche mound. Madeleine and Rye joined him quietly, both unsure of what to say to console their friend.


    Balthazar felt empty, devoid of any will to even move or do anything with himself.


    From the other shore came a loud sound, but the crab barely registered it, let alone bother to look for what caused it.


    ¡°Oh, no, no, no,¡± the baker muttered in a panic.


    ¡°Not again,¡± said the archer.


    Across the water, a slow, lumbering giant of a creature raised itself from the ground. The red dragon had woken up.


    Slowly refocusing its eyes on its surroundings, the monster stretched its jaw, no doubt still sore from the golem¡¯s massive punch that had knocked it out.


    As its gaze found the crab, the dragon bared its fangs and snarled. It started slowly stepping through the water towards them.


    ¡°Madeleine, get yourself and Balthazar out of here!¡± Rye shouted, pulling an arrow out of his quiver and nocking it as he took aim at the dragon¡¯s eye.


    Without so much as diverting its gaze from the crab, the dragon took a swipe with its wing and swatted the adventurer away like a bug.


    The archer flew several paces and crashed through some broken tree branches before landing on a pile of dirty snow, his bow snapping in two under the weight of his body.


    ¡°Rye!¡± Madeleine yelled, running towards him.


    The young man was hurt, but still moving, straining to get back up. As the baker tended to him, they both realized his arm was wounded, his sleeve torn with bleeding cuts underneath from the branches he crashed through. He winced as he tried to turn, and Madeleine tried to make him not move too much.


    ¡°You have given me much trouble, crab,¡± the dragon said, taking Balthazar¡¯s attention back from the two humans. ¡°I shall add your empty shell to my hoard after I eat you.¡±


    They were a mere few steps away from each other, and the crab realized how much bigger the dragon seemed up close. Yet, he felt hardly anything within¡ªno fear, no panic, no nothing. Just apathy.


    He knew the situation he was in was bad, he just did not find the power to care anymore.


    He knew the statuette was not far, but there was no point, it was buried under tons of dirt, snow, and rocks. It would take hours to find it, if it even mattered at that point.


    And it did not matter, because Balthazar did not care. For once, he was ready to accept defeat and just give up.


    Fortunately for the crab, there was someone unwilling to give up on him.


    Wind rustled on an apron as the baker ran between the dragon and the crab, standing in front of the beast with arms open.


    ¡°Stop!¡± she shouted. ¡°I can¡¯t let you do this.¡±

 Chapter 91: The Brave Baker

    Balthazar looked up at the back of Madeleine¡¯s head, the sun shining around her strawberry blonde hair giving the baker a halo of resplendence, her shadow over him like a giant protector shielding the crab.


    He couldn¡¯t believe her courage, but also the foolishness of what she was doing. Especially by doing it for him.


    ¡°Please stop! I can¡¯t let you do this.¡±


    The draconic beast stared down at the girl, a squint of curiosity in his eyes.


    ¡°You cannot let me do this?¡± it said in a deep, calm voice that still imposed a dreadful respect. ¡°Who do you think you are to stop me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m nobody, really,¡± Madeleine said, her voice faltering slightly. ¡°But I¡­ I always heard the stories, from my mother, and my grandmother, about the mighty and venerable dragons of legend. Majestic creatures with a keen intellect, and above all, a high sense of honor. Maybe I¡¯m wrong and this is foolish, but I really want to believe those stories were true, and that dragons¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not bring my honor into question, girl,¡± the red dragon interrupted. ¡°Many have met an early end by making that mistake.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I did not mean to, I swear,¡± the baker quickly said, raising her arms forward in an apologetic manner, but still standing her ground between the beast and the crab. ¡°I just mean that¡­ if your sense of honor is so high, you should not harm my friend Balthazar. I beg of you.¡±


    ¡°And why not?¡± the other said, his voice growing louder with impatience. ¡°He is nothing but a meaningless crab who already admitted to have dealt with the thief who stole from me. There is no honor in those who steal.¡±


    ¡°Please! Hear me out! I know Balthazar, and I know he¡¯s no thief. Just because he encountered this thief of yours, whoever it might have been, that does not mean he¡¯s associated with him in any way. Is that not logical to you?¡±


    The winged beast did not respond, but its gaze told Madeleine to continue.


    ¡°But above all that, I call on your sense of honor to spare him because he is noble and honorable as well.¡±


    The dragon scoffed loudly. ¡°A crab? Noble and honorable? You mock my morals and waste my time, girl! Step aside if you don¡¯t wish to meet the same end as him.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she exclaimed, in what felt like a louder voice than she intended.


    ¡°No?¡± the dragon repeated, his brow furrowing and his nostrils flaring.


    ¡°He might be a crab, and maybe that¡¯s an insignificant creature to someone like you, but he¡¯s a lot more than that to me, and to a lot of other people. He has a good heart and¡­ and he¡¯s been put through enough today already. He does not deserve this. Please¡­¡±


    Balthazar raised a reluctant pincer towards the baker, despite being too far away to reach her, and far too injured to move.


    ¡°Madeleine,¡± he said in an unusually gravelly voice, ¡°you should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Balthazar!¡± she pleaded, the tone of her voice painting a clear picture of the tears welling up in her eyes despite her refusal to turn to face him. ¡°For once, just don¡¯t talk and let someone else speak on your behalf.¡±


    As if commanded by her order, a lump in the crab¡¯s throat kept him from saying anything.


    The red dragon straightened itself, its immense size towering over the two mouse-like specks standing before him, one defiant and determined, the other broken and apathetic.


    The creature¡¯s eyes narrowed on the baker, as if she had captured its interest and curiosity.


    ¡°And why does he not deserve it?¡±


    She hesitated at first, but after taking one shaky breath, the words poured out of her like the waters that had flowed down from the mountains for years before that day.


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    ¡°Because despite being just a crab who knew nothing or anyone outside his pond, after he got to know people, especially adventurers, like those you blew away out there, he still learned to deal with us, or at the very least tolerate us. Because despite his grumpiness and hard temper, so many of us could not help but grow fond of him ourselves. It was never meant to work out, yet it did. Because deep down, under that shell of gold, there¡¯s also a heart of gold.¡±


    The dragon¡¯s gaze shifted to the crab behind the baker, looking at him with disdain.


    ¡°Those annoying adventurers you experienced out there? They have been wearing his patience thin for far longer, and guess what? Many of them owe their lives to this crab, either saved from a venomous spider, or from a drunk giant on a rampage. A simple crab earned the respect of the whole adventurers guild. He once caught a thief stealing from his treasures too, and guess what? Today that thief works for him. He made friends in the most unlikely of places and situations, whether it was a scared little goblin he rescued from slavery, a baby drake with no mother to hatch her, or even an old rock given life by a crab¡¯s wish. All those things tell me I was right from the day I met him, that Balthazar has a good heart.¡±


    The red giant lowered its head to Madeleine¡¯s eye level.


    ¡°And what makes you claim he is honorable?¡±


    ¡°Because more than once he did the honorable thing, even when it wasn¡¯t the easiest choice. He made friends and forged alliances with those no one else would ever agree to making business with despite the risks it could bring to himself. He gave a chance to a fallen merchant when nobody else would see him as anything more than a disgraced drunk. Despite how cantankerous he always acts, he chose to help a cursed innkeeper who was sent to end his business when he found out what she had been through.¡± She turned her head to look Balthazar in the eyes, the tears pooling in front of her vivid green eyes beginning to roll down her face as she spoke. ¡°And¡­ he brought light back into a baker¡¯s life when she was ready to give up on her life¡¯s dream. Twice. Both when he saved her little market business, and long before that, when he sent a young adventurer looking for a baker of pies.¡±


    Balthazar looked back, following Madeleine¡¯s gaze as she smiled faintly at Rye, who was sitting in the muddy snow, one hand still grasping his wounded arm. Despite the tears welling up in his own eyes, the young ranger returned her smile.


    The dragon looked into the baker¡¯s eyes as she turned back to it. After what felt like an eternity, but was likely a mere few seconds, the creature let a long breath out through its nostrils. Not a sharp, quick exhale like the ones from before, meant to display its displeasure at current events, but a calmer, more controlled one, that, despite its intimidating nature, gave the being a less threatening presence in that moment.


    ¡°I do not know about your crab,¡± it said in a lower voice that still rattled the pebbles lying on the ground around it, ¡°but I can see that you, girl, have a pure and honorable heart.¡±


    ¡°Then please, hear my plea and spare my friend,¡± Madeleine asked, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. ¡°He has already lost so much today. His home was buried under an avalanche, his bazaar is destroyed, and he lost his best friend that was trying to save his life.¡±


    ¡°Honorable or not,¡± said the ancient creature, ¡°I am still owed the treasure that was taken from me.¡±


    ¡°I have read so much about dragons and their myths, their pride and honor. Surely you can see it in your own heart to spare him. I know from the kid stories I used to listen that your kind has an undying love for your treasures and hoards, for collecting gold and even princesses. I have no gold or treasures to speak of, other than my humble baking, neither am I a princess, but whatever I can offer, it is yours, if you spare Balthazar, even if it is my own life.¡±


    The dragon turned its head to the side and narrowed its eyes as it gave the girl a closer look.


    ¡°So you are a baker, girl?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes?¡±


    ¡°Tell me, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Madeleine.¡±


    ¡°And you would willingly offer yourself up in exchange for mercy for this crab?¡±


    She glanced back at the surprised crab, who was still taken aback by his friend¡¯s words.


    ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do for him.¡±


    Pausing for a moment, the colossal being pondered on the baker.


    After another small eternity, it spoke again, in a final tone.


    ¡°Very well. If I cannot have the one who stole from me and retrieve what is mine, then I shall bring a new addition to my hoard. You, Madeleine the baker.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± exclaimed the baffled girl. ¡°When I said princesses and offering my life, I didn¡¯t expect you to take it¡ªWooooah!¡±


    Standing on no ceremony, the winged beast jumped back up into the air and¡ªwith impressive precision and gentleness¡ªswept Madeleine off her feet and cradled her between the talons of its feet.


    ¡°No! What are you¡ª¡± Balthazar started, but the beat of the creature¡¯s wings raised a gust of wind that nearly tilted his already wobbly body upside down.


    ¡°Madeleine!¡± Shouted Rye, struggling to stand back up and trying to reach for his bow with his good arm, only to realize it was nothing more than a broken piece of wood and string on the ground.


    The two wounded friends watched helplessly as the red dragon took back to the skies without so much as looking back, the tiny human he carried shouting and punching at the creature¡¯s scales to no avail.


    As fast as it had come, the dragon left over the horizon, disappearing into the orange tinted clouds, carrying the baker far, far away.

 Chapter 92: By the Fire

    It was dusk, and the embers crackled in the fire pit at the center of the bazaar. What was left of it, anyway.


    The roof was mostly gone, exposing the deck to the darkening sky and the chilly air of the approaching night, more bitter and cutting now that winter was around the corner.


    All around the fire were piles of debris and broken items. Parts of the ceiling, destroyed shelves, remnants of crates, what once had been a rich display of random junk, now just a simple pile of it.


    On the floor by the fire sat a crab, slumped over a small collection of pebbles, idly fiddling with them. A short distance away was a toppled and open chest, covered in mud and scratch marks from being dragged through rocks.


    Spilled out of it were more pebbles, some other random items, an old piece of rolled parchment, and a statuette depicting a golden muse.


    The light of the flames reflected on both the statue and the crab¡¯s shell, the glow much more dull on the latter, which was dirtied by mud and lacking its usual pristine shine.


    Balthazar sighed and stared at the light reflecting on one of the precious rubies etched into the statuette. The same eyes that before looked at it with marvel and adoration now could only find remorse and guilt in its sight.


    All he could see now when looking into the sublime features carved onto the muse¡¯s face was Madeleine, her gentle smile, her kind eyes, and be reminded of his last memory of her, her arms reaching out for help as she was taken away by the dragon.


    He could have done more, he should have done more, were the conclusions he kept coming back to every time he thought about everything that had unfolded the day before.


    ¡°Hey, Balthazar,¡± said a croaky but also gently voice. ¡°You should get some sleep. I¡¯ll look after the place for the night.¡±


    ¡°What for, Henrietta?¡± said the deflated crab, without turning to face her. ¡°Not like we can do any business like this, anyway. You go on, I¡¯ll stay.¡±


    The toad hopped closer to the fire pit, next to the crab, and looked at him. ¡°I could stay, if you don¡¯t want to be alone.¡±


    Balthazar did not respond, and instead continued staring emptily into his collection of pebbles.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Henrietta asked, nodding her head at the piece of parchment peeking out of the chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± muttered the crab. ¡°Just some stupid old scroll I should have thrown away a long time ago.¡±


    The toad stared at the crab for a few moments, with concern and pity in her eyes, before she sighed.


    ¡°I will leave you be, but if you need me, you know where I am.¡±


    The merchant nodded idly, and Henrietta hopped away to one of the corners of the pond that remained intact.


    Balthazar continued gazing at the fire, wondering if he¡¯d ever feel like sleeping again.


    He heard movement from the back of the bazaar and turned, ready to reassure Henrietta again that she could go rest and leave him, but rather than a toad, the crab found a drake approaching.


    Blue made her way next to him, walking slowly, while carrying her red cushion in her mouth. It was dirty from having been under the mudslide, but she did not seem to mind, as it was still her favorite thing to sleep on.


    ¡°What is it, girl?¡± asked the crab.


    She carefully placed the cushion on the floor and walked in a circle before lying down on it, her head facing him and the crackling fire.


    Balthazar paused for a moment, looking down at the drake. Her scales where the lightning strike had hit her were shedding, the area appearing to be healing well, and the impact from the dragon did not seem like it had left much damage on her.


    Despite that, she seemed down and even lower on energy than before the previous day¡¯s battle.


    Not too unlike the crab.


    ¡°You miss her too, don¡¯t you?¡± Balthazar whispered.


    Blue let out a low growl.


    ¡°Yeah, me too, Blue. Me too.¡±


    The crab let out another sigh, and the young drake nudged her head against his shell.


    Balthazar hesitated for a moment, but then placed his claw over her head and gently patted it.


    The azure drake closed her eyes and rested her head against the golden crab¡¯s shell, letting out the occasional faint growl as he petted her dorsal scales with the smoother side of his pincer.


    Despite how close he was to the flames in the pit, he found the warmth emanating from her far more comforting to his sore and bruised body.


    Some time passed as they rested by the fire, the drake falling in and out of sleep, while the crab continued gazing into the pit, flashes of the growing fireball erupting from the red dragon¡¯s mouth coming to the front of his thoughts as he lost himself in thoughts of guilt.


    A rattling sound snapped Balthazar out of his trance and pulled his attention to the path leading down from the main road.


    Carefully dislodging himself from under Blue¡¯s head, he stood up and slowly moved around the fire pit, listening closer to the approaching sound.


    The rattling continued growing louder until the crab realized it sounded very familiar.


    ¡°Tom?¡± he said, squinting his eyes at the shimmering yellow glow appearing from the darkness outside the doorway.


    The rattling skeleton stepped closer and into the light from the fire. Wearing his old and barely held together jacket and pants over his old yellowed bones, carrying his usual stick with a firefly lantern hanging from the tip, the undead merchant greeted the crab with a timid wave.


    ¡°Hey, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey. Didn¡¯t expect you to show up here tonight,¡± the crab responded.


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    Balthazar looked at the fellow merchant for a moment, his sad empty eye sockets and apologetic smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you heard.¡±


    The skeleton tilted his head and shrugged. ¡°Yeah, everybody¡¯s talking about it out there. Big red dragon showing up out of nowhere, big fight, everything else.¡±


    Balthazar nodded and turned to go back to the edge of the fire pit, signaling for Tom to follow.


    The skeleton stood a short distance away as the crab sat down on the floor. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯d offer you a chair, but I¡¯m not sure there are any still left in one piece.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Tom said, reaching for the back of his skull with one hand. ¡°Not like I can get sore legs or back pain, heh.¡±


    The bony merchant chuckled awkwardly, but quickly became quiet again.


    ¡°I heard you had broken a few legs. You alright? You seem to be walking fine now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, legs are fine now,¡± Balthazar responded, his gaze back to the flames. ¡°It was just a matter of carefully snapping them back into place. Perks of being an invertebrate. Can¡¯t really break bones if I don¡¯t have any.¡±


    The awkward silence continued to hang over the room for a few more seconds until the crab glanced at the skeleton.


    ¡°Sorry, not sure if that was inappropriate or offensive. I didn¡¯t mean it, if it was.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, not at all!¡± Tom rapidly replied, raising both hands in front of his rib cage. ¡°That was actually a good one. I would have had a good laugh at it, if¡­ you know¡­ it wouldn¡¯t feel so wrong to do that at the moment.¡±


    More silence filled the air, and the skeleton let out a lung-less sigh.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m not really used to, or very good at, this kind of stuff, but for what it¡¯s worth, I¡¯m really sorry about everything you¡¯re going through.¡±


    Balthazar let his shell deflate and spoke while staring into the fire. ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m not good at it either, but I appreciate it, Tom.¡±


    The skeleton noticed two large fragments of a smooth, dark red rock near the open chest. It was a perfectly round orb, but cracked down in the middle and split in two nearly identical halves, revealing a solid core of opaque geode.


    ¡°Is that his¡­ you know¡­ core?¡±


    The crab nodded without saying a word or moving his gaze.


    Twiddling his thumb bones for a moment, the traveling merchant looked for something to say.


    ¡°So, what do you plan to do now?¡±


    The crab shrugged.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to do? Probably nothing. My dream has been destroyed. I don¡¯t even have any pie left to help me feel better.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Tom. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you get pie from someone else in town, though? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s more than one person baking up there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, probably, but it¡¯s not about that. It just wouldn¡¯t feel the same if it wasn¡¯t from¡­ from her.¡±


    Balthazar slumped down again, idly poking his pebbles with the tip of his silver pincer.


    Tom¡¯s jaw slid to one side slightly as he watched the crab.


    ¡°Alright, sure, but you can¡¯t just be ready to give up like that, can you?¡±


    The tired merchant let out an exasperated sigh.


    ¡°How can I not, Tom?¡± he said, finally turning his eye stalks up to the skeleton. ¡°My bazaar is wrecked, my friend is gone, Madeleine was taken by a dragon. I can¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m just a stupid crab, and it¡¯s about time I realized that.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eye stalks sagged back down to his pebbles and the space around them was filled with silence again, only broken by the soft hissing of the burning wood in the fire, and the loud breathing of Blue sleeping on her pillow.


    The skeleton stared at the crab for a moment and a scowl started forming above his empty sockets, despite his lack of muscles or skin to scowl with.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Tom. ¡°You are a stupid crab. You¡¯re stupid for thinking you can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    Balthazar looked back at him with a slight frown, but before he could say anything, the talking skull continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s true you lost your bazaar, but so what? I remember back when you didn¡¯t have one to begin with, and your business was already booming then. You built it once. Why wouldn¡¯t you be able to do it again? You never struck me as a quitter, crab.¡±


    The depressed crustacean looked around, at the monumental mess around his home, from the demolished gazebo to the place where his central islet used to be, now buried under the mudslide of the avalanche that had also filled much of the pond.


    ¡°Yes, your golem friend being destroyed must be terrible,¡± Tom carried on. ¡°Trust me, I may be undead, but I know. But I also know sometimes things don¡¯t have to be so final. He¡¯s a golem. Surely there¡¯s some magic¡­ thingy that could be done. I remember a long time ago watching one of those mage-types fighting a giant using a golem outside a dungeon, and even though the giant smashed the golem down, after the guy won the battle he did some magical bullcrap to bring the golem back to life.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really? You saw that happen?¡± said Balthazar, his eyes shooting back at the skeleton.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the other responded. ¡°And as for your baker girl, far as I heard, she was kidnapped by the dragon, not killed. Dragons like to collect things. I doubt it actually harmed her. It could have just done that here if that¡¯s what it intended to do. She¡¯s out there, somewhere, and that means there¡¯s a chance of rescuing her. If you care so much about her, why are you sitting there wallowing instead of putting that thinking shell to work and figuring out how to get her back? Back before you knew her, didn''t you come up with a plan to find a baker to bring you pies? Well, do it again, crab!¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s gaze drifted towards the flames again, this time not in defeat, but in thought. As he listened to the skeleton, it was as if another fire was slowly stoked within him, riling him up, making him wonder if there was actually something he could do. Giving him a growing impulse to act. Giving him hope.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ maybe you¡¯re right,¡± the crab finally said, clearing his throat as he used his voice again. ¡°It¡¯s a big task, but with enough people and time, and with John¡¯s help, why couldn¡¯t this place be fixed up? Maybe made even better than it ever was.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± exclaimed the skeleton, a smile growing across his exposed teeth.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t think of this before, but surely that old wizard that traded me this golem core can do something to help me fix it. He¡¯s a bit loony, sure, but he definitely knows a lot about magical things. He has to know what to do!¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting there!¡± an excited Tom said, clenching his bony fist and pumping it in the air.


    Balthazar looked up at the night sky and over the horizon, where he¡¯d last seen Madeleine, being taken away by the dragon, and his breathing trembled a tiny bit.


    ¡°As for Madeleine¡­ I¡¯m not sure how yet, but I can¡¯t just sit here forever with my pincers crossed and expect things to be solved on their own. If I want her back, maybe it¡¯s finally time I figure some stuff out and go do something about it myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s the spirit!¡± cheered the skeleton, the fireflies in his lantern shaking wildly within as he celebrated. ¡°You just gotta look around and realize you are not alone anymore. Think of all the friends and allies you¡¯ve made along the way and who you can count on. Hell, you, your partners, all those adventurers, everyone gave that dragon a good show, considering nobody was expecting a dragon to show up after ages without them being spotted. Imagine what could be done with preparation and a good plan. And I¡¯ve seen enough from you to know that planning is something you¡¯re pretty good at.¡±


    Balthazar stood up and clenched his pincer. ¡°You¡¯re damn right! I¡¯m not a quitting crab. I¡¯m going to turn things around. Just watch me!¡±


    ¡°Ha-ha! I¡¯m glad I could help you see reason. You had it in you all along. It just needed to be poked at.¡± He paused and adjusted his walking stick. ¡°However, if you¡¯ll excuse me now, I don¡¯t think we can really do much business tonight, given the whole mess you got here, so I¡¯ll be on my way. The night is young, but I got a long stretch to go if I still want to make it to the Orcs. I figure they will want to know the news from a trustworthy mouth.¡±


    ¡°Right. Thanks for helping me see reason, Tom. I¡­ I really appreciate it.¡±


    The traveling skeleton tipped the brim of his dusty hat. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I¡¯ll see ya around, crabber.¡±


    They waved each other goodbye, and the visitor wandered back out to the road, rattling away as he went into the night.


    Standing with a newly found drive in him, the crab began running the cogs of his mind, planning and scheming, figuring out how he was going to put things back in motion and turn his bad luck around.


    ¡°Just wait, Madeleine,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°We will bring you back. And I will bring Bouldy back too. You will both get to see a new and improved bazaar. I¡¯ll make use of all the gold I have, I¡¯ll get the help of whatever adventurers I can, I¡¯ll put all these skills to use, this stupid system, everything, but nothing will stop me from seeing this through. I promise.¡±


    As Balthazar made his oath to the night sky above him, a soft sound behind him caught his ear. It sounded almost like¡­ rustling feathers.


    The crab turned and his eyes widened as their stalks stood up.


    A crow, feathers and eyes black as midnight, had landed on the edge of the fire pit and was staring directly at him.


    Of all the things he did not need to deal with in that moment, a damnable bird was surely high on that list.


    Just as Balthazar prepared to charge at the feathered annoyance and shoo it away, it did something that nearly made the crab¡¯s jaw drop to the floor: it spoke.


    ¡°We need to talk, Balthazar.¡±

 Chapter 93: The Birds and the Crabs

    Ever since he could remember, the crab had despised birds. Annoying, petulant little creatures that had a habit of making lots of noise which disturbed his napping, that would fly by and try to steal his food, and sometimes even have the gall to dirty his home by using it as their fly-by bathroom. He had no love for those feathered menaces, and were it not for them being so fast and able to fly away, he would haven often given them a good snap to show it.


    And now, there stood one of them, casually saying they needed to talk.


    ¡°Did¡­ did you just speak?¡± a bewildered Balthazar said.


    ¡°Yes, yes, the bird spoke, the crab talks,¡± the crow responded, rolling his beady eyes. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯d think by now you wouldn¡¯t be so surprised by that sort of stuff anymore.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s mind raced to make sense of the situation. He did not know what was going on, but his gut told him that nothing good could come from a bird. It also told him he was quite hungry, but that part would have to wait.


    Out of habit, he squinted at the crow, trying to get a read on its level and what it might be, until he realized he no longer had his monocle, which had shattered during the dragon¡¯s rampage.


    He tried discreetly stepping around the fire pit, but as he attempted his first step, he found that leg rooted in place. He tried another, but the same thing happened. And then another and so on, until he realized all eight of his legs could not move.


    ¡°The hell¡­¡± the crab said with a grunt, looking down as he tried to move, with no success.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sorry,¡± the crow said, cocking its head. ¡°Like I said, we need to talk, and knowing you, I figured you might try to do something dumb, or just, you know, walk away while I¡¯m talking. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not permanent.¡±


    ¡°What did you do to me?! Let me go!¡± Balthazar demanded, raising his voice as he continued trying to walk, but his legs refusing to give way.


    He glanced at Blue on the other side of the fire pit, still peacefully sleeping on her pillow.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry about her,¡± said the bird, following the crab¡¯s gaze to the drake. ¡°She won¡¯t be interrupting us, either. I made sure of that. Let her have her rest.¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you want from me, bird?¡± Balthazar spat with anger.


    ¡°That, actually.¡±


    The crow hopped down from the edge of the fire pit and approached the toppled chest Balthazar had recovered from his now buried hiding hole.


    The dark bird eyed the rolled piece of parchment sticking out of the container and the crab¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You leave that alone. It¡¯s mine!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± said the crow, giving Balthazar a side glance. ¡°Except it isn¡¯t, right?¡±


    The bird raised one wing, and as if commanded by an invisible force, the scroll rose from the chest and gently floated to its caller, hovering in front of the small creature with a faint glow and a low humming the crab had not witnessed since the day he first found it next to that dead adventurer, so many moons ago.


    ¡°You have no idea the amount of trouble this old Scroll of Character Creation has given us,¡± the crow said. ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to get it back for so long, but could never quite get it the proper way. I¡¯m sure you remember my colleagues. The magpies? Yes, that was a bit of a debacle, I admit. Unfortunately, circumstances forced us into the more direct approach, and well¡­ here I am.¡±


    ¡°Thieves!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, stretching his pincers out and swinging them wildly as he tried to reach for the bird from his frozen position. ¡°I always knew you birds were bad news!¡±


    The crow frowned. Not a frown of someone who is offended, or even angry, but simply annoyed.


    ¡°You do realize most birds aren¡¯t¡­ well, like me, right? They are just regular birds, nothing nefarious about them. This form you see here is just a way to blend in and do our job unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, your job?¡± asked the crab, his arm flailing gradually slowing down to a full stop.


    The bird sighed.


    ¡°I guess there was really no need to worry about you finding out too much after all. Look, I¡¯m not here to deliver you answers to every question in the world or anything, but I suppose the least you deserve is a bit of context. It¡¯s the least I can do, given this whole mess you stumbled your way into.¡±


    With a small hop, the crow turned to face the crab.


    ¡°Myself and others like me, we¡¯re¡­ caretakers, of sorts. Entities entrusted with the task of keeping this world running smoothly. When something goes haywire, we sort it out. Your little stunts, while they were negligible at first, they clearly have grown out of control, given this whole dragon situation you started.¡±


    ¡°Caretakers? Entrusted? By whom?¡± Balthazar asked, confusion and a thousand questions spinning around in his shell.


    ¡°Look, I told you, I¡¯m not here to give you the answers to things you¡¯re not supposed to know, but I suppose all you need to know is that this,¡± the crow spread its wings wide open, ¡°this whole thing, this world you live in, has a creator. He created everything you see around us, he created me, he even created you. He made this whole place as a haven for others who came from the same place as him, and shaped it after his favorite things, stories, myths, legends, from his own wishes and dreams. A place he and others like him could live out their best adventures and forget the woes that came before¡­ well, before they found their way here.¡±


    The crow exhaled and deflated as it closed its wings.


    ¡°I¡¯m digressing, sorry. You wouldn¡¯t really get it, and this is probably going into details you don¡¯t need to know about. The point is, we all have a role to play. Yes, including you. You were just meant to be a little crab who lived by a pond and did¡­ crab things, I don¡¯t know! The problem is that the¡­ adventurers, as you know them, sometimes go around poking where they shouldn¡¯t and breaking this delicate thing we have going. You following me here?¡±


    The crab blinked a couple of times, but did not answer. He was, in fact, not entirely sure he was following.


    ¡°The scroll, Balthazar. The scroll! Locals like you weren¡¯t meant to get their hands¡­ well, pincers, in this case, on something like that. Especially not an old relic like this one. But you did, and then wild things start happening because of it. The effects are unpredictable, but they start worming their way in, like a bug in one of your beloved pies, you know what I mean? And well, first it¡¯s just the odd coincidence, like a giant spider out of season, then some pack wolves where they shouldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes widened. He had always wondered how the things he sometimes would make up while trading with adventurers just happened to turn out to be real. Could he really have somehow caused them? And more importantly in that moment, was he in trouble, if so?


    ¡°Well, er, that¡­ uh¡­ that was all¡ª¡±


    ¡°And eventually we get a huge red dragon appearing at a time where they shouldn¡¯t be around. You see the problem here?¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute, that wasn¡¯t my fault. I didn¡¯t make the dragon up, that was the stran¡ª¡±


    ¡°The point, Balthazar,¡± the crow interrupted, raising its voice, ¡°is that while it was just small, inconsequential things, we would let them slide, try to smooth things over. But dragons are world changing events. Our creator is busy, very busy, and it¡¯s part of our job to make sure he doesn¡¯t have to deal with the menial tasks. Since the discreet approach was clearly not working and things are escalating, we decided to intervene, before this nuisance caught our creator¡¯s attention. So, here I am. I hope you understand none of this is personal. You¡¯re just kind of making a mess we can¡¯t keep ignoring.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the bird, baffled and still trying to process the flow of confusing and cryptic information.


    ¡°So you¡¯re blaming me for a bunch of stuff I didn¡¯t even know about, and now¡­ what? What happens next? Are you going to kill me or something?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, nothing so nefarious,¡± said the crow with a quick dismissive flap of its wing. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t do that. You¡¯ve grown too popular among the adventurers. They¡¯d surely hate to see you gone and would raise a lot of questions. No, we¡¯d prefer to take a more tempered approach. First, let me see what I¡¯m working with here¡­¡±


    The so-called caretaker made a sharp movement with its wing and the floating scroll unfurled itself in the air, much like it had when Balthazar first used it.


    To the crab¡¯s surprise, rather than being blank like it had been ever since that day, the piece of parchment was once again glowing with line upon line of glyphs that the bird perused with great interest.


    ¡°Holy hell, this thing is old,¡± it finally said, after much examination. ¡°Ancient, even. This must be from the first ages. Back when we only had finished adapting the system to a maximum of 15 levels. Can you imagine that? Crazy.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s confusion only grew by the minute. ¡°Wait, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Really, pretty impressive that you even reached that level, with no fighting or exploring, just from bartering alone. What a grind. Hah! This takes me back! The days when we only had three stats. And they barely affected anything back then, compared to now.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you mean to tell me this whole time I¡¯ve been putting points into Intelligence it was for nothing?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ sort of? You were already pretty smart for a crab. The stat was only a very minor multiplier to it, but really, back then, it was basically just used to scale magic. I can¡¯t believe this whole time you didn¡¯t even dabble in spells a little bit. You could have been the first wizard crab in the world!¡±


    The crow double checked something on the scroll before turning to Balthazar again.


    ¡°Although you wouldn¡¯t be able to wear a cool wizard hat. Can you believe back then we hadn¡¯t even finished making headgear compatible with non-humanoids yet? Ha! Simpler times.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s thoughts were spinning in a turmoil. Had all of his progress been a fluke? Had he been part of some kind of cruel joke of destiny? Were crabs supposed to be able to wear hats now?


    ¡°No way!¡± exclaimed the amused crow, scanning through the scroll again. ¡°This is from back when we completely screwed up the Infusing skill. Infusions wouldn¡¯t wear out, it was so broken. Glad we fixed that since then. Although that made it so nobody takes up that skill anymore. Shame.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s confusion was turning into frustration.


    ¡°Hey, bird, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re having lots of fun there, but I¡¯m still standing here, stuck. If you¡¯re going to peck me to death or whatever, just come at me already.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, relax,¡± said the bird. ¡°I told you, nobody¡¯s dying. We¡¯ll just have to make some adjustments to stop your little stunts, lest they grow too big. We really don¡¯t want our creator getting distracted from his mission.¡±


    ¡°Mission? What mission?¡± Balthazar asked. ¡°What is the point of all this? What¡¯s with all the cloak and dagger, the memory hazing on the adventurers? What are levels for? What happens if someone finally reaches level 100?¡±


    He had reached his tipping point. He had tried ignoring it all, disregard it, tell himself he didn¡¯t care, but he had enough of it all. No matter how much he didn¡¯t want any more trouble from that stupid system, it kept getting in his way, and now he finally wanted to know the truth.


    He remembered the enchantress, Ruby, and how right she apparently was. He only wished he could have learned more from her when he had the chance.


    ¡°Woah, easy with the questions, bud,¡± the bird said with a patronizing chuckle that made the crab¡¯s frustration boil even more. ¡°I told you, some things are just not for you to understand. I probably shouldn¡¯t even be telling you as much as I already did, but I figured it can¡¯t hurt. I doubt you¡¯d be able to really do anything problematic, especially after we sort you out here.¡±


    ¡°What the hell do you mean with sorting me out, you¡ª¡±


    The crow waved a wing casually while looking at the scroll and Balthazar¡¯s mouth shut itself, making him unable to speak, no matter how hard he tried to open it.


    ¡°Seriously, enough with the chitchat, I got other things to tend to,¡± the bird said. ¡°We¡¯re going to remove your access to the system, levels, and so on, because clearly a crab can¡¯t be trusted with this kind of ancient backdoor into the world¡¯s system. We will, however, in a gesture of good will, let you keep some of your skills and your intellect, so that you can continue talking, reading, and being a nice attraction for the local adventurers who seem to have grown so fond of you. Isn¡¯t that nice?¡±


    The crab made angry muffled noises through his sealed mouth.


    ¡°Yes, of course it is. Now, I promise this won¡¯t hurt at all. Just stand still for a moment.¡± The smug crow glanced at the crab. ¡°Not that you really have a choice.¡±


    Focusing his dark, beady eyes on the scroll, the crow clapped its wings together and a strange cold feeling washed over Balthazar.


    It was not pain, but it still felt uncomfortable, like something quickly draining out of him.


    Suddenly, rows of text ran past his vision before rapidly fading away.


    [Reassigning selected skills]


    [Reinstating attributes]


    [Retrieving experience]


    [Removing levels]


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes widened, and he protested in muffled yells.


    It was like he was being robbed and powerless to stop it.


    A numbness grew outwards from within him and another line appeared.


    [Resetting Upgrades]


    The crab wanted to scream in horror, but his sealed mouth denied it to him as he watched his pincers and shell rapidly shedding their iron, silver, and gold finishes, quickly returning to their original form of bland and gray chitin.


    Finally, one last line appeared before the system fully disappeared from his vision.


    [System shutting down¡­]


    ¡°All done!¡± the cheerful bird announced as the scroll rolled itself back and fell to the ground, lifeless once again.


    The muffled noises had ceased. Balthazar was just staring at the feathered fiend with pure anger in his gaze.


    Not just because there was a bird in front of him anymore, but because that creature had taken something away from him. Perhaps something he didn¡¯t always fully appreciate, but something that was his and that he had earned. Stupid or not, those levels, attributes, and skills the system had given him were his to complain about, not for some stinking bird to swoop by and steal.


    ¡°Oh, come now,¡± the manager said with an infuriatingly amused expression. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. This will be for the better, you¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll be going now. My work never ends out there. Don¡¯t worry, the paralysis will wear off in a few seconds. Farewell, Balthazar.¡±


    Without so much as another glance back at the crab, the crow flapped its wings and took flight, snatching the scroll in its claws as it flew up, its midnight plumage quickly vanishing amid the darkness of the night sky.


    Just as soon as the sound of its wings faded, the crab fell on his shell, released from whatever was freezing him in place.


    He grunted and stood back to his feet slowly, his eye stalks curved in a frowning expression, pointed at the moonless sky above.


    ¡°Now you¡¯ve really pissed me off, bird.¡±

 Chapter 94: The Scarlet Letter

    It was morning again, but Balthazar had not slept at all. Pacing back and forth, the crab continued fuming over the events of the previous night.


    ¡°Damnable birds!¡±


    Despite the lack of rest and exhaustion, his mind continued racing, fueled purely by an ardent rage against the system that had given him things, and then taken them away.


    In the true spirit of the common wisdom about not valuing what you have until you lose it, he now wished nothing more than to get his system access back.


    All that time, he had never fully realized its true potential, and how a simple crab did, in fact, have the ability to influence the world around him, even if in some roundabout way.


    He could have made a fortune with it.


    He could have had all the pies he¡¯d ever wished for.


    He could have probably even brought Bouldy and Madeleine back.


    Balthazar stopped pacing and sighed.


    It was hard for him to admit it, but underneath all that burning fury was a far worse feeling that he was trying to subconsciously bury: grief.


    Ever since the day the dragon left, he had felt powerless and wished to do something about what he had lost, but after losing access to the system and all the levels, skills, and whatever strange world-breaking ability it was giving him, he realized how he could and should have done a lot more.


    He had spent so long feeling sorry for himself that he had failed to take action.


    No more, Balthazar promised himself.


    The crab was determined to take back what he had lost. He had nothing before that scroll came rolling into his life, and he would achieve it all without missing any of its powers if he had to.


    The determined merchant grabbed a plank of wood off his pile of debris and pressed it hard with his right pincer, without it giving any signs of breaking.


    ¡°Ow!¡± he exclaimed, dropping the plank. ¡°Maybe I will miss a thing or two.¡±


    Rubbing his formerly iron claw, Balthazar turned to the entrance of the bazaar and stepped outside.


    While he could not fully explain it, it was as if the whole world felt different around him after his system''s removal.


    The sun did not seem to shine as brightly anymore.


    Nature¡¯s colors felt less vivid.


    The air and the sounds surrounding him felt more dull.


    Even the nearby bush he was looking at felt less real.


    Balthazar frowned one eye stalk at the bush.


    ¡°Rob?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Balthazar,¡± a voice said from within the shrub.


    ¡°I was going to send word for you, so it¡¯s great that you¡¯re already here, but¡­ how did you know?¡±


    Scooting his foliage closer, the thief placed himself next to the crab.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± said Rob. ¡°I just came here to see you on my own.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright,¡± responded the slightly surprised crab. ¡°Unexpected, but that¡¯s not important right now.¡±


    ¡°Hey, is it just me,¡± the hidden adventurer interrupted, ¡°or do you look kinda different? What happened to your shiny shell? Did someone steal it? You want me to look into it?¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Well, sort of, but it''s not something you could help with. It¡¯s a long story. I don¡¯t really want to go into that right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Rob said in a sheepish voice. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about what happened. It¡¯s what everyone is talking about in town. Look, man, I¡­ I wanna say I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± the crab said with a discreet sigh. ¡°Not your fault, though.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s what I mean. I¡¯m sorry for failing at my job.¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Huh?¡± said the confused merchant.


    ¡°I was supposed to keep my ears and eyes open for any signs of Antoine trying to pull any dirty moves against you, but I had no idea he¡¯d hire a high-level adventurer outside the usual underworld circles. It was totally off my radar!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that,¡± Balthazar said with a dismissive wave of his claw. ¡°You really have no reason to apologize. You couldn¡¯t have known, and if anything, I should have been the one to predict Antoine would pull some creative way to get to me. Seriously, that all turned out far better than what anyone could have expected, and it¡¯s by now so far back on the road for me it¡¯s barely a concern anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the quiet shrub let out.


    ¡°But if you still want to help me, I got far more pressing matters for you. Remember when I told you to help me find anything on an enchantress called Ruby?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± exclaimed the thief, accompanied by a small jump of his bush. ¡°I almost forgot. That¡¯s the other reason I came down here.¡±


    ¡°It is?!¡± the crab asked, both eye stalks raised high. ¡°Did you find any information on her?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, but it seems the word you put out must have finally reached her ears, because she sent you this letter.¡±


    After some light leaf shuffling, the thief produced an envelope from its foliage, offering it to the crab.


    Balthazar took the missive with his claw, looking surprised.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this,¡± he said, examining the envelope. ¡°And you didn¡¯t even try to read it?¡±


    A loud scoff sounded from the bush. ¡°I may be a thief, but I still try to have some standards.¡± He paused while the crab gave him a raised eye stalk. ¡°And I¡¯ve also been around long enough to know when a piece of paper has been enchanted. I ain¡¯t risking getting turned into a frog or something by opening a crab¡¯s correspondence, man.¡±


    The crab looked down at the missive, which had ¡°To Balthazar¡± neatly written on one side with an elegant cursive style and a wax seal of a shiny scarlet color with a stamped ¡°R¡± on the other, holding the flaps together.


    With anticipation running through him, Balthazar pried the envelope open with his claw and pulled the letter out.


    After unfolding the pristine piece of white paper, his eye stalks began frantically reading through its contents.


    ¡°Dear Balthazar,


    I hope this letter finds you well. For safety reasons, I have enchanted it with protective spells that will trigger if anyone of a race other than crab attempts to break its seal. Perhaps this will strike you as an extreme precaution, but I assure you, it is warranted, as we really cannot be too careful with the matters I am about to write to you about.


    I have heard about your recent misfortunes and losses, and I am deeply sorry for them. I know you must have many questions, considering your search for me, even more so after these dark events, and I apologize I could not reach out sooner, but we were not entirely sure you were trustworthy. I believe now that you really are what we were looking for all this time.


    Despite my precautions, I cannot risk fully disclosing everything on a letter, so we must meet face to face. I promise to fill you in on everything my associates and I know about this world, the system, what¡¯s being kept hidden from us, and even about a certain traveling adventurer in rags that I believe you have met recently. Until then, all I can offer you in terms of advice is to keep a low profile and to be very suspicious of any birds you see.


    There is a small abandoned town called Condor to the southeast, halfway between your pond and the sea, under the shade of a hill. You won¡¯t find it on most modern maps, but if you ask about it to the right locals from that part of the continent, they will know of it. Find it and look for any farmers dwelling around its outskirts. Tell them you are looking for the local birdwatching club. They will point you in the right direction to us. Again, I am sorry for all the cloak-and-dagger, but circumstances require extra care.


    Please, do not delay, for I believe you may be the answer we have been looking for, and that we may be the only ones able to help you rescue your friend.


    Looking forward to our next meeting,


    Ruby


    P.S.: If you by some chance had someone else open this letter for you, please extend to them my apologies and let them know the effects should subside after two to three weeks with regular ointment applications to the affected areas. I would advise against scratching them.¡±


    The crab slowly lowered the letter as his eyes stared emptily into the distance, his mind processing everything he had just read.


    As he suspected and hoped, she had information on the things he sought, and she even seemed to know about the stranger that had sold the statuette to him. The line about being suspicious of birds was ironic, both because of the previous night¡¯s events, and because if there was someone who had never needed to be told to suspect birds, it was Balthazar.


    The part that was truly worrying him was the fact that she was not planning to come to his pond, and instead wanted the crab to go to her. What she did not seem to realize was that he could not leave the area around the pond, no matter how hard he might need to.


    The dragon took Madeleine somewhere far away.


    The only wizard he knew that might know how to bring Bouldy back was also out there in parts unknown.


    And now the woman possibly holding the answers to his existential questions was also somewhere out of reach.


    Were Balthazar one to believe in fate, he¡¯d say destiny was trying to give him a push out of his comfort zone. Alas, crabs did not seem to have much concept of fate, and thus did not believe in such things. Truly a godless species.


    Alerted by the soft sound of rustling leaves, Balthazar looked to his side, where Rob¡¯s shrub was still awkwardly standing, looking very out of place.


    ¡°Right,¡± said the absent-minded crab. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re waiting for your payment now.¡±


    ¡°Nah, man,¡± Rob said. ¡°I can¡¯t really charge you for this. Not after I failed to do my job with Antoine. It wouldn¡¯t feel right. I was just waiting to see if you were gonna need anything else from me after reading that.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Balthazar said, feeling taken aback by the adventurer¡¯s response. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s kind of unexpected, I will admit. Thanks. You know, you¡¯re not that bad¡­ for a thief.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks, I guess?¡± said the talking bush, sounding slightly unamused. ¡°You¡¯re alright too, for a cranky old crab.¡±


    Balthazar would have bickered back, but his mind was already off to other, more important matters.


    There was no way around it. He would have to figure out how to finally leave his pond.

 Chapter 95: One Small Step for Crab

    Balthazar sat in front of a table, pincers extended over the edges of it, staring intensely onto its surface.


    He let out a long, shaky breath.


    ¡°I gotta do this.¡±


    On the table rested a single butter cookie.


    It was the last one the crab had left from Madeleine¡¯s latest batch.


    Reaching forward with his claw, he took the lone cookie and shoved the whole thing into his mouth.


    It was crumbly, not quite as crunchy anymore, and was beginning to turn stale.


    And yet, Balthazar savored it like it was the most delicious meal he had ever experienced.


    He did not know if he would ever get to taste Madeleine¡¯s baking again, so he needed to make that one count, and he also needed it to give him courage for what he was about to do.


    The last crumbs of cookie slid down his throat, and he sighed. As always, it was over too soon.


    ¡°Boss?¡± a timid voice said nearby.


    Balthazar turned to see Druma standing by the bazaar¡¯s counter, broom in hand.


    ¡°Druma finish clearing rubble.¡±


    The small goblin assistant had been working tirelessly since the day of the avalanche, barely taking any breaks, despite the crab¡¯s protests. He was also not acting like his usual excited self, instead being more quiet and his big pointy ears always sagging next to his large head.


    Balthazar knew what the goblin was going through. He missed his golem friend, and he also felt guilty for not doing more about Madeleine¡¯s kidnapping.


    The crab had tried telling him it was not his fault, and there was little more he could have done to help that day, but deep down he also knew that no matter how many times one might repeat that, the sadness and guilt wouldn¡¯t just go away that easily.


    ¡°Great job, Druma,¡± said Balthazar, trying to force himself to smile for the goblin. ¡°Thanks for working so hard to clean up the place.¡±


    The goblin¡¯s ears perked up ever so slightly and a shy smile briefly appeared on his face.


    ¡°Boss need Druma to help more?¡±


    ¡°Not right now, thank you,¡± said the crab as he stood up and stepped towards the entrance.


    ¡°Boss going out?¡± the assistant quickly asked. ¡°Boss need Druma to go with boss?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s mouth twitched with a wistful smile.


    He knew that with Bouldy gone and Blue still recovering from her injuries, the goblin felt it fell upon himself to do everything he could around the place, including protecting his boss.


    The crab did not want to discourage him, and in fact found himself thankful for his friend¡¯s unwavering support.


    But some things he could not assist with.


    ¡°Not this time, buddy. This I have to take care of on my own.¡±


    The goblin¡¯s ears slacked again, but he nodded in acceptance as Balthazar left the bazaar.


    Walking up the dirt path between the bazaar and the main road, the crab contemplated the overcast sky above.


    Since the talking crow had stripped him of his system, the world around him felt different. Everything seemed like always, yet not quite the same. Balthazar could not find the right words to explain it, but it was as if he was seeing it through different eyes.


    He arrived at the road and took a moment to stare off into the vast plains in front of him.


    Brown and orange, the grass bobbed in the wind, like a sea of vegetation. Or at least so he assumed. Balthazar had never actually seen the sea. He had read about it, and he was more than familiar with his pond, but the idea of an ocean more vast than the land itself, an infinite pool of deep blue stretching further than the eye could see, and all of it inhabited by crabs? He could hardly imagine that.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Despite having always felt no interest in places outside of his pond, he found himself musing over the idea of seeing the sea one day.


    Putting his distracting thoughts aside, Balthazar doubled his focus on the task at pincer and started walking up the road leading to Ardville.


    All his life, he had remained within the confines of that one small area around his pond. He had always believed it was by choice, because he saw no need to go anywhere else. The pond was all he needed. It had everything: food, nice water, good shelter, sunlight, peace and quiet. What more could a crab ask for?


    And then the scroll happened. He gained levels, skills, started communicating with others, meeting people. Yet, he was still convinced there was no need to leave his comfort zone.


    It wasn¡¯t until the day he really needed it that the crab finally realized he could not leave, that it wasn¡¯t his choice at all. That something was binding him to that place. The day Druma was wounded and Balthazar couldn¡¯t go up the road to find someone who could help was the day he learned he was not as much of a free crab as he always thought he was.


    He had pushed that fact to the back of his shell since then, kept his focus on other things as they happened, but it was still there, gnawing at him since that day.


    He had never been truly free, but he was going to change that.


    He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how, but he just knew something had changed, that something deep within him was different now, and that there was only one way to really put his theory to the test.


    The gray crab arrived at his destination, a point on the road between his pond and Ardville that, at first sight, would have looked to anyone else as normal as any other random section of road in each direction, but not to him. He knew exactly where the line was, the look of each individual cobblestone, the small bushes and mounds with grass on the edges of the path. It was all ingrained in his brain.


    That was the exact spot he had tried so hard to cross before, but could never step through.


    The edge of his own little world.


    Balthazar took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.


    He was not afraid of the motion itself. It was what the outcome of it might be that truly scared him, for all that it could mean to his and his friends¡¯ future.


    It would have to work, he was sure of it. Everything else was depending on it.


    Everyone else was depending on him.


    The crab who never wanted responsibilities.


    ¡°You got this, Balthazar,¡± the crab whispered to himself.


    As he raised one leg forward, towards the impassable point on the road, his eyes focused with trembling effort on the cobblestones. He didn¡¯t know if it would matter or help, but as he slowly moved, images of his friends were all he could see in his mind. Those he was so motivated by. He pictured Bouldy¡¯s towering figure smiling down on him. Madeleine waving at him from the road. A plate with a large apple pie resting on it.


    Balthazar braced in anticipation, expecting his body to jerk back, away from the invisible line like before, but to his surprise, his foot simply landed on the next cobblestone like it was nothing.


    He froze for a moment, staring at his leg and the stones.


    He moved another one of his legs forward.


    And another.


    Soon he had fully crossed with all of his eight legs.


    The crab looked around in disbelief. Had it really worked? Had he done it, and so easily?


    He took a few more tentative steps up the road, just to make sure he hadn¡¯t gotten the spot on the road wrong.


    There was no longer anything keeping him from walking. No physical barriers or mental blocks pushing him back.


    He could finally step away from his pond.


    Balthazar chuckled. A few short and contained chuckles at first, which quickly evolved into loud ones, until he was fully laughing out loud in the middle of the road.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± he yelled to the empty road and plains around him. ¡°I knew it!¡±


    Since the day the crow had removed the system from him, Balthazar had an underlying feeling deep in him that something more had changed. That something else had disappeared, along with the system stats, attributes, the levels, the skills, and everything else.


    If it was an accidental consequence, the crab did not know, but whatever the bird had taken away from him had also removed the invisible shackles keeping him bound to that place.


    ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± he howled to the skies, pincers pumped high in the air, his eyes watery from all the joy running through him.


    For someone who had never cared for going anywhere outside of his pond, he found himself now suddenly ecstatic at his newly found freedom.


    The gleeful crab started running, straight out of the road and through the tall grass of the plain fields next to him.


    He did not care where, he just wanted to go somewhere he knew he had never stepped before.


    He ran and spun around, his pincers brushing against the reeds he had never touched, stepping on the pebbles he had never felt under his feet, taking in all the familiar sights from the angles he had never witnessed.


    Despite not yet daring to go too far off, for while he might be a free crab he was not an incautious one, Balthazar ran and frolicked through the nearby plains for what might have been an hour, enjoying his brief moment of joy after the depressing previous days.


    The crab sighed and stared up at the sky as he laid on his shell, between some rocks and more tall grass he had never been close to before.


    Somehow, it seemed to him like the sky was bluer than it had been when he stepped out of the bazaar earlier.


    ¡°Alright, enough rolling around,¡± he told himself, hopping back onto his feet. ¡°I know now what I must do. Time to go back home and prepare.¡±


    Feeling content and proud of himself, Balthazar made his way out of the grass and back onto the road, feeling the thrill of, for a very brief moment, not recognizing his surroundings and wondering where his way back was. He could have never imagined such excitement from the idea of being lost.


    Chuckling at himself, he jokingly wondered if he had finally snapped and gone insane.


    Whistling a cheery tune, the crab skittered back down the road.


    As he approached his destination, Balthazar spotted something unusual by the split on the road that led down to his bazaar.


    A small group of people, some on foot and some on horseback, wearing armored uniforms and carrying long spears, stood in wait, facing the bazaar.


    The crab squinted at the entourage in the distance, focusing on the familiar figure standing at their center.


    ¡°What in the hell?¡±

 Chapter 96: Mayor Changes

    Balthazar approached the path down to his bazaar carefully, his eyes fixed on the group standing in wait outside, facing the entrance.


    There were four town guards, two on horseback, two on foot. Standing between them was an old man wearing a fine quality green robe and thin framed glasses that sat far down at the tip of his nose.


    It did not surprise the crab to see Abernathy back, but the fact that he had more guards with him and something about their posture felt different and tense.


    Suspicious as he was, the shrewd merchant wondered if he was about to be blamed for something he hadn¡¯t done again.


    ¡°Well, well, if it isn¡¯t my favorite tax inspector,¡± Balthazar tentatively said, announcing his presence to the town visitors as he approached.


    They turned to face the crab, and the older man expressed surprise, but much to Balthazar¡¯s relief, also friendliness.


    ¡°Ah, there you are, Mr. Balthazar. We were expecting your partner to fetch you inside, but it appears you were out. No matter, you arrived just in time.¡±


    ¡°Balthazar?¡± a voice called, before Tristan hurriedly came out of the bazaar to join them. ¡°Oh, thank goodness! I was worried you were missing at the worst possible time.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s all this about my timing?¡± the puzzled crab asked. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Allow me to explain,¡± Abernathy calmly said. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you recall, last time we met, during that unpleasant situation with Mr. Antoine, we both agreed to postpone our meeting for a later date, given the unforeseen circumstances, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°And things only got more chaotic since then, but if you wish to have that meeting, I guess now will be as good of a time as any. I¡¯m just not sure what¡¯s with all the unannounced entourage, with the extra guards and the horses. There¡¯s more to this, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Apologies. Yes, indeed, there is. The fact of the matter is, we are the announcing party.¡±


    The crab raised a confused eye stalk at the tax collector.


    ¡°Ever the impulsive man he is, our esteemed mayor has decided to meet with you in person,¡± Abernathy continued. ¡°We came here to announce his arrival, as well as to scout ahead, for security reasons, given the dangerous times we have been experiencing lately, as I¡¯m sure you know better than anyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the crab said, surprised by the unexpected announcement. ¡°The mayor of Ardville is coming down here himself for me?¡±


    Abernathy simply nodded.


    ¡°I know, right? Exciting!¡± exclaimed Tristan, placing an arm around the crab¡¯s shell and pulling him closer. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it myself.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure this is a good thing?¡± Balthazar whispered, turning his face to his business partner and out of the other men¡¯s sights. ¡°What would the mayor want with a crab outside of town?¡±


    Tristan made a befuddled face before speaking in a hushed voice. ¡°Thinking so little of yourself? That¡¯s unlike you, Balthazar! Of course the mayor wants to meet the famous crab that aided an army of adventurers in driving a dragon away from his town.¡±


    ¡°What?! But I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    The sudden sound of a trumpet startled the crab, and he turned to meet its source.


    A town guard mounted on his steed loudly announced the arrival of a carriage, pulled by two robust brown horses and flanked by four horse riders, two on each side.


    The carriage was of a fine craft, made with dark wood and covered in gold details, the windows on it covered by maroon curtains on the inside, keeping the interior private.


    Balthazar had not yet met the mayor, and he was already impressed. Someone who travels in such an exquisite shell could only be someone with good taste.


    Abernathy cleared his throat and stepped forward. ¡°I see our good mayor has grown tired of waiting and decided to join us sooner than expected. Allow me to present his excellency¡ª¡±


    The side door on the carriage swung open violently with a loud smack against the wood, interrupting and startling the tax inspector, who closed his weary eyes and let out a discreet sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose above his tiny glasses.


    ¡°Where is this crab?¡± a booming voice cheerfully exclaimed.


    The carriage shook as a robust man stepped down from it and onto the cobblestones of the road. He had a thick grizzly beard that looked immaculately combed, and carried a thick iron crown on his forehead, both things framing his rosy cheeks and small eyes in what little space was left between them.


    Balthazar couldn¡¯t help but notice how, despite his exquisite royal blue silk vestments, the mayor wore a vest of thick leather covered with chain mail stretched over his rather large chest and gut, as well as a few other pieces of armor around his body, such as pauldrons and shin guards.


    The crab wondered what level the seasoned warrior strolling out of that carriage might have been, and it only reminded him of how much he missed his old monocle.


    ¡°There he is!¡± the heavy man shouted with a pleased smile as he opened his arms and stepped towards the eight-legged merchant.


    ¡°Hello, it¡¯s¡ª¡± Balthazar started, but the mayor cut his greeting short with a firm pat on the shell that nearly made him stumble forward.


    ¡°At last! It was about time I finally met this big crab I¡¯ve been hearing so much about,¡± the strongman loudly said, looking pleased as he grinned. ¡°I¡¯m Mayor Bergen, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± Balthazar struggled to say as he tried to recover his breath. ¡°Wasn¡¯t really expecting you to come down here and visit me yourself, I must admit.¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± Bergen scoffed. ¡°I had to! At first you were just a peculiar story I¡¯d hear about from time to time, but after I found out you were the one responsible for stopping that dragon¡¯s rampage, saving the town and the lives of countless of our good adventurers? You certainly proved yourself someone worth meeting, my friend!¡±


    Balthazar glanced at Tristan as he wondered where those high tales of his deeds against the dragon had come from, but he found no answers in his partner¡¯s usual dazed gaze.


    ¡°My lord,¡± Abernathy interrupted. ¡°It would be wiser if we stepped inside before we continue this conversation. Far less exposed than out here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, yes, of course,¡± the loud man agreed, before turning back to the crab with an amused smile. ¡°Always worrying about my safety, as if I couldn¡¯t handle myself against any roadside fools who dared trying their luck.¡±


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    ¡°Sir, with a dragon on the loose, it''s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bah! Let him come, if he dares! I¡¯d love a go at that overgrown lizard myself!¡± The mayor gripped the handle of the thick sword hanging from the side of his rather wide waist, as if ready to draw it at an invisible opponent.


    ¡°Gentlemen, gentlemen,¡± Balthazar pleaded with a slightly nervous chuckle. ¡°Please, let¡¯s go inside now. The road is no place to discuss these matters, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Aye, the crab is right, Abernathy,¡± Mayor Bergen said. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    They walked down into the bazaar, most of the guards staying outside, except for two who stood vigilant in the doorway. As they all entered the partially ruined gazebo, the mayor looked around, his hands tucked into the sides of his armor, a pleased smile peering through his bushy beard.


    ¡°I¡¯d have tidied up better if I knew you were coming, but well¡­ hard to clean up holes in the roof and scorch marks on the floor on such short notice,¡± the crab said.


    ¡°Ah, no matter,¡± Bergen responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t let the pomp of being a mayor fool you. I¡¯m not one to stand on ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Apologies for not having any delicacies to offer, either. My usual baker is currently¡­ out of town.¡±


    He looked at the mayor and glanced at the glutton tax inspector too, knowing full well that even if he did have any pastries, he wouldn¡¯t be offering them anyway.


    Some lines he was just not yet ready to cross.


    The sturdy man pulled the nearest chair and sat down on it, causing the rickety wood to creak under his weight.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s get down to it,¡± he said, vigorously smacking his hands on his knees. ¡°I¡¯m a busy man and we still got things to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Balthazar hesitantly said. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m still not sure why the mayor himself would come down here in person to talk to me.¡±


    ¡°Hah! You joke?¡± the amused mayor said with laughter. ¡°My advisors also thought it should be you coming to me instead.¡± He leaned over and spoke in a more hushed tone that, by his metrics, was still incredibly loud. ¡°I told them that given the recent events, the last thing you¡¯d have time for was to leave your place and come up to town for some bureaucratic nonsense.¡±


    The burly man laughed out loud at his own joke and looked around, as if looking for company in his amusement. Abernathy, who was still quietly standing by a nearby shelf with his hands behinds his back, drew a discreet smile, while Tristan chuckled along nervously.


    ¡°Besides, I was dying for an excuse to get out for a bit anyway. If Abernathy and the other worrywarts had it their way, I¡¯d be stuffed up there all day, because it¡¯s ¡®safer¡¯ for me. Bah!¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± said the crab. ¡°I guess it was a good thing you wanted a change of airs, then.¡±


    ¡°And what a great place for that this place is!¡± exclaimed Bergen, standing back up and striding to the other end of the bazaar, looking out the back to the pond and its trickling waterfall. ¡°The pure, fresh air here alone is worth the trip. Truly a beautiful place you have here, good crab! Speaking of which¡­¡±


    He turned back and looked at the tax inspector. ¡°Abernathy?¡±


    Without hesitation, the old man pulled his satchel forward and retrieved a long piece of rolled up parchment, which he then opened over a table, revealing an extensive map of what Balthazar recognized from some of his readings as the areas surrounding Ardville.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed,¡± the mayor started, ¡°that none of our maps seem to show a name for this pond. Probably because it was always uncontested territory outside borders with little of value to it, nobody bothered naming it. Do you happen to have a name you call this place here?¡±


    Balthazar paused for a moment, pondering with the tip of his pincer on his chin.


    He had never even considered a name for his pond. To him, it was the only pond he ever knew, the only place in his world. There was little need to call it anything other than home.


    Looking at the tiny lines and a circle representing his territory on the old yellowed out piece of paper, the crab realized how small it all was when compared to the rest of the world out there.


    So much to see that he had never even dreamed of.


    ¡°You know, I had never really given it much thought,¡± Balthazar declared. ¡°To me, it was just my pond.¡±


    ¡°Well, you definitely should consider giving it one. It¡¯s only right!¡± Bergen stated. ¡°All great places need a name, and this lovely little pond has all the makings of one.¡±


    Abernathy coughed lightly. ¡°My lord, shall we address the reasons that brought you here today?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. So, I hear you have a proposition for Ardville?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Balthazar, straightening himself and taking his eyes off the map. ¡°My idea was to grow my trading post here. First it was by building it up into a proper bazaar, but I think it could be more. It could become a fully fledged trading hub for everyone, including those coming and going from Ardville. In my time here, I¡¯ve met and formed relationships with many clients, some of which have never even been to your town, but could prove valuable assets with their goods and trades. I don¡¯t intend to compete with your city. In fact, I¡¯d very much like it if we became partners instead. All I propose is a friendly relationship, instead of hostility, like the one your former merchant guildmaster offered.¡±


    Mayor Bergen ran his hand down his grizzly beard and smiled. ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°The benefits would¡ªwait, what?¡± the baffled crab said. ¡°You haven¡¯t even heard what I could offer, or the finer details.¡±


    The imposing man stood up and raised a halting hand. ¡°I do not need to. I know I might not look it, but I am one who prepares for his battles the eve before, not when already stepping into the battlefield. That is exactly why I have Abernathy here, too. Him and I have discussed your intentions at length already, and we¡¯ve studied your case thoroughly. I knew exactly what my answer was long before I rode down here. I just needed to meet you face to face and get a good feel for you to seal my decision first.¡±


    Balthazar stood staring at the mayor with confusion in his expression, while the other simply smiled back. ¡°But¡­ you don¡¯t even know me.¡±


    Bergen laughed.


    ¡°Oh, but I do! For you see, my town knows you, and through its beating heart, I¡¯ve learned who you are and what you are made of. The farmers, the innkeepers, the market merchants, and, of course, all the adventurers seem to have taken quite the liking to you. And when I speak as a mayor, I do not speak as a man, I speak as the whole of Ardville, and crab, I can safely say my town sees you as a friend.¡±


    Feeling taken aback, Balthazar struggled to find a reply. ¡°Oh. I¡­ thank you, I suppose.¡±


    Once again, the robust man let out a hearty laugh.


    ¡°Besides, I wouldn¡¯t want to be anything but your friend. I¡¯ve seen what usually happens to your enemies!¡±


    Everyone around the room chuckled, even the guards.


    ¡°We have all seen what you have achieved in such a short time, Mr. Balthazar,¡± Abernathy added. ¡°And we all agree it¡¯s quite impressive. It would be foolish not to see the potential in being allies. The dangers you¡¯ve rid Ardville of alone, from a corrupt guildmaster to a dreadful dragon, are proof enough that you are a friend of our town, even without the prospect of a fruitful trade deal.¡± The town officer uncrossed his arms from behind his back and stepped closer. ¡°But with that in mind, we¡¯d very much like to arrange for imports and exports with you, as well as a more tightly knit relationship between our communities. I¡¯m sure there are plenty of supplies you could use from our town, while you might be able to procure goods we haven¡¯t encountered yet. I hear you seem to have access to some very interesting brews and armors, for example.¡±


    ¡°Ah, and that,¡± Bergen interjected, ¡°is the kind of bureaucratic stuff I have Abernathy for. He will arrange any little details of how we shall deal in the future with you, as well as keep you updated once Antoine¡¯s trial takes place and his fate is decided. As you can probably guess, I¡¯m much more of an action man myself.¡±


    The mayor stepped closer to the exit and stopped next to Tristan, who had been nervously standing some distance away, watching everything with bated breath.


    ¡°You should thank your partner here, too,¡± Bergen exclaimed, giving the former drunkard a vigorous slap on the back. ¡°He spoke very highly of you every chance he got. I¡¯d be lying if I said he didn¡¯t help sway me in your favor, hah!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Balthazar said with a light chuckle. ¡°I take it things between Tristan and you are settled now, after Antoine¡¯s true colors were revealed?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, of course! Let bygones be bygones.¡± The mayor paused and put on a more somber expression before speaking in a lower voice. ¡°He¡¯s still not allowed in my garden for the time being, though.¡±


    Awkward silence ruled the room as the mayor wrapped an arm around Tristan and gripped his shoulder tightly.


    ¡°I joke, you lot!¡± Bergen barked with a sudden laugh. ¡°I do have some beautiful new chrysanthemums blooming right now, though. I¡¯ve been told you¡¯re not one to get out much, but I¡¯d love to give you the tour and show them to you some day, if you ever come to visit, crab.¡±


    Balthazar gave another¡ªslightly less¡ªnervous chuckle, along with Tristan and everyone else.


    ¡°You know, I might change that soon and take you up on the offer.¡±


    ¡°Great to hear! If you ever visit our town, do come by. But for now, I must take my leave. Very busy schedule, as you can imagine. Just today I still need to visit three barracks and inspect the new air defenses being built because of the new dragon threat, as well as attend a meeting later about the selection of a new master for the merchant¡¯s guild.¡± He paused and smiled at Tristan. ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you and visit your lovely pond. Keep the map, by the way. We have plenty, so consider it a gift. Do give some thought to a name for this place. We¡¯d love to make it official.¡±


    Balthazar looked around and smiled.


    ¡°You know, Mayor Bergen, I think I already know exactly what I¡¯d like my home to be called.¡±


    The mayor¡¯s bushy eyebrows perked up with curiosity.


    ¡°Well? Don¡¯t keep us guessing. Do tell!¡±

 Chapter 97: Boulders Point

    ¡°Hope I didn¡¯t keep you waiting too long?¡±


    It was a warm and clear afternoon, given the season, and the old carpenter came pushing a wheelbarrow down the road from town, to an eagerly awaiting crab.


    ¡°John! Glad you could make it,¡± Balthazar cheerfully greeted.


    After the day he met with Ardville¡¯s mayor, the roadside merchant had been in much higher spirits, elaborating on his plans for the future, and making all sorts of preparations.


    ¡°I take it you have it there?¡± the crab asked, pointing to the wheelbarrow with a tarp over it.


    ¡°Sure do,¡± replied John, grinning with his smoking pipe in between his teeth as he set the cart down.


    ¡°Thanks for getting it done on such short notice,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you were busy with other work.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mention it. I work old wagon wheels every day, so I¡¯ll gladly take the opportunity to make something fancier when I can.¡±


    Pulling the tarp off with a single move, the handyman revealed a large, rectangular wooden sign sitting on the wheelbarrow.


    ¡°Where do you want her?¡±


    ¡°Right over there, please,¡± the excited crab said, pointing to a clear patch of dirt on the side of the road where his bazaar sign stood.


    ¡°Hmm, I gotcha,¡± said John, picking up the sign with surprising ease, given its size.


    The seasoned worker gave the area a quick glance before putting the sign down, drawing a club hammer from his tool belt, and sticking it to the ground with a handful of firm hits.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± the man asked, stepping back to the side of the crab and looking at his finished work.


    The new and much larger sign stood above the older one, pointing the way to Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar. It was made of sturdy, beautifully crafted wood and had a nice finish of varnish all around to protect it from the elements. On its front, the pond¡¯s name had been carefully carved by the carpenter: Boulders Point.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect,¡± Balthazar answered, staring at the sign with a smile.


    ¡°Pretty fitting name, if you ask me,¡± John commented, looking around the pond¡¯s area, and the many boulders surrounding it. ¡°But something tells me it wasn¡¯t just the environment that made you choose it.¡±


    The crab¡¯s smile did not fade, but it took on a slightly more bittersweet expression.


    ¡°You must miss him a lot, don¡¯t you?¡± the old carpenter said, placing his rough and calloused hand on Balthazar¡¯s shell with a friendly pat.


    ¡°I do,¡± said the crab with a sigh, before perking up again. ¡°But I also haven¡¯t given up on him, or Madeleine. Speaking of which, let¡¯s go inside. There are a few things I want to discuss that involve you, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That so?¡± said John in an amused tone as he readjusted his pipe and followed the merchant down into the bazaar.


    Inside, Tristan and Henrietta were already chatting while waiting for them.


    ¡°I¡¯m back with John,¡± Balthazar announced to them. ¡°Let¡¯s gather ¡®round.¡±


    Quickly pulling up a chair for himself and a stool for the toad, Tristan joined the others at the table. Even Druma and Blue were nearby, watching by the counter.


    ¡°So, are you going to tell us what¡¯s this about now?¡± asked the green merchant as she hopped up to her seat.


    ¡°Yes, Henrietta and I have been throwing guesses over here while we waited, but I think neither of us is even close so far,¡± Tristan said. ¡°She was convinced you¡¯re going to announce you¡¯re engaged to a lady crab from a neighboring pond.¡±


    ¡°I was not!¡± the toad quickly exclaimed with an involuntary croak.


    ¡°Alright, cut it out you two and let me speak,¡± Balthazar said, as the two men chuckled and the amphibian scrunched up her mouth while trying to hide her blushing. ¡°I¡¯ve been pondering things, making plans and arrangements, and have finally decided: I¡¯m going to leave this pond.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Tristan and Henrietta exclaimed in unison.


    John continued reclining on his chair, puffing away at his pipe, his only reaction a slight smirk.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± said the crab. ¡°I don¡¯t mean leaving it for good. I meant I will be leaving for a little while, to travel to some places.¡±


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    ¡°Still,¡± said the toad, ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day you¡¯d willingly bring up the idea of leaving your home.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the human merchant said, ¡°if I was less sober I¡¯d think I was hearing things. What could possibly lead you to make the decision of going¡­¡± Tristan gestured wildly with his arms at the entryway. ¡°Out there? You always seemed to hate anywhere that wasn¡¯t your pond.¡±


    ¡°I have my reasons. Multiple reasons, in fact. But I¡¯d expect you two to know the main ones. I intend to find the dragon¡¯s lair and get Madeleine back, as well as find a way to bring Bouldy back too.¡±


    The carpenter smirked even more openly and nodded approvingly.


    ¡°You, Balthazar, intend to go into a dragon¡¯s lair and retrieve a prisoner from it?¡± the incredulous toad asked. ¡°Have you lost your mind?¡±


    ¡°Henrietta, I don¡¯t think we should judge him so harshly,¡± Tristan interjected. ¡°I know if it was you the dragon took, I¡¯d be marching on into that lair myself, too.¡±


    ¡°Have you lost your mind too?!¡± she croaked.


    ¡°Alright, enough,¡± the annoyed crab exclaimed. ¡°This isn¡¯t me asking for your permission or approval. I know what I am and what my limitations are. Still, I will get her back my own way. Just like I will find someone who can help me restore Bouldy. There aren¡¯t many people who know much about golemancy, but I know at least one that has to know something useful, assuming I can make him remember what his own name is first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all fine and dandy,¡± said John, taking his pipe off his lip and leaning forward on the table, ¡°really happy for you, but as usual when I¡¯m invited to sit around this table, I¡¯m still wondering what this got to do with me.¡±


    ¡°I was trying to get to that. I might be planning to be gone for a while, but I still intend to come back, and I still want this bazaar to grow and thrive. For that, it will need some repairing. Maybe even more than just repairing. Now that we are going to be trade partners with Ardville, and with the whole night business with the non-humans slowly increasing as well, this place could probably do with some upgrading and expanding. I want Boulders Point to become a thriving trade hub.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see,¡± the old carpenter mused as he sucked on his pipe and rings of white smoke floated out of it. ¡°And you want me to work this place again, I take it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± confirmed Balthazar. ¡°You were the one who built it in the first place, and I wouldn¡¯t trust anyone else to do as good of a job again. I know it looks a bit rough right now, but believe me when I say, given everything it went through, the fact that even just a part of it is still standing shows how solid your work was.¡±


    The woodworker crossed one arm into the other and leaned back, looking around what remained of the gazebo, a large portion of it exposed to the sky, only a small corner pillar with a piece of ceiling still left standing. One of the heavy gates was still lying on the floor by the entrance, in one piece, but its hinges were completely blown off. Over to one side of the room were some broken shelves stacked together, along with multiple chairs missing some legs. His eyes scanned the floor, from the charred spot where lightning had struck, over to where the counter he had gifted to the crab was, somehow completely unscathed, an intrigued drake and an attentive goblin sitting by it, watching the discussion.


    ¡°Ah, alright, no need to flatter me,¡± John said. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of work, but I¡¯d be lying if I said I don¡¯t enjoy the challenge. I just need to know what work you need me to do.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± the excited crab said. ¡°I¡¯ve drawn some plans already, but I¡¯ll leave them and the rest of the decisions to those who will be in charge of the bazaar while I¡¯m gone.¡± He turned to the other two at the table. ¡°Which leads me to the other part. Tristan, Henrietta, I¡¯d like you two to look after my business until I come back.¡±


    The human and the toad looked at each other with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s something I¡¯d never expect,¡± said Henrietta.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m honored you¡¯d trust me so much, Balthazar,¡± Tristan said with several blinks of surprise.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re feeling alright?¡± asked the toad. ¡°You are not sounding like the crab we know at all. Any fever? Dizziness? You still haven¡¯t told us how you lost your shiny chitin. Is this some sickness getting to you?¡±


    Balthazar groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sick! I told you, the gold shell was just a temporary imbuing. I¡¯ll get around to getting it again when I have time. Now stop asking about it!¡± The crab cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with me. I¡¯ve just been doing a lot of¡­ reflecting and learning from things. I¡¯m trying to do better and to be better. To be less¡­ crabby.¡± He rolled his eye stalks. ¡°Can you just appreciate the effort without making it more difficult than it already is for me?¡±


    Henrietta let out a soft chuckle, followed by a smile. Not in mockery, but simply in approving acknowledgment.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m glad for you, Balthazar. Still strange to see, but not in a bad way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± said the crab. ¡°Anyway, so, if you two agree to it, I¡¯d like Tristan to handle all the connections between us and Ardville, while you, Henrietta, look after the bazaar down here. I realize this might be a big task for you, and while I tried to convince him to stay, Druma insists on going with me, so you might need to get extra help. I¡¯ll trust your choice, but please, just promise me, no adventurers working at my bazaar. I don¡¯t want to come back to find a big crater in its place.¡±


    The toad let out a croaked laugh and nodded in agreement.


    Tristan stood up, walked up to the crab, and firmly gripped his pincer with both hands.


    ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much for giving me a chance, even when I was at my lowest. I promise you I won¡¯t let you down. I will do everything to turn this place into the most successful trading hub this world has ever seen.¡±


    Balthazar smiled awkwardly as the man shook his claw up and down.


    ¡°Please, just keep things running smoothly until I come back and that will be plenty good with me. Now please stop, you¡¯re making this way too awkward for me.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said John as he stood up from his chair, ¡°real happy for you and your fellows, and I wish you safe travels, crab, but if that will be all, you just dropped a lot of work on my hands so I¡­¡±


    The old carpenter¡¯s words trailed off as he slowly turned his head to the way outside.


    The sound of steps approaching came from the road, more and more as they got closer, until the group in the bazaar heard the rumbling of dozens of boots marching down the path to the front entrance and stopping.


    Balthazar looked around at everyone else with a confused frown, before they all hurried to the gate to find out what was happening.


    A large crowd stood outside, several dozen adventurers packed together on the narrow dirt road leading down to the bazaar, from the heavily armored warriors to the fanciest robed wizards.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think we¡¯d just let you leave like that, did you?¡±

 Chapter 98: A Proper Send-off

    Jack stood proudly with his fists on his waist in front of the crowd of adventurers, wearing nothing but his loincloth and horned helmet, heavy sword still strapped to his back, smirking at the befuddled merchant.


    ¡°What are you guys doing here?!¡±


    ¡°We heard our favorite crab was going away on a trip, and we agreed we couldn¡¯t just let him leave without giving a proper send-off with a party!¡±


    ¡°A¡­ party?¡± Balthazar repeated. ¡°You all came down here to throw me a party? Why?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, why?¡± Leah said, stepping forward from the crowd and standing next to her lightly dressed friend. ¡°You¡¯ve more than earned our gratitude, Balthazar. Believe it or not, despite your cranky attitude, we all kind of like your crabby ways, and after the dragon disaster, there are many of us who may very well not have been here anymore if it wasn¡¯t for you stepping up to help amid the chaos.¡±


    The crab stared at them with an expression of someone who couldn¡¯t understand what he was being told.


    ¡°I might have been one of those!¡± Jack added, tapping on his iron helmet with his knuckles. ¡°This helmet and the fire resistance potions you provided saved my skin that day. Locals might look at adventurers like heroes, but to us, right now, we see you as the hero, crab.¡±


    The crowd of adventurers behind them hollered and nodded in agreement. Some even clapped at the naked swordsman¡¯s words.


    Balthazar experienced, once again, the uncomfortable feeling of embarrassment that he could not understand. He should be pleased with the adventurers recognizing his invaluable qualities for once, yet, now that they did, he just wanted to change the subject.


    Were this any other crab, one might claim he was feeling humbled, but Balthazar was not one for such silly emotions.


    ¡°Hey, wait a moment,¡± the embarrassed crustacean suddenly said. ¡°How did you guys know I was leaving? I told no one until¡­¡±


    The crab¡¯s eye stalks frowned, and he made a scrunched-up face as he turned to look at Druma, who was peeking from behind the bazaar¡¯s door frame.


    ¡°You little¡­¡± Balthazar muttered, as the goblin¡¯s ears twitched from the crab¡¯s glare and he disappeared inside with the sound of slapping feet hurriedly running away into the distance.


    ¡°So,¡± a tall and muscular warrior said as he stepped forward and placed a large keg on the ground with a loud thud, ¡°we can go in and start drinking, or will we let the ale go sour waiting out here?¡±


    Balthazar exhaled sharply, in a way that tried to convey far more annoyance than what he was really feeling.


    ¡°They came all this way for you,¡± said Henrietta from behind him. ¡°You can¡¯t just send them back, Balthazar. That would be rude.¡±


    ¡°Yes, partner,¡± Tristan added. ¡°If you¡¯re leaving, at least let¡¯s enjoy one last celebration together before you go. Come on, I haven¡¯t had a good party in ages!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, throwing his pincers up in pretend defeat. ¡°There¡¯s not much roof left, but you guys are welcome inside. Just don¡¯t expect any free appetizers!¡±


    The adventurers cheered loudly and all at once began moving down into the remnants of the gazebo, some carrying kegs under their arms, others rolling barrels as they went, and many even bringing their own tankards.


    ***


    Night had barely started, and the adventurers had already made themselves at home in the short time since they had arrived.


    A handful of them had brought instruments and were playing for everyone else. A girl passionately played her lute as she sang, while two boys sat side by side behind her, each playing their own drums in what seemed like a friendly competition, their rhythm growing faster with each song, sweat rolling down their foreheads as they glanced at one another, but still smiling like they were having the time of their lives.


    The fire pit roared with crackling flames, fueled by the huge amount of lumber a pair of axe wielding warriors brought back once Leah asked if anyone would volunteer to go to the edge of the Dark Forest and collect some firewood.


    Adventurers filled the bazaar all around the fire, singing along, dancing, or simply chatting with each other, tankards in hand, enjoying the ales being poured out of the many kegs and barrels they had brought along.


    Behind his counter, Balthazar observed the scene, a pondering gaze in his eyes, lost in thought.


    So many adventurers filling his home, being loud, drinking and likely making a mess that they would surely not help clean up later. They weren¡¯t even there to buy or sell anything, either.


    The crab should be beyond annoyed at such an outrage.


    And yet, instead, Balthazar had a faint smile on his face.


    The joy and happiness filling the room, the good spirits and cheering, the singing and dancing, all of it felt worth it all to him at that moment.


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    He could have never expected the day where he would feel like that about a large crowd of loud adventurers, but then again, there had been so many new things he had not expected lately that it was hardly fazing him anymore.


    He just wanted to absorb the moment while it lasted, before embarking on his own adventure.


    Who would have imagined there were more things worth appreciating in life beyond gold and pastries.


    ¡°Heeey, partner!¡± Tristan cheerfully called, as he joined the crab and wrapped an arm over his shell. ¡°Enjoying the celebration?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but not as much as you, it seems,¡± Balthazar said, before glancing at the brown cup the other merchant was holding.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry,¡± said Tristan, following the crab¡¯s gaze and tipping the cup slightly to show its contents. ¡°It¡¯s just lemonade. I swear I¡¯m still sticking to my promise. I can¡¯t let you or Henrietta down!¡±


    ¡°Heh, good,¡± Balthazar said with a light chuckle. ¡°Just go easy on the lemonade. I don¡¯t own any potted flowers around here, but I still don¡¯t want any accidents.¡±


    The man let out a slightly nervous laugh before rejoining the crowd again.


    Meanwhile, the crab decided to take a walk around his place and see the sights.


    Off to one corner, he saw John sitting at a table with an old chubby wizard and one of the large warriors who had brought wood for the fire. They were all in a good mood, talking away and laughing at each other¡¯s stories as they drank and the carpenter smoked his pipe.


    By the fire, Balthazar spotted Druma, a huge grin on his face as he hopped from side to side, dancing with a rose-cheeked female adventurer who seemed to be quite amused by the goblin¡¯s dance moves as she danced along, swaying her tankard wildly back and forth and spilling ale everywhere as everyone around laughed and clapped to the music.


    Wondering what she would be up to, the crab looked around for Blue. Finally he spotted her on her favorite cushion, near the edge of the fire pit, surrounded by five adventurer girls, all fascinated by the blue-scaled creature, sitting by her side, petting her and swooning over her intense golden eyes.


    Balthazar would have expected the drake to hate the whole thing and growl or even snap at them, but surprisingly, she had a lazy smug expression and seemed to love the attention and pampering.


    ¡°Hah, look at you, you little diva,¡± the crab muttered to himself with a chuckle.


    ¡°Hey, there he is, the crab of the moment!¡± a jolly Jack exclaimed, approaching Balthazar with a large mug in hand and Leah by his side.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s not very good at holding his drink,¡± the female fighter remarked. ¡°That¡¯s only his second ale of the night.¡±


    ¡°Hey, why you gotta embarrass me, Leah? You¡¯re not my mom!¡±


    ¡°So, we heard you were going on a trip, but not where,¡± she continued, ignoring her tipsy companion. ¡°What are you planning? Going to become a traveling merchant crab now?¡±


    ¡°Hah! Not a bad idea, but not exactly my aim,¡± Balthazar responded. ¡°I¡¯m actually planning on finding a certain dragon¡¯s lair.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jack said, spinning around to face the crab and nearly tripping on his own feet. ¡°You? Going out there looking for a dragon? Never took you for the type.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I think I get it,¡± said Leah, once again ignoring Jack¡¯s inebriated snickering. ¡°You¡¯re going after your baker friend, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Balthazar gave her a brief nod.


    ¡°You¡¯re in luck, pal!¡± the young swordsman interjected. ¡°We are going to look for it too, so you got nothing to fear, so long as we find it first.¡±


    The adventurer clumsily reached for his sword over his shoulder, failing to grasp at anything but air twice.


    ¡°Jack, please, can we not do the theatrics tonight?¡± his companion said with a tired sigh. ¡°Look, my tankard is empty, and so is yours. I think you should find us a refill, no?¡±


    Tipping his tankard upside down, Jack frowned at the apparently surprising revelation that it was indeed empty.


    The young adventurer stumbled off to some nearby shelves, searching for something. ¡°Say, you wouldn¡¯t happen to have some more of those feathery potions around here, would you?¡±


    ¡°Nobody really seems to know where the dragon came from yet,¡± Leah continued, turning her attention back to Balthazar, ¡°but with half the adventurers in the continent searching for that big bastard, it will just be a matter of time until someone finds it, and once they do, it will be like a gold rush to see who gets to slay it first. I reckon that wherever you go, if you keep your ears near any adventurers, news will spread pretty fast on the dragon¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Good point. Thanks,¡± the crab said with a nod of agreement.


    They both turned as Jack loudly stumbled over a pile of wood and held on to a shelf.


    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± he said, struggling to stand back straight as he pulled a dusty bottle from the back of the shelf. ¡°What have we got here?¡±


    He wiped the side of the glass and squinted at the label.


    ¡°Ba¡­ bar¡­¡± he mouthed. ¡°Baba¡­ rum¡­ Babaurhum?¡±


    With a mix of confusion and curiosity on his face, the young man pulled on the top of the bottle to uncork it.


    ¡°Blargh!¡± he retched after taking a quick sniff at the liquid inside. ¡°It smells foul!¡±


    ¡°You really carry all the smarts between the two of you, don¡¯t you?¡± Balthazar jokingly said to the girl while Jack hurriedly put the cork back on and returned the bottle to where he had found it.


    ¡°Oh, goodness, don¡¯t even get me started,¡± she responded with a tired chuckle. ¡°I swear he would have died crushed under his own sword long ago if I didn¡¯t keep an eye on him all the time.¡±


    Balthazar laughed too. ¡°I believe it. And what¡¯s with that old helmet I let him have during the dragon attack? That thing is complete junk. Why hasn¡¯t he thrown it away yet? Did he get overly attached to it too, like with the sword?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Leah said with a roll of her eyes. ¡°At least not by choice. Remember how he bumped his head on some rocks when the dragon shot that fireball? Well, later when we tried to pull the helmet off to check his head, it wouldn¡¯t come off! It¡¯s dented on the front and stuck, and he now decided it¡¯s some kind of sign that it¡¯s going to be his legendary helmet, but really, I know he¡¯s just being a big baby and doesn¡¯t want to pull it out because it hurts when he tries.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?!¡± The crab stifled his laughter for a moment, before bursting out laughing at the revelation.


    ¡°Hey, Leah!¡± Jack called from the center of the room. ¡°Thunk¡¯s here too!¡±


    Behind the loincloth-wearing swordsman was a much larger figure of a woman in barbarian garments, a large keg in each of her hands, raised high as she let out a loud grunt of celebration and ale rained down on the smiling farmer boy standing under her.


    Leah sighed and shook her head gently. ¡°I should get back before he does something stupid.¡±


    Balthazar nodded and let her take her leave as he stayed behind, watching the merry adventurers from the side.


    As the flames of the fire pit danced under the night sky, so did the visitors, their singing and cheering carried away by the chilly breeze along with the flying embers.


    While his heart still ached for those that were missing from that night, a part of him also felt a comforting joy he was not yet used to.


    Things were not right yet, but they were going to be. He just knew it.


    The crab enjoyed the celebrations as the night went on, partaking in the lemonade drinking and story sharing here and there, but staying away from the dancing. There were some lines he would still not cross.


    Long as the night went, it felt like a fleeting moment to the crab that tried to drink in as much of it as he could.


    There was no telling when he would be back, and as strange as it was to him, he realized now that he would miss it.

 Chapter 99: Stepping Away

    The sun hid behind dark clouds and a cold breeze blew over the surface of the pond. Toppled across the water was what remained of an old and rugged acacia tree, bridging the shore to a pile of rocks and dirt still spilled over the mountainside cliffs. The sounds of the harsh wind mixed with the peaceful melody of the water that still rolled down from the snowy mountain, feeding what parts of the pond hadn¡¯t been covered with rubble.


    Right by the edge of the pond sat a giant crab, murmuring to himself as he dutifully counted coins one by one from a pile and into his Bag of Holding Money.


    ¡°Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-five¡­ Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-six...¡±


    Of all the many things Balthazar was missing about the system, one he had not expected was the ability to know exactly how much coin he had at a glance. It seemed counting money was an enjoyable activity only when you weren¡¯t doing it out of necessity.


    ¡°Ten thousand and one.¡±


    The merchant let out a short chuckle. He had previously wondered if the system would give him some kind of reward or title for reaching ten thousand gold coins, or at what amount of trades made he would reach a higher rank of merchant, but it seemed like he would not get his answer. At least not yet.


    ¡°Well, hopefully this will be enough.¡±


    As much as Balthazar was averse to spending money, he knew his trip would come with costs, and as hard to admit as it was for such a proud crab, he had absolutely no experience traveling, so all he could hope for was that his small fortune wouldn¡¯t run out before he could get his friends back.


    ¡°I wonder if I can spend the night at an inn for free since I come with my own built-in roof¡­¡±


    A croaked shout pulled the crab from his pondering. ¡°Hey, Balthazar, Tristan¡¯s back from town!¡±


    He stood up and tied his magical coin purse back to the side of his shell before skittering back up to the bazaar. He had asked his now-official business associate to purchase some specific wares from town that he would need for his trip, and was eager to see if Tristan had gotten everything.


    ¡°Good morning, partner!¡± the cheerful man greeted.


    Next to him, on the counter, was a very large backpack that looked already half full.


    ¡°Hey Tristan,¡± Balthazar said, his gaze fixed on the peculiar bag. ¡°That¡¯s an interesting backpack you got there.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Tristan said with a sly smile. ¡°I know you only asked for a bag you could take some things in and that wouldn¡¯t encumber your¡­ unique body shape, but Henrietta and I were talking last night and we both agreed you deserved something a little better.¡±


    The crab raised his eye stalks with curiosity.


    ¡°You remember my little Bag of Holding?¡± the toad said, hopping up onto the counter¡¯s surface, next to the strange backpack. ¡°You know, the green one I got from Antoine to carry my wares when he had me compete with your business and¡­ well, I¡¯m sure you know the one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember,¡± the curious crustacean confirmed.


    ¡°Well,¡± Tristan continued, ¡°we thought it would be very useful for you to have something like that to carry your stuff during your trip.¡±


    ¡°But since my bag wouldn¡¯t really quite fit your needs,¡± Henrietta carried on, ¡°Tristan took it up to town and had an artisan friend of his rework it into a larger backpack, specifically suited for a giant crab to wear on his shell. Don¡¯t worry, we both agreed you¡¯d prefer it dyed a different color too!¡±


    Balthazar looked over the bag with surprise in his face. It was a wide backpack, clearly made to fit over his large shell, with straps that could reach over his pincers and fit under his arms. The body of the bag was made up of several patches of leather dyed gray, nearly matching his own chitin, and despite its irregular patchwork design, he found it to look simply¡­ perfect.


    ¡°Guys¡­¡± the crab said hesitantly. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to. This must have been pretty expensive.¡±


    ¡°Oh shush it, you!¡± Henrietta told him, a large smile plastered across her wide face. ¡°For once, try not to think about money. This is what friends do for each other, if you didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Tristan. ¡°Besides, I still know some people and carry some favor here and there. It was no big deal.¡± He gave the crab a playful nudge and a wink. ¡°I already put all the other things you wanted from town in there. It doesn¡¯t have infinite space, but you should still be able to carry plenty of stuff in there!¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± said the toad, ¡°we figured that going traveling will not stop you from being a trader, and you will want to make deals out there, so we already told Druma to sort out some items from the bazaar¡¯s stock for you to take with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say,¡± Balthazar awkwardly said. ¡°You guys really thought of everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s part of our job now!¡± Henrietta said, before lifting her gaze behind the crab. ¡°How about you just say thank you and then go talk to your visitor there? I¡¯m sure you two have a lot to discuss.¡±


    Balthazar turned around to see who she was talking about.


    A man¡¯s figure was tentatively stepping into the bazaar through the front doorway. Donning a long green traveling cloak, the young man pulled its hood down to reveal a head of hay-colored hair tightly tied into a short ponytail, and a familiar face that looked slightly more weathered and rough than the crab remembered, in part because of the grown-out facial hair covering it.


    Rye looked at the group across the bazaar and greeted them in a quiet tone. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, guys,¡± Balthazar said to his two partners without turning his gaze from Rye. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    The crab crossed the distance separating them slowly, the walk feeling like a weight growing heavier over his shell.


    Rye and him and not spoken since the dragon had taken Madeleine, when the other adventurers carried him to town along with the other wounded, and Balthazar did not know what to expect from the young man, or how they stood after what had happened that day.


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    ¡°Hey, Rye,¡± the crab sheepishly said.


    ¡°I heard some guys from the guild threw you a big party here last night,¡± the archer said. ¡°I was out of town. Was on my way back this morning and some adventurers I encountered on the road told me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, they said they wanted to give me a proper send-off before I left, but I¡¯m pretty sure they just wanted an excuse to drink and be loud.¡±


    ¡°Before you left?¡± Rye repeated, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re going somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the awkward crustacean said. ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t know it, of course. I¡¯m going on a trip.¡±


    ¡°You? On a trip? As in, outside of your pond?¡± said the increasingly incredulous adventurer. ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not entirely sure yet. The destination isn¡¯t clear yet, only the objective.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°I need to find an old wizard, Tweedus. He¡¯s my only lead on how I could bring Bouldy back to life.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the archer quietly said.


    ¡°I also made a promise to Henrietta that I would find that damnable witch, Velvet, and find a way to reverse her curse. And I¡­ I¡­¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyes drifted towards the floor and the words stumbled in his mouth for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to look for the dragon¡¯s lair and get Madeleine back,¡± Balthazar finally said, without looking at Rye. ¡°I know it was my fault. Both because it was my actions that lead the dragon here, and because I stood like a useless sack of shells doing nothing when it took her. I know you must have no reason to put any faith in a stupid crab doing this, and maybe I am stupid for thinking I can, but I promise you I will do everything in my power to find her.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eye stalks glanced up at the young man as he stood silent for a painfully long moment.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Rye started hesitantly. ¡°You think I blame you for Madeleine?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness, that¡¯s a relief!¡±


    The archer exhaled quickly and sharply, as if he had been holding his breath since the moment he had arrived.


    ¡°I thought you blamed me, Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed the crab. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it was my fault,¡± said the young man with a sorrowful expression. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be an adventurer, a fighter, the one with the bow and who saves the day. It was my job to protect her, and I¡­ I failed. I was completely useless. I watched that dragon take her away while being powerless to do anything about it. I let her down, I let you down¡­ I let myself down.¡±


    This time it was the human¡¯s turn to stare at the floorboards as if they were the only ones not judging him.


    ¡°Rye,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°you couldn¡¯t have done anything. You were wounded, your bow was broken, and if a hundred adventurers out there could not stop a dragon of that level, what could you have done?¡±


    Rye glanced up at Balthazar.


    ¡°Then why do you blame yourself? It¡¯s not like you could have done much either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different, damn it!¡± the crab exclaimed, throwing his pincers up in frustration.


    Rye let out a chuckle while looking at Balthazar from the corner of his eye, and soon after, the crab joined him as they both laughed at each other¡¯s misfortunes.


    ¡°You know,¡± Rye said, ¡°I was also planning to go hunt for that dragon. I went out there to gain some levels, practice, and try to get my head back on straight before starting my journey.¡±


    ¡°That explains the new bow,¡± Balthazar remarked, looking up at the weapon on the young man¡¯s back.


    It was a longbow, much larger than his old one or even the ones hunters would usually carry when passing by from or to the Dark Forest, its tip nearly touching the ground, and the other going way past Rye¡¯s head. Tightly strapped to his back was also a quiver with arrows that seemed much thicker than what was usual to see used by archer adventurers.


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± the crab¡¯s friend said. ¡°I needed a new one after the other one snapped, and well, I figured I¡¯d need something with a bigger punch.¡±


    The crab nodded and another short moment of awkward silence settled between them until the human broke it.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going out there looking for the dragon, and so am I, do you think we should¡­ travel together?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Balthazar asked in surprise. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m no adventurer, or really much of a fighter. Aren¡¯t you worried I¡¯d slow you down?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly, of course not,¡± Rye said. ¡°To be completely honest, I¡¯m the one worried about going on this journey alone. For how long I¡¯ve been traveling these lands and exploring, I¡¯ve never really taken on many dangers or done anything this risky, so I¡¯d really feel better if I didn¡¯t have to go at it alone. I know, so much for being an adventurer, right?¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t sell yourself short. I¡¯ve known plenty of them, and I can safely say you¡¯re not half bad for an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ thanks, I think?¡± said Rye with a slightly uncertain frown.


    ¡°But you¡¯re right,¡± continued the crab, ¡°there is strength in numbers, and the higher the number, the better. Whether it¡¯s coins or how many of us go to rescue Madeleine. We¡¯re in!¡±


    ¡°We?¡± asked the archer.


    ¡°Druma and Blue are coming too. I was going to try and dissuade them, but I¡¯ve learned not to take battles I have no hope of winning.¡±


    Rye laughed. ¡°Smart. Then it¡¯s settled. A human, a crab, a goblin, and a drake setting out on a dragon hunt. I like our odds already.¡±


    ¡°Say, Rye,¡± said Balthazar, taking care to measure his words carefully. ¡°I know you and other adventurers don¡¯t really like to talk about¡­ these things, but I had a question for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked the intrigued young man.


    ¡°When you first arrived¡­ well, here, to these lands, do you remember where you were exactly?¡±


    ¡°You mean Star Beach?¡± said Rye. ¡°Everyone knows that¡¯s where all adventurers first arrive.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the crab, surprised at how easy it was to get his answer. ¡°And you think you could show me where that place is?¡±


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not hard to reach. It¡¯s right by the shore to the west. Why do you want to go there, though?¡±


    ¡°I have some¡­ business to take care of,¡± Balthazar said hesitantly. ¡°Do you know anything about scrolls? Scrolls involved in any kind of¡­ creation?¡±


    The young adventurer visually recoiled at the mention, and it was as if something painful tugged at the back of his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not sure I know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said with discomfort.


    ¡°Right, never mind then,¡± the crab quickly said. ¡°Forget I asked.¡±


    Unfortunately, it would seem the only way Balthazar would get any answers about the world¡¯s system would be through Ruby. He wondered how she seemed unaffected by whatever seemed to block every other adventurer when it came to touching certain sensitive subjects about how they all got there, when a voice called from the other side of the bazaar.


    ¡°Boss, boss! Druma finish packing stuff! Druma ready to go if boss is!¡±


    The small goblin assistant came running towards them, his oversized wizard hat bobbing up and down on his head and a tiny improvised backpack strapped to his torso. Closely behind came Blue, no hat or backpack, but fully recovered wings and shiny scales, her vivid golden eyes looking as healthy and determined as ever.


    ¡°Here you go, buddy,¡± Tristan said, approaching with the Backpack of Holding in his hands and Henrietta hopping alongside him. ¡°We finished packing it for you.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m as ready as I¡¯ll ever be,¡± Balthazar said with a deep breath as he strapped the backpack to his shell, surprised by how light it was. ¡°What about you, Rye?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no better time than now, I guess,¡± he responded. ¡°Although I still need to make a quick stop in town before leaving, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Ardville sounds like a good first place to visit, and it¡¯s about time I finally got to know the place.¡±


    Balthazar turned to face Tristan and Henrietta.


    ¡°I¡¯d say take good care of my pond while I¡¯m gone, but¡­¡± He looked over the place one last time and a bittersweet smile ran through his face briefly. ¡°Considering the state it got to on my watch, I think I¡¯ve learned enough to know it will be in good hands. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Good luck to you too, partner,¡± said Tristan with a pump of his fist. ¡°Give that dragon hell!¡±


    ¡°Be careful out there,¡± Henrietta said with a frank smile. ¡°And if you find that witch, give her some hell for me, too!¡±


    The crab nodded and turned to his goblin assistant and his young blue drake.


    ¡°You guys ready?¡±


    Blue gave him a single determined nod while Druma gave several vigorous ones that nearly made his hat fall off his head.


    Balthazar stepped out of the doorway and into the timid sunlight that was shining down on his little pond, with Rye already waiting for him on the dirt path.


    They gave each other an affirmative nod, and the crustacean looked at the road in front of him with excitement building up in the pit of his stomach, as well as a fair share of hunger for pastries.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find ourselves a baker!¡±


    And so the traveling merchant crab set off with his friends, ready to take on many adventures, the unknown world, and all the surprises that waited for them.

 The Crabs Index

    ?? Characters


    <h2>Balthazar</h2>


    The big crab himself. Or rather, the giant crab. Standing only half as tall as an adult human but twice as wide, Balthazar still stands proudly head and shoulders above the rest. Or at least he would, if he had an actual head and shoulders.


    With eight legs, two mighty pincers, and a pristine carapace of gray chitin, the crustacean is clever and oftentimes cunning, except for when his pride or lack of knowledge of the world gets in the way. Despite his best efforts, most who get to know him quickly realize that under that hard shell is a soft, kind heart hiding behind a crabby attitude and a lot of snark.


    Balthazar spent his whole life in the small area around his little pond, under the shade of a mountain and next to an old road crossing the vast plains. With no friends or even family, all the little crab knew growing up were the small fish in the water that he caught to eat, the surrounding boulders he napped on while sunbathing, and the pestering birds above that would swoop by to steal his food or simply annoy him.


    He had convinced himself that solitude was great, and that he did not need anyone else. His life of peace and quiet was perfect, other people were nothing but nuisances, and going out of your comfort zone to explore the outside world was for suckers.


    That all changed the day he touched a mysterious scroll, found out what coins were, and that pastries are delicious.


    <h2>Druma</h2>


    Level: 3


    A young goblin, small even by his kind¡¯s standards. Barely the size of a human child, Druma had found himself ostracized by his tribe, deemed too physically weak and too soft of temperament.


    He crossed paths with Balthazar while being used as an enslaved pack mule by an evil dark mage adventurer. Upset by the creature¡¯s misery, the crab swiftly talked his way into trading an old spell tome for the goblin.


    Since then Druma has become the merchant¡¯s loyal assistant, having gone from a sickly pale grayish tone to a much healthier green thanks to a rich diet of meat pies. The goblin is always seen wearing an oversized wizard hat that Balthazar gave him, and he dreams of one day being a real wizard.


    <h2>Bouldy</h2>


    Level: 30


    A stone golem, formed from Balthazar¡¯s favorite boulder near the pond when the crab used a rare Golem Core he obtained from a strange old wizard in exchange for just a couple of potions.


    His body is made up of gray stone and stands nearly three times the size of a human. The gentle giant has an unbreakable bond with the crab, having been his best (and only) friend growing up while still just an inanimate rock.


    His entire vocabulary seems to consist of just the word ¡°friend,¡± but what he lacks in words or intellect, he more than makes up for in raw strength and kind friendship for his friend and his friend¡¯s friends. Friends. ??


    <h2>Blue</h2>


    Level: 16


    Hatched from an old egg Balthazar traded from an adventurer along with a bottle of dodgy rum, she is a young drake with an attitude and enough sass to rival the merchant¡¯s own.


    She started small enough to fit in Madeleine¡¯s hands (who adores her and the drake adores her back), but has quickly grown several times that size, with no signs of being done yet. Her scales are a vivid blue (hence the name, because Balthazar is just that original at naming things) while the inner side of her wings and her eyes are a deep golden yellow.


    Despite drakes not being actual dragons (which are much larger and able to speak), she still has the typical pride of the draconic races, much to Balthazar¡¯s exasperation, as they both have to slowly learn to respect and work with each other.


    <h2>Madeleine</h2>


    Level: 4


    A local baker from Ardville, she may well be Balthazar¡¯s favorite person in the whole world, if we don¡¯t count himself, of course. The maker of the very first slice of pie the crab ever tasted, he made it his goal to find her out and have her come down to his pond to meet him.


    Fair-skinned, green-eyed, and with strawberry blonde hair usually tied into a braid, the kind hearted girl is ever the optimist, as sweet as her pies, and nothing fills her with more joy than watching people enjoying her baked goods. But when those she cares about are threatened, she will show there is also room in her heart for a lot of bravery as well. And that her rolling pin isn¡¯t just good for straightening dough.


    <h2>Rye</h2>


    Level: 12


    An adventurer, and one of the few that Balthazar seems to tolerate, perhaps even like.


    About as young as Madeleine, he is an archer, always seen carrying his bow and quiver, along with light clothing or armor to allow him to move swiftly, usually in green and white colors. His hair is a straw type of blond, tied back in a small ponytail, along with a light goatee, or at least an attempt at growing one, as far as Balthazar sees it.


    He has a clear crush on Madeleine, and the fact that the feeling is mutual is plain to see for Balthazar, his friends, and even the cobblestones on the road, but not for Rye. He¡¯s still trying to work out how to ask her.


    <h2>Tristan</h2>


    Level: 10


    Formerly the town drunk, the once disgraced merchant at the hands of his old business partner, Antoine, has found a new purpose as Balthazar¡¯s business partner.


    <h2>Henrietta</h2>


    Level: 9


    Once a woman who owned an inn in Ardville, she was cursed and turned into a toad by the witch Velvet at Antoine¡¯s request. Held captive by him and forced to work on ruining Balthazar¡¯s business, the amphibian and the crustacean eventually made peace, and she has become someone the crab trusts enough to look after his bazaar.


    <h2>Antoine</h2>


    Level: 12


    Balthazar¡¯s nemesis, he was the biggest merchant in Ardville, as well as the Guildmaster of their Merchant¡¯s Guild.


    Under his pompous and arrogant attitude, expensive fancy clothes, and irritating pencil mustache, he is little more than a conniving little man who cheated and backstabbed his way to the top, until the day he heard about a roadside crab making business nearby and made the mistake of trying to put a stop to it.


    <h2>Velvet</h2>


    Level: 42


    A witch who always wears black. Her age is unclear, as while she appears like a good-looking middle-aged woman, that is likely a magical ruse. She wants a leg or two from Balthazar for some unknown end, and claims to find him a great catch.


    <h2>Tweedus</h2>


    Level: 67


    A very old and apparently slightly senile wizard, Tweedus wears a long white beard down to his knees and a wizard attire seemingly put together at random. His mismatching eyes give him an even more lunatic look, but underneath it all, he seems far more powerful than most would guess.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    <h2>Jack & Leah</h2>


    Levels: 20 & 19


    An adventurer duo Balthazar met very early on and that later became regular visitors to his place. Jack refuses to let go of an enchanted (or perhaps cursed?) sword which becomes more powerful but also heavier the more he uses it, leading to him shedding more and more of his other equipment over time, to the point where he runs around almost naked, much to Leah¡¯s frustration, as she seems to be the reasonable one of the team, always watching over her companion¡¯s recklessness.


    <h2>John</h2>


    Level: 16


    An old carpenter from Ardville that helped with the construction of Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar, he is a simple man with a salt and pepper beard who always carries his trusty smoking pipe on his lip. Wiser than he lets through, the retired craftsman often has some sage advice to share, even if not in the most direct way.


    <h2>Tom</h2>


    Level: 5


    The skeleton merchant from a low level dungeon called Tudor¡¯s Hall. Wears an old ragged suit, wide-brim hat full of moth holes, and carries a large sack of loot on one shoulder together with a firefly lantern on a stick over the other. Fond of joking and of some dark humor, he has become both a good trading partner and confidant to the crab.


    <h2>Rob</h2>


    Level: 8


    A thief-class adventurer, who is not very good at thieving. Caught trying to steal from Balthazar once, the crab recruited him as an informant. He always appears hidden inside a fake bush. Whether that is purely for camouflage, or simply due to his cowardice, the crab isn¡¯t yet sure.


    <h2>Ruby</h2>


    Level: 32


    An enchantress, she visited the crab¡¯s trading post once, and seemed far more aware of the inner workings of the world than most other adventurers. She quickly figured out Balthazar¡¯s unique circumstances and took an interest in them as a possible key to revealing the mysteries of the system.


    <h2>Khargolmazornyamarz</h2>


    Level: 25


    Or just Khargol, he is the chieftain of the orcs and has become an ally to Balthazar. Stern, stoic, and strong, the impressive tribe leader has shown to also be sharp of mind and clever enough to stand against even the crab in a battle of wits.


    <h2>Burznarfuogol & Yaturwurtguthvarbu</h2>


    Levels: 15


    Khargol¡¯s two Warrior-brothers, usually seen accompanying him on his trips to the pond.


    <h2>Shagazurglamdushell</h2>


    Level: 20


    The orc tribe¡¯s elder shaman, brought to the pond by them to help with finding a cure to save Druma¡¯s life after a wolf attack. She is (apparently?) blind, but seems to see enough to tell there is something special and different about Balthazar, having left him with a cryptic warning after they met.


    <h2>Jorg¡¯ath</h2>


    Level: 22


    The envoy of the lizardfolk, another of the beastfolk tribes. Ceremonious and soft-spoken, he and Khargol seem to know each other for a long time and have a good relationship. This lizard commander wields a spear with great skill and appears to be a cunning tactician.


    <h2>Jazk</h2>


    Level: 20


    Jorg¡¯ath¡¯s watcher, she speaks little and is seen even less. Masterful at being stealthy, the purple-eyed shadowstalker is ever loyal to her commander, and together they flow in battle as one.


    <h2>Cletus</h2>


    Level: 6


    An unremarkable adventurer and regular client of Balthazar¡¯s who seems to have a strange thing for looting footwear.


    <h2>Hannabeth</h2>


    Level: 12


    A knight paladin adventurer who takes her rolepla¡­ her noble mission very seriously. Balthazar met her once when Druma was ill, and asked her to find petals of frostshade, which she immediately took as a quest to embark on, much to the crab¡¯s frustration.


    <h2>Abernathy</h2>


    Level: 15


    The initially dreaded tax officer from Ardville, Balthazar eventually came to learn he was not as terrible as his position would lead to believe. The elderly man wears a small pair of thinly-framed glasses, usually hanging on the tip of his nose, and despite being a stickler for rules and laws, a sugary treat or two seem to be enough to hit the sweet spot that softens him up.


    <h2>Mayor Bergen</h2>


    Level: Unknown


    A loud and proud bear of a man, the mayor of Ardville is a no-nonsense type of leader who doesn¡¯t seem afraid to get his hands dirty and his boots in the mud when it comes to getting business done. He visited the crab at his pond once and in their short meeting left the crab with an alliance, a trade deal, and a few degrees of deafness.


    <h2>The Stranger</h2>


    Level: ???


    An (apparent) human adventurer who passed by Balthazar¡¯s bazaar once, mostly covered in black rags and wrapped in many bandages. He left no name or much else in terms of information, except for a golden statuette and a fancy tale about how it used to belong to a dragon, a story Balthazar instantly marked as a fabrication to make the item seem more valuable, just like the ones the crab would often make up himself.


    <h2>The Red Dragon</h2>


    Level: 75


    Dragons had not been seen in the land for generations, until this one showed up flying over Ardville and Balthazar¡¯s pond, looking for a certain statuette that had been stolen from its hoard. In the end, the creature took Madeleine in its clutches as a replacement.


    <h2>The Crow</h2>


    Level: does it even have one??


    A mysterious talking bird who showed up to Balthazar one night. Clearly far more than just a common flying annoyance, this apparent ¡°manager¡± stripped the crab of his levels, skills, and system access due to all the chaos his unintended use of it was causing.


    <hr>


    ?? Places


    <h2>Heartha</h2>


    The name of the world where Balthazar¡¯s tale takes place.


    <h2>Boulders Point</h2>


    The official name given to Balthazar¡¯s territory by him during the crab¡¯s first meeting with Ardville¡¯s mayor.


    <h2>Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar</h2>


    The name of the crab¡¯s trading post by the pond.


    <h2>Ardville</h2>


    The neighboring human town near Balthazar¡¯s pond.


    <h2>Semla Mountain</h2>


    The snow-capped mountain over the crab¡¯s pond from which its waters flow.


    <h2>Black Forest</h2>


    The dense forest directly south of the pond.


    <h2>Tudor¡¯s Hall</h2>


    A low level beginner dungeon, home of the skeleton merchant Tom and his many bony friends.


    <h2>Star Beach</h2>


    A small deserted beach on the coast west of the pond, past the plains, and apparently where every new adventurer first appears upon entering Heartha.


    <hr>


    ?? Things


    <h2>Adventurers</h2>


    Humans who took on a life of adventure, questing, and looting, these strangers from unknown lands seem to be the only ones gifted with the ability to level up, gain special skills, and use some kind of ¡°system¡± only they can see. Mostly regarded as special and respected heroes, nobody really knows how or why they are on Heartha, not even themselves, their memories always mysteriously hazy about the details of their old lives and whatever happened that got them here.


    <h2>Locals</h2>


    Anyone who isn¡¯t an adventurer and is native to the world of Heartha is a ¡°local.¡± Usually oblivious to anything to do with ¡°systems¡± or any such adventurer business, one of their other defining characteristics is the inability to gain levels, unlike adventurers.


    <h2>Scroll of Character Creation</h2>


    A mysterious piece of parchment with the power to let new adventurers (or, you know, a crab) pick their attributes, classes, and skills, in order to start their adventurer journey.


    <h2>System</h2>


    The strange text in Balthazar¡¯s eyes that provides information on his levels, stats, skills, etc. Only intended for adventurers, the consequences of its use by a local crab are apparently unpredictable, even for those managing it from behind the veil.


    <h2>Imbuing</h2>


    A skill Balthazar gained early on, which allowed him to give his shell golden properties, boosting his charisma, as well as silver for his left pincer and iron for the right one. Apparently, this skill was quite broken in the old system and its effects would never expire as intended.


    <h2>Babaurhum</h2>


    A supposedly rare bottle of rum that Balthazar traded at one point from a wandering adventurer. It has a terrible smell and, despite how many times it has passed the hands of so many characters, none of them have ever actually tasted it, and so it keeps turning up around the crab''s place, always unconsumed.


    <h2>Gold Coins</h2>


    Also known as crowns, they are the currency of the land. Balthazar loves coins, both because he found he could purchase pies with them, and because they are shiny, and the crab loves shiny.


    <h2>Pie</h2>


    Delicious.

 Chapter 100: The Road Not So Far, Part 1

    It was a bright morning despite the autumnal season, with hardly a cloud in the sky, a warm sunshine that felt pleasant on the skin¡ªor chitin¡ªand a gentle breeze that caressed the senses.


    It was the perfect weather for a walk, and on the old road between the town of Ardville and a certain pond, a peculiar figure came along.


    Cardisoma gigas, also commonly known as a giant crab, or simply Balthazar to his friends.


    This magnificent specimen, with his shiny gray carapace and impressive pincers, was quite unique. For not only was he a talking crustacean, but also a merchant. Even more unusual for a crab, he was also gifted with a variety of friends.


    Three of those friends came along on the road with him on that particular morning: Rye, Druma, and Blue.


    As Balthazar walked up the road to the neighboring town, his shell filled up with questions, doubts, and worries. Despite having lived right next to it his whole life, this would be his first time visiting that place. Or any place outside his pond, for that matter. Everything felt new, exciting¡­ and also a little scary.


    He was now a crab on the road, looking for a baker, but his journey had started long ago, when he was a crab next to a road, looking for a baker.


    To the untrained eye, it might seem like nothing much had changed, but that could not be furthest from the truth.


    Everything had changed.


    He now had friends, a family, even. He had purpose, plans that went beyond the next nap under the sun. Not only that, but he had found people and things he cared about, beyond just his collection of shiny stuff.


    He had learned that sometimes you only value something after you lose it.


    And it all started when the curious crab decided to touch a strange scroll.


    ***


    On that fateful day, anyone who might have been watching that unassuming pond in the middle of nowhere, next to an old road leading to who knows where, could not be faulted for missing its main inhabitant¡¯s presence, half buried under the sand and water, casually bubbling away as he sunbathed.


    Balthazar, the biggest crab in that pond. And also the only one, making him the winner of that competition by default. Which was fine by him, because he liked it that way. No one else around, other than the tiny fish in the water, but they were neither friends nor competitors, merely his next meal whenever the crab felt peckish.


    The proud crustacean also had visitors now and then, but none of them were ever invited guests, because if there was something Balthazar did not want, it was someone disturbing his peace and quiet.


    Birds were one such type of visitor, and they most certainly did not care for the crab¡¯s wishes of solitude. Loud, messy, and irritating, Balthazar detested them with great fervor. Especially when they would swoop down and steal his food, or even worse, soil his impeccable shell right after he was done shining it.


    The other type were humans. More precisely, adventurers. Also loud, often messy as well, and almost as irritating, this unique type of biped seemed to always be in a hurry to get to their next destination in order to do¡­ something. What exactly, the crab did not know or care to find out, so long as they¡¯d do it far away from his home. And for the most part, they usually did.


    Yet still, every so often, there would be those who¡¯d stick their nose into the crab¡¯s little slice of heaven, as if looking for something to do or loot. Most would quickly leave once they concluded there was no treasure to take or monster to slay, but sometimes there would be one who¡¯d test Balthazar¡¯s patience.


    That day had been one of those times.


    Down the road came a man, huffing and puffing, with his loot bag bursting at the seams. At first, the crab tried paying him no mind, but then the callous human did the one thing sure to set any peaceful crustacean off: he stepped on the half buried crab as if he was just a stone on his path.


    In crab culture, this is considered a grave disrespect.


    So, naturally, as any proper crustacean would, he responded with a swift pinch.


    What followed, as any of Balthazar¡¯s attorneys would remind you (had he any, which he doesn¡¯t, because he¡¯s definitely innocent), was entirely the human¡¯s fault.


    With the loot came the fall, as the extreme weight on his shoulders threw the adventurer off balance once he felt the snapping claw of karma wrap around his ankle.


    ¡°Well, serves him right!¡± declared Balthazar, as he let go of the man¡¯s leg.


    With his head meeting the rocks below, that one adventurer¡¯s days questing and looting were over, leaving behind a mess of random items scattered all over the crab¡¯s home, spilled from the stuffed pack.


    Among them was one that caught the innocent crab¡¯s eye: a rolled up scroll with a peculiar appeal to it.


    Ever the curious one, Balthazar dared touch it, and with a fright, his entire life would never be the same again.


    A mysterious system, strange stats, skills and levels, everything came barreling through the crab¡¯s life like a speeding truck, and he did not even know what a truck was!


    Soon enough Balthazar found himself cleaning up not one, but two dead adventurers off his front door, because for some odd reason those bothersome dunces could not stop dying all over his property, and what was worse, the strange new system in the crab¡¯s eyes insisted on crediting him for the deaths.


    On the bright side, they were leaving behind all manner of interesting trinkets and baubles, none more captivating to the crab than the ones he would come to know as coins. Shiny and golden, their glint appealed to the creature on a spiritual level. He loved and coveted them. A deep urge compelled him to acquire more of the beautiful circular things.


    But that would not be the crab¡¯s only source of desire for long, for soon after Balthazar had his first taste of something that would forever change his view of the world: pie.


    Sweet and delicious, the heavenly meal was also the very first time the crab traded something with humans, as he let go of a useless greatsword with a magical glow in exchange for a slice of two days old pie.


    An excellent deal he would forever remember fondly as one of his finest.


    This seemingly small action would lead to a chain of events that changed not only Balthazar¡¯s life, but the life of many more in his world.


    With the newly found goals in life of acquiring precious coin and delicious pie, the clever crustacean put in motion the plan of starting a mercantile business from his backyard, trading all the random junk he got from those silly adventurers to other equally silly adventurers at a profit, all while using that as a way to find the one he had learned could create the elusive pastries he so desired: a baker.


    With the aid of his new accessory, a fancy monocle he had retrieved¡ªand definitely not looted¡ªfrom one of the fallen adventurers, which allowed him to inspect and see information on both items and other beings, Balthazar carried on building his pile of junk and treasure.


    Soon enough the merchant met Rye, a young archer adventurer, who involuntarily volunteered by the crab¡¯s decree to go to the nearby town of Ardville and find the maker of pies.


    For you see, despite Balthazar¡¯s ardent desire for pies, he still firmly believed that going out into the world was for suckers, as clearly shown by all those foolish adventurers he¡¯d watch all day. The smart ones, like him, knew it best to just stay in your turf, your comfort zone, and have the world come to you, on your terms.


    And so it was, the baker came down to the pond, and Balthazar finally met the one responsible for the mouth-watering delicacy he had been dreaming about since that first day: Madeleine.


    Like butter on one of her pans, the young girl slowly softened up the hard-shelled crab with her sweet personality and equally sweet pastries, as he began seeing that perhaps not all humans were complete nuisances.


    With coin in his pocket and pie in his stomach, things were going smoothly for the aspiring merchant, but he was still alone as the sole resident of that pond and its expanding stock of adventurer junk. Not that he would ever admit to that being a problem, not back then, at least. No, solitude suited him just fine.


    But a helping hand or two with all the hard work around the place sure would come in handy. Especially considering that was the one thing he lacked: hands.


    Enter the goblin. Not a foul, nasty goblin throwing rocks off the cliffs above the pond, like the ones Balthazar was used to seeing sometimes. Or even a lone goblin that came willingly through the road. No, this goblin was not on the crab¡¯s doorstep out of his own will, nor was he there to be hostile. This goblin, small, frail, and scared, came along with an adventurer. Not an aloof and goofy adventurer like all the others, this one was worse, much worse. A dark mage with silver in his hair and malice in his eyes, the human had captured the goblin and enslaved him with a magical collar, making the creature his pack mule to carry his loot.


    Balthazar had always cared little for anyone who wasn¡¯t himself¡ªin great part because there had never been anyone else but himself in his life¡ªbut seeing the small creature in that sorry state, the hurt in his eyes, and the cruelty of someone who¡¯d inflict it on someone else, it compelled the crab to do something about it.


    Were he one of those reckless adventurers, always thinking themselves the heroes, this would have been the part where he¡¯d put his claws up and gotten into an honorable duel with the dark mage.


    And he would have likely been a dead crab.


    Thankfully, the merchant was a shrewd businesscrab, and with a few waggles of his tongue he soon convinced the mage to trade him the goblin in exchange for some old spell tome the crab had no use for.


    ¡°Crab free Druma from evil man,¡± the goblin said while devouring the beef jerky the merchant offered him. ¡°If crab give Druma meat, Druma follow crab now.¡±


    And just like that, the crab found himself one loyal assistant called Druma, and the small goblin who was too weak to remain in his tribe found a new home with the merchant, and soon after, all the meat pies he could eat from the baker.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Not all would be sunshine and pastries, however, as more fiends would soon cross paths with Balthazar. None likely as despicable as the merchant master of Ardville, Antoine.


    The irritating little man and his irritating little pencil mustache came strolling down the road one day. Pompous and with his nose held high, the local merchant presented himself to the crab, who could tell from afar what kind of nuisance was coming his way.


    ¡°I am Antoine, and as you must know by now, I am the largest trader of goods in Ardville, owner of Antoine¡¯s Emporium, as well as the local master of the Merchant¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of you,¡± Balthazar casually said, much to the man¡¯s ire.


    The back and forth continued as Antoine attempted to intimidate the crab, while Balthazar kept on greatly enjoying frustrating the arrogant merchant.


    ¡°I assure you, if you ever were to visit the emporium in town, you¡¯d understand how none of¡­ this can really compare to a proper fine establishment. Not that the guardsmen would ever allow you through the gates, of course. Any unpleasant creatures attempting to enter the city would promptly be dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, how will you ever go back home now,¡± Balthazar said, in his most casual and in no way sarcastic tone.


    After being thoroughly served by the crustacean, the begrudging guildmaster eventually left, but not without ill intentions, and as the crab would soon learn, Antoine was going to be a major pain in the shell.


    Thankfully, Balthazar would not have to face all those adversities alone, as his group of close friends continued to grow and become stronger. One could even say, as strong as stone.


    As used to seeing weird adventurers every day as the crab was, one particular old man still managed to stand out as one of the strangest to ever visit his pond. The elderly man was a wizard, and as Balthazar would only much later on learn, his name was Tweedus.


    Highly energetic and quite outspoken, Tweedus did not seem to play with a full deck, and yet the crab could tell the loony old man had power like no other adventurer he had met before.


    After much rambling and shouting, the wizard departed just like he had arrived, out of thin air, leaving the crab two mana potions lighter, but one Golem Core richer.


    At first, Balthazar was unsure what to do with the strange artifact, but after some pondering and book reading¡ªa habit the crab had recently picked up and grown quite fond of¡ªhe set out to try using the odd orb on a boulder near the water.


    This was no ordinary old rock, however. This boulder was Balthazar¡¯s favorite spot in the whole wide world (which is to say, the pond and its immediate surroundings). Growing up, the crab had elected it the perfect spot to rest on while sunbathing, and alone as he always was, the small crustacean had developed a habit of telling the lifeless hunk of mineral all about his day and his most inner thoughts.


    The boulder had been his pretend best friend growing up, and soon it would become his real best friend.


    With great focus and fond memories put into it, Balthazar infused the core into the rock, and with a rumble, a golem rose from the earth, formed by the stone and bound to the crab by friendship.


    His name was Bouldy, and he always said everything he needed through the single word he knew: ¡°Friend.¡±


    With a goblin and a golem by his side, Balthazar had a party going. There was just one more member missing. One the merchant did not expect to come into his life, but as is often the case with these things, a surprise child just happens.


    Not that the charismatic crab was out there courting lady crabs and getting up to some certain type of action, no, his only love interests were the coins hidden beneath his sleeping spot. This child was not a baby crab, but rather a baby drake.


    Hatched from a petrified egg Balthazar purchased off a wandering adventurer, Blue, as he would come to name her due to her magnificent blue scales and his lack of creativity at naming things, was a small drakeling, barely larger than a rabbit the day she was born, who quickly grew in both size and attitude.


    Unlike with his two previous companions, Balthazar found himself having a much harder time getting along with his young ward. Perhaps unprepared to be a parental figure, or maybe just not used to dealing with someone as stubborn as him, their relationship started difficult and only after much headbutting and a little help from a wisely loony old wizard did they begin making progress through one of the surest ways to form a bond: a shared dislike for others they find displeasing.


    Little by little, the crab kept on earning the proud drake¡¯s respect, just as he continued to earn a reputation with adventurers all around the land.


    But with fame also comes trouble.


    There was Rob, the thief who tried to steal from the crab, and ended up receiving the harshest of punishments for it. Not the pinched hand when caught in the act, mind you, but the punishment of having to have to work for the crustacean. Truly a heavy sentence, but one the cowardly human who always appears hiding in a disguise bush eventually grew accustomed to, as he found that perhaps thieving wasn¡¯t his real vocation.


    Then there was Velvet, the enthralling witch that managed to make the crab flustered with her advances. Whether she truly sees the crab as a good catch or if the only thing she wants to catch are his legs for her cauldron, nobody really knows, but after nearly falling in her clutches, Balthazar wants nothing more than distance from the black-clad woman. Unfortunately for him, she does not seem like the type to give up easily.


    And if the crab did not already have enough non-pastries on his plate, even a group of mercenaries hired by Antoine came into the crab¡¯s pond to frame him for dealing in stolen goods, with the whole debacle eventually turning into an attempt on the merchant¡¯s life. What they did not account for was a loyal goblin and a powerful golem to get in their way, and Balthazar came out of it all with his reputation as spotless as his new golden shell.


    A golden shell that he got through an imbuing skill obtained from the strange system and its level ups, as the crab continued to gain experience not through monster slaying or questing like all those foolish adventurers out in the world, but by staying home and trading as he finally found the one class that suited him: Merchant.


    Annoying as its quirks often were, it was still hard even for the crab to deny how useful some of the system¡¯s perks were.


    A golden carapace increasing his charisma attribute, a silver pincer that gifted him with increased dexterity, and an iron claw that could crush things with great ease were just a few of the things Balthazar had gained in just a few weeks, along with the gift of speech, the ability to read, and so many other amazing things his past crab self would have never dreamed possible.


    As his levels increased and his business grew, the crustacean¡¯s mind opened to the world of possibilities out there. What it did not open to was the possibility to explore that vast world.


    Stubborn as always, Balthazar still refused to set foot outside his comfortable territory, and while he continued to find ways to prosper as a merchant without ever leaving his trading post, sooner or later something would happen that would force a choice on the crab.


    That came the day tragedy struck his little corner of paradise.


    Ever the skeptic, Balthazar had continuously refused to acknowledge the oddities that seemed to happen around him. First they seemed like pure coincidence, but over time it became apparent that far too often, things the crab simply made up as high tales to gullible adventurers would mysteriously turn out true.


    Almost as if the crab had some strange influence over the world around him¡­


    That unrecognized power proved dangerous the day a pack of wolves came prowling into the crab¡¯s lands, and in the battle, his loyal goblin assistant became gravely wounded.


    At a loss for what to do, Balthazar scrambled for something or someone that could help his friend as the sickness spread, but there was no one to turn to, out there, all alone in the middle of his lonesome domain.


    The crab would have to go out and find help himself.


    Finally, reality came crashing down on the proud crab: he had not refused to leave his pond all that time out of his own stubborn will, he had never left because he was simply unable to.


    His legs firmly stuck in place as if frozen, Balthazar was filled with a sense of dread and impending doom that kept him from leaving his pond¡¯s area, even if to help his suffering friend Druma as he battled for his life back home.


    He knew it was no regular fear or phobia, there was something more at play there. The system, the ever-present and frustrating system that had given him so much, was also responsible for many restrictions. Not only on the crab, but on the other locals and even adventurers of that world.


    Luckily for him¡ªand especially the goblin¡ªaid came from where he least expected: the orcs, who brought their wise shaman to the pond.


    Indeed, the world was not just made up of crabs and humans, there were other races, some even nearly as intelligent as a crustacean, if one can believe such myths.


    Unsurprisingly, not all of them possess the same charm as Balthazar, which meant they were not well seen by the humans, and often were hunted by adventurers.


    Truly the savage races.


    The humans, that is.


    Orcs, for example, were quite civilized, as it turns out.


    It was with great surprise that Balthazar first met a talking skeleton with a funny bone. Cheerful and fond of cracking jokes and joints, Tom was also a merchant, although a very different kind compared to the crab.


    ¡°Ah, fiddlesticks!¡± said the skeleton after having stumbled upon the crab¡¯s trading post on a gloomy night. ¡°I got lost again, didn¡¯t I? Wait, did you say trading post? There¡¯s a trader around these parts?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is. It¡¯s me!¡± said our crustacean.


    ¡°I¡¯m a trader too!¡± said Tom, pointing a bony fingertip at his own smiling skull.


    ¡°A merchant skeleton?¡± an incredulous Balthazar asked. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich, coming from a talking crab who also fancies himself a merchant!¡±


    The emissary of a nearby dungeon, the undead merchant was tasked with skulking through the night, visiting other non-humans communities, selling off the items that unlucky adventurers would leave behind in their halls, usually after also leaving their own lives during a foolish bid for more loot that sat across a very obvious spike trap or poison-filled moat.


    Game recognizes game, or whatever some adventurers were fond of saying sometimes, and the crab could relate to the art of turning the junk adventurers shed on the daily into a profit, and since the skeleton was hardly competition to him, they agreed to set on a mutually beneficial business relationship, which in time turned into a fond friendship.


    And with that door wide open, it was a matter of time until Balthazar established contacts with other races.


    Such as the orc tribe, in the form of their chieftain Khargol, and later the lizardfolk, through their envoy, Jorg¡¯ath.


    After some initial tension and the crab¡¯s usual social awkwardness, they all came to respect one another, and alliances were formed.


    The modest crab that started with a tarp on the ground next to the road had quickly grown into a mercantile giant, and his place of work needed to match his status. Lovely as that home was, it was not the most suitable place to do his business. Not when his business was making gold.


    And thus, John the carpenter arrived at Balthazar¡¯s trading post.


    A local from Ardville, the semi-retired craftsman proved wise enough to instill some reason into the crab¡¯s shell, as well as great curiosity as to how in the world the old man was building and upgrading the crab¡¯s abode so quickly and without him ever seeing any of the actual work.


    A mystery still not fully unwrapped, the pipe-smoking human came to be yet another figure Balthazar respected enough to bring around whenever he needed his mastery.


    However, not all old humans that came around the merchant¡¯s place would be as well received as the carpenter, for there was one the crab feared. One truly abominable being that represented what Balthazar could not even conceive in his worst nightmares: taxes.


    Abernathy, the taxman from Ardville, came down to the crab¡¯s pond one dark day, tipped off by Antoine in one of his dirtiest plots.


    In a fright and sweating through the pores he did not even have, Balthazar shook in his shell, suddenly faced with someone inspecting his business and earnings up close, and threatening to take a chunk of them away.


    The bane of every merchant, the spine-chilling taxman was a stiff, uncompromising, and sharp figure, but Balthazar was not one to throw in the towel so easily. Not only because he was no quitter, but because towels were valuable goods that you should always have around to sell, even if slightly used.


    Soon the shrewd crab found this dangerous opponent¡¯s weak spot, which happened to be not too dissimilar to his own: pastries.


    With a sweet tooth that could overcome his better judgment, Abernathy quickly fell to taking Balthazar into his good graces for long enough to allow the crab to regroup and strategize.


    As fate would have it, his fears had been for naught, as his dreaded opponent''s power had one fatal flaw: territorial borders.


    Bound by their own laws, the human was left disarmed on his second visit to the pond when the crab schooled him on geography and revealed to the taxman that the place where they stood did not, in fact, belong to Ardville, or anyone at all.


    Not as terrible as the merchant initially thought, Abernathy honorably conceded to having been bested, and the two departed on better terms than the crab could have ever expected.


    Balthazar was, as he always had been, his own boss, his own governor, and the owner of his own fate.


    Or so he liked to think, but from a lady in ruby colors and a stranger in black rags, to a dragon with red scales and a mage with dark intentions, there was much yet to happen before Balthazar could finally take hold of his own fate and set out of his little pond.


    And for it all to happen, the crab would have to get some answers from the mysterious scarlet enchantress¡­

 Chapter 100.5: The Road Not So Far, Part 2

    Headstrong as Balthazar was, the fact remained, that he was bound to his little pond, his home and shelter, his beloved territory, but now also a prison. As much as the crab tried to disregard that fact, reminders of the bigger picture at hand continued to emerge.


    One key player in this whole chessboard where the crab was both king and pawn (but never prawn), was Ruby, the elusive enchantress.


    Mysterious and cryptic, this adventurer was not like the others, and her first and so far only encounter with Balthazar left him with few answers and even more questions.


    ¡°You know more than you should, don¡¯t you?¡± said the woman to the crab.


    ¡°Sounds to me like maybe you¡¯re the one looking to know more than you should,¡± the crab retorted with defiance. If she was going to press him for information, he was going to do the same to her. Or at the very least attempt to.


    Her eyebrows rose.


    ¡°Maybe we have something in common there.¡± A hint of a smile appeared on the corner of her lips. ¡°Tell me, what do you know about adventurers?¡±


    ¡°I know most of you are a pain in my backside all day. Why?¡±


    Balthazar would come to learn that adventurers did not just stand out from all the locals because they were mostly, well¡­ idiots, but also because they were, in fact, not from that world.


    The most intriguing aspect, however, was that not even they seemed fully aware of that fact, or worse, how they came to be in that place. As if due to some strange mental haze, each one of them was happily frolicking about, doing quests, looting, and being a general nuisance while completely ignoring the large chunk of their own memory that was missing.


    One could almost feel sorry for them. Key word being almost. Balthazar wasn¡¯t feeling that generous quite yet.


    But Ruby was an exception. She did not seem entirely affected by this supposed mind haze. She was much more aware of the ruse at hand, and seemed to be on a mission to lift the veil and reveal what was really going on in the world, who was behind the whole scheme, and why did it matter so much that adventurers leveled up.


    All of that was well and good, perhaps it would even make good material for some story book that Balthazar would never bother reading, because industrious crabs like him have no time for silly fantasy tales like that, but what the crustacean failed to see was what any of it had to do with him, or why should he care.


    Little did he know, he was at the very center of it all since the day he touched what he shouldn¡¯t and forever messed with the natural order of things.


    That order being that crabs should stay in their ponds, pinching fish away for breakfast and making bubbles, not developing speech skills, leveling up, and making a mess through their mercantile shenanigans.


    And his misadventures had not gone completely unnoticed by the powers that be, as he would one day learn.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t understand,¡± Ruby said to him. ¡°Part of you is still clinging to the comfort of your routine, the safety of sticking to your assigned role. You cannot ignore it forever. The question is there, eventually you will want answers too. If only¡ª¡±


    She paused, her eyes looking up at the sky, where a flock of birds was passing.


    Balthazar followed her gaze, and saw a handful of the pesky creatures breaking away from the group and perching themselves up on the branches of his tree, looking in their direction.


    ¡°Stupid little pests!¡± the crab complained, attempting to shoo the creatures away with a towel in his pincer.


    ¡°Yes, an annoyance, indeed,¡± the enchantress said, her eyes still fixed on the birds.


    Suddenly, she leaned down very close to the crab''s face and spoke in a quick and hushed tone. ¡°Be mindful of whom you discuss these things with. You cannot be sure if they are friend or foe, and even if the former, simply making them aware of more than they are supposed to know could put them in great danger.¡±


    As quickly as she leaned, she returned to her straight posture and changed demeanor back to an indifferent tone.


    ¡°It would seem you¡¯re too preoccupied at the moment, and my time is also scarce. I truly wish you will come around regarding what we¡¯ve discussed, and that perhaps next time we meet, it shall be under more agreeable circumstances. Farewell.¡±


    As much as Balthazar just wanted to be left to his own little bubble of the world, collecting his coin and eating his pastries, trouble just seemed to follow him. Which wasn¡¯t too difficult, given how he was always in the same place.


    A place which, despite all the friends and acquaintances he had made over the passing months, was still becoming too much for a sole crab to handle alone.


    Prideful as he was, the crab would still sooner or later have to concede to the idea that others were a necessary annoyance.


    Luckily for him, those annoyances came in the form of a town drunk and a toad.


    One came stumbling down the road into the crab¡¯s life one sunny day, down on his luck and up on his cups. After much confusion and drunken rambling, Balthazar came to learn this seemingly drunk fool was Tristan, Antoine¡¯s former business partner, whom the now guildmaster had betrayed in order to rise in Ardville¡¯s rankings.


    Never one to waste an opportunity that rolls onto his doorstep, the crustacean saw in this the potential to hit back at his nemesis. What he did not expect to find was that, underneath all the slurred speech and bad breath, the disgraced merchant was actually a competent and charming worker who could get a job done when given the chance.


    Reluctant as Balthazar was at first, Tristan would turn out to be the best business partner a crab could hope for, and it would teach a valuable lesson on helping others when they¡¯re down, because gratitude can sometimes get you what no amount of coin could ever buy.


    And if there¡¯s something the crab valued, it was something that saved him some coin.


    The other one was Henrietta, a toad that one day appeared out of nowhere on the other side of the road, setting up her own stall to sell goods to passing adventurers.


    Naturally, this touched a nerve with Balthazar, in what would certainly prove not his finest hour.


    Blinded by anger and envy at seeing his precious business threatened by another talking animal, the crab began taking more and more drastic measures to rid himself of the competition, going down a slippery slope that could easily land him right next to the likes of Antoine at the very bottom of the barrel of morals.


    Thankfully, Balthazar already had what the mustached merchant from Ardville lacked: friends who cared enough to pull him back from the fine line his eight legs were toeing.


    Finally coming to his senses after learning Henrietta¡¯s story, Balthazar chose to bury the hatchet and extend a helping claw to her instead.


    As it turned out, she was yet another victim of Antoine¡¯s foul deeds. Once a regular human lady, the owner of an inn in town dared to say no to a business takeover from the guildmaster, and ever the bitter loser, the fiend hired a certain witch by the name of Velvet to curse the woman into becoming a toad. Imprisoned by Antoine and forced to do his bidding if she ever wanted to return to her former self, Henrietta had long since lost hope of being helped, until Tristan and Balthazar showed her that she was not alone, and that together they could stand against their common enemy.


    With both his business and circle of allies growing, but also his enemies, Balthazar finally decided to embrace his new role in the world and bring those he trusted most together around a table.


    With the obligatory pie at its center, Balthazar sat down with his baker and her archer, his two new business partners, his trusty carpenter, the representatives of the orc and lizardfolk tribes, the skeleton merchant from Tudor¡¯s Hall, and even the sneaky thief from town that worked as his informant now.


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    After much discussion, what would come to be known as The Pie Council was formed, and plans were drawn to expand the crab¡¯s business into a full bazaar and market point, all while keeping everyone¡¯s guard up for the adversities that would no doubt come knocking at their doors.


    And knocking they came.


    One dark day, in dark clothing and dark semblance, a dark mage appeared at the crab¡¯s home with even darker intentions.


    Looking not for items or business, the silver-haired villain was the very same that once kept Druma in chains, now hired and sent to put an end to the crab by the coward Antoine, who had grown desperate to rid himself of the rising star stealing his thunder.


    And thunder was what echoed through the once calm pond, as the mage rained lightning and dark magic upon the recently finished bazaar, breaking wood and dreams as the crustacean ducked for cover and called on his companions for aid.


    Bouldy, ever the brave protector, ran to his friend¡¯s defense, but was quickly put out of the fight by the cunning spellcaster. Blue, too prideful to allow anyone who wasn¡¯t her to give the crab any trouble, jumped into the fray, but powerful as she was growing, the drake was still no match for the opponent they were being faced with, and she was badly wounded in their short confrontation.


    Out of options or hope, Balthazar watched as his home was wrecked, unable to put a stop to the rampage, and knowing that he would be next.


    But there was one more friend, one unassuming goblin no one would expect to ever be able to save the day, but that, seeing the man who once tormented him threatening to harm his boss, turned all his fear into bravery, his doubts into certainty, his weakness into his resolve, and putting on his oversized wizard hat, stood up to the evil mage.


    Met with laughter by the arrogant human, Druma took his shot.


    ¡°You leave Druma¡¯s boss alone!¡±


    The crab, the golem, the drake, even the mage himself, could only stare in awe as the runes carved on the wooden staff began glowing and, in a split second, a beam of bright green magic shot out of the diamond shaped crystal at its tip.


    Wielding the unassuming staff Tweedus had given him, the goblin struck his former enslaver with a devastating blast of raw magic, leaving the crab in shock, and the human in ashes.


    The silver lining after the silver-haired man¡¯s attack was that, at least, it finally led to Antoine¡¯s fall, as his manic outburst outside the bazaar after seeing his plans thwarted once again exposed his deeds to the mayor¡¯s right-hand, Abernathy, who promptly had him thrown into a jail cell.


    The bazaar was a mess, but Balthazar was just glad all his friends were safe, for he had finally started learning that happiness does not come purely from material things.


    That, however, did not mean the crustacean had grown completely immune to the allure of gold and shiny things.


    A stranger, face hidden and name not given, had come by the bazaar one fateful afternoon, wrapped in old rags and covered in bandages. Balthazar could have easily taken him for a beggar or someone not worth trading with, but when the strange figure presented him with a massive golden statuette, the crab¡¯s instincts kicked in, and he knew he needed to have it to go along with his collection of golden coins.


    The stranger told the merchant a tale about where the treasure had come from, that it used to belong to a dragon¡¯s hoard, and plenty more that Balthazar, ever the astute observer, recognized as likely being a made up story like the ones he¡¯d so often tell his customers. It mattered not, so long as he got his claws on the shiny new item.


    And so he did. The stranger left with his supplies, and the crab kept the statuette.


    If only Balthazar had known the regret this trade would bring him¡­


    Still reeling from the attack on his home, there was no time to even rebuild before an even bigger threat than the dark mage arrived at the pond.


    A red dragon, huge and powerful, flew above the town and then the pond, threatening any and all who watched from below, as it demanded its treasure be brought to it, along with the one who stole it.


    Ardville guards came and quickly fell, a mob of adventurers rushed at the beast only to be beaten back, and the dragon remained unharmed.


    ¡°You,¡± the dragon¡¯s voice echoed inside the bazaar. ¡°The thief I seek was here. I can still feel his faint smell from your shack.¡±


    ¡°Did that big lizard just call my place a shack?!¡± the outraged crab said.


    Balthazar soon realized what had brought the beast to those lands, the golden statuette he had traded, but it was all too late. The creature¡¯s rage could not be satisfied by words, not even the golden, honeyed words of the master negotiator in a golden shell. The dragon wanted payback, and nothing short of devastating destruction seemed like it would suffice.


    With everyone around him beaten, the crab saw the end coming. He had avoided taxes, but not death, it seemed.


    Between a rock and a hard place, it would be the rock who would save him.


    With one mighty punch that cracked his own chest, the golem bodyguard managed to knock out the red dragon as it unleashed its fire upon the crab, but in doing so, it set in motion an even bigger disaster.


    Rolling down the mountain over the pond was an avalanche, triggered by the impact of the fireball, and heading straight for the bazaar and its owner.


    Risking it all to save their friend, even Madeleine and Rye came to his aid, and when all seemed over for them, Bouldy made one more bold move that would be his last.


    Holding back the unrelenting tide of rocks, mud, and debris, Balthazar¡¯s first and best friend shielded the trio just long enough for them to make it to safety, before the avalanche overpowered him and the fissure in his chest fully broke as he gazed at them with one final smile.


    ¡°Friends,¡± uttered the golem with the last of his strength, before disappearing under the crumbling wreckage.


    This moment cracked Balthazar¡¯s once impenetrable carapace, and he felt real grief like he hadn¡¯t really known so far.


    But misfortunes never come singly, and before the dust had even settled, the slumbering dragon awakened, even more determined to put an end to the crab who dared stand in its way.


    All seemed lost, but bravery blossomed easily around the waters of that pond, and this time it was Madeleine¡¯s turn to say enough to it all.


    Standing between the dragon and the crab, she pleaded with all her heart for mercy for her friend, and whether by the purity of her actions, or purely by the dragon¡¯s greed, the creature took the girl¡¯s offer of self-sacrifice as a deal, and flew away with her in its clutches, to become part of his hoard as compensation for the lost piece, one golden statuette of a girl replaced by a girl with a golden heart.


    Unable to do anything, the wounded crab and the archer watched powerless as the baker kicked and screamed into the sunset, to parts unknown.


    In one single day, Balthazar lost two of the most important people in his life, and as far as he saw it, it was all his fault.


    The crab that started as a loner who believed he needed no one else in his life and that others were little more than nuisances was now broken, an empty golden shell of his former self.


    And when Balthazar thought his woes could not get worse, the ultimate insult appeared: a bird.


    But this was not just any bird, showing up to annoy the crab or steal his food. This one did something he could never expect. It spoke to him.


    Which shouldn¡¯t be that surprising to a talking crab, but it seems irony was not his biggest focus at that point.


    Finding himself suddenly rooted in place by some unseen force, Balthazar learned that this crow was somehow part of the group responsible for ¡°managing¡± the world he knew, and to them, the crab had finally crossed the line into becoming a threat to their plans and needed to be dealt with.


    Apparently seen as some kind of anomaly, Balthazar was stripped of his unintended system access by the bird and left with just a modicum of his abilities, as if some act of twisted mercy to him for having become such a beloved ¡°attraction¡± to the locals and adventurers.


    A lesser crab might have taken this as the final straw that broke his will, but not our merchant. Balthazar, perhaps ignited by his lifelong hatred for birds, swore on that night, as the crow flew away, that he would take everything he lost back.


    Done wallowing in self-pity, the no longer golden crab¡ªas the devious bird had taken even that from him¡ªset out to put together a plan of action.


    However, no plan would be of any good so long as he was still stuck to that pond, unable to leave. But Balthazar knew something was different, that something had changed on the night the bird went poking in his mind and scrubbed him of any access to the system.


    Something else was taken away with it, and when the crab put it to the test, he confirmed what he already suspected: whatever bound him to that area was gone.


    Whether it was really the system¡¯s influence or simply some other mental barrier in his mind, we may never know, but for the first time in a long while, Balthazar felt hopeful.


    And so he prepared.


    Leaving his precious bazaar in the hands of Henrietta and Tristan, and joining Rye, the merchant finally set out to the road, determined to do everything he could not before.


    Rescue Madeleine from the dragon¡¯s lair.


    Find a way to bring Bouldy¡¯s core back to life.


    Search for a way to reverse Henrietta¡¯s curse.


    Get his system back from the damnable bird.


    Meet Ruby and learn once and for all the truth behind his world.


    And of course, eat pie and make money.


    Because no matter what happened, Balthazar was, and would always be, a merchant crab.


    ***


    But before the now traveling merchant could go far, he would need to go somewhere much closer.


    Ardville, the town that had always been a stone¡¯s throw away from his pond but that he had not yet visited, would be the first stop on his journey.


    ¡°Alright, you guys wait here and keep watch while we¡¯re up there,¡± Balthazar said to Druma and Blue, as they settled down under the shade of a small hill by the road. ¡°I promise we won¡¯t be long.¡±


    As the crab and the archer walked up to the town gates, Balthazar could feel a bubbling feeling growing in his stomach. Either nerves or simply hunger, he chose to just ignore it and focus on getting inside before his will to go in escaped him.


    But as they approached the gate, that task proved not as easy as they expected.


    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± a town guardsman yelled as he rushed forward and placed the tip of his sharp spear in front of the crab¡¯s face. ¡°Not another step, monster!¡±

 Chapter 101: The Town of Ardville

    ¡°You ain¡¯t goin¡¯ nowhere!¡± said the gate guard, firmly pointing his spear at Balthazar threateningly.


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks crossed inwards, staring down at the sharp metal tip of the weapon pointed at him.


    ¡°Woah, woah, what¡¯s the matter here?¡± Rye said cautiously, raising both hands in front of his chest in a pleading manner.


    ¡°The matter?¡± said the frantic guardsman, eyes darting between the crab and the archer. ¡°The matter is that there¡¯s a dragon about! Haven¡¯t you heard?! I have strict orders to follow!¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes were now emoting an intrigued frown as he moved his gaze up to the jumpy man still rudely holding a weapon at him.


    ¡°I understand that,¡± said Rye in an attempt at sounding friendly and harmless, ¡°but surely you don¡¯t think we¡¯re a threat, right?¡±


    The guardsman nervously licked his lips as he readjusted his oval-shaped helmet away from his eyes.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t paid to think! My orders are to not let anyone accompanied by pet companions through, adventurer or not!¡±


    ¡°First of all, rude,¡± Balthazar calmly said, finally deciding to intervene. ¡°I assure you my companion Rye over here is very well-behaved and that I won¡¯t let him make any messes. Second, do you think we are secretly carrying a red dragon the size of a barn in our backpacks?¡±


    The guard gawked at the crab with his mouth ajar, chin trembling and lips twitching as if about to form a word, but no sound came out as the spear shook nervously in his grip.


    ¡°Did¡­¡± the stunned man finally mumbled after a moment. ¡°Did that crab just talk?!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing, you idiot?!¡± a voice shouted from behind the portcullis.


    Another guard, wearing a similar uniform as the first, came rushing out of the gate as it slowly rose to let him through.


    ¡°You bloody fool!¡± yelled the second guard, who sounded far more seasoned.


    He stretched an arm out, pointing at Balthazar. ¡°That¡¯s the merchant crab!¡±


    The younger guardsman¡¯s eyes went wide, and he quickly withdrew his spear back to his side.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I didn¡¯t know!¡± he stuttered, standing very upright. ¡°I never seen him before, only heard ¡®bout him! I thought¡­ I thought he was supposed to be a giant crab, or somethin¡¯!¡±


    The other guard made a stupefied face and shook his head as he stared at the younger colleague.


    ¡°I am a giant crab! How many crabs this size have you ever seen?¡± exclaimed Balthazar, who continued casually standing there, looking bigger than a goat.


    ¡°I¡­ never seen a crab before,¡± the young guard sheepishly admitted. ¡°Grew up in my pa¡¯s farm before this job, and we never got to even see the beach, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Just get out of here before I call the captain, for god¡¯s sake. I¡¯ll handle this,¡± the other guardsman said.


    The novice guard walked away, head down, spear dragging on the ground as he quietly mumbled to himself. ¡°How was I supposed to know that wasn¡¯t a weird dog wearing armor?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said the remaining guard, still shaking his head as he turned back to the two arrivals. ¡°They¡¯ve been recruiting new guards to reinforce the watch ever since the dragon attack, and I guess they¡¯re really scraping the bottom of the barrel now.¡±


    ¡°Heh, no worries,¡± said Rye with a nervous chuckle. ¡°It all ended well, anyway.¡±


    The guard turned his focus to Balthazar with a big smile on his face and, to the crab¡¯s surprise, brought a hand up to his forehead in a salute.


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to see you again, sir! I hope you remember me. We met before at your pond.¡±


    The crustacean stared at the man with his eyestalks raised and his mouth half open.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ yes, right, I definitely remember you,¡± Balthazar said, definitely not remembering the guard.


    It wasn¡¯t just that they all wore the same yellow uniform and identical brown armor, it was that to him, most humans simply looked the same.


    Not his fault that they lacked easily identifiable carapace shapes or unique underside patterns.


    ¡°You were the guard¡­¡± the crab continued, squinting at the man. ¡°At the pond¡­ That one time¡­ With the spear, and the¡­ uniform¡­¡±


    ¡°Right, exactly! The name¡¯s Quentin,¡± the guardsman proudly said. ¡°I was there to collect those ruffians that tried to attack and frame you for the stolen goods. And then again when we arrested Mr. Antoine, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that!¡± exclaimed Balthazar with a snap of his claw. ¡°Yep, I knew that.¡±


    ¡°I was there too during the charge at the dragon, third row from the back on the east side. I even had this helmet on.¡± He pointed at his oval headpiece, which looked identical to the one the guard before him had on, as well as every other guardsman Balthazar had ever seen. ¡°I tried waving at you from there, but I don¡¯t think you saw me.¡±


    ¡°Yeaaah¡­ must have been busy looking west when you waved, sorry. Anyway, can we go in or¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, right!¡± Quentin said, looking as if he had briefly forgotten where he was. ¡°Please, come on in. We had to enforce tighter rules on who comes and goes because these are dangerous times with everything going on, but a well-regarded figure like you, who scared away that fire breathing beast like you did, is more than welcome in our town.¡±


    Balthazar tried to force a quick smile as he averted his gaze, and the three of them began walking through the gate. He was still not comfortable with the reputation of having made the dragon retreat. Not because the crab was one to turn down free credit and respect, but because the memory of the event was still a fresh and painful scar in his mind, reminding him of what he had lost.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Bouldy, Madeleine, even the damnable system he had never wanted before.


    Balthazar shook his shell discreetly as he walked. He would not let those thoughts get to him anymore. They were not lost. He was going to get them all back.


    Despite everything the crab had gone through recently, after the initial turmoil passed, he was finding himself able to think much more clearly than ever before. Almost as if a weight had been lifted off his shell and the curtains around his mind had been pulled back.


    I can even hear myself think properly now! Balthazar thought to himself.


    No longer feeling bound to anything anymore, the clever crustacean was determined to achieve all of his goals. Come crow or dragon, nothing would stop him.


    ¡°Oi, stop right there!¡± a commanding voice ordered, snapping Balthazar back to reality.


    A middle-aged man, with a stern look on his face and wearing a more robust version of the guard uniform with no helmet, revealing a balding head, stepped out of a side door on the town walls. ¡°Who¡¯s this you¡¯re letting through, Quentin?¡±


    ¡°Captain!¡± the guard said, while standing straight and saluting his superior. ¡°It¡¯s the merchant crab, sir. He has come to visit our town.¡±


    ¡°Howdy,¡± Balthazar said, letting go of one of the straps of his backpack to give a friendly wave.


    ¡°Huh, that one I know,¡± the captain said, nodding at Rye, who nodded back in response. ¡°But I had never seen the famous crab around these parts.¡±


    He eyed the merchant up and down. ¡°I thought you were a hermit who never left his home.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m just a very busy entrepreneur, but sometimes it¡¯s important to make time to stretch your legs a little and see the sights. I heard so much about Ardville, figured it was time to see it for myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are pretty well renowned, and the Mayor himself says you are welcome in our town, but as the captain of the watch I¡¯m still going to tell you the same thing I¡¯d say to any other first-time visitor. Mind your manners, don¡¯t cause any trouble, and everything will be fine. Don¡¯t and I won¡¯t care if you¡¯re the merchant crab or the lobster prince. You get thrown in the brig all the same. Enjoy your stay.¡±


    And with that, the captain simply walked back through the door he had appeared from without another word.


    ¡°Well then, he¡¯s a warm greeter,¡± said the crab, turning back to Rye and Quentin.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind our captain too much,¡± said the guard. ¡°He¡¯s a stern but fair man, and with everything going on lately, he¡¯s a bit on edge. Back when I joined the watch, he even still had a full head of hair!¡±


    The trio walked a few more steps and exited the gate arch into the open street.


    ¡°Right, I need to get back to my post, but I¡¯m sure Rye over here can show you around,¡± Quentin said, hanging back by the wall. ¡°It was nice seeing you again, sir. Please let me know if I can be of assistance with something at any point.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Balthazar dismissively said as he turned away to the street.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be here all day if you need, just gotta ask anyone for me. My name¡¯s Quentin,¡± the enthusiastic guard yelled from the gate as the archer and crab walked away.


    As he turned around, the guardsman mumbled to himself. ¡°Quentin, you idiot, you had already told him your name. Now he¡¯s going to think you¡¯re a fool.¡±


    ¡°Friendly guy,¡± said Rye with a smile.


    ¡°A bit too pestering for my taste,¡± Balthazar replied, giving a slight eye roll.


    ¡°Come on now, he was just a little star-struck. You¡¯ve been the talk of the town for a while. Gotta get used to the attention. You¡¯re famous now!¡±


    The merchant groaned quietly. Fame and attention were a fine line between useful and annoying, and as much as Balthazar enjoyed the perks of being treated with the proper importance he deserved, at that moment, he was feeling too exposed and vulnerable for that.


    As he looked around, the crab saw streets heading in multiple directions and people busily going about their day, some rushing, some strolling through. Some pushing carts and wearing simple working clothes, others dressed fancy and passing by looking like they had not a care in the world.


    Towering above it all were houses, stores, small towers, and all manner of buildings Balthazar had only read and seen drawings of in his books. Compared to them, even his bazaar felt small and unimpressive.


    As he looked around at all the new people moving about, a squeeze in the pit of his stomach made the crab¡¯s breathing shake.


    ¡°Boy, this street sure is packed,¡± Balthazar said, nervously wiping the top of his shell with the back of his claw.


    ¡°It is?¡± said Rye, looking around at the townsfolk walking by and doing a quick headcount. ¡°There¡¯s like¡­ six or seven people here.¡±


    ¡°I hate crowds,¡± the crab muttered.


    The young man squinted at the merchant with a confused expression. ¡°How is half a dozen people a cro¡ª¡±


    ¡°So, are these castles?¡± Balthazar asked Rye, quickly trying to change the subject as his eyes continued nervously exploring the surroundings and avoiding the adventurer¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°What? No,¡± said the young man with a chuckle. ¡°This is just the commoner¡¯s quarter. Simple houses, some small stores and warehouses, along with the guardsmen areas.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the crab said, feeling far less giant now.


    ¡°I get it. It must be a little overwhelming. I forgot you¡¯ve never been to a town before. Come on, let¡¯s go this way. I think the first place you¡¯ll wanna see is the market.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes perked up at the mention of the word, and he promptly followed Rye through the largest street in front of them.


    There was no time for panic when there was market research to be done.


    As they exited into the wider area of the town¡¯s square, the crab¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw the hustling and bustling of the market, with its many stalls and carts orderly lined along the pathways, their owners calling out their wares and prices as the people browsed the stands and haggling happened all around.


    It was all Balthazar would have dreamed of if he had known it existed.


    The crab¡¯s starry eyes gazed through the square, taking in its many colors from all the fruits, the spices, and the many baubles on display. The sounds were like the most beautiful chorus he had ever heard. Prices being thrown around, coins clinking, and goods exchanging hands. It made the merchant¡¯s breathing shake just to stand amidst it all.


    As if not already overwhelmed enough, something even more potent reached his senses. An alluring smell the crab knew all too well, and that made his eyes widen.


    ¡°Pastries,¡± he whispered, legs trembling for a moment.


    Skittering off without a second thought, Balthazar chased the smell through the crowd.


    ¡°Hey, where you going?!¡± Rye¡¯s voice called from behind, his calls fading into the background cacophony of the crowd.


    Bumping knees and hips as he went, the excited crab pushed onwards, enticed by the growing aroma that beckoned him.


    Images of Madeleine¡¯s freshly baked pies and other pastries flashed through Balthazar¡¯s mind as his mouth watered.


    Just a taste. Please, just one little taste!


    The pastry withdrawal had been driving the merchant crazy, after an unbearably long time (which is to say, less than a week) without baked goods.


    ¡°Oof!¡± exclaimed the crab as he bounced back onto the ground.


    Blinded by his gluttony, Balthazar failed to see where he was going and headed face-first into some kind of unmovable object.


    The object, he found out as he lifted his gaze from the ground¡¯s cobblestones, was actually the massive leg of an equally massive man.


    Standing with his arms crossed and a face of someone who likely made new friends by threatening to choke them out, the apparent bodyguard stood next to another, much smaller figure.


    The small man turned around. He was wearing bright, extravagant clothing of clearly expensive quality, had a floppy hat with a single feather sticking out of it, and an absolutely ridiculous thinly trimmed style of facial hair.


    For a split second, Balthazar¡¯s heart sank.


    Antoine?!

 Chapter 102: Undesirables

    ¡°Disgusting creature!¡± exclaimed the small man, staring down at Balthazar with an air of contempt.


    As the crab stood back up, he gave the figure a closer look.


    The overly fancy and expensive clothes checked out, as did the terrible fashion style. The attitude was also clearly there. However, something else was missing.


    Wait a minute, that¡¯s a pencil goatee, not a pencil mustache!


    After overcoming his usual difficulties with telling humans apart, Balthazar breathed a sigh of relief. Moments like these made him miss his old monocle even more.


    ¡°Sorry about that, big guy,¡± the merchant said to the meat slab standing next to the smaller man. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you there¡­ as hard to believe as that is.¡±


    ¡°It talks!¡± the Antoine lookalike said in a disgusted squeak that felt like nails on chalkboard to the crab.


    ¡°Yes, so do you, unfortunately,¡± muttered Balthazar, wishing for once that he had ears too, so he could pull them out with his claws.


    ¡°Preposterous! How low the standards have fallen in this place. Back in the old days guards would never allow undesirables into this town.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, terrible, I can¡¯t imagine how you used to survive out there,¡± the crab said with casual snark. ¡°You sure remind me a lot of a certain former merchant.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Antoine?!¡± exclaimed the man in a high-pitched voice as his eyes widened.


    ¡°Ah, so you know the scumbag. Of course, it makes sense.¡± Balthazar eyed the strange man up and down once again. ¡°So what are you, his body double, number one fan, or what?¡±


    ¡°How dare you speak of our esteemed guildmaster like that, you foul beast!¡± the living squeaky toy said in a loud outrage. ¡°Oh, if he was still in charge around here things would be so very different!¡±


    ¡°Right, ass-kissing wannabe. Got it,¡± said Balthazar with a roll of his eyestalks.


    ¡°A talking crab with a disrespectful attitude¡­¡± muttered the man, eyes shooting daggers at the crustacean. ¡°Of course, it makes sense now. It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Balthazar, renowned merchant and bane of corrupt guildmasters, at your servi¡­ well, no, scratch that last part, I really wouldn¡¯t wanna service you.¡±


    ¡°Why, you petulant little¡­¡± said the angry little man, face turning red as his expression twisted with fuming anger.


    ¡°Amazing. The resemblance is almost uncanny. You even got the stupid facial hair down, even if you picked a different cut.¡±


    ¡°I should¡­ I should¡­¡± the blustering man said, his temper tantrum starting to attract the attention of the surrounding townsfolk.


    ¡°You should¡­ you should¡­ what?¡± Balthazar said defiantly, claws firmly held in front of himself.


    I don¡¯t need an iron claw to handle this kind of riff-raff.


    Pointing a finger at the crab, the nobleman turned to his side and yelled an order. ¡°Bruce, you saw this beast take charge at me. Seize him!¡±


    For a moment, Balthazar had forgotten about the bodyguard standing by the man¡¯s side, easy as it was to mistake him for a concrete pillar.


    Bruce stepped forward towards the crab, flexing his fists that the crab felt were closer to hams than hands.


    Ah crap, maybe I do miss my iron claw.


    As Balthazar opened his mouth to try and talk the brute into not making a crab and ham sandwich, Rye¡¯s voice came through the crowd behind him, pulling the huge man¡¯s attention and making him pause.


    ¡°Hey, Balthazar, there you are. Wait for me.¡±


    Arriving next to the crab, the young adventurer cocked an eyebrow as he looked on at the seething noble and his bodyguard. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t the only one wondering, more and more townsfolk were stopping and lingering by, trying to figure out what all the commotion was about.


    ¡°Your¡­ pet,¡± spat the nobleman, ¡°he is not welcome here!¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone keep calling him that?¡± Balthazar muttered under his breath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s me he¡¯s talki¡ª¡± started Rye as the crab suddenly spoke up again.


    ¡°You have no authority to say Rye can¡¯t be here, pencil-stick. This town didn¡¯t belong to Antoine, and it sure as hell doesn¡¯t belong to the president of his fan club either.¡±


    The bodyguard glanced down at his boss. ¡°Looks like he¡¯s got company. You still want me to, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, you stupid meathead! Must I repeat myself?! Clobber him!¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Woah, easy big guy, I don¡¯t wanna fight you,¡± Rye said, one hand pulled back over his bow.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t wanna fight me either if I was you, kid,¡± Bruce said with a smirk as his shadow loomed over the boy and the crab.


    ¡°Would you wanna fight us?¡± a booming voice asked from the crowd.


    The four figures at the center of everyone¡¯s attention turned to see who had spoken as a pair of adventurers stepped out of the crowd, one short and stocky with heavy armor and a thick beard, the other tall and lanky with leather armor and a long fish-like face.


    ¡°You guys good?¡± asked the bearded man, throwing a glance at Rye and Balthazar.


    ¡°We heard the big ruckus and came to check what was going on,¡± said the other adventurer. ¡°Couldn¡¯t believe someone was messing with our favorite crab.¡±


    Suddenly, another voice came out of the crowd from a different direction.


    ¡°Oi, whatcha sayin¡¯ over there? Someone¡¯s messin¡¯ with Balthz?¡±


    Just as the ruffian-looking adventurer joined in, another trio of adventurers stepped in too.


    ¡°Did we hear right? Is the crab in town?¡±


    ¡°And someone¡¯s being stupid enough to pick on him?¡±


    ¡°Let me through, I want a piece of the action too!¡±


    Seeing more and more adventurers coming out of the general crowd and finding themselves encircled by them, the nobleman and his bodyguard slowly exchanged concerned looks at one another.


    ¡°Hey, boss, you ain¡¯t paying me enough for this kind of heat.¡±


    The small man¡¯s lip twitched as he glared at all the well armed adventurers around him.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t worth my time, Bruce. We¡¯re going to miss visiting hours to see Mr. Antoine. Let¡¯s go.¡± He stopped and threw one more glare at Balthazar. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to tell him all about what happened here, crab.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ alright, do it?¡± said the merchant with a shrug. ¡°Was that supposed to be threatening?¡±


    With a loud harrumph, the noble turned and walked away with his bodyguard in tow, the crowd stepping aside to let them pass, while giving the small man funny looks and snickering as he went.


    ¡°Make sure you bring Antoine a pillow,¡± Balthazar shouted. ¡°I hear the floors on those cells are really hard!¡±


    As the pair of undesirables left and the crowd began dispersing, the adventurers came closer.


    ¡°Well, well, looks like you can¡¯t go anywhere without finding trouble, eh?¡± said one of them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though, we got your back, crab,¡± said another.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, anyone messes with our favorite crab, you just let us know.¡±


    ¡°Heh, right. Thanks, fellas,¡± Balthazar said awkwardly.


    I¡¯d better watch out, or soon enough every adventurer in the land will be expecting a special discount from me.


    ¡°You gotta remember, Balthazar,¡± said Rye, ¡°you may be very popular around here now, but that doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t still have enemies. Antoine had a lot of cronies under him, some are bound to be very upset at you for having ruined their setup.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± said the crab, sighing as he readjusted the straps of his backpack. ¡°Can¡¯t get to the top without making some enemies.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s why it¡¯s good to have friends watching your back.¡± The young man smiled and let out a small chuckle. ¡°Just try to remember not to run off and leave them behind next time you smell something nice.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes perked up, and he jumped in place.


    ¡°The smell!¡± he exclaimed, before running off through the crowd again, leaving Rye and the other adventurers behind unceremoniously.


    ¡°Balthazar! I just told you¡­ oh, for crying out loud,¡± Rye said, before running after the crab.


    Like a dog chasing the scent of meat, a cat chasing the scent of fish, or a crab chasing the scent of pastries, Balthazar pushed his way through the narrow and packed pathways of the market, until he finally found the source of the delicious baking smell.


    A modest wooden stall in front of a stone wall, with wicker baskets placed all around it, some upright, others tilted to better display their contents to the passing townsfolk.


    As the crab approached, mouth watering with anticipation, he saw what was in the baskets.


    ¡°These aren¡¯t pastries!¡± he loudly proclaimed.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± the owner of the stall said, peeking over the counter at the crab standing by his baskets. ¡°Well, hello there. Are you looking for some bread?¡±


    Warm and golden, loaves of many sizes and shapes filled the baskets around the man. Some were tiny, round, and soft-looking with their light yellow tone. Others were long and narrow with their golden brown that made you hear the crisp sound of taking a bite into them just from looking.


    ¡°I was¡­ looking for pastries,¡± said Balthazar, feeling conflicted. ¡°Are you a baker?¡±


    ¡°Why, yes, I am,¡± said the affable man, with an earnest smile. ¡°I make bread, though. Pastries, not so much. There¡¯s a girl somewhere around this market that bakes those, though, I think.¡± He paused for a moment and tapped on his chin, thinking. ¡°Although I haven¡¯t seen her in a while. Hope she¡¯s not sick. She seemed nice.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks sagged down slightly.


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± said the baker. ¡°I promise you my bread is very good too. Why don¡¯t you try some?¡±


    Emerging from the crowd, Rye arrived next to Balthazar, looking out of breath. ¡°There you are. I thought I lost you again.¡±


    ¡°Hello there, young man,¡± greeted the baker. ¡°Is this crab your pe¡ª¡±


    The adventurer quickly waved his arms from side to side in a frantic manner while shaking his head. ¡°Nope! Just don¡¯t even say it, please!¡±


    Raising both eyebrows in surprise, the man abided and shut his mouth.


    ¡°This is Balthazar,¡± Rye continued, after taking a deep breath. ¡°He¡¯s a merchant from out of town, visiting Ardville before we head off back to the road.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense. I thought I heard about a merchant crab before. Well, nice to meet you, friend. Now, about this delicious bread I mentioned¡­¡±


    Leaning over the counter, the baker presented the crab with a beautiful, massive loaf of crispy golden bread, steam still slowly emanating from it as the man gently squeezed its crust, producing the most tantalizing crunchy sound.


    Balthazar let out a shaky, heavy breath. They were not exactly pastries, and they were not made by Madeleine¡¯s hands, but the sight, smell, and sound of them were making the crab¡¯s mouth water and his stomach rumble in all the right ways.


    It¡¯s been so long¡­


    His stomach speaking louder than his brain as usual, Balthazar reached out to take the bread into his claws.


    ¡°Alright, just a little taste can¡¯t hurt.¡±


    The crab broke apart a tiny portion of the loaf with the tip of his pincer, the steaming white crumb letting out a swirling plume of steam that danced in front of his eyes like a vapor muse.


    With hesitant anticipation, the hungry merchant placed the piece of bread into his mouth and gave it one single chew.


    ¡°Hey, uh¡­ Balthazar? You alright? You¡¯ve been standing there frozen for like thirty seconds now,¡± Rye asked.


    The baker watched the crab with a knowing smile, as the crustacean¡¯s eyestalks stood up in a distant stare of realization and shock.

 Chapter 103: Crowns for a Crab

    ¡°This¡­ this is so good,¡± Balthazar whispered.


    Looking down from the counter, the baker nodded as he smiled. ¡°I knew you¡¯d like it. Nobody can resist my freshly baked bread.¡±


    ¡°I never knew bread could be this delicious.¡± The crab turned to Rye with glistening eyes, the loaf of bread still held in his pincers. ¡°I should have asked Madeleine to make me some of this before!¡±


    Rye smiled with a frown of slight confusion.


    ¡°Wait, you never had bread before?¡±


    ¡°I did, once, long ago, before I was a merchant, when an adventurer stopped by the pond and sat down on a rock to eat his lunch near the water. I kept an eye on him while he was eating, you know, to make sure he didn¡¯t steal any of my favorite rocks or something. After he got back on the road, I noticed he left a bunch of breadcrumbs from his sandwich, but they were old and stale, nothing like this.¡±


    ¡°You used to eat crumbs off the ground?¡± the young man said in a teasing manner.


    Balthazar glanced at him with a scolding stare.


    ¡°It was a long time ago. If you¡¯re going to be like that, I won¡¯t tell you anything anymore.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad the famous merchant crab enjoyed my baking,¡± said the man behind the counter, standing upright again and planting his palms on the counter. ¡°You¡¯ll still have to pay for it, though.¡±


    Balthazar glanced down at the loaf of bread in his claws and sighed.


    Damn it, Balthazar, what is wrong with you? You¡¯re no amateur trader, you should have known better than to accept a product before negotiating the price.


    After being done chastising himself internally, the merchant pulled his little Bag of Holding Money and loosened the string keeping it shut, an act that always pained him greatly when it was for coins to come out of it.


    ¡°Alright, fair enough, you got me this once with your bready ways, cunning baker,¡± the crab bemoaned. ¡°How much for the loaf?¡±


    ¡°For a first time customer, and because you¡¯re such a special one, let¡¯s say¡­ two crowns.¡±


    ¡°Crowns? The hell is that?¡± asked Balthazar, frowning in confusion.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ money? You know, coins, currency, legal tender?¡± answered the equally confused seller. ¡°I thought you were supposed to be a merchant. How do you not know what money is?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know what money is!¡± said the crab, pulling a couple of gold coins out of his bag and holding them for the man to see. ¡°This kind of money. Gold coins.¡±


    ¡°Those are crowns!¡± the baker said, shrugging in an exasperated bewilderment. ¡°Gold coins are called crowns.¡±


    Balthazar looked at his coins, at the bread maker, at Rye, and then at his coins again.


    ¡°How did nobody ever tell me that?!¡±


    The archer shrugged in an apologetic manner. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe because you¡¯ve been mostly dealing with adventurers all this time?¡±


    ¡°So you also didn¡¯t know these were called crowns?¡±


    ¡°Well, no, I did, but most adventurers just refer to them as gold coins. Don¡¯t ask me why, I wasn¡¯t born here, and I just got used to calling them by what everyone else around me did.¡±


    ¡°Crowns¡­¡± Balthazar repeated, staring at his two shiny coins like he was seeing them for the first time again. ¡°You know, I kinda like it.¡±


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve gone this long being a merchant without even knowing what the currency used all over Heartha was called,¡± said the baker.


    ¡°Heartha? Who¡¯s that?¡± Balthazar asked. ¡°Another baker?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re joking now, right?¡± the bewildered man said. ¡°Heartha, the name of the world we all live in! How do you not know that?! Have you lived your whole life under a rock?!¡±


    ¡°Mate, I¡¯m a crab, of course I¡¯ve lived under a rock, and over too. They¡¯re some of my favorite places to be,¡± Balthazar casually responded. ¡°And how was I supposed to know this world had a name? Going around giving places names is more of a human thing.¡±


    ¡°I thought you read lots of books,¡± said Rye. ¡°Did you just never come across the name before, in a history book, or something?¡±


    ¡°I mainly like the ones with lots of drawings to look at. Or the ones with recipes.¡±


    The man behind the stall pinched his nose and inhaled deeply, like someone pushing back an incoming headache.


    ¡°Either way, misunderstandings aside, that will cover the loaf,¡± the baker said, reaching out for the coins in Balthazar¡¯s pincer.


    Crab instincts kicking in, he snapped his arm back and away from the man¡¯s grabby hand.


    He may have lost much, but one thing he still had was his business sense, and he would not part with two of his precious new crowns so easily if he could help it.


    ¡°Or!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°What if we settled on a trade of goods to cover the cost of the bread?¡±


    The baker pulled his hand back onto the counter and looked at the crab with an inquisitive expression.


    ¡°What kind of trade? I never really caught what it is that you trade in, merchant crab.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he mostly deals in loot jun¡ª¡±


    ¡°Zip it, Rye. Let me do my work,¡± the shrewd crustacean quickly said. ¡°I am a trader of general goods, my good baker. A dealer of fine items and purveyor of quality treasures. I got a little bit of everything, and always that one thing you needed and didn¡¯t even know yet.¡±


    The man cocked an eyebrow at the crab.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really need anything right now, so just the two coins would be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah, but like I just said!¡± interrupted the merchant. ¡°Always something you just didn¡¯t know you needed yet.¡±


    Releasing one strap of his backpack and putting it down on the street cobblestones, Balthazar began quickly rummaging through its magically enhanced inner space, pincers searching for something that, most likely, not even the crab knew yet what it would be.


    ¡°Aha!¡± he triumphantly exclaimed, pulling his arm out of the bag. ¡°This is what you need!¡±


    Held in his raised pincer was a sword, grip and pommel with finely etched silver details, leading to a long and wide serrated blade with a shiny gold finish.


    ¡°Why would I need a sword?!¡± said the man, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m a baker!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± said the smiling crab, placing the tip of the weapon on the counter. ¡°You make bread, and then what do you do with it? You come here to this market, and you sell it.¡±


    The man looked at the blade again and then at the crab, still confused.


    ¡°And? What does that have to do with a sword?¡±


    ¡°This sword is enchanted, my friend. Imagine how much your stall would stand out compared to every other boring bread seller if you were the only one slicing your beautiful golden loaves with an equally beautiful golden magical sword? People would gather around just to see it! Trust me, I am a crab who sells stuff to adventurers every day, I know how to impress clients!¡±


    The baker¡¯s eyebrows rose as he contemplated the blade.


    ¡°I mean¡­ that does sound pretty awesome. I always dreamed of being a sword-wielding noble knight when I was a kid, but you know, I just ended up being a baker. A lot less getting stabbed this way. And it¡¯s not like I even know how to use a sword¡­¡±


    Balthazar scoffed as he fully placed the sword on the counter.


    ¡°Pfft, please. You¡¯ve used a knife to cut slices of bread every day, I imagine, right? Same thing! Just, you know, bigger, and more impressive! Try it out.¡±


    The man hesitated for a moment, but the temptation clearly won him over as he picked up the sword and felt its balance. ¡°Oh, lighter than I expected.¡±


    Reaching into a nearby basket, the baker picked up a large loaf and placed it over the wooden surface in front of him. With a slow and careful motion, the blade slid into the crust and crumb, producing a sizzling sound and some steam.


    ¡°Woah! What¡¯s this?!¡± the baker exclaimed, looking in amazement at the cut, revealing a crispy golden inside where the blade had passed.


    ¡°Hah! I told you, the sword has a fire enchantment. You just made instant toast! Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± the crab said. ¡°Now imagine how spectacular you will look to your clients if you do that every day.¡±


    The baker took another, more enthusiastic stab at the bread, splitting a generous slice off the loaf, both sides perfectly toasted into a lightly brown, crispy surface that begged for a dose of butter on it.


    The man sighed, eyes still fixed on the sword, admiring its golden shine and the silver details of the pommel.


    ¡°Oh, you crafty crab. My wife is going to kill me, but now I just gotta have this beauty. I¡¯ll just have to convince her it¡¯s a work tool. How much for it?¡±


    The crustacean smiled, knowing he still got it, even without a system, levels, or silly skills.


    ¡°Of course it is a work tool, friend. And for a first time customer, and because I like you, let¡¯s say¡­ 50 gold coins. Plus the loaf!¡±


    The baker sucked in some air with a whistling sound.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of dough for a humble baker like me.¡±


    ¡°Think about it, though,¡± the friendly crab said, ¡°this is a once in a lifetime purchase. You will tell the tale of this day for years to come. You can hang this up as a family heirloom over your oven. Pass it down to your children and grandchildren. It will be your bread-cutting legend.¡±


    The baker¡¯s eyes glistened with possibility and the metallic reflection of the blade in his hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t let this opportunity pass me by. I¡¯d spend the rest of my life wondering about it. You¡¯ve got yourself a deal!¡±


    Putting the sword down, the man reached behind his counter and retrieved a coin purse. After some quick digging through it, he placed five coins on the wooden surface in front of the crab. ¡°Here you go!¡±


    Balthazar stretched his eyestalks up to look at the money on the counter.


    ¡°I said 50 gold coins, pal. I don¡¯t want just five coins.¡±


    The baker looked at the coins and then at the crab, visibly confused.


    ¡°Yes, I heard your price, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m paying you. Five 10 crown coins, adding up to fifty crowns.¡± He looked at Rye. ¡°Do crabs not know mathematics?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you get it,¡± the crab said, shaking his shell. ¡°I want fifty coins as payment. Five is less than fifty.¡±


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± Rye hesitantly said. ¡°You do know there are 5 and 10 crown coins too, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but why would I want fewer coins? I like to look at my big pile of money and see lots of them.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s very impractical to store and carry?!¡± exclaimed the befuddled baker.


    ¡°Wait,¡± said the adventurer. ¡°So all this time, the reason you¡¯ve been making every adventurer pay in exact amounts was because you wanted everything in 1 crown coins? I thought you just didn¡¯t have change!¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t,¡± said the crab. ¡°If you¡¯re buying something from me, you¡¯re the one giving me gold. I¡¯m not going to give you the goods and also coins in return.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not the point of giving change¡­¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± the increasingly exasperated baker interjected, ¡°I want the sword, but I don¡¯t just have fifty 1 crown coins lying around. Each one of these is worth ten of those because they¡¯re bigger and heavier, either take them or we can¡¯t have a deal.¡±


    The crab glanced at Rye. ¡°I never had this kind of problem with adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah,¡± the archer said, ¡°that¡¯s probably because we always have tons of those single coins from all those pots and chests we find in dungeons. I always wondered why they only ever contain 1 crown coins¡­¡±


    Balthazar looked closer at the coins. He liked having as many of the shiny pieces of gold as possible, because it made him feel richer, but these were also bigger. The crab also liked bigger. Just like with pies. Bigger and heavier was good.


    Perhaps, as with so many other aspects recently, it was time he opened himself to trying doing things differently.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll settle for these,¡± said the crab while swiping the coins off the counter and dropping them in his money bag. ¡°The sword is yours.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the baker quietly said in a childlike joy, before picking up his new blade and swinging it around with a smile on his face.


    ¡°That was a pretty good deal,¡± said Rye as they walked away from the market stand and back through the bustling crowd in the street.


    ¡°For me, it was,¡± Balthazar said, while breaking another piece of bread from the loaf and tossing it into his mouth. ¡°Those swords do terrible damage, the enchantment is stupidly weak, and their blades are as dull as chatting with a barbarian. I can never sell that junk to any adventurer above level 2 or 3. The blade isn¡¯t even real gold! All they¡¯re good for is cutting bread, so¡­ good for him!¡±


    As the crab and the human wandered back through the market, Balthazar admired the architecture all around him. Used to the wilderness and only knowing human civilization from books, the crustacean didn¡¯t expect to find himself so impressed by the fine details of it all.


    The houses, some wide, others taller, with their thatched roofs and colorful walls of clay. Windows with people on them high above, watching those who passed, or chatting with their neighbors about the weather. The braziers spread around every corner, their coals still warm with a dying glow from before dawn.


    After the shock of the first contact with a real town had worn off, Balthazar was beginning to realize that this busy bubbling of people and activity might actually suit him a lot better than he ever expected.


    As much as he liked his space and solitude, these filled streets, like rivers full of fish, made his commercial instincts sizzle with excitement for all the thrilling possibilities.


    Pondering on what shop he wanted Rye to take him to first, the crab started considering that maybe, just maybe, he didn¡¯t hate being surrounded by other people as much as he used to.


    Unfortunately for everyone, this was also the same moment when Balthazar saw a strange shadow growing on the ground underneath him, and as he looked up, all he had time to see was a human figure falling from a balcony above and straight onto him.

 Chapter 104: Fanning Out

    ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    The words barely had time to leave Balthazar¡¯s mouth before his legs buckled and collapsed under the weight of the surprise diver landing on his shell.


    ¡°Argh! There¡¯s a human on me, Rye!¡± shouted the crab. ¡°Get it off! Get it off!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my lords!¡± exclaimed the stranger as the archer pulled him off the crab¡¯s carapace and onto the cobblestones of the street. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    Balthazar stumbled for a moment, trying to regain his footing, a slightly more complex task when one has eight legs to organize. As he composed himself and untangled his eyestalks after the unexpected assault, the crab eyed his uninvited piggyback rider.


    Still sitting on the ground was a young boy, barely a man, with commoner clothing and a scrawny figure. His expression was one of disconcerting excitement as he stared at Balthazar, a toothy smile plastered all over his freckled face, which was topped by a full head of curly carrot-colored hair.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked Rye.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡± Balthazar quickly said with a frown.


    ¡°I was actually asking the guy that just fell from a third floor.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t be if he doesn¡¯t start talking!¡± said the miffed crab. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you, kid?!¡±


    The boy slowly stood up, eyes still fixed on the merchant, his mouth open in an overjoyed amazement. ¡°It really is you¡­ I can¡¯t believe this is really happening!¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at the oddball, intrigued. ¡°Do I know you?¡±


    ¡°Oh goodness! No, not yet, I need to introduce myself!¡± exclaimed the boy with several cracks in his voice. ¡°The name¡¯s Taffy!¡±


    The young redheaded boy stood up straight and extended a hand to Balthazar. Why so many humans seemed so keen on offering their hands to be crushed by the crab¡¯s pincers, he would never know.


    ¡°I think you already did enough introducing when you landed on me there,¡± said the still annoyed crustacean. ¡°What was that about? It doesn¡¯t seem like it was just an accident.¡±


    ¡°Well, no, but partly, yes,¡± said Taffy, speaking in a frantic and excited manner. ¡°I was up there on the balcony, you know, eating an apple, watching the streets and pondering life, as you do. You do that, too, right? What am I saying, of course you do! Anyway, as I looked down, I saw you! Shiny and magnificent, just like I imagined you! I never actually saw you, but I heard all the descriptions of you! I just couldn¡¯t believe my eyes! I knew I had to quickly get myself down here to meet you, before the opportunity passed! The stairs would have taken too long, I couldn¡¯t risk losing sight of you! So I figured the fastest way down would be to climb down from the balcony! But oh, my stars, I was so excited that I slipped! Thank goodness you have such sharp and quick senses and managed to safely catch me with your shell! Ah! So amazing!¡±


    Balthazar stared at the boy, mouth slightly ajar, and then glanced at Rye, who seemed just as baffled as him.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°That was a pretty nasty fall,¡± Rye said, still looking concerned for the strange kid. ¡°How are you not hurt at all?¡±


    Taffy shrugged, dumb smile still plastered across his face. ¡°Momma always said I had strong bones.¡±


    ¡°Never mind that!¡± exclaimed the crab. ¡°What the hell is this all about? What do you want with me?¡±


    The boy turned to Balthazar, eyes wide as he squeezed his closed fists against his chest. ¡°I needed to come and meet you! I¡¯m your biggest fan, Mr. Balthazar!¡±


    Once again, the bewildered crustacean looked at the young Ardvillian with his mouth half open and a full loss for words.


    As much as Balthazar tended to find most humans easily forgettable and have a hard time telling them apart, this one in particular he was sure he had never met before. There was just not a chance he would have forgotten such a peculiar character.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, right! I never actually met you,¡± said Taffy, nodding his head way more than Balthazar found to be necessary. ¡°I really wanted to have gone down to your pond before, but my mother would never let me out of the gates. She says it¡¯s too dangerous out there for her boy. Oh, poor momma, she worries so much about me! But no more! I have finally turned eighteen today and can go wherever I want! Isn¡¯t this so exciting?! And right on my birthday I see you visiting town! It¡¯s perfect! It¡¯s more than perfect, it¡¯s a sign!¡±


    Feeling dazed and confused by the barrage of blabbering, Balthazar shook his shell in disbelief.


    ¡°So, you never even met me and you¡¯re my¡­ fan? What?! How does that even make sense?¡±


    Much to the crab¡¯s regret, his confusion and questions only led to another verbal barrage.


    ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s a funny story! See, I used to be obsessed with Gretha, the famous singing goat from that one farm outside town. Super fan of hers! But then one day I heard the story of a talking crab from an adventurer at the inn, and I knew it, right there and then, that I had found something much better! A singing goat can¡¯t compare to a talking crab who is also a merchant! You¡¯re way cooler! So anyway, I started asking for more details about you from every adventurer I could find in town. Soon after, your reputation was growing and everyone knew about you! But I was the first! The original crabber! I was your fan long before everybody else thought you were great! Before people cheered for your defeat of the dragon, I was already telling them the amazing tale of how you valiantly saved a pair of adventurers from a swarm of giant spiders with nothing but one claw!¡±


    Rye was scratching the back of his head with an expression that was halfway between a smile and a frown.


    ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± said the archer, ¡°you¡¯re claiming to be Balthazar¡¯s biggest fan, despite having never even seen him before, only heard stories about him from others?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not just claiming, I am Mr. Balthazar¡¯s number one fan, no question about it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure there are other fans to compete with for the title, but alright¡­¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m sure there must be lots of them! And if there aren¡¯t, I should change that by starting a fan club!¡±


    Balthazar frowned and shook his shell. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re crazy. Go back to listening to goats sing, or whatever. Rye, let¡¯s get out of here, I still wanna see a few more places before lunch.¡±


    As the crab turned to leave, Taffy threw himself down to his knees.


    ¡°No, no, no, please!¡± he cried out in a loud plea. ¡°Mr. Balthazar, don¡¯t leave yet! I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment all my life!¡±


    ¡°I think you mean more like six months,¡± said Rye.


    ¡°This was clearly meant to happen!¡± continued the persistent boy. ¡°The very first time you visit our town happens to be my eighteenth birthday! Fate is clearly telling me something!¡±


    Balthazar rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m telling you to get lost. Go eat some birthday cake or something and leave me alone, kid.¡±


    ¡°Please!¡± begged the annoying fan, scooting forward on his knees. ¡°Take me with you! I will be your companion, your squire, whatever you need me to be!¡±


    ¡°What?! No! I don¡¯t want you anywhere near me.¡±


    ¡°I can be very useful! I know many skills! I can rub your shoulders¡­ Well, not shoulders, but your¡­ your¡­ I can polish your shoes!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wear shoes! Get lost!¡±


    ¡°Your shell! I could polish your shell if you need!¡±


    ¡°Stay away from my shell!¡±


    ¡°I could run you a hot bath whenever you need? Stay next to you in battle and catch any stray arrows coming your way with my chest!¡±


    ¡°No! Shoo!¡±


    ¡°Please take me with you, merchant crab!¡± shouted Taffy in a hysterical manner. ¡°I¡¯m your biggest fan!¡±


    As the crab tried to walk away, the kid grabbed one of his legs, pleading in such an embarrassing way that it was making Balthazar embarrassed by association.


    The crab looked around, the scene causing the passing townsfolk to turn their heads to see what was happening. Some were slowing down or even stopping to observe, and more than embarrassed, Balthazar began feeling something else. As if something he could not see was floating through the air, passing straight through him, and spreading all around.


    ¡°Oi, did that kid just say merchant crab?¡± a commoner¡¯s voice said from somewhere nearby.


    ¡°Aye, I think he did,¡± said another one from somewhere else. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the hero that beat back the dragon?¡±


    ¡°Balthazar? In town?! No way!¡± said yet another voice from the crowd.


    ¡°Is it really him? Let me see! Let me see!¡± a woman¡¯s voice shouted.


    Before long, the crab found himself getting surrounded not only by the crowd of onlookers, but also a small mob of much more enthusiastic townsfolk, that, unlike the general populace simply looking in with curiosity, was staring at him with hysterical eyes and smiles.


    ¡°It¡¯s really him!¡±


    ¡°Mister crab! Let me touch your shiny shell!¡±


    ¡°Wait your turn, I got here first!¡±


    Balthazar backed away slowly.


    What the hell is happening here?!


    The crab jumped in place as a hand landed on the side of his shell, but as he looked, he saw that it was just Rye.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into these people, but I think we should get out of here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to say that twice!¡±


    The crab and the adventurer took off into a side street, sprinting away from the mob that was still pushing and shoving at each other.


    ¡°Mr. Balthazar! No, wait, please come back! Take me with you! We love you!¡± yelled Taffy from the middle of the mad crowd.


    Following Rye through an alley and wrapping around a corner, the crab skittered as fast as his round figure and stomach full of bread allowed, claws holding on to the straps of the backpack bouncing up and down on his shell. Thankfully for him, the adventurer paused for a moment with his back against a wall, allowing him to catch his breath.


    ¡°Are¡­ are the¡­¡± said Balthazar between labored breaths. ¡°Are the people in this town always this crazy?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Rye, still peeking around the corner for any signs of the mob. ¡°That was really weird. Did you feel some kind of energy passing through you right before it happened too?¡±


    ¡°I did! What was that about?!¡±


    ¡°There he is!¡± a voice shouted from an alley. ¡°I see his beautiful carapace shining under the sunlight!¡±


    ¡°Oh crap! We gotta run again,¡± said the panting crab.


    ¡°This way!¡±


    Once again, the archer took off into a nimble sprint that the crustacean could hardly keep up with.


    As they swerved towards another street, a woman appeared in front of them, cheeks red and eyes fixed on the crab.


    ¡°Mister merchant crab! I¡¯m getting married next month. Will you please let me rub your shell for good luck?¡±


    ¡°What?! No! Stay away from me!¡± Balthazar exclaimed as he skidded to a stop and changed direction, trying to follow Rye, who had already corrected course to another alley.


    In through an archway, out through a back alley, left and right turns, twists and turns, all leaving the crab¡¯s head spinning as they tried to lose the crowd of maniacs chasing them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I like Ardville anymore!¡± said Balthazar to Rye as they ducked under a small walkway bridge.


    ¡°Mr. Balthazar!¡± Taffy¡¯s voice called from nearby. ¡°Please, come out! We just want to get to know our idol a little better!¡±


    ¡°And I don¡¯t want to know any of you lunatics,¡± the crab muttered.


    ¡°I think we need to just slip out of town, Balthazar,¡± said Rye. ¡°They¡¯re going to keep looking for us no matter where we go, and a giant crab walking around town isn¡¯t exactly easy to conceal.¡±


    ¡°But I haven¡¯t even visited the local library!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Balthazaaaar!¡± the freckled fanatic kept calling from the street above.


    ¡°Never mind, get us out of here!¡± Balthazar quickly said before following the ranger into another alley.


    ¡°Through here,¡± the human said. ¡°Rob showed me a secret way out of town without passing through the gates a while back.¡±


    ¡°Rye, what have you been doing hanging out with thieves?¡±


    ¡°I met him through you!¡±


    As they were about to exit the alley, a large bearded man wearing a red flannel shirt and carrying a wood axe appeared in front of them.


    ¡°It is you!¡± the lumberjack exclaimed in a deep, rough voice.


    He threw his axe to the side, and to the other two¡¯s absolute shock, proceeded to rip his flannel shirt open with both hands, exposing his uncomfortably hairy chest as the flying buttons hit the ground, along with Rye¡¯s and Balthazar¡¯s mortified jaws.


    ¡°Please! Sign your name on my chest, o brave crab!¡±


    The archer grabbed the merchant by the claw and pulled him into another alley, both of them still screaming in horrified discomfort.


    ¡°I wanna go back to my pond and never leave again!¡± Balthazar exclaimed as the human dragged him behind a building.


    ¡°Through here,¡± Rye said, moving a round sewer grate on the ground. ¡°This will lead us outside the walls.¡±


    The crab looked down at the narrow passage the human had just jumped through.


    ¡°Are you crazy? That¡¯s way too small for me to fit through!¡±


    ¡°Do you have a better exit?!¡±


    Taffy¡¯s voice could be heard from outside the alley once again, still calling out for his adored crab.


    ¡°Oh, crabapples!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, before hopping into the manhole.


    And becoming immediately stuck.


    ¡°Rye! I told you! Now I can¡¯t move!¡±


    ¡°Hold on, let me try to pull you down,¡± the human¡¯s muffled and echoing voice said from the sewer below.


    ¡°Ow! Ow, ow, ow!¡± the crab cried out. ¡°You¡¯re making it worse! I can¡¯t fit, just push me back up!¡±


    ¡°I see him!¡± the now shirtless lumberjack yelled with his gruff voice from the other end of the alley, and a bright orange head of hair popped around the corner.


    ¡°Mr. Balthazar! Wait for me!¡± shouted Taffy.


    Balthazar started kicking his legs and slapping the ground with his claws.


    ¡°Never mind, Rye! Pull me!¡± he quickly said. ¡°Puuull meee!¡±

 Chapter 105: Back on the Road

    ***


    Outside Ardville, off the side of the road and tucked underneath the shade of a hill, there sat a goblin and a drake, waiting around a tiny campfire made by the smaller creature that wore a wizard hat three sizes too large for his head.


    Druma pulled the brim of the headpiece back and away from his eyes as he continued using an old rag to clean his magical staff. A different goblin might have grown annoyed at the piece of headwear and torn it to pieces long ago, as was the norm with their kind, but not Druma, he was not like most goblins.


    The hat had value to him. Not monetary value, he cared little for coins and other such human nonsense, those were more of his boss¡¯s thing, but instead, it had sentimental value.


    The crab had given it to him long ago, when they first met, and the small assistant never let go of it again. Druma had never received a gift before in his whole life, and to him, that old hat was his most precious treasure.


    The fact it was looted off a dead wizard¡¯s corpse just made it all that little extra bit special. After all, Druma might not be like most other ones, but he was still a goblin nonetheless.


    A close second to it was the staff in his hands. Also a gift from his boss, but this time it came from a much more alive and funny-looking old man that the crab apparently knew. A real wizard.


    Druma loved magic and wizard things, a fact he got used to keeping to himself ever since he was a youngling at his tribe¡¯s camp, as most goblins hated mages. They also hated knights. And clerics. Rangers too. Mostly, goblins hate everything that wasn¡¯t a goblin. Except when they also hated other goblins, which was pretty often.


    The point being, goblins are mean creatures, and Druma never felt like he fit in.


    Far too kind for his own kind, the innocent creature thought himself doomed when he was banished from his tribe and left to fend for himself, alone in the scary and wild world.


    Balthazar was the only one to extend him a helping claw, and for that the goblin would forever be grateful and loyal to him. Come giant or dragon, evil mage or stuck-up guildmaster, Druma would defend his boss with everything he had.


    ¡°You take that, monster! Pshhhh¡ªPOW!¡±


    Blue raised her head from the ground where she was resting and glared at Druma with a disapproving scowl.


    The goblin, realizing he had jumped on top of a rock and started practicing striking poses with his staff again, hopped back down and avoided eye contact, embarrassed to have been caught in his heroic daydreaming.


    The drake looked mean, but Druma didn¡¯t mind it, he knew she was nice under all those scales. Much like his boss under his shell.


    She acted a lot like a protective older sister to him, which was a bit confusing in the goblin¡¯s head, as he remembered seeing her hatching, which as far as he understood, must mean he was the older one.


    But Druma didn¡¯t care. At least not since he was nearly ambushed by a hungry wolf on the edge of the forest while gathering wood a couple of months before, and the drake showed up, like a blue lightning strike through the canopy, screeching and slashing, and scaring away the predator.


    The goblin didn¡¯t know many things, but one he knew for sure was that she had his back, and he loved her for that, like the big sibling he always wished he had, growing up alone in his old tribe.


    He sat on the rock and admired the shiny green gem at the end of the staff against the fickle light of the flames. Druma had never really seen much appeal on shiny things, that was one of the very few things his brethren and the crab had in common, the love for precious objects that shined, but that staff was the exception. He could spend hours staring at its beautiful diamond-shaped jewel, and he often did.


    With his big eyes lost gazing into its infinite patterns, the goblin could find equally infinite possibilities. Lines, circles, patterns and entire universes within. Where reality ended and the assistant¡¯s imagination started was a blurry line, but to him, it did not matter, it was all an escape, to a world where he was Druma, the great goblin wizard, vanquisher of dark mages and greatest dancer of the land.


    The goblin smiled. Maybe one day it would happen.


    He learned that anything is possible from being by the crab¡¯s side for the past few months.


    Crabs can talk, rocks can float, and goblins can cast magic.


    The little guy let out a quiet sigh. He missed Bouldy, and riding around on his shoulder, shooing away birds with great laughter. He missed the nice baker, her warm pies and the nice smile she always had watching him devouring them. Nobody had ever looked like that while watching Druma eat. Some frowns and maybe glares of disgust from people while seeing him chew with his mouth open, but never such a content smile.


    That was not what saddened him most, however. The goblin knew Balthazar missed them even more, and low intellect or not, this assistant did not need high stats or a special monocle to tell that his boss was hurting, from the inside, where all the soft bits are. The crab was missing them as well, and worse, he blamed himself for it. It made Druma hurt too, and he did not want to hurt ever again.


    The goblin took a deep, brave breath, puffing out his scrawny chest as he stood up.


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    Druma would help his boss and friend find and rescue his other friends, and on the way there he secretly hoped they would find the kooky wizard again, and that he would teach the goblin more magic.


    ¡°Druma is wizard apprentice now,¡± he giddily whispered to himself, while holding his staff close to his chest.


    And as a good novice mage, he had already studied his arcane staff enough to learn how to tell how much charge it had.


    After having blasted the evil dark mage into dust with it back at the bazaar and saved his boss¡ªan event he replayed in his head every night before going to sleep with a satisfied smile on his face¡ªDruma found the staff was completely depleted.


    Over the next few days, he watched as the gem slowly regained its luster, changing from being nearly transparent, back to its more opaque look. It was recharging itself with mana, the weird gooey magical stuff that lingers in the air but that you can¡¯t see, and that wizards use to weave pretty spells and cast big kabooms. Or so that was how the goblin understood it.


    Watching it very closely, the goblin could tell it was not quite full yet, but it was close. The temptation to use the staff¡¯s weaker attacks for some target practice and fun-having was strong, but Druma was working hard on his discipline, reminding himself that if he ever needed to make another evil guy go boom, it would be worth waiting for the full charge to be ready.


    And ready he was. Lost in his mind¡¯s fantasies again, the goblin was already back on the rock, pretending to cast with the staff, swinging and pointing it at imaginary foes while making all sorts of special sound effects with his mouth, all while the drake watched on, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at the silly antics of her friend.


    ¡°Poof! Boom!¡± exclaimed the goblin. ¡°Boss run to Druma and Druma will protect!¡±


    Suddenly, he stopped, squinting towards the town where the crab and the adventurer had gone, spotting two figures hurriedly running downhill and towards him.


    ***


    ¡°I¡­ I regret¡­ I regret leaving my bazaar!¡± Balthazar complained between heavy panting, as he collapsed on the ground near Druma¡¯s campfire.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± said Rye, leaning down and planting his hands above his knees while catching his breath. ¡°I swear the townsfolk are not usually nuts like that. Something else was happening there.¡±


    ¡°Boss is alright?¡± asked Druma, looking at the crab with concern.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± answered Balthazar. ¡°We just had to leave town a little earlier, and through an unusual route.¡± He stood up straight and looked around himself. ¡°Damn it, Rye, I¡¯m still wet and sticky all over.¡±


    ¡°Quit complaining, I got you through that manhole, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Seriously, one day you¡¯ll have to tell me why an adventurer carries soap in his pack.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I value hygiene, alright?¡± said the archer. ¡°And considering how we just left a sewage drain, my soap and I will be the ones looking smart once we come across a body of clean water.¡±


    The crab gave him a dismissive downwards wave of his claw and turned to the goblin.


    ¡°You guys good to leave, Druma? I want to get going soon, before any of those nutjobs get the idea of looking for me out here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡± the enthusiastic assistant replied, with a salute that nearly knocked his large hat over his face.


    ¡°Great, let me just¡­ catch my breath here, and we can leave.¡±


    ¡°Hah, that short sprint really got you, didn¡¯t it?¡± the human said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mock me. I may have more legs than you, but they¡¯re shorter.¡± Balthazar eyed the greatbow attached to Rye¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you can even run properly with that thing strapped to you.¡±


    ¡°I could say the same about how you can run with that shell attached to you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different!¡± said the crab. ¡°My shell is an extension of me, I¡¯m used to it.¡±


    The young man pulled the bow from his back with one swift motion.


    ¡°Well, and to me this is an extension of myself too,¡± he said, running a hand through the polished wood of the bow¡¯s limb.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just make sure Madeleine doesn¡¯t catch you looking at your bow like that, or she might get jealous,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    The group left the shelter of the hill and got back on the road, with the crab cautiously eyeing the path from town for any carrot colored bright spots.


    ¡°Hey, Rye,¡± Balthazar started, as the group calmly made their way to the main road, ¡°do you remember how I asked you about the place where all adventurers first arrive?¡±


    ¡°Star Beach?¡± replied the young man.


    ¡°Yes, that! I think we should pass through there now.¡±


    ¡°I mean, sure, it¡¯s not too far away, but how is that going to help us find the dragon?¡±


    ¡°Just trust me on this. I have a hunch there¡¯s something there that would help,¡± said the crab, his thoughts firmly fixed on the memory of the first time he touched a certain glowing scroll.


    I better be right about this, because I have no other leads on how to get those scrolls outside of snapping the ankles of passing adventurers until one of those damn things rolls out of their packs again¡­ Hmm, kind of a tempting backup plan, though.


    As the group arrived at a crossroads, they saw a man coming from the opposite direction, pulling a wooden cart behind him with great difficulty.


    The traveler looked tired and like he had been through a rough time, his clothes dirty and his skin darkened with soot, except for the hat on his head, a brown tricorne, which looked immaculate.


    ¡°Hello there,¡± said Rye in a friendly manner. ¡°You look weary, friend.¡±


    ¡°You lost your mule on the way to town or something?¡± Balthazar said in a blunt attempt at friendly joking that, judging by the man¡¯s glare, did not land.


    ¡°Did your pet just talk to me?¡± the traveler said in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°Yeah, sure, but never mind him,¡± the crab said dismissively. ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    The man glanced at the other two and then leaned to the side to look at the goblin and the drake coming up behind them.


    ¡°You know what, after the day I had, I¡¯m way too tired to even ask,¡± he said, slowly standing back straight and rubbing his eyes. ¡°Just take my advice and, if you were going that way, change course.¡±


    ¡°Why, something happened there?¡± Rye asked.


    ¡°Yes, you could say so,¡± the man said with a nervous expression. ¡°How do you think I ended up looking like this? What a torment that was. I¡¯m leaving with what little I could grab, and don¡¯t plan on coming back. The whole village I was at is probably still burning right now.¡±


    ¡°Burning?¡± said Balthazar. ¡°How did the fire start?¡±


    ¡°A bloody dragon, that¡¯s how,¡± said the weary traveler.


    Balthazar and Rye looked at each other with wide eyes before speaking in unison.


    ¡°Where¡¯s this village?!¡±

 Chapter 106: Star Beach

    ¡°Are you two like fake twins, or something?¡± said the traveler, cocking an eyebrow at Rye and Balthazar.


    ¡°No!¡± they replied in unison again.


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Argh! Never mind that,¡± exclaimed the crab.


    ¡°Just tell us where this dragon was,¡± said Rye.


    The man placed the handles of the cart down and stretched his back.


    ¡°Why? You two got a death wish?¡± he said.


    ¡°Please, it¡¯s very important,¡± pleaded the ranger.


    Balthazar was already sizing up the man¡¯s ankles, but thankfully for him, the traveler decided to spill the information.


    ¡°Fine, it¡¯s your funeral. There¡¯s a small village back up this road I¡¯m coming from. You¡¯ll know it when you see the cloud of smoke. It¡¯s a couple of hours walk away, probably faster if you¡¯re not hauling a big cart with you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Rye quickly said, before taking off in the direction the traveler pointed with a hurried step.


    The crab skittered behind him, trying to keep up, with the goblin and drake following along.


    The man watched on as the peculiar group of travelers passed by, scratching the side of his face with a slightly bewildered look.


    ¡°And I thought nobody would believe I saw a dragon. Wait until I tell people about this encounter.¡± He paused for a moment, thinking, as the group disappeared up the road. ¡°Wait, that was a crab. A talking crab. Could it have been¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Rye, wait up,¡± said the merchant, struggling to keep up with the young man¡¯s quick steps.


    ¡°What is it, Balthazar?¡± he replied without slowing down, eyes still fixed on the path ahead. ¡°You heard the man, the village is this way. There¡¯s no time to waste, or we might lose the dragon¡¯s trail.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you know that thing can fly, right? It¡¯s been hours too, it¡¯s probably long gone already.¡±


    Rye came to a sudden stop and turned to face the crab.


    ¡°And? Do you have a better lead? What do you suggest we do? Just ignore this? Madeleine is out there, waiting for our help. We need to find this dragon!¡±


    Balthazar hesitated for a moment, eyes glancing at the ground.


    He knew the boy was right, of course, and he agreed completely. Yet, he also knew that as they were, they stood no chance against such a creature. Whether through might or smarts, they had no way to overcome the dragon and rescue the baker, which was why the crab¡¯s plan involved gaining access to the system again before anything else.


    As much as he always disliked the damnable thing, Balthazar knew the only way they could win that fight would be to play by its rules, levels, and skills. The red dragon would not be something he could overcome by simply talking to it.


    The crab knew he would need more power. A lot more.


    ¡°I hear you, Rye,¡± he started. ¡°And you¡¯re right, but at the moment I don¡¯t think I would be of much help with chasing a big flying lizard. Look at me, lots of legs, but not great at using them. I think it might be better if we just split up for now. You go chase this village lead at your own pace, which I¡¯m sure will be much swifter without me, and I¡¯ll go down to that beach, chase my own lead on something I¡¯m hoping will help us.¡±


    The young man looked at the crab with a less tense expression. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Pfft, of course I am, Rye,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°When have you ever seen me not being sure? Now go on, get going quickly, before that fiery trail goes cold!¡±


    ¡°Alright, once you¡¯re done there come to the village and figure out which direction the dragon went from the villagers, that¡¯s where I¡¯ll be heading too. If that fails¡­ I¡¯ll just find you. Don¡¯t worry, I have pretty good scouting skills, I¡¯m sure I can find a giant crab on the road. See you soon.¡±


    Wasting no more time, the young adventurer broke into a brisk jog up the road.


    The crab looked around at the endless wilderness around him. It all still felt very alien to him, being away from home, in such unfamiliar places.


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­ where am I supposed to go?!¡± exclaimed the merchant. ¡°Rye!¡±


    The ranger turned around, already a ways off into the distance.


    ¡°Which way is Star Beach?¡± shouted the crab with both claws around his mouth, somehow missing the fact he didn¡¯t have palms to amplify his voice.


    ¡°West!¡± Rye replied from up the road.


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡± muttered the crab, looking around.


    The adventurer stood there for a moment, watching the crab, before shouting again. ¡°You don¡¯t know which way is west, do you?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that way,¡± yelled Rye, pointing to the crab¡¯s left. ¡°Just follow that road until you see the coast.¡±


    ¡°Great! Thanks!¡± Balthazar yelled back, before heading in the pointed direction.


    As the crab and his two companions continued on down the road, Balthazar pondered on what he had gotten himself into.


    Out there, in the outside world, chasing a dangerous beast, and trying to find a way to get back the stupid system he never wanted in the first place.


    Past me would have called present me crazy if he could see me now.


    Then again, Balthazar recalled that old him also used to collect common rocks and eat raw fish without seasoning, so he figured that crab¡¯s opinion wasn¡¯t of much concern to him now.


    I wonder what this ocean will be like. Can¡¯t be that much bigger than my pond. I bet those silly human writers exaggerated it, as they always do.


    Balthazar had never seen the sea. Or the desert. Or a latrine. Basically, if it did not exist near his pond, he likely had never seen it, but he made sure to read lots about them from whatever books he could get his claws on from the piles of loot adventurers brought around his place.


    Ever since he gained the ability to read human texts, he made it one of his daily activities to learn as much as possible about their world. He often wondered why most adventurers were always so keen on selling books like cheap junk instead of reading them too, but given what he had learned about their kind, chances were most of them would get bored after two pages and want to go back to whacking things with their sword.


    Truly an uncultured kind, thought the crab, gently shaking his shell as he broke off a piece of bread from the loaf he got in town and stuffing it in his mouth.


    After some more time walking and amusing himself with thoughts of how dumb humans were, Balthazar stopped, looking at the map he had brought along, trying to make sense of its drawings relative to where he was.


    He knew where his pond was on it, he etched a little ¡°X¡± on it to mark it before, and from there he could easily tell Ardville was directly above it, but everything else beyond that and maybe the neighboring mountain was basically fog to him. He knew west was left, however, and that a beach would be by the edge of the land on the piece of parchment, so he pressed on the same way, hoping to not miss any bodies of water on the way.


    Finally, the crab saw something over the horizon that made him raise an eyestalk.


    A shimmering line of clear blue appeared over the distance, between the green hill where his road was headed and the orange afternoon sky.


    ¡°What is that?¡± pondered the curious crab, placing one claw above his eyes as he squinted at the horizon.


    Skittering ahead with more hurried steps, Balthazar made it to the top of the hill, finally seeing what was on the other side: a small beach with white sands and a few palm trees, bathed by the calm waves of the crystal blue sea that extended as far as the eye could see over the distant horizon.


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks slowly raised as his jaw lowered.


    ¡°That is one big pond¡­¡±


    Quickening their pace too, Druma and Blue caught up to him over the grassy hill.


    ¡°Look at all that, guys,¡± Balthazar said to them, pointing a pincer at the ocean. ¡°Can you imagine how much fish there is in there?¡±


    ¡°Druma don¡¯t like sea,¡± said the goblin. ¡°Big deep water and Druma is bad swimmer.¡±


    The drake gazed at the sea with her deep golden eyes, her expression mildly less disinterested than her usual glare.


    Taking a deep breath, the merchant looked down at the sandy coast again.


    This was it, the place where all adventurers started in this world, arriving from¡­ wherever mad place adventurers originated from. If there was one place Balthazar could hope to find a Scroll of Character Creation again, this would be it.


    ¡°Alright,¡± the crab said, ¡°you two stay here and watch the road in case Rye comes back, or someone else shows up. I¡¯ll go down there alone and take care of something no one else can do for me.¡±


    Blue lingered around between the hill and the road, examining her surroundings and showing little interest in what was being said, while Druma gave the crab an energetic salute.


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss! Druma watch road while boss go pee in the sea!¡±


    Balthazar carefully skittered his way down the sandy side of the hill onto the beach. He had sand at his pond too, but it surprised him how abundant and much more loose it was in this place, the tips of his eight legs sinking into it as he walked. Despite the strangeness of it all, something within the crab made him feel comfortable, like a primordial sensation in the depths of his brain that made him feel at home in that place.


    My pond is still better, though.


    Finally making it to the shore, the crab tentatively stepped onto the wet sand where the waves lazily came and went, dipping one of his legs into the foamy water as it reached forward towards him.


    ¡°Oh!¡± he said as the wave washed over his leg and splashed onto his shell.


    He was used to water, he had plenty of it at home, but the water of the pond was still and predictable. This water moved and seemed to have a life and will of its own. Despite his usual distaste for anything new and unfamiliar, the crab was finding it hard to dislike this new experience, and the more he felt the waves, the more inviting the water became.


    Land crab or not, Balthazar could not ignore his connection to the water, and how natural it felt to simply sit down and feel the water wash over him, even letting himself make a few bubbles here and there, after carefully making sure no one else was around to see it.


    After a long day¡¯s journey, which felt like a trip around the world for someone who had never gone anywhere before, it felt nice to just take a moment to relax in the water and think about his pond back home.


    It¡¯s still better there. At least the water is less salty. Balthazar assured himself.


    Finally standing up, the merchant reminded himself of why he was there, and that there was no time to be taking long baths.


    As he meandered around the beach, taking in the sights for the first time, the crab started realizing that, as cozy as it all was, there wasn¡¯t exactly much around the place. No buildings, no people. No roads, no signs. What exactly was a new adventurer supposed to do at that place?


    The only thing he had spotted so far were a few strange creatures lying flat on the wet sand as the waves came and went.


    Balthazar had never seen such things. Mostly immobile, they looked fleshy and spongy, with a bright red color that was almost pink, and strangest of all, they were shaped like stars.


    As was usually the crab¡¯s priority, he quickly came to the conclusion that they did not look very appetizing.


    Stepping closer to one of the starfish scattered throughout the shore, Balthazar looked down at the creature with curious interest.


    ¡°Hmm, what are these things?¡±


    As he tentatively reached down to perform a crab¡¯s usual scientific analysis¡ªpoke the thing with a pincer and see what happens¡ªthe floppy star-shaped invertebrate suddenly launched itself upwards at Balthazar¡¯s face, firmly gluing its entire body to it as the crab fell backwards, kicking and screaming muffled yells, fighting to pull the killer starfish off.

 Chapter 107: Killer Starfish

    ¡°Mffhahtf!¡± yelled the crab from behind the starfish stuck to his face.


    Which, for those unfamiliar with the muffled screams of crustaceans, roughly translates to ¡°I require assistance for there is an echinoderm firmly grasping my facial area, and I am in great distress.¡±


    Or something akin to that.


    Falling backwards onto his shell, Balthazar tried to swat his assailant off, while in turn the starfish used one of its arms to try and grab his eyestalks.


    The creature tightened its grip on the merchant¡¯s face, sticking to it like pecan pie to the roof of his mouth, but with a much more salty aftertaste.


    Several seconds passed as the panicked crustacean tried to remove the invertebrate without success, and if it were anyone else in that predicament, the starfish¡¯s victory would seem a sure thing at this point.


    Thankfully, Balthazar was not anyone else. He was a crab, and thus, superior in every way.


    Finally getting a grip on his panic and also a grip on the starfish with his left pincer, the crab ripped the creature off his face with a loud pop and tossed it on the sand, where it landed limp and embarrassed.


    ¡°Bah!¡± exclaimed the disgusted merchant as he spat out sand and saltwater. ¡°Stupid thing! You thought you were gonna suffocate me, didn¡¯t you?!¡±


    The starfish did not actually think much of anything, given its lack of a brain, but Balthazar was right in the fact that his triumph was due to the creature¡¯s lack of knowledge about how crabs breathe: through gills, not on his face, but under his carapace.


    A fact that everyone surely knew, except perhaps for mindless fleshy beings, such as these starfish, and also human adventurers.


    Shamed and defeated, the boneless asterisk flopped its appendages a couple of times to let the incoming waves wash it away, back to the seabed, where the crab imagined it would lick its wounds and tell all its friends never to mess with crabs.


    ¡°Yeah, get out of here!¡± yelled Balthazar, shaking an angry claw at the receding sea foam.


    Taking a moment to rub his face and get the unpleasant feeling of starfish suction off of it, the crab pondered on what to do next.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do here?¡± he said to himself, kicking some sand with a couple of legs. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in this place, except for sand and floppy face huggers! I should have brought Rye along. There aren¡¯t even any signs, where the hell is a new adventurer supposed to go?¡±


    Balthazar sat down on the sand, watching the waves come and go, lamenting his woes to the uncaring ocean.


    ¡°I just need to find one of those damn scrolls, then maybe I can figure out how to use that stupid system to get my friends back. That¡¯s all I ask for! Well, maybe a couple of pies too. And stumbling upon a chest full of gold buried around here somewhere would be nice as well, I guess. But that¡¯s all!¡±


    The crab idly scratched at the wet sand¡¯s surface with the tip of his pincer, making a similar marking as the one he had once made on the surface of his favorite boulder, so many seasons ago.


    ¡°I miss you, you dumb old rock,¡± he whispered with a sigh.


    As the sky grew more orange over the ocean, Balthazar watched the slowly setting sun on the horizon, admiring the vast waters extending in front of him, like a pond fit for a king.


    ¡°Damn it, I can¡¯t sit here forever!¡± he finally exclaimed, tired of waiting after a whole half minute. ¡°Where¡¯s a stupid adventurer when you need one? Back when I didn¡¯t wanna see them, they¡¯d practically fall from the sky!¡±


    The crab looked up at the darkening clouds, seeing nothing, not even birds, thankfully.


    As he lowered his gaze, he spotted a peculiar volume on the wet sand.


    Washed ashore motionless was a lump of wet rags, hair, and flesh. Also known as a human.


    ¡°Oh?¡± said the crab, before hurriedly skittering his legs to the body.


    As he circled around the new arrival, Balthazar saw that he was a young man wearing ragged clothing, likely the same age or even younger than Rye.


    ¡°Hey, you alive?¡± the merchant said, poking at the unconscious boy¡¯s shoulder with the back of his pincer. ¡°You¡¯d better not suddenly jump at me and try to suck my face off too or¡ª¡±


    ¡°BLARGH!¡± the human suddenly yelled, his eyes snapping open and his body jumping to a sitting position.


    ¡°Ah! Son of a¡­¡± the startled crab exclaimed. ¡°Don¡¯t do that!¡±


    The young man looked around with dilated, panicked eyes, his chest moving up and down quickly like he had just run a marathon or had a near-death experience, which, in the crab¡¯s point of view, were essentially the same thing. His gaze landed on Balthazar, confusion and fright plastered all over his expression.


    ¡°I¡­ You¡­¡± he stuttered, still breathing fast. ¡°Are you¡­ are you a talking crab?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, here we go again with this part¡­¡± said the crustacean with a roll of his eyestalks. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a giant crab that can speak, and you¡¯re a meat bag that can state the obvious. Let¡¯s move past that already. How did you get here?¡±


    The boy paused for a moment, eyes drifting around at the sand around him as he tried to think. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Come on, work with me here, kid. What¡¯s the last thing you remember?¡±


    The washed up human stood up, rubbing his forehead as he attempted to unscramble his thoughts.


    ¡°I¡­ I remember two bright lights coming straight at me. Headlights. I think there was a¡­ a truck?¡±


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re getting there, little steps, good job,¡± the crab said. ¡°By the way¡­ what¡¯s a truck?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh god, why was there a commercial truck coming towards me?!¡±


    ¡°Commercial truck? What¡¯s that? Can I sell it?¡±


    ¡°Oh my god! Did it hit me? Am I dead?! Is this the afterlife?¡±


    Balthazar rolled his eyes again before snapping a claw at the boy to get his attention.


    ¡°Hey, kid, get a grip on yourself. Do I look like an angel to you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know? I don¡¯t think so?¡± the human hesitantly said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a freaking crab, and you¡¯re on a beach! Snap out of it before I have to do it for you! Surely you remember something more. Do you know who you are?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡­ I think so. I do, yes.¡±


    ¡°Great! Now, tell me, where did you come from? What happened there before you woke up here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± the young man¡¯s words trailed off as he seemed to struggle to think, and his eyes went distant. ¡°I think I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes? Go on, spit it out¡­¡± the anxious crab said, anticipation for finally uncovering some answers gnawing at him.


    The boy¡¯s brow furrowed as he searched for words to speak, and as if a haze had appeared inside his head, his eyes started going foggy.


    ¡°Hey. Hey!¡± exclaimed Balthazar, shaking the human¡¯s arm. ¡°What¡¯s happening?! Talk to me!¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Suddenly, the new arrival shook his head and blinked rapidly before looking around confused, as if snapping out of a trance, his eyes back to normal.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that? What happened? Where am I?¡±


    ¡°You were about to tell me where you were and what happened before you got here!¡± said the exasperated crab.


    ¡°What happened? I don¡¯t know, you tell me,¡± the other said, suddenly sounding much more casual about everything. ¡°How did I get here?¡± He looked around at the beach and the sea. ¡°Never mind that! Look at this place. It¡¯s beautiful! Who cares where I was, I wanna know where I can go from here!¡±


    Balthazar banged the sides of his claws against the front of his shell in frustration. ¡°Damn it! Whatever happens to every other adventurer already got to him. Now he¡¯s just another useless fool that can¡¯t remember how he got here. Argh!¡±


    The suddenly carefree boy wandered a few steps away, more concerned with looking at the seashells in the sand than whatever the crab was saying. ¡°Ooh, a conch. Neat!¡±


    Alright, focus, Balthazar. You came here for the scroll, and this idiot can still help you with that.


    ¡°Hey, kid, come here,¡± the crab called, clacking one of his pincers.


    ¡°Huh?¡± the aspiring adventurer said, dropping the small conch he had found and focusing on the crustacean again.


    ¡°Tell me, do you see any strange words showing up in your vision? Text floating in front of your eyes?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± the other said, rolling his eyes around as if looking for something in his sight. ¡°...no?¡±


    ¡°Damn it. Alright, what about a scroll? Did you see one anywhere before you got here? Maybe you got one in your pockets, or something?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± the boy said, turning his raggedy pockets inside out, revealing nothing but sand and one tiny dead fish.


    ¡°Bah! Things can never be easy, can they? Do you maybe have some idea, or indication of where you¡¯d find one? Some feeling, some instinct, anything at all that could tell you where to find a certain scroll?¡±


    ¡°No clue,¡± the kid said with a shrug. ¡°Unless you mean that shiny thing over there in the sand.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed Balthazar, snapping his eyes towards where the human was pointing, but seeing nothing that stood out. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Right there, there¡¯s a little shiny thing blinking at me, like a small star.¡±


    The crab could not see it, but he figured that was because he was not meant to.


    ¡°Show me!¡± he excitedly said, following the boy to the place he had pointed.


    Reaching down, the new arrival pulled a half buried glass bottle out of the sand. Inside it was a rolled up piece of parchment.


    ¡°Oh, this is pretty neat. I wonder if it has a message!¡± he said, childlike curiosity in his eyes as he fiddled with the cork, trying to open it.


    ¡°Wait!¡± yelled the crab. ¡°Wait, wait, wait. Don¡¯t open it!¡±


    Balthazar realized that, if that was a Scroll of Character Creation as he hoped, there was no telling whether that thing would be a one time use item or not, and he could not risk blowing his one opportunity.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just go opening strange bottles you find on the beach like that. It could be dangerous. You should let me take a look at it first. For safety.¡±


    The boy frowned slightly.


    ¡°But I found it,¡± he said, pulling the bottle against his chest. ¡°It was shining for me.¡±


    Damn it, I guess it¡¯s gonna have to be the hard way then.


    It was time for Balthazar to deploy the big guns.


    Not his claws, but his merchant skills, of course.


    ¡°Well, lucky for you, I happen to be a merchant. Balthazar, the merchant crab, at your service.¡± He took a quick greeting bow. ¡°And I¡¯d be willing to pay you for it, because I¡¯m a firm believer in fair deals, and I can see that you¡¯re down on your luck and in need of some money.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t need any money.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ what?¡± asked the incredulous crab. ¡°Everybody needs money!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on a beach, there¡¯s no one else here, and no shops either,¡± the human said with a shrug. ¡°What good would money do for me?¡±


    ¡°But that¡­¡± The crab let out a long exasperated sigh. ¡°Right, just never mind the money. I could trade you for it.¡±


    ¡°Trade me what?¡± asked the boy, raising one eyebrow with curiosity.


    ¡°Hah! I got just the thing for you,¡± said Balthazar while pulling his Backpack of Holding off his shell and onto the sand.


    The crab rummaged through the bag, searching for anything that suited his needs, but nothing seemed quite right, until he spotted something else on the sand and decided to improvise.


    ¡°Here we go!¡± the crab exclaimed, turning back around to the human with a large conch in his pincer. ¡°A Conch of Distant Calling.¡±


    The boy looked at the shell with interest. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty neat conch, but what do you mean by distant calling?¡±


    ¡°Ah, glad you asked, my young friend,¡± the merchant said. ¡°This is no ordinary old conch. No, no, no. If you hold it up to ear, you can hear the sea.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t that, like¡­ every conch?¡±


    ¡°Sea snail! You can hear the sea snail!¡± Balthazar quickly added. ¡°You see, this shell used to belong to a weathercaster sea snail. If you hold it up to your ear you will hear the weather forecast with water temperature, wind speeds, tide information, all that good stuff, no matter where you are. It¡¯s an invaluable item for sea loving fellas like yourself! You will always know if it¡¯s a good idea to come down for a walk on the beach, do some surfing, or maybe even try some fishing.¡±


    The human looked closer at the pinkish conch the crab was holding, eyes glinting at it.


    ¡°That does sound pretty neat¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course it does! Certainly way better than some crummy piece of paper in an old bottle. So, let¡¯s make the deal, before some other inspired adventurer rolls up in here and takes it first?¡±


    The boy giggled.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± asked the crab.


    ¡°You¡¯re a shellfish selling seashells by the seashore.¡±


    Balthazar let out a long sigh.


    I guess that fog really rinses up their brains.


    ¡°Look, will you take the deal or not?¡±


    The adventurer looked at the conch, then at the bottle, and then at the conch again.


    ¡°Fine, deal!¡± he said with a big smile, offering the bottle with one hand and taking the seashell with the other.


    ¡°Yes!¡± exclaimed the merchant. ¡°Here you go, enjoy your conch, and thank you for shopping at Balthazar¡¯s¡­ Wandering Bazaar.¡±


    The crab turned around, hurriedly pulling the cork off the bottle and trying to get the rolled up piece of parchment out of it.


    ¡°Hey, mister crab?¡± said the boy from behind. ¡°I don¡¯t hear any weather forecast from this.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Balthazar said without turning, his focus still on trying to fit the tip of his pincer into the bottle. ¡°He¡¯s a busy sea snail, he only does the announcements once per hour, on the hour. You will just have to wait for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright¡­ Do you sell any clocks?¡±


    ¡°No, now shoo, leave me alone,¡± the crab said, frustration getting to him as he struggled to get the scroll out. ¡°Damn bottle!¡±


    The boy wandered off a few steps, looking around the beach as he held the conch up to his ear and waited, while the crab resorted to giving the bottle a few vigorous shakes.


    ¡°Aha!¡± Balthazar exclaimed triumphantly, as the scroll finally slid out of the bottle.


    He hastily picked up the tube of parchment and unrolled it, eyes wide in anticipation, which soon turned into a frown of frustrated confusion.


    ¡°What the hell is this?!¡±


    There was nothing on the scroll. No text, no glyphs, no ominous glow or floating. Just a blank piece of yellowed out paper.


    ¡°This is worthless,¡± said Balthazar, flipping the scroll around a few times, looking at both sides, searching for something that just wasn¡¯t happening. ¡°This is as good as the junk piles of parchment I have back at the bazaar!¡±


    While the crab cursed the blank piece of paper, Heartha¡¯s new arrival continued wandering around the coast, looking at the seashells. ¡°Oh, these look pretty neat.¡±


    The crab scratched the top of his shell. He was so sure that this had to be the right scroll, yet, it didn¡¯t seem to work. He wondered if whatever the crow had done to him really cut him off from being able to use such things, and he was truly doomed to never get his system access back.


    No, I refuse to accept defeat that easily! There¡¯s got to be something more to it!


    As the crustacean fiddled with the parchment, the human in the background continued talking nonsense to himself.


    ¡°This looks cool. Like some kind of starfish¡­¡±


    ¡°What if the scroll requires some¡ª¡± Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks suddenly stood up. ¡°Kid, don¡¯t touch tha¡ª¡±


    He turned around just in time to see a killer starfish leap at the human¡¯s face like a crab on a pie, wrapping itself around his face.


    The foolish boy stumbled back, dropping his new conch and flailing his arms around in panic, muffled screams coming from behind the fleshy creature attached to him.


    ¡°Pull it off!¡± yelled Balthazar, as he dropped the bottle and scroll to run to the kid¡¯s aid. ¡°Just grab it and pull hard!¡±


    Struggling and swinging his hands around wildly, the human was not doing himself any favors as the crab tried to help him, but was unable to reach his face as he spun around.


    ¡°Stop moving, damn it!¡± said the merchant, attempting to pinch the starfish while the boy thrashed around erratically.


    His chest moved up and down rapidly as he struggled to breathe, increasing his panic even further.


    ¡°Breathe, kid!¡± shouted Balthazar. ¡°Use your gills! Use your gills!¡±


    Suddenly, with a muffled whimper, the boy fell backwards, immobile, starfish still firmly stuck around his face.


    ¡°Kid?¡± called the crab, looking at him with raised eyestalks.


    Skittering next to him, Balthazar used his claw to dislodge the spongy being off, quickly tossing it far away into the water.


    ¡°Hey, you alive?¡± he asked, giving the adventurer¡¯s foot a shake. ¡°Oh¡­ right, humans don¡¯t have gills.¡±


    After looking around awkwardly for a moment, the crab simply shrugged.


    ¡°Oh well, serves him right. Only a fool would go around poking strange creatures like that.¡±


    Remembering the scroll he had dropped, Balthazar quickly made his way back to it, reaching down to pick it back up.


    ¡°Now I still gotta figure out how to use this thing on my¡ªAH!¡±


    The crab fell backwards as his pincer touched the parchment and it suddenly came alive with an incandescent glow.


    [A new claw touches the scroll!]

 Chapter 108: Scroll of Character Re-Creation

    The roll of parchment levitated above the sand, glowing brightly like a shining star as it slowly unrolled itself in front of Balthazar.


    ¡°Gah,¡± said the crab as he got back on his feet after the initial scare. ¡°How can text be so loud?!¡±


    The scroll¡¯s page finished its slow ascension and words began appearing on its surface, just as they had that fateful day by the pond so long ago, except now Balthazar could also see them forming within his vision at the same time.


    ¡°Yes!¡± he celebrated at the sight of the familiar system in his eyes, despite how much it used to annoy him in the past. ¡°I almost lost hope this would work. Time to get back in business!¡±


    As the crab started reading what appeared in front of him, he noticed how the text seemed sharper, and much smoother in the way it scrolled into his vision.


    ¡°Hmm, it looks like this thing got some improvements. Not bad.¡±


    [Scroll of Character Creation]


    [Analyzing¡­]


    [Previous character sheet found.]


    [Would you like to re-create your character?]


    [Yes] [No]


    The crab cocked an eyestalk at the system text in front of him.


    ¡°Alright, this thing seems to still see something leftover from the levels I used to have, that¡¯s promising. Maybe that damnable crow didn¡¯t do a proper job of scrubbing everything off when he wiped my system access.¡±


    Already accustomed to its quirks, Balthazar squinted hard at the first option in the prompt in order to select it, which, to his surprise, blinked and slid through his vision much more easily and smoothly than ever before. It would seem this new version of the scroll and system really worked much better than the ancient one he was used to.


    [Calculating¡­]


    [Error!]


    [Missing values. Current statistics do not match records.]


    ¡°Argh! Of course it couldn¡¯t be that easy,¡± bemoaned the crab, his shell deflating in disappointment, but suddenly, a new line of text, smaller and in a different font style, appeared underneath the error.


    [Manager session detected.]


    [Use manager commands to rollback to last saved values?]


    [Yes] [No]


    The crustacean read through the text once, twice, and then again, his frown deepening with confusion more each time.


    ¡°Manager session? The hell does that mean?¡± His eyes suddenly stood up. ¡°Wait, that stupid bird was some kind of manager or something for the system. Did he¡­ Did he somehow leave something ¡®open¡¯ in my¡­ mind, brain, system, or whatever?¡±


    His thoughts racing like a mouse on a wheel, bits and pieces of what he could understand started to fit together, and he realized that if the crow really had been incompetent enough at his job to leave such a gaping hole in the system, likely convinced there would be no way the crab would ever get his claws on one of those scrolls a second time, then there was no way Balthazar would not abuse the hell out of it.


    With full conviction, the rebellious crustacean pressed ¡°Yes¡± on the prompt and a barrage of feelings, sensations, emotions, and a little bit of poking assaulted his entire being. From the tips of his eight legs, to the ends of his antennae, his body felt as if it had been hit by a truck, despite him still not knowing what that even was.


    [Converting old statistics to new system¡­]


    [Race: Crab]


    [Calculating base stats for crab race¡­]


    [Health: 40/40]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 10/10]


    Balthazar rubbed his shell as he recovered from the assault on his senses, his eyes squinting to focus on the text presented by the system.


    Under it, a few more lines described his race¡¯s traits.


    [Crab race traits:]


    [Aquatic Breather]


    [As the pinnacle of evolution, your race can freely breathe both in and out of water.]


    [Natural Armor]


    [You cannot equip fancy armor, but have a natural bonus to your physical defense thanks to your fancy shell.]


    [Rending Claws]


    [Your claws may not be very good at holding a weapon, but they give you a significant bonus to unarmed damage.]


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± said the crab. ¡°I already knew all these things about myself, but it¡¯s kinda nice to see them get the proper recognition by this thing. I¡¯m starting to like this new system way better than the old one.¡±


    [Previous class found: Merchant]


    [Would you like to change your class?]


    ¡°Why would I want to change? I was born to be a merchant!¡±


    [Calculating previous class experience¡­]


    [Class rank determined.]


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    [Class: Adept Merchant]


    ¡°Oh, come on! How am I not higher than that already?¡± the crab complained. ¡°Did you not see that slick deal I made in town for a loaf of bread? Masterful trading right there!¡±


    Balthazar stared at the class rank text for a moment, tapping his chin with the tip of his pincer. ¡°I wonder how many ranks there are¡­¡±


    Noticing how the line indicating his rank looked slightly different from the other text, he tried focusing on it, and to his surprise, a new window of text slid into view.


    [Ranks for Merchant class:]


    [Novice Merchant]


    [Apprentice Merchant]


    [Adept Merchant]


    [Expert Merchant]


    [Master Merchant]


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± the puzzled crustacean said. ¡°Did this thing just give me actually useful information for what I was wondering?! Wow! They really must have improved this system. I like that!¡±


    Noticing the field indicating his class also seemed ¡°squintable,¡± the crab pressed on it with his gaze too.


    [Class: Merchant]


    [As a merchant, you get an advantage bonus on every trade with other classes and lower rank merchants. Dialogue suits you better than combat, making you gain 200% experience from negotiations and trades but only 50% from everything else. A merchant¡¯s main attribute is Charisma, so you have an improved chance to discover Charisma skills.]


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Balthazar said as he read through the description. ¡°Advantages, I like those. I don¡¯t care about going around picking fights with everything that moves like some dumb adventurer, so the minus 50% doesn''t bother me. Not sure what the improved chance part about skills means, though. Must be something new.¡±


    [Skills]


    [Skills have six possible ranks, from F to S tier, and are taught by tutors or learned by discovering and using Scrolls of Potential. Some skills require a certain level in one or more attributes in order to be used.]


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ different. I used to be able to just use points to pick skills in the old system. Guess that¡¯s one of the things they made more complex. Bah, why do they gotta change what I was already used to? Don¡¯t they know I don¡¯t like learning new things?¡±


    The crab stopped and looked to the side in thought for a moment. ¡°Wait, no, never mind, I get the irony of what I just said. Good thing there¡¯s no one else here to hear me.¡±


    Balthazar spent a few more seconds taking in the information in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen any of these so-called ¡®Scrolls of Potential¡¯ before. I hope that doesn¡¯t mean I gotta start going around taking lessons from random people to get any skills. I ain¡¯t got time for that!¡±


    He tilted his shell at the text. ¡°Wait. Attribute levels. What happened to those?¡±


    Right on cue, new text slid into view.


    [Choose your starting attributes]


    [Points to spend: 10]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 5]


    [Charisma: 5]


    ¡°Oh!¡± said the intrigued crab. ¡°I remember three of those, but the rest are new here. That must be what the bird meant when he looked at the old scroll and said it was from back when they only had three attributes.¡±


    Curious to find out more, Balthazar opened their descriptions.


    [Strength]


    [Affects your attack power, your physical damage, and how much weight you can carry.]


    [Endurance]


    [Affects your ability to resist damage and negative effects, as well as increasing your recovery rates.]


    [Agility]


    [Affects your speed and dexterity, as well as making you better at stealth and dodging.]


    [Perception]


    [Affects your senses and ability to detect things more easily, as well as improving your accuracy.]


    [Intellect]


    [Affects your mental power, your magical abilities, and the capacity to learn and absorb knowledge.]


    [Charisma]


    [Affects your ability to communicate and influence others, as well as gaining improved bonus effects.]


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a lot to take in,¡± said Balthazar after several minutes analyzing the attributes list.


    Pulling back to the previous screen, he considered the initial 10 points.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got a baker to find, no time to waste hesitating about how to spend these. I¡¯m no fighter, so I won¡¯t even pretend to entertain attributes for that.¡±


    The crab started pacing back and forth along the shore, talking to himself as he pondered.


    ¡°I used to just put every point I got into Intelligence before, but that was dumb, because I¡¯m already pretty smart,¡± Balthazar said, gesturing with his claws as he went. ¡°I don¡¯t care for magic or casting spells. Now, Charisma, that one I remember used to be pretty nice back when I had my golden shell¡­¡±


    Balthazar stopped moving and stared at the floating scroll again, still lingering in the air, glowing and waiting for the crab¡¯s command.


    ¡°This did say Charisma is the main attribute for a merchant, so that seems fitting.¡± He tapped on his chin for a moment before throwing his claws up. ¡°Ah, what the hell, I¡¯m not here to play games, I¡¯m here to get big numbers and big advantages! Let¡¯s go all in on Charisma!¡±


    With conviction, the crab placed every point he had available into the one stat.


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 5]


    [Charisma: 15]


    [Confirm?]


    ¡°Damn right I confirm,¡± Balthazar said proudly. ¡°I confirm that I¡¯m charismatic as hell, baby.¡±


    With a smug look, he squinted at the confirmation prompt.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t feel any different,¡± he said after a moment, looking down at himself as if expecting something to have happened.


    [You have gained a natural trait!]


    ¡°I have?¡± asked Balthazar, surprised by the new line of text that had appeared in his eyes.


    [The Gift of the Crab]


    [Trait]


    [You can dazzle others when you speak, both because of what you say and because of the fact that you can speak at all. You have a major bonus to dialogue, based on your Charisma.]


    ¡°Just me, or this updated system got a little bit of sass to it now?¡±


    As if disregarding Balthazar¡¯s remark, a new window appeared yet again.


    [Calculating previous levels¡­]


    [You are level 15]


    ¡°Hell yes!¡± exclaimed the merchant. ¡°I still have my levels. Suck it, you dumb bird! You can¡¯t keep this crab down.¡±


    [Spend unused points now?]


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll use them now. Saving them for later is for suckers and cowards. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    [Calculating¡­]


    [You have gained 3 attribute points per level¡­]


    [You have a total of 42 points to reallocate.]


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s a lot more than before. Let¡¯s go, big numbers, I like them!¡±


    Looking at his attribute list again, Balthazar wondered if he should be reasonable, take a balanced approach, and evenly spread the points across useful stats, perhaps even save some for later, after he learned more about them.


    ¡°Caution belongs in the wind!¡± exclaimed the crab as he punched his pincer forward and dumped all 42 points into his Charisma.


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 5]


    [Charisma: 57]


    He looked proudly at the attribute values, placing the backs of his claws against the sides of his shell like someone who was looking at a job well done.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a downside to leaving all the other attributes at base value, but bah¡­ I¡¯m sure it will be fine!¡±


    [You may increase your base Health, Stamina, or Mana by 10 at every level up.]


    [You have 14 unused upgrades.]


    ¡°Hmm, more choices¡­¡± said the crab with a sigh, the hurry to be done with the whole thing getting to him. ¡°Alright, well, this should be easier. Mana is out, I¡¯m happy to leave the magic to Druma, I don¡¯t want it. Stamina¡­ I mean, this whole traveling all day really wiped me out, I¡¯m not used to going further than the edge of the road, but do I really want to invest points into stamina when all I wanna do is go back to my pond soon and never have to do all this much walking again?¡±


    He crossed his arms and reflected on the matter for a moment, eyes gazing at the sunset over the ocean and the occasional starfish that washed ashore across the shore.


    ¡°Nah, health is a much safer bet. There¡¯s no going wrong with making yourself harder to kill! I¡¯m already all in on the one-stat investment for Charisma, might as well do the same for health. Good luck clobbering me now, idiots!¡±


    With the confidence of an experienced crab who was going through all of this for a second time, Balthazar finished the re-specialization process and looked at the final character summary.


    [Race: Crab]


    [Level: 15]


    [Class: Adept Merchant]


    [Health: 180/180]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 10/10]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 5]


    [Charisma: 57]


    [Traits]


    [Aquatic Breather]


    [Natural Armor]


    [Rending Claws]


    [The Gift of the Crab]


    [Skills:]


    [None]


    ¡°Alright, I''m gonna have to figure out how to get some skills, but otherwise, I¡¯m pretty happy with how this went. I knew my gut feeling about this beach was going to pay off. My gut is always right!¡±


    Suddenly, something far away pulled Balthazar¡¯s gaze. Dark, swirling clouds formed in the sky high above the water, their center like the eye of a terrible storm.


    ¡°That looks¡­ ominous,¡± the crab said, as a new notification slid into his view, with a red outline and bigger font, invoking a sense of urgency.

 Chapter 109: New Arrival

    [System Manager Alert!]


    [New arrival incoming.]


    [Analysis determined potential adventurer¡¯s mind to be too incompatible for process.]


    [System will reject and reroute the undesirable soul.]


    [Continue] [Override]


    Balthazar frowned at the text as he finished reading it. He did not fully understand what all of it meant, but he knew he disliked the part about rejecting someone deemed ¡°undesirable¡± by the system.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± he said, talking to the air around him. ¡°Incompatible and undesirable like a crab using your precious little system, you stupid birds?¡±


    He knew to be messing with things he did not entirely comprehend, but the temptation to fiddle with his unintended manager access was too great.


    ¡°Screw you, crow,¡± the crab muttered as he pressed the override option.


    [Are you sure?]


    [Undesirable candidates may resist the process and cause unpredictable effects to the balance of the system.]


    ¡°Good. If it gives that stupid crow and his bird cronies more trouble, I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    [Soul rejection overridden.]


    With that, Balthazar looked around, expecting something to happen, but as he gazed up at the sky again, he found the clouds had simply dispersed, and all that was left was the orange sky of the setting sun over the calm waves of the sea.


    ¡°Well, that was disappointing!¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°Hopefully me doing that didn¡¯t ring any bells at bird central. Come to think of it, maybe I should have thought twice before pressing this. I should be trying to lie low, now that I got my system access back I can¡¯t afford to have that crow show up to take it away again.¡± He paused and looked up and down the coastline. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sure nothing will come of it!¡±


    As he turned to the still levitating scroll, a new prompt appeared in front of the crab.


    [Manager Panel]


    [Would you like to enable silent mode?]


    ¡°Huh? Silent mode? What¡¯s that?¡±


    [Silent mode]


    [User¡¯s actions will not be logged or traced. Only to be used for testing purposes.]


    ¡°Wow, hold on, this is exactly what I needed!¡± exclaimed the excited merchant. ¡°This new system is really starting to impress me! If I enable this then the crow and company should have a much harder time figuring out what I¡¯m up to. Hopefully, at least¡­¡±


    Balthazar confirmed the prompt to enable silent mode, and a new line appeared.


    [Enabling silent mode will close your manager session.]


    [Confirm] [Cancel]


    ¡°Ah, darn it! There had to be a downside, of course.¡±


    The crab pondered for a moment.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind playing with this manager stuff and seeing what I could make of it, but at the same time I know that¡¯s bound to attract some attention sooner or later, and I don¡¯t want a repeat of that crow¡¯s visit,¡± Balthazar considered, as he paced back and forth, debating with himself. ¡°For all I know, there¡¯s already a bird coming this way to check on what¡¯s going on, and I doubt they don¡¯t have an easy way to sort me out even with whatever tricks this so-called ¡®manager session¡¯ might grant me. No, for once, being sneaky and quiet is the right move. I need to be smart if I want my plans to succeed.¡±


    Making up his mind, Balthazar pressed the confirm option.


    [Silent mode enabled. System actions will not be logged or traced.]


    Worried about any potential winged fiends appearing from above, Balthazar quickly dismissed the system screen from his vision and the Scroll of Character Creation, having done its job, finally closed itself and dropped on the sand.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re coming with me¡ª¡± the crab started, as he moved in to pick up the scroll, but as he did, the piece of paper simply crumbled into dust, mixing in with the grains of sand and disappearing into nothingness.


    ¡°What?! Ah, come on! The old ones didn¡¯t do that!¡± he protested in frustration. ¡°Guess they don¡¯t make them like they used to.¡±


    Looking up at the sky with concern, the crustacean decided there was no time to cry over spilled parchment, and skittered his way back up the dunes, to the road where his companions awaited.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done here, guys,¡± he hurriedly said to Druma and Blue, who sat on some rocks, sharing a few rations of dried meat. ¡°Time to get back on the road and find Rye.¡±


    The trio quickly got on the road, leaving Star Beach behind and heading north as the sun set and night quickly approached over the sands.


    By the shore, where the waves came and went, the figure of a man appeared from the water. Not dragged by the tide and left as an unconscious pile of rags like the previous arrival, but instead standing, awake and alert, as he walked out of the sea, water rolling off his entire body as his heavy steps sank into the sand.


    As the new arrival reached the beach, he stopped, breathing fast as his intense gaze scanned the area, an expression of ire mixed with confusion about his circumstances carved into his face.


    ¡°Where the hell am I?¡±


    ***


    Warren had it all. A perfect life full of accomplishments even before reaching his thirties, with a well-paid job in a large corporation and a beautiful fianc¨¦e, a healthy body and sharp mind, he did plenty of sports and even still had time to do some gaming with his friends on the weekends.


    Everything about him was just perfect.


    And then he died.


    Dragging himself out of an unknown sea to an unfamiliar beach and wearing strange rags, Ren¡ªas everyone usually called him¡ªlooked around, searching for any clues as to what had happened.


    ¡°What is this place? How did I get here?¡± the young man asked himself as he tried to regain his breath. Any common person would have likely lost consciousness in those deep waters after such a rough dive, but not him. Years of swimming practice and having been the captain of his water polo team meant Ren was an excellent swimmer with an impressive lung capacity.


    Steeling his mind, Heartha¡¯s new arrival scanned his surroundings with great care, assessing the situation with the same calm and logical perspective he¡¯d always use when resolving complex problems at his job.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know this place, but there does not seem to be anyone else here, nor are there any immediate threats. That¡¯s good. I need to focus and figure out what¡¯s the last thing I remember.¡±


    Still standing on the line between wet and dry sand, thick droplets of saltwater dripping from every end of his body and ragged clothing, Ren closed his eyes as he rubbed his forehead, trying to unscramble his thoughts and find out what had happened before.


    ¡°A crosswalk. Yes, I was crossing the street, because the light was green. I remember¡­ tires screeching, and¡­ a wide metal grill, from a truck. Where was I coming from? Work? No, a house. My parent¡¯s house? There was a girl there, too. Yes, my girlfriend, she¡­ she¡­¡±


    Ren¡¯s thoughts were growing heavier and harder to bring to the surface of his brain, and as his eyes snapped open, a milky layer appeared over them, like a fog settling over his mind.


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    ¡°No!¡± he exclaimed, clutching his head with both hands as his knees hit the sand. ¡°What¡¯s happening?! There¡¯s something trying to cloud my mind!¡±


    Suddenly and with a loud snap, Ren slapped his own face, and after squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, he opened them back up, the mind haze gone from his sight.


    Out of nowhere, a line of bright text appeared in his vision.


    [Fatal error]


    [Incompatible mind. Mind haze aborted.]


    [Please contact your nearest manager to correctly wipe your memories.]


    ¡°What was that? Why was something attempting to wipe my memories? I almost¡­ I almost¡­ what was it that I was remembering?¡±


    The young man rummaged through his brain, searching for details, any specifics about his past, but quickly realized that he could only remember fragments. Like a maddening feeling of something at your fingertips that you just cannot reach, or a name on the tip of your tongue that you just cannot recall, he remembered things, he just could not remember what they were.


    Reeling from the effects of the unfinished mind haze that took memories from him without also taking the knowledge of having lost them, Ren stood back up and took a deep breath, remembering all the breathing techniques to use during stressful situations that he had learned from his martial arts classes. Try as he might, he couldn¡¯t remember his teacher¡¯s face or name, only that he had those lessons at some point in his life.


    Focusing his sights back on the strange text, he frowned at the last line.


    [Please contact your nearest manager to correctly wipe your memories.]


    ¡°Why would I ever do that?¡± Ren said. ¡°And where did this strange UI come from?¡±


    Taking another look around and towards the forest and hills past the dunes, the young man rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°Judging by the coloring of the vegetation, it seems like this place is currently undergoing its autumnal season, but I can still clearly remember it to be the middle of winter as I was crossing the road just now, given the snow and winter clothing I recall wearing, so that means I¡¯m nowhere near home. I could be in a different part of the world, but if I was in a different hemisphere, that should mean it would be summer instead. No, something about this ocean and the landscape doesn¡¯t feel right. If only I could remember my geography classes more clearly¡­¡±


    Ren exhaled and crossed his arms as he looked around again. Ever the pragmatic thinker, he started nodding slowly.


    ¡°No, as unlikely as it might sound, this seems to be a different world from mine.¡± He focused on the text in his eyes once more. ¡°With some kind of¡­ system interface.¡±


    He quickly ruled out the possibility of dreaming, as he was sure he would have woken up already if he chose to, given his mastery of lucid dreaming, after taking a three-month run of seminars on the subject.


    ¡°Is this some kind of¡­ video game? I¡¯m sure there is no VR technology this advanced yet, I keep up with every major tech news outlet, I remember that much. Yet, why do I see a user interface in front of my eyes?¡±


    A groan came from the sand nearby, and Ren quickly turned to it, his eyes homing in on its source instantly thanks to his razor-sharp senses, gained from a lifetime of tennis practice with professional athletes.


    A young boy, wearing similar rags as Ren''s, was sitting up from the sand, holding his head with one hand like someone waking up with a hangover.


    As the newest arrival rushed towards the awakening adventurer, he noticed a strange red imprint covering most of the boy¡¯s face, like a star-shaped suction mark.


    ¡°You there!¡± called Ren. ¡°Can you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    The boy frowned as he rubbed his head. ¡°Yeah, of course I can. Why?¡±


    ¡°Good, there is no language barrier, at least,¡± the other said, more to himself than anyone else. ¡°What is this place?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said the younger adventurer as he stood up. ¡°A beach?¡±


    Ren groaned in frustration before grabbing him by the shoulders. ¡°Who are you? Some kind of NPC? Is this a VR game?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± asked the befuddled boy.


    ¡°Are we in some kind of virtual reality world?!¡±


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t think so, at least.¡±


    ¡°How did you get here? Do you remember that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m not sure? Something about bright headlights?¡±


    ¡°A truck? Were you hit by a truck while crossing the street too?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ oh god¡­ was I? I¡­ I think so? Did I die?!¡±


    Ren let go of the boy¡¯s shoulders, turning to the side into his own thinking process.


    ¡°It¡¯s as I feared. This isn¡¯t some game. This is real, like some kind of reincarnation, but¡­ something¡¯s wrong about it. And why can¡¯t I remember my past? Only fragments of what I¡¯ve lost?¡±


    The red-faced young man tapped Ren¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey, uh, you alright, pal? You''re talking to yourself a lot there.¡±


    Ren turned around in a flash, his expression becoming sour.


    ¡°Alright?! We apparently just died and someone or something wiped our memories, that is far from alright. How are you not more concerned?¡±


    ¡°We died?! Oh damn, that doesn¡¯t sound neat at all,¡± replied the addled boy.


    ¡°Useless,¡± muttered the other. ¡°Clearly too mentally weak to withstand the mind hazing. His brain is probably all scrambled.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Try and focus: have you seen anyone at all since you arrived here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said the boy. ¡°Wait, yes, I think so. He was the strangest merchant I¡¯ve ever seen, I tell ya.¡±


    ¡°A merchant?¡± repeated Ren. ¡°Who was he? What was his name? Where is he now?! Answer me!¡±


    The new arrival moved up on the previous newcomer, their noses nearly touched as Ren grabbed the collars of the boy¡¯s soaked burlap shirt.


    ¡°Woah! Easy, pal! No need for that! His¡­ his name was Balthazar, I think! And I don¡¯t know where he went after he took my scroll!¡±


    ¡°Scroll?¡± said Ren, slowly letting go of the collar. ¡°What scroll?¡±


    ¡°A scroll in a bottle that was shining for me somewhere around the sand here. He told me a bunch of stuff and, next thing I knew, I traded him the scroll for a conch. Damn, where did my conch go? Do you think he scammed me?¡±


    ¡°A scroll in a bottle¡­¡± whispered the young man, turning away from the confused boy and looking around with a scowl.


    Soon after, he spotted it: a twinkling shiny spot in the middle of a mound of sand, beckoning him to it.


    Ren rushed to it, leaving the other new arrival behind, and found a bottle with a rolled up piece of paper inside.


    Frantically opening it and pulling the scroll out, he was shocked when the piece of parchment escaped his hands and floated in front of him, slowly unrolling itself.


    For a good minute, Ren stared at the page in front of him and the glowing text displayed in his eyes, struggling to come to terms with what he was witnessing. Despite his well-educated and open mind, the fact that such an undeniably magical thing was real and happening was still stunning to him.


    Meanwhile, the other aspiring adventurer had already shrugged and gotten on with looking for his dropped conch.


    ¡°This¡­ this is ridiculous,¡± Ren quietly said to himself ¡°Levels, attributes, skills¡­ This is like a game world, except it¡¯s all real and happening to me. How? Why did I have to die and end up here?¡±


    His expression slowly shifted away from confusion and anguish to a frowning anger.


    ¡°No, someone is responsible for this. Someone has to be behind this whole charade of bringing innocent people here. I must find them and get some answers. Find out what they took away from me. I need to go back.¡±


    His eyes snapped back up to the scroll, reading through its requests and mentions of many values and options. Despite his spectacular social life and busy schedule, he was also an accomplished gamer with multiple wins at several Esports tournaments and an expert understanding of strategy and complex mechanics.


    To say nothing of his magnificent proficiency as a cook.


    Or his flawless driving skills.


    Or his gift with gardening.


    Or the things he could do with his¡ª


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this right now,¡± Ren suddenly said. ¡°If I am to use this system to my advantage, I must first learn and understand how this world works and then build a well-thought-out character. I can¡¯t afford to recklessly spend any points without full knowledge of what they will entail. Only a fool would do that.¡±


    Ren stood up and quickly snatched the floating scroll, which stopped glowing with a sudden whimper as he stuffed it inside his pocket.


    ¡°Whoever this Balthazar is, he must be the one with the answers, or perhaps even the mastermind behind it all.¡± He scowled at the horizon. ¡°I will find him, and I will get back what was taken from me.¡±


    Placing his sights on the road past the dunes, Ren set out with determination on his step, stopping at a wooden sign before heading south.


    Meanwhile, back on the beach, the other new arrival was still wandering by the coast, searching for his lost conch.


    ¡°Oh, neat, what¡¯s this?¡± he said, leaning down to pull on a pinkish appendage sticking out of the sand.


    Moonlight slowly rolled over the white sands of Star Beach as the sound of waves on the shore drowned out the muffled screams coming from behind another killer starfish hugging its prey, in another trip around the natural circle of an adventurer¡¯s life.


    ***


    ¡°Huh, I wonder why my antennae feel so warm,¡± Balthazar mused as he made his way up the road leading north, trying to meet with Rye.


    Gazing up at the sky above, the crab knew they could not keep going much longer. Despite his inexperience with travel, even he knew that the darkness of night meant dangers could be lurking anywhere, and that they¡¯d need to stop and make camp until morning.


    ¡°Hey, Druma,¡± said Balthazar, turning to the goblin walking a few steps behind. ¡°We should stop and make camp soon, so we will need to get a fire going, for light. Can you gather some firewood?¡±


    The assistant gave the crab a firm nod with his head. ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡±


    ¡°And you, Blue,¡± Balthazar continued, turning to the drake following along at a lazy pace. ¡°Can you maybe fly up and do a few rounds over the roads to see if you spot Rye before it gets too dark?¡±


    The golden-eyed creature slowly cocked an eyebrow at the crab, as if expecting something more.


    Balthazar rolled his eyestalks.


    ¡°Please?¡± he said.


    With a flap of her powerful wings, Blue took off past the forest canopy and soared across the streaks of orange, purple, and black of the dusk sky.


    With his two travel companions going their own ways, Balthazar continued on through the road, lost in his own thoughts as he kept an eyestalk out for the archer.


    As he pondered on what to do next once he found Rye, the crab heard a twig snapping up ahead.


    ¡°Well, well, well¡­¡± a raspy voice said, as a man wearing dark brown leather armor stepped out from behind a tree on the edge of the road. ¡°Turns out that guy at the tavern wasn¡¯t lying. There really is a merchant crab traveling on this road. You owe me five crowns, Tem.¡±


    ¡°Heh, yeah, boss,¡± a ratty-looking man said with a nervous laugh as he appeared from the opposite side of the road.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks stood up. He didn¡¯t need his Monocle of Examination to know exactly what those guys were. Bandits.


    As the crab took a tentative step back, he heard more noise coming from the edges of the road behind him. Two more bandits emerged from the shadowy woods surrounding the winding path, each one flanking him from a different direction.


    ¡°Uh¡­ evening, fellas,¡± the nervous merchant said. ¡°I see my reputation precedes me, ha ha. Do you guys need something?¡±


    The one woman in the group stepped closer, pulling a knife from her belt.


    ¡°Yes, crab. Your coin, or your life. You choose.¡±

 Chapter 110: The Gift of the Crab

    What kind of choice is that?! My coin is my life!


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks twisted around, watching the four bandits encircling him. He was surrounded and, with his poor running skills, he knew there was no chance to run away without being immediately caught.


    ¡°You heard the lady,¡± said one of the bandits behind the crab, by far the biggest of the four. ¡°Cough up all your coin, or we crack you open and get it ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said the ratty-looking one, ¡°just hand it over, save us all the cuts and bruises.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Tem,¡± barked the apparent leader of the group.


    He had been the first one to appear, and his outfit, while a low-grade armor, was still by far the least worn out between the four of them. He carried a large machete on his belt, which he had not yet unsheathed, despite all the other bandits having done so with their respective weapons. This was enough to tell Balthazar that he was clearly the boss of the gang.


    ¡°I¡­ I think maybe you guys got the wrong traveler, friends,¡± the crab hesitantly said, in a hurried attempt at placating the bandits slowly advancing towards him.


    ¡°Right,¡± started the leader, with a mocking smile on his face. ¡°Because I¡¯m sure there are so many crabs traveling these roads. With a backpack. And talking.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fair point,¡± said Balthazar, giving himself a roll of his eyes for such a poor attempt at subterfuge. ¡°There¡¯s only one merchant crab, and that¡¯s me, but really, I¡¯ve been doing business all day, fellas. I¡¯ve spent all my coin buying loot from passing adventurers. I got no gold left, and trust me, you also don¡¯t want any of the junk I¡¯ve bought. It¡¯s all so worthless. Those idiots really do pick up anything they see. It¡¯s only good for selling to other dumb adventurers. Not like you, smart and wise¡­ bandits.¡±


    The merchant put on a forced smile of someone who had just been offered a dung pie and was still trying to look friendly, while three of the bandits exchanged slightly confused looks at one another.


    ¡°You talk too much, crab,¡± said the larger thug, reaching down to grab Balthazar¡¯s backpack.


    ¡°Woah there, buddy,¡± said the crustacean, taking a side step to avoid the man¡¯s hand. ¡°No touching the merchandise unless you¡¯re gonna buy it!¡±


    ¡°Quit stalling and hand over that money bag,¡± said the woman among them, flicking the pocket knife to her other hand as she reached for the crab¡¯s Bag of Holding Money that was tied to the side of his shell.


    As she grasped it, the bag held in place, the knot on the rope tightening the more she pulled. One of Balthazar¡¯s specialties: the eight-point pincer knot. The harder you pull on it, the tighter it becomes.


    Before she could bring her blade up to the rope and cut it, Balthazar spun around once again, out of her reach.


    ¡°Not nice, miss!¡± said the crab, wagging a pincer at her. ¡°You can¡¯t just go around grabbing someone¡¯s money sack like that! Consent matters!¡±


    The woman¡¯s lips twisted into an irked expression as Balthazar backed away from her, only to find himself now closer to the scrawny one from the group.


    ¡°Come on, this will go a lot easier for everyone if you just drop your stuff and back away,¡± said the bandit. ¡°We might even let you go.¡±


    The bigger one let out a devious chuckle. ¡°No we won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Dax!¡± said the ratty one.


    ¡°Both of you shut up,¡± their boss ordered. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of this nonsense. Just give him a beating and take his stuff. I wanna go back to the tavern and grab a pint before I find a dice table to bet his money on.¡±


    The cowardly bandit shrugged without much conviction. ¡°You heard the boss. Orders are orders.¡±


    Balthazar gulped. He knew he stood no chance against all of them in a proper fight.


    But this crab did not need to get involved in a proper fight, when he had something better: a mouth full of words and a bag full of junk.


    I guess if you can¡¯t beat them¡­ dazzle them.


    ¡°Whose orders?¡± Balthazar said to the bandit approaching him.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Who gave you the order to attack me?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± asked the confused man. ¡°I just told you, the boss right there.¡±


    The crab looked over to where the bandit was pointing, towards the gang¡¯s leader.


    ¡°And why are you doing what he tells you?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ because he¡¯s the boss! It¡¯s right there in the title!¡±


    ¡°And why is he the boss?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t any of you the boss instead?¡± Balthazar pointed a pincer at the bigger thug behind him. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he the boss, for example? He¡¯s clearly the largest of the group.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± said the big guy, raising both eyebrows in surprise as he pointed at his own chest. ¡°You think I would make a good¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Dax,¡± said the woman. ¡°The crab is clearly trying to confuse you, you idiots.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± said Balthazar. ¡°No, no, madame. I¡¯m only asking questions here.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s it taking you muppets so long to skin a bloody crab? Just get it over with and stop humoring him,¡± the boss yelled from his spot near the tree, from which he still hadn¡¯t moved since revealing himself.


    ¡°I mean, have you listened to him? He doesn¡¯t even get that crabs don¡¯t have skin! He doesn¡¯t sound very bright to me.¡±


    Dax scratched the top of his head, while Tem just seemed conflicted. The woman, meanwhile, seemed to be growing angry.


    ¡°For Crea¡¯s sake, I have to do everything around here!¡± she exclaimed, bringing her pocket knife up and charging towards the crab.


    Balthazar braced for impact, but as the blade connected with his chitin, it bent and snapped, the tip falling to the ground with a tiny plink.


    Oh right, natural armor.


    The woman looked down at her broken knife and then up into the crab¡¯s eyes with a livid expression.


    ¡°That is some very bad quality material you have there,¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°Get him, Dax!¡± the woman screamed, backing away from the crustacean.


    The large thug stepped forward, raising a crude wooden club over his head, ready to bring it down on Balthazar¡¯s shell.


    ¡°And look at that club! Shoddy! It even has a crack on it!¡± the crab quickly exclaimed.


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Uh¡­ interesting.


    The bandit stopped halfway through his attack, frowned, and then looked at his weapon. ¡°It does?¡±


    Balthazar took a deep breath.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to tell you, guys. Why are you all taking orders from that fella over there? He doesn¡¯t even provide you with proper equipment, and he stands over there doing nothing while you three do all the work.¡±


    The merchant moved closer to the larger thug.


    ¡°Think about it: why should the bigger guy be taking orders from someone clearly smaller and weaker?¡±


    Dax scratched his five o¡¯clock shadow, clearly doing his best to squeeze out a complete thought.


    Balthazar then swiftly moved over to the bandit lady, who recoiled at his approach.


    ¡°And did you notice how your ¡®leader¡¯ did not even move a finger when your service weapon failed catastrophically against me there? Imagine I was actually a violent crab. I could have easily snapped you in two right there and then, and you would have been left to your own luck by him and his poor job conditions!¡±


    Once again, a system notification popped up in the corner of Balthazar¡¯s sight.


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°I¡­ but¡­ I mean, he could have done something, I guess¡­¡±


    Without missing a step, the crab skittered towards the ratty bandit.


    ¡°And as for you¡­¡± Balthazar recoiled slightly as he got closer to the man¡¯s face and felt his breath, foul and rotten enough to kill the roadside flowers if he blew on them. ¡°Does this job even offer dental? I bet it doesn¡¯t!¡±


    Another system notification of success appeared, and the scrawny man frowned with a puzzled expression. ¡°Denta-what??¡±


    ¡°Exactly! You don¡¯t even know!¡± the crab loudly exclaimed.


    ¡°Enough of this rubbish,¡± the gang leader said, finally stepping away from his tree. ¡°Sick of watching you morons playing with this crab. Take care of him, or I¡¯m keeping your cut of the spoils.¡±


    That seemed to worry the three thieves.


    ¡°And what,¡± Balthazar started, turning to the trio, ¡°may I ask, my thuggish friends, is your cut of the profits after a successful robbery, raid, or pillage?¡±


    ¡°Well, the boss gets half, because he¡¯s the boss, and we get the other half,¡± said the scrawny one.


    ¡°Tem, shut up! Why are you telling the crab that?¡± the woman said, shoving her elbow against his side.


    ¡°Yeah, and that¡¯s fair, because it¡¯s an equal split!¡± exclaimed the bigger bandit with a dumb smile on his face, proud to contribute to the discussion with a thoughtful conclusion from his own head.


    ¡°No, because if you three have to split that half then all each one of you ends up with is actually 16.6666666667%!¡±


    The trio stared at the crab before exchanging confused glances at each other.


    ¡°Oh gold help me¡­¡± Balthazar muttered. ¡°Do they not teach you basic math at bandit school?! It means he gets a whole half to himself, while you three have to divide yours into smaller scraps!¡±


    ¡°Oooooh!¡± said the ratty bandit.


    The larger thug scratched the top of his head once again. ¡°I still don¡¯t get it¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, you idiots had your chance, I¡¯m handling this blabbermouth myself!¡± announced the bandit chief, stepping towards the traveling merchant.


    ¡°Hang on,¡± said the woman, stepping between her boss and his target. ¡°Now I wanna hear him out. He kinda makes some good points.¡±


    ¡°Brenda, I swear, if you don¡¯t get out of my way¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to Brendy like that,¡± said the bigger bandit, stepping past the crab and towards the other two. ¡°That¡¯s not nice.¡±


    ¡°How come you always hang back and let us do all the heavy lifting but then get half of everything, huh, Jackson?! How come you didn¡¯t even try to help me when the blade you gave me last week broke? You said that it was pure steel!¡±


    ¡°G-guys¡­ we shouldn¡¯t fight,¡± the remaining bandit said. ¡°Boss, maybe we should just solve this by settling on a more fair share for everyone and¡ª¡±


    ¡°You worthless clowns aren¡¯t getting anything more,¡± yelled the gang leader, clearly growing angrier. ¡°I¡¯m the boss, what I say goes!¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± interjected Balthazar, addressing the lower thugs in front of him and ignoring the angry boss behind them, ¡°you guys should stick together and voice your concerns. Demand better shares of the stolen goods! Better weapons to rob travelers with! Better dental hygiene! Really make your voice be heard by the powers that be. Like some kind of union of bandit rights.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what he said!¡± exclaimed the woman.


    ¡°I agree with Brenda!¡± said the large thug. ¡°I like what the talking crab is saying!¡±


    ¡°I mean, I guess he does make a bunch of fair points¡­¡± the more cowardly thief said.


    ¡°I swear on me mum, you bastards, if you don¡¯t snap out of¡­ whatever¡¯s gotten into you, I will¡­¡± the bandit boss pulled his machete from his belt. Unlike the other weapons, this one was pristine and of decent quality.


    The other three visibly recoiled at the sight of their chief¡¯s blade being unsheathed.


    ¡°I knew this was a bad idea!¡± cried the ratty thief.


    ¡°Dax, you got your club, stand in front of us!¡± said Brenda.


    ¡°But it¡¯s cracked,¡± the larger one said with a whimper and a lost puppy face.


    ¡°After I¡¯m done with you,¡± said the boss, ¡°I¡¯ll handle the crab myself, and I¡¯ll keep all the spoils to myself. How¡¯s that for a fair share, you bloody morons?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I could be of assistance,¡± Balthazar said to the trio, from his safe distance behind them. ¡°I just can¡¯t stand idly by and not help such a noble movement as yours.¡±


    The crab quickly dug through his Backpack of Holding, searching for any worthless junk he could find.


    ¡°Aha! Here, catch!¡± said the merchant, tossing a crossbow at the ratty bandit. ¡°A fine quality ranged weapon to keep you at a safe distance from your opponent. It¡¯s already loaded, too.¡±


    The thief looked at the weapon he had just caught in his hands. It was made of old wood, it had bits chipped off here and there, and the string on it seemed to be close to breaking, but he smiled like a kid opening a birthday present.


    ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doin¡ª¡± the bandit leader started as he took a step forward, but he immediately froze as Tem pointed the crossbow at his chest.


    ¡°H-hold it, boss,¡± he said, his knees shaking and his voice faltering. ¡°W-we just wanna talk. We can solve this, just don¡¯t come any closer for now.¡±


    ¡°Ya bloody traitor,¡± Jackson said bitterly. ¡°I should have known you¡¯d be a turncoat with no honor, Tem.¡±


    ¡°Oh please,¡± said Brenda, ¡°what are you even talking about? We¡¯re bandits! We¡¯re all scum, it¡¯s part of the job description!¡±


    ¡°Well said, miss!¡± said Balthazar from the back. ¡°Here, this is for you. This one is actually made of pure stainless steel!¡±


    The crab tossed a blade across the ground towards the woman, who stopped it with her boot before picking it up and examining it against the moonlight.


    It was a knife, it had a long and sharp blade, and it was in fact made of pure steel. It was also a kitchen knife meant to cut pies, but that wasn¡¯t an important detail worth pointing out right there and then.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s talk about that cut, Jackson,¡± said the lady bandit, putting on a devious smile as she flicked the knife into a sideways position against the side of her wrist.


    ¡°What about me, mister crab?¡± said Dax, looking at Balthazar with pleading eyes like a five-year-old kid. A very large and broad-shouldered five-year-old kid. ¡°Do I not get something too?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ yes, you¡­¡± said the merchant, stretching his eyestalks to peek into his pack. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve got something for you here.¡±


    Crap, I¡¯ve got nothing for him here.


    After much shuffling and rummaging, Balthazar finally grabbed something from the bag.


    Screw it, this will have to do, so long as it keeps the big guy happy with me.


    He tossed a round glass bottle full of an orange, almost red liquid at the thug, who caught it in his hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s a potion of¡­ might!¡± said the merchant. ¡°It will make you as strong as a bull with just one gulp. Or, well¡­ maybe two bulls, in your case.¡±


    I have no idea what that potion is¡­


    ¡°Oh, nice!¡± said the big guy, before downing the entire thing without hesitation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hang you all for this,¡± said the (now former) leader of the bandit group. ¡°Each one of you.¡±


    ¡°Come on, boss,¡± said Tem, slowly making a circle around the boss, crossbow still aimed at him, ¡°we just wanted a better deal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Jackson,¡± said Brenda, moving to his other flank, ¡°you brought this on yourself. The crab just opened our eyes to the obvious.¡±


    Alright, I think this is the part where I get out of the crossfire area and wait for them to take each other out.


    Balthazar slipped behind a nearby bush as he observed the bigger thug stumble a few steps between him and the rest of the group.


    What¡¯s up with that one?


    ¡°G-guys¡­¡± Dax said with difficulty. ¡°I don¡¯t feel so good¡­¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks frowned.


    What was that bottle I gave him? I swear I remember them from before on my shelves¡­


    The crab¡¯s eyes went wide as the memory of the description for those round orange bottles surfaced in his mind.


    [Fireburst Concoction]


    [Throwing Weapon]


    [Made with highly flammable alchemy ingredients, this bottle will explode into a burst of flames upon contact. Keep out of reach of children and low INT adventurers.]


    Suddenly, the distance between him and the bandits, as well as his choice of cover behind a bush, no longer felt as safe anymore.


    ¡°Mister crab? Why does my tummy hurt?¡± said the bandit, turning around to look for the merchant as his face turned red, and his stomach grew dangerously bigger. ¡°I feel¡­ I feel like I¡¯m gonna¡­¡±


    Balthazar looked around for better cover, but there was none.


    ¡°Oh crabapples¡­¡±

 Chapter 111: Swoop

    High up in the sky, where dusk introduced night to the departing evening, a gold and azure streak glided across the orange and purple background surrounding the setting sun. She was Blue, in both color and name.


    A juvenile drake of impressive features, she had mesmerizing eyes of an intense golden yellow that matched the undersides of her magnificent wings. Eyes which she was using to scout the area underneath, looking for a young man.


    Smart as she was for a drake, she did not actually know the human language or that Rye was the young man¡¯s name, but she understood enough to know her task was to find him.


    Not that she cared much for humans, or most other creatures in general. As a draconic species, pride was a defining trait of her being, and everyone else was to be seen as a servant to her magnificence. There were, however, a few exceptions.


    A certain young baker girl was one such exception. Something about her made Blue¡¯s heart feel softer, and she looked up to the girl with admiration and fondness.


    The drake also knew that, for whatever reason, this Rye boy was very important to Madeleine, and even if Blue did not fully understand why or what she saw in him, she respected the girl enough to also respect him.


    And so the winged creature flew over the roads, looking for any signs of the archer. Not only because that¡¯s what Madeleine would have wanted, but also because the crab asked her to.


    And at least this time he said ¡°please¡± too.


    Complex creatures, drakes take respect very seriously, and anyone who wishes to be at least tolerated by these beings must show the proper reverence to their magnificence.


    This was a complicated concept in Blue¡¯s mind when it came to Balthazar, however, since, as far as the drake understood, he was her parent, or at least he should be, seeing as he hatched her, and he certainly had the pride and self-importance of a draconic creature himself, and yet, he was still¡­ a crab.


    It was hard on the young drakeling to wrap her head around the idea that, instead of having a big, imposing mother to look up to, with beautiful wings that could house her entire body underneath them and a fire breath that could raze entire villages, what she had was a flightless crustacean for a parent. Instead of beautiful scales, he had a rough shell. Instead of wide wings, he had big pincers. Instead of shooting fire, his mouth only shot many words. Too many words.


    It was just not what the small drake expected when she came out of her egg all those months before.


    How could she submit to a lesser creature when he wouldn¡¯t even show her proper manners? Sure, he was prideful like her, and she was stubborn like him, but at least she had the draconic presence to justify it. He was just a small crab, mostly cowardly and unable to even defend himself. It went against every fiber of her being to see such a being as an equal.


    But, as Blue soared through some clouds, circling around a hill in her continued search, she let out a fiery sigh.


    Despite all of those things, and how much she resisted showing it, the drake could not help but care for the crab. His attempts at working on their relationship and learning how to deal with a draconic creature, while often clumsy, still struck a chord with her. If only he was less¡­ crabby.


    So long as he was at least trying, she would do her best too, even if it meant they would often bump on each other¡¯s stubborn personalities.


    If even a grumpy old crab was learning new things and putting himself out here to help his friends, then the drake was not about to let herself be outdone by him.


    She would follow him, and together they¡¯d get back their lost friends. If nothing else, just so Blue could have a rematch against the big red dragon. Her pride demanded it.


    With redoubled determination, Blue dove, brushing aside her doubts and attempts at understanding how a crustacean came to sire a drake, and focusing on finding her target.


    Scouting the many winding roads, paths, and trails, the winged lizard had not yet found any signs of the archer, and night was fast approaching, making it difficult to see very far, even for her sharp eyes.


    As much as she disliked the idea of returning without having fulfilled her mission, with darkness falling over the woods and hills, Blue decided it was time to head back and catch up to the crab and the goblin, settle down by the fire, maybe have some more meat, and then continue the search in the morning.


    Following the path she knew the other two to be, her eyes scanned the open areas between the trees, trying to spot any green or gray dots moving below.


    After a while, her sights finally picked up a familiar figure. Druma, carrying firewood in his scrawny arms, was making his way out of the forest and back to the road, likely returning to Balthazar as well.


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    She hovered for a bit, making sure there were no threats around him, such as wolves, bears, or any other predator that might attack the small goblin. A mighty predator herself, she knew how tempting of a target the little green guy could be to other larger creatures, and as her guardian, she would make sure not to let that happen.


    The drake had given herself the job of protecting the goblin after the day wolves attacked and left him severely injured. In her own way of thinking, she knew she liked playing with the goblin on the shores of the pond like they usually did every morning, and his disappearance would greatly upset her, thus, being the bigger one, it was only natural for her to be his protector. Simple as that. Draconic creatures were nothing if not pragmatic.


    Reassured of the goblin¡¯s safety, Blue pushed forward, looking for Balthazar. It did not take her long to spot him in a clearing up ahead, but something peculiar made her frown.


    He was not alone, there were four other figures around him, and while she was too far away to listen in, it seemed pretty clear to her by the scene playing out down below, that hostilities were taking place.


    The drake¡¯s frowning deepened. How could it be that such a small crab was always finding so much trouble?


    One of the figures below, the largest of them all, was stumbling towards Balthazar, and something about him looked off to her.


    As a drake, if there was one thing she had a sixth sense for, it was fire, and she could tell there was a nasty flame brewing within that human.


    Which was odd, because she¡¯d never seen a fire breathing human before.


    Circling high above the clearing, Blue shook her head in disapproval.


    She ought to let Balthazar deal with the consequences of whatever he had gotten himself into as a lesson, but then again, her pride also demanded that if someone was ever going to roast up the crab in a torrent of flames, it should be her.


    He was her annoying crab to butt heads with, no one else¡¯s.


    With a swift turn, the drake nosedived at full speed, aiming towards her oddly-shaped parent.


    ***


    Balthazar ducked and covered his face with his claws as the bandit stumbled back and forth, looking sick in his stomach, which he likely was, after downing an explosive alchemy concoction.


    With a red face and eyes bulging out, Dax suddenly stopped and breathed in before his mouth opened, like the very maws of hell, letting out the foulest of belches with a most unholy sound erupting from within, which reverberated against the trees all around, scaring away the squirrels from their branches and the critters from their hiding holes. Following the unnatural burp came the flames. Like a torrent of fire worthy of a dragon, they blew out of him with violent force, growing into a fireball that quickly engulfed the thug and expanded to consume everything else around him.


    Peeking from between his pincers, the crab braced for a very hot impact, when suddenly, at the very last second, he felt himself being picked up by his shell and lifted into the air, away from the explosion.


    Surprised and confused, Balthazar turned his eyestalks up to see Blue carrying him in her powerful claws, beating her wings at full force as she struggled to gain altitude. Naturally, this was because she was still young and not fully developed yet, and not because Balthazar was heavy and full of bread.


    ¡°Blue!¡± the crab exclaimed, staring up at her with a big smile on his face. ¡°You saved me! You¡ª¡± His eyes glanced down, seeing the ground quickly growing distant as she flew higher up. ¡°You are going to get me kiiiiiilled!¡±


    His legs kicked, and his pincers flailed as Balthazar panicked, watching himself go higher and higher, past the tallest trees and through the chilly wind of the autumnal night.


    ¡°Bring me down! Bring me down!¡± he screamed. ¡°Crabs aren¡¯t meant to fly!¡±


    All the kicking and struggling were making the annoyed drake¡¯s job of holding on to the crab more difficult, and for a split second, her grasp on his shell almost slipped.


    ¡°Oh lord, no! Please don¡¯t let me fall, Blue!¡± cried the terrified merchant. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna die like a ripe watermelon dropped on a rock!¡±


    A bead of sweat running down the side of her face, Blue started descending towards a clearing below, where she finally landed the crab.


    Gasping and breathing fast, Balthazar fell to his claws and¡­ let¡¯s call them ¡°knees.¡±


    I¡¯m way too old to only be finding out I don¡¯t like heights now!


    Glancing to the side, he saw the drake landing on the ground a few paces away, looking at him with an expression of awkward embarrassment.


    ¡°Uhm, right,¡± said the crab as he stood back straight and cleared his throat in an attempt to lower his voice¡¯s pitch. ¡°Thank you for the assistance, Blue. I had it under control, of course, but your help was still appreciated. Just maybe don¡¯t scoop me up into the air like that again without warning. I wasn¡¯t¡­ ready for it, yeah, that was it.¡±


    The golden-eyed creature was still staring at him with an expression of weirded out discomfort.


    ¡°I know you can¡¯t technically talk, but let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s just never speak of this again, alright?¡±


    ¡°Boss! Boss!¡± called Druma, coming out of the trees in a sprint, pieces of firewood falling off his arms as he ran. ¡°Druma hear big kaboom. Is boss alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine now, don¡¯t worry,¡± said the crab, wiping the top of his shell and letting the rear of his shell drop to the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll just sit here for a moment to rest, and then I can tell you all about the bandits I found.¡± He looked around the clearing they were in. ¡°I think we¡¯re far away enough now, so let¡¯s just set up camp here for the night.¡±


    With one of his usual energetic nods, Druma started preparing a small campfire, while Blue perched herself on some nearby boulders, scanning the surrounding trees.


    As Balthazar relaxed his shell and let out a relieved sigh, a system notification popped up.


    [Bandit Thugs defeated x4]


    [You have reached level 16!]


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks perked up with excitement.


    Nice! That didn¡¯t take long. Time to spend some points!

 Chapter 112: Tutorial

    Balthazar pulled his arms out of the backpack¡¯s straps and set it down to serve as a cushion to rest against as he sat in front of the small campfire Druma had just lit.


    Once the goblin stepped away to collect some more fuel for the fire from the nearby bushes, and while Blue lazily stretched herself like a cat preparing to take a nap on a bed of leaves nearby, the crab pulled up the level up screen, ready to examine it without distractions.


    [You have reached level 16]


    [Choose a base stat to increase by 10]


    [Health: 180/180]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 10/10]


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± whispered the crab as he stretched his arms.


    I am pretty wiped out after the day I had, so more stamina could help with that, but¡­ I don¡¯t really plan on having days like this very often. Exercising is exhausting, and I already have the peak physical form anyway, so¡­


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at the system screen in front of him.


    Bah, can¡¯t go wrong with more health!


    [Health: 190/190]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 10/10]


    ¡°Almost at 200 already. Nice!¡± the sitting merchant muttered, just loud enough to disturb the nearby drake¡¯s rest, making her lift a disapproving glare at the crab before going back to her beauty sleep.


    Alright, what¡¯s next? Give me more big numbers!


    Enthralled by the newly found appeal of other numbers that go up besides his coin count, Balthazar swiped to the next screen.


    [You have 3 unspent attribute points]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 5]


    [Charisma: 57]


    The crab crossed his arms and tapped on the side of his face with the tip of a pincer, pondering.


    I¡¯ve put all the points I had accumulated before into Charisma, so maybe I could start putting these into something else.


    He leaned back against the backpack, staring off into the dark sky as he considered his options.


    I could probably also just let them sit there and build up to use later¡­ Nah, that¡¯s dumb, like having two slices of pie and only eating one to leave the other for tomorrow. Who would ever do that?! Pie sitting on a plate does me no good when it could already be in my stomach!


    The crab let out a long and relaxed yawn as he watched the tiny embers of the campfire fly up into the night sky, their light mixing up with the other small dots of the stars shining above.


    Decisions, decisions¡­ What do I even need the other attributes for anyway? Charisma saved my shell back there, not strength or some well aimed spell. Bah, if it ain¡¯t broken, don¡¯t fix it. And even if it was, but I could take advantage of it, I should leave it be too.


    [Charisma: 60]


    Satisfied with his wise and well-thought-out choices, Balthazar swiped the screen to the side.


    Wait, that¡¯s it?


    The crab moved his eyestalks left and right a few times, and then up and down, trying to find some extra screen he might have missed, but there was nothing more.


    Damn it, I need some skills. I can¡¯t rely on dialogue to get me through every problem I¡¯ll encounter, as much as I¡¯d like that to be possible. Can¡¯t just talk a boulder back into life, and big flying lizards don¡¯t seem too keen on chatting up with crabs, sadly.


    The tired merchant sighed as his shell lazily slipped down against the leather of the pack, the warmth of the fire tickling the tips of his legs and making him feel even more relaxed.


    Guess that¡¯s another thing to worry about on my long list of things to do: figure out where to find those Scrolls of Potential, or some kind of skill tutor. Hmm, I wonder who they could be¡­ Doubt they¡¯re common, most people I¡¯ve met just today were dumb as a sack of bricks.


    The crab¡¯s eyes began growing heavier by the second, the exhaustion of his very unusual day finally taking its toll, and his thoughts started fading into pastry-filled dreams.


    Hmm¡­ blueberry pie for supper¡­ or maybe peach¡­ ooh, key lime for the morning, yes¡­


    ***


    The next morning, Balthazar woke up lying on his Backpack of Holding, next to the now smoldering remains of last night¡¯s campfire. With a big stretch of his pincers and many legs, the giant crab let out a long and satisfied yawn.


    While sleeping in such an awkward bedding would have been problematic for many other species, for Balthazar it was no problem at all, as he had no bones to ache, back to crack, or even a neck to be stiff. Perks of being the ultimate life form.


    With groggy eyestalks, he fumbled his way around the pile of ashes that still smoked in the middle of the circle of stones made by Druma the night before, scratching the backside of his shell as he went.


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    Blue was still lying in the same spot, slumbering with slow, deep breaths, while Druma, ever the early goblin, was already up, off somewhere in the trees, likely chasing some squirrel, judging by the noises the barely awake merchant could hear nearby.


    Balthazar had a very specific morning routine, as any proper crab should. A routine which involved a quick trip to the shore of his pond every day, something he, for the first time since he could recall, was unable to do, because his beautiful pond was several hours away from where he stood. A fact that he was still trying to get used to.


    Thankfully for the crustacean, his acute hearing picked up on the sound of running water from nearby.


    Shuffling through some bushes and skittering around some trees, Balthazar quickly found a small stream running between some rocks and zigzagging through the woods.


    It was no pond, but it would do.


    After splashing some water on his face and doing his usual chitin exfoliation, Balthazar stood back straight, throwing his shell back as he let out a long ¡°Ahhh¡± of satisfaction.


    ¡°Feeling much better now. Just missing my morning slice of pie.¡± He slumped down slightly for a moment, before picking himself back up. ¡°Too early for feeling sad, Balthazar! Focus on finding Madeleine and you¡¯ll get your pies!¡±


    Putting his claws on the sides of his shell, the crab took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh morning air.


    ¡°Ah, just like back home.¡±


    Suddenly, a new system message popped up.


    [Would you like to start your tutorial now?]


    [Yes] [Later]


    Balthazar frowned slightly.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about a tutorial? I¡¯ve had a system for months, I don¡¯t need no tutorial!¡±


    As he looked at the available options, his frown deepened.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I just say no?¡±


    Annoyed, the crab simply pressed the [Later] option and shrugged, turning back to the rolling water of the stream to dip his pincers into it, because even crabs know you should always wash your claws before eating.


    [Would you like to start your tutorial now?]


    [Yes] [Later]


    ¡°Huh?!¡± said the bewildered merchant. ¡°Didn¡¯t I just tell you to buzz off? Later, not now!¡±


    With another quick flick, he sent the question away and continued to scrub between his dactylus, where all the dirt and gunk tends to get. If there was one thing Balthazar did not abide by, it was dirty claws touching Madeleine¡¯s pastries.


    [Tutorial?]


    [Yes] [Later]


    ¡°I take back everything I said about liking this new system version better!¡± exclaimed Balthazar, splashing water everywhere as he threw his claws up. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do any tutorials right now!¡±


    The crab firmly pressed the second option on the prompt.


    About ten seconds of peace and quiet passed as he tried to calm his temper, when a new notification appeared.


    [What about now?]


    [Yes] [Ask me again in 5 seconds]


    ¡°Argh! Fine!¡± yelled the angry crustacean. ¡°If it will make this thing shut up, I¡¯ll just get it over with! How hard can it be anyway, if it¡¯s meant for new adventurers?¡±


    Balthazar pressed the first option and a new screen slid into his view.


    [Tutorial Quest: Introduction]


    [Welcome to Heartha! In this marvelous world of¡ª]


    ¡°Nope!¡± the crab loudly declared, as he saw the long page of text extending down in front of his eyes. ¡°I do not care!¡±


    [Skip]


    After pressing the skip option, a new window appeared.


    [But not everything in this land is¡ª]


    ¡°I ain¡¯t got time to read all that!¡±


    [Skip]


    [So it is your destiny now to go forth and¡ª]


    ¡°Skiiiiiip!¡±


    After Balthazar mashed the skip option for what felt like a hundred times, the introduction pages finally ended.


    [Tutorial Quest: First Steps]


    [Welcome, new arrival! After your rough landing, your mind might be a bit scrambled. Make sure you still remember the basics of moving around!]


    [Objective: Take at least 10 steps forward]


    The crab smacked the front of his face with his claw.


    ¡°Are you¡­ flipping¡­ kidding me?¡± he grumbled. ¡°I know how to walk! I¡¯ve always known how to walk! What kind of idiot is this tutorial made for?!¡±


    Remembering the answer to his own question¡ªthe very same adventurers he had been dealing with for months¡ªBalthazar sighed and walked forward.


    ¡°There, happy now? So difficult! Can I go back to getting breakfast now?¡±


    [Objective completed!]


    [Well done, adventurer! You still know how to walk in a straight line, but do you still remember how to strafe and walk backwards?]


    [Objective: Take at least 10 steps left, right, and backwards]


    ¡°Oh come on, this is ridiculous!¡± the outraged crab yelled.


    Frustrated, but just wishing to be done with the whole thing, the merchant did the little dance of sidesteps and back stepping until the system was satisfied.


    [Objective completed!]


    [Great job, adventurer! You still got your moves! Now let¡¯s learn how to jump!]


    [Objective: Jump at least 5 times]


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not doing that! This thing can¡¯t be serious?! I¡¯m a crab, and crabs aren¡¯t meant to jump!¡±


    Balthazar crossed his arms like a child throwing a tantrum, but the jolly quest prompt remained in front of his eyes, covering most of his view, with no option to skip or close.


    ¡°Argh! I hate you, system!¡± complained the crab, as he threw his pincers up in defeat.


    ***


    Over by the trees, Druma stood watching Balthazar on the edge of the stream as Blue approached, joining next to him.


    ¡°What¡­ what is boss doing?¡± asked the confused goblin, scratching the top of his hairless head under the wizard hat.


    The drake observed the crab with an expression of awkwardness, her head tilted to the side like a watchful cat sitting atop a wall in an alley.


    Near the running water, Balthazar moved around, counting steps as he did lines and circles with his eight legs, stopping every few paces and grumbling to himself before continuing.


    His two companions watched on in weirded out confusion as the crab started hopping up and down.


    ¡°Is¡­ is boss dancing?¡± said Druma.


    Blue looked at the goblin and shrugged.


    ***


    [Objective completed!]


    ¡°Finally!¡± said Balthazar. ¡°This has been nothing if not humiliating. I¡¯m just glad I¡¯m all the way out here with nobody to see me doing all this ridiculous stuff.¡±


    The crab took a moment to exhale and catch his breath. Morning exercises were not usually part of his morning routine. Or his afternoon routine. Or evening. Or part of any routine of his at all, in fact.


    [Quest Started: First Adventure]


    [Now that you have learned the basics of movement, it¡¯s time to embark on your first journey and find somewhere to explore and get some loot!]


    ¡°You know what, no, screw this,¡± Balthazar declared. ¡°I¡¯m done with your crap, system. I¡¯m not one of your stupid adventurers, and I¡¯m not doing any dumb quests either.¡±


    As he looked for a way to dismiss the system prompt in his eyes, he noticed the bottom line of text.


    [Objective: travel east to Tudor¡¯s Hall]


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks frowned.


    ¡°Wait, where do I know that name from?¡± he said, scratching his chin as he tried to remember. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s right! Tudor¡¯s Hall is the dungeon Tom comes from!¡±


    His upset mood seemingly gone all of a sudden, Balthazar chuckled to himself.


    ¡°I wonder how that old skeleton is doing.¡± He glanced at the quest objective once more. ¡°I mean¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind visiting him and finally seeing that place of his. He talks so much about it. Maybe I could even find something useful there, like one of those scrolls.¡±


    Suddenly making up his mind, the now excited crab skittered back to the campsite, where his two companions were already packing up.


    ¡°Druma, Blue, get your things, we¡¯re taking a little detour to visit someone!¡± he cheerfully announced.


    After a couple of minutes, the crab and his two followers were back on the road, heading east with the merchant at the front.


    [You seem to have two companions. Would you like to add them to your party?]


    Balthazar read the notification as he continued walking.


    Oh! I didn¡¯t even think about this. I wonder if their stat sheets will look different in this updated system too.


    With a squint, he confirmed the prompt to add Druma and Blue to his party, and gained access to their stat screens.

 Chapter 113: It’s a Party

    ***


    All the way back in Ardville, where the cover of darkness over its many streets had not yet been pushed back by the arrival of the morning sun, two conspicuous figures skulked their way around an alley.


    One was large, broad-shouldered, and built like a section of brick wall. The other was small, scrawny, and next to the first, could almost pass for a child. A very lavishly dressed child.


    The bigger man was holding a manhole cover open with one hand, and using the other to reach down into the sewer, while his patron provided vital commands.


    ¡°Be careful pulling him up, Bruce! I would be livid if your brutish hands harmed his wrists just because you can¡¯t control yourself.¡±


    The hired muscle groaned with annoyance, but chose to say nothing, as he usually did. His job required few words from him, and so long as it got him paid, he knew it best to keep his thoughts to himself.


    A different kind of groan came from inside the sewer hole, as Bruce pulled his hand up and brought a third man out of the dark depths.


    He wore not fancy and brightly colored clothing made of silk, but instead a dingy set of burlap rags. No expensive hat with a feather sticking out of it sat upon his head, leaving his greasy, matted down hair on show. There was no cloud of expensive and overwhelming perfume surrounding him either, only the stench of sewer waste and lack of bathing.


    Only one recognizable trait of his still remained, despite its more unkempt appearance: a pencil mustache under his stuck up nose, twitching with disgust as he climbed out of Ardville¡¯s waste-filled waterways.


    ¡°Mr. Antoine!¡± the other nobleman cried out in a loud and exaggerated greeting. ¡°I cannot express how great it is to finally see you out of that cell!¡±


    ¡°Keep your voice down, you imbecile,¡± spat the escapee, in a bitter whisper between grinding teeth. ¡°Do you want someone to hear you and find us?¡±


    ¡°No, no, please, my apologies, sir! I didn¡¯t mean it,¡± the small man said, throwing his head down in an apologetic manner that revealed more fear than respect.


    Antoine eyed the bodyguard towering above them.


    ¡°Are you sure the guard will not ring the alarm?¡±


    Bruce smirked. ¡°Trust me, I knocked him out good. He won¡¯t be conscious anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Good. That means we should have at least a couple of hours until they find him during the change of the watch.¡± He turned to the nobleman again. ¡°You. Did you bring me what I instructed?¡±


    The other man scrambled to untangle a large satchel from under his vestment¡¯s mantles. ¡°Of course, my lord! Here, it was exactly where you said and I brought it right over.¡±


    The former guildmaster took the bag unceremoniously and quickly looked inside, partially pulling out a set of clean clothes and looking under them for something else.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t even look inside it?¡±


    ¡°No! Of course not, sir,¡± answered the noble. ¡°I would never!¡±


    Antoine shook his head disapprovingly before muttering under his breath. ¡°Gullible fool.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Antoine, if I may¡­¡± the sheepish lackey started. ¡°Where do you intend to go now? Not to question your plans, of course, but with the entire town soon to be out looking for you, going back to your old life will not really be an option.¡±


    The disgraced merchant turned with a snap, his face twisted into an expression that matched his foul odor.


    ¡°This town can rot in hell for all I care,¡± he said bitterly, spite shooting out of his eyes like daggers, making the other man shrink down in his expensive lace-up shoes. ¡°After all I¡¯ve done for it, they¡¯ve turned on me for¡­ for that creature? They don¡¯t deserve me!¡±


    Antoine turned to the larger man still towering over them, who was keeping an eye on the alley¡¯s exit for any movement.


    ¡°Are the horses saddled and ready?¡±


    Bruce glanced down at the still seething merchant, showing no signs of being too intimidated by the temperature of his temper.


    ¡°Yeah, two horses waiting outside the town walls, like you said.¡±


    ¡°T-two horses?¡± stuttered the cowering nobleman, slowly returning to an upright position. ¡°But s-sir¡­ I have my own business here in town, my entire life. I¡¯m not sure whether I would be of much help if I were to go with you.¡± His eyes jumped suddenly. ¡°As honored as I would be, of course!¡±


    With a glare that oozed contempt, Antoine eyed the noble up and down before scoffing.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, you would be useless to me. What would make you think that I¡¯m taking you with me?¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ I thought¡­ I did everything you asked of me,¡± said the confused man. ¡°I got every parcel, went to every hidden stash, arranged everything for your escape. I followed your every instruction to the letter!¡±


    ¡°Yes you did,¡± said Antoine, a shade falling over his face as he stared at his nervous lackey. ¡°And now you know far too much about me, my plans, and my secrets. I just can¡¯t have that.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡±


    ¡°Look at you. You¡¯d fold and tell everything you know if a guardsman so much as breathed harder on you.¡±


    ¡°But, sir¡­ No! I would neve¡ª¡±


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    ¡°You,¡± Antoine barked, turning suddenly to Bruce. ¡°Does he still pay you the same as you told me last time?¡±


    The bodyguard looked at the man in rags with a cocked eyebrow.


    ¡°Yeah. Why?¡±


    The merchant reached into his satchel and pulled out a fat coin purse from under the change of clothes within.


    ¡°That¡¯s triple of what he pays you,¡± he said, tossing the sack of gold at the larger man, who caught it with one hand. ¡°There¡¯s plenty more where that came from stashed all across the land if you choose to work for me from now on.¡±


    Bruce peeked into the bag, a golden shine reflecting on his face as he smiled.


    ¡°Sounds like a good deal to me.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± said Antoine. ¡°Your first task is to rid me of any loose ends. Make it quick, I need you to take me outside to my horse before the guards sound the alarm.¡±


    The newly hired mercenary pocketed his payment before rolling his shoulders.


    ¡°You got it, boss.¡±


    The trembling nobleman looked back and forth between the other two as his back pressed against the grimy alley wall.


    ¡°Y-you work for me, Bruce!¡± he pleaded, his voice cracking with a high-pitch. ¡°I hired you! You can¡¯t do this!¡±


    Bruce smirked with malicious intent, cracking his huge knuckles as he approached his former patron.


    ¡°Shoulda paid me more.¡±


    Antoine stepped out of the alley and onto the deserted street just as the first rays of sunlight breached through the maze of rooftops above.


    As a muffled whimper and the dry sound of a quick snap came from the alley behind him, the once great guildmaster of Ardville looked upon the town¡¯s streets with scorn as he muttered between grinding teeth.


    ¡°You will all pay in time. Especially you, crab.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Dang it, why are my antennae feeling so warm again?¡± Balthazar asked himself as he skittered down the road through the plains, his focus split between the path ahead and the system text in his sight. ¡°Bah, must be nothing.¡±


    After having added Druma and Blue to his party as the system suggested, the crab had found himself able to access his two friends¡¯ stat screens like he could see his own.


    Alright, let¡¯s see what we¡¯ve got here¡­


    [Name: Druma]


    [Race: Goblin]


    [Level: 3]


    [Class: None]


    [Health: 60/60]


    [Stamina: 90/90]


    [Mana: 0/0]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 2]


    [Endurance: 3]


    [Agility: 4]


    [Perception: 3]


    [Intellect: 2+2]


    [Charisma: 1]


    [Traits]


    [Eager Learner]


    [Skills:]


    [None]


    The merchant read through his assistant¡¯s sheet carefully as he continued navigating through the road, effortlessly swerving and avoiding every stone and hole in his path with the expertise of someone already used to doing things while reading strange glowing texts burned into his retinas.


    Big yikes on that Charisma, buddy, but otherwise, this all seems about right. Even the +2 Intellect bonus from that old hat. I wonder what this trait is, though.


    [Eager Learner]


    [Trait]


    [Goblins don¡¯t usually like learning things, but this one is different. Whether because he hit his head, or precisely because he didn¡¯t, this creature has a knack for picking up new skills if taught. Able to gain up to one compatible skill if given an active Scroll of Potential or trained by a tutor.]


    Huh¡­ Isn¡¯t that something?


    Convinced that was certainly an interesting trait to consider later, but one he had no real use for yet, given how he had not found any of those scrolls or tutors for himself yet, Balthazar moved on to the screen of his other companion.


    [name: Blue]


    [Race: Drake]


    [Level: 16]


    [Class: None]


    [Health: 350/350]


    [Stamina: 120/120]


    [Mana: 80/80]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 12]


    [Endurance: 12]


    [Agility: 22]


    [Perception: 20]


    [Intellect: 12]


    [Charisma: 20]


    [Traits]


    [Mind Scales]


    [Skills:]


    [Firebreath]


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks frowned as he read through the attributes once more.


    Those seem way higher than I would expect. And how does such a petulant creature have so much Charisma?


    Oblivious to the irony of his own question, Balthazar shrugged.


    Teenagers. Whatever.


    Curious, he pressed the only skill listed, already having a pretty decent idea of what it was given the name, but still wondering what it would look like.


    [Firebreath]


    [Skill]


    [Cost: 30 Mana]


    [As a draconic creature, drakes have the natural ability to unleash a torrent of fire through their mouths. The flames deal an average amount of magical fire damage to everything that fails to resist it. Not suitable for meal cooking.]


    Alright then. At least I learned she uses mana to shoot those blue flames. Not sure how I¡¯d get her to ever drink a mana potion if needed, though.


    Pulling back to the previous screen, the crustacean selected her only trait, [Mind Scales], which, unlike the skill, he felt much more clueless as to what it could be.


    [Mind Scales]


    [Trait]


    [Owners of strong personalities, sturdy wills, and well-balanced minds, draconic creatures show great resistance to all manner of illusion or mind-altering magic. Has the ability to resist most psychic effects.]


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at the text.


    Oh, I get it. Well-balanced¡­ Scales¡­ This system is all clever now.


    Despite his quips, the crab recognized that such a trait could be quite handy, and deep down, he wished he could have it too if he ever encountered a certain black-clad witch again.


    With a sigh, Balthazar dismissed the system screen and focused solely on the road again.


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s a party.¡±


    A few paces away, his goblin assistant perked up. ¡°Boss say something?¡±


    ¡°No, no, don¡¯t mind me, Druma,¡± replied the crab. ¡°Just talking to myself and reminiscing.¡±


    With a little less pep to his step, the merchant remembered the old days when his party had not two, but three companions.


    Reaching back into his Backpack of Holding, Balthazar touched the rough surface of the broken orb he brought from home with the tip of his pincer.


    He knew it was there, he had no fear that it would have accidentally fallen out at some point during his journey, he simply liked to touch it now and then for comfort, to remember his friend, and to remind himself of one of the reasons why he was out there on the road.


    ¡°Soon, Bouldy. I¡¯ll find a way to bring you back, I promise,¡± the crab whispered.


    After what felt like the longest trip of his life¡ªbecause it likely was thus far¡ªBalthazar found himself stepping out into a clearing, past some overgrown bushes and a few hanging vines, where he found his destination.


    [You have discovered Tudor¡¯s Hall]


    The crab grimaced as he looked past the system text and saw what was behind it.


    ¡°What is wrong with this place?¡±

 Chapter 114: Tudor’s Hall

    Moss and cobwebs covered dirty, cracked walls of cobblestone, forming a dilapidated building that stood slightly crooked in the middle of a circular clearing, all the trees and greener grass seemingly too afraid of growing anywhere near it, leaving nothing but dead weeds surrounding the crypt.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be the right place,¡± said Balthazar, eyeing the small mausoleum standing in front of him. ¡°This place looks abandoned and like no one has lived here for ages.¡±


    The crab paused, his eyestalks glancing up as he recalled the skeleton he was there to visit. ¡°Oh, right, never mind that. Of course no one has.¡±


    A few steps behind, Blue and Druma joined him past the wall of bushes and hanging ivy, both making their own expressions of disgust towards the destination they had arrived at.


    Cutting and slashing some purplish weeds out of the way with his claws, Balthazar pushed forward and closer to the entrance, his party hesitantly following behind.


    As he reached the two stone steps leading up to the double doors of the dungeon entrance, the crab spotted a plaque on the wall next to them.


    Using his pincers, he cut some tangled vegetation to read what it said.


    Adventurer beware.


    Turn back now and leave this place, lest you forfeit your life to it.


    Balthazar let out a half chuckle, half scoff. ¡°Good thing I¡¯m not an adventurer.¡±


    He glanced back at the goblin and the drake, who were still eyeing the mausoleum with a mix of disapproval and uncertainty, before putting the back of his claws to the sides of his shell.


    ¡°Do you reckon I just knock?¡±


    As he raised a pincer to tap on them, the tall granite doors of the hall suddenly rumbled and started slowly opening with the loud noise of stone scraping against the floor, followed by a cold dead breeze of wind blowing out of the space between them.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s dramatic,¡± said the crab, claw still in the air.


    As the gates to Tudor¡¯s Hall continued crawling open, the merchant rolled his eyes awkwardly.


    ¡°Also unnecessarily slow¡­¡± he bemoaned.


    After what felt like a small eternity of waiting for the doors to finish their dramatic act, the rumbling ceased and a dark hall stood in front of the crab, who peeked inside with his two eyestalks.


    A square room, empty except for two unlit braziers by the corners and the wide stairwell leading underground, was all he could see.


    ¡°Hello?¡± called Balthazar, but the only response he got was his own echo.


    The crab pulled the front of his shell back out with a slightly disapproving expression.


    ¡°Tom, my friend, you really got to work on your presentation,¡± he said to himself. ¡°I expected better from a fellow merchant.¡±


    Turning around to his partners, the crustacean gave a shrug.


    ¡°Well, I guess down we go.¡±


    As he prepared to take a step inside, Balthazar noticed his companions weren¡¯t moving.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, turning back to them.


    Druma was staring down into the hall and its stairwell with a worried expression as he held on to his magical staff, his elbows and knees trembling slightly.


    ¡°Druma don¡¯t like dungeons,¡± he said with a shaky voice. ¡°Dark and full of creepy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± said the crab, ¡°it will be fine. This is Tom¡¯s place. You remember him. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no danger inside.¡±


    The goblin looked at his boss with a hesitant gaze, as if wanting to believe his words, but still unable to wrangle his own fears.


    ¡°Druma don¡¯t want to go in, boss,¡± he said, gazing at the ground in shame. ¡°Druma too scared.¡±


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    ¡°Come now, you¡¯re the bravest goblin I know!¡± Balthazar said to the only goblin he knew. ¡°It should take more than a few unlit halls to spook you. You''re the great vanquisher of dark mages, remember?¡±


    The small assistant glanced up at the crab, a smile almost forming on his face but fading right away.


    ¡°The¡­ the bad man,¡± he started with hesitation, ¡°once took Druma to crypt just like that. Bad man said he want loot. Druma fall in hole. Bad man say he should leave Druma in hole.¡± His eyes grew watery, and he avoided the crab¡¯s gaze again. ¡°Druma think he would never get out. Long time pass. Silver man only come back and get Druma out because Druma have bag with loot he want.¡±


    Balthazar stood without reaction for a second, before his eyestalks frowned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to go anywhere you don¡¯t want to, Druma,¡± he said calmly. ¡°You stay out here, maybe keep an eye out on the road for Rye while I¡¯m inside, and I¡¯ll be back in no time, alright?¡±


    The goblin wiped his eyes on his arms and quickly gave a few nods. ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    The crab turned to the drake.


    ¡°And Blue, you will stay with Druma and keep watch with him, right?¡±


    To his slight surprise, she simply gave a brief affirmative nod and followed the goblin.


    ¡°Huh. Good girl,¡± Balthazar whispered to himself, before turning back to the crypt¡¯s entrance.


    Stepping inside the cold and damp hall, the crab peered into the stairwell leading to the dark depths below.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ve read about these, but how do they work exactly?¡± he said, tentatively placing a leg on the topmost step.


    Wary of the newly found concept of stairs, Balthazar slowly moved a second leg towards the next step.


    ¡°Alright, kind of awkward, but not terrible,¡± he said, slowly tilting his shell as he continued moving sideways down the stairs. ¡°I could get¡ªwoooah!¡±


    With too many legs mixed with too many steps, the crab tilted and tumbled forward, rolling down the stairs with an ¡°ouch¡± and ¡°oof¡± at every other step hit.


    After what felt like way too many rolls and plunges, Balthazar finally landed face-first onto the cold stone floor at the bottom of the stairwell.


    ¡°Oow¡­¡± he moaned, standing up with difficulty and rubbing the top of his shell. ¡°Never mind, I hate stairs. I¡¯m never doing that again.¡±


    Assessing his surroundings, the merchant realized he could not assess a thing, because everything was pitch black. Looking up, all he could spot was the small speck of light at the top of the stairs, from the now distant mausoleum entrance.


    ¡°Great, now what? There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going back up this way,¡± he said, placing his claws on his crustacean hips. ¡°I guess into the dungeon it is, then.¡±


    Reaching into his magical pack, the crab pulled out a wooden torch from his wares, along with a piece of flint.


    Despite his lack of opposable thumbs¡ªor any other fingers¡ªBalthazar lit the torch with casual ease by snapping the flint with his pincer, producing a few sparks onto the flammable tip of the wooden stick held in his other claw.


    As the orange glow flooded the immediate area around him, the crab saw that he was in a narrow corridor composed of old, mossy cobblestone walls. As he brought the light closer to them, several roaches and centipedes skittered away, quickly hiding in the holes and crevices of the old and ruined halls.


    ¡°Ew, would it kill you to do some housekeeping now and then, Tom?¡± Balthazar muttered to himself.


    He tried to peer into the corridor ahead, but even with the glow from his torch, all he saw was a tunnel of stone leading into an unknown void.


    ¡°Hey, psst, anyone home?¡± the crab called out with a whisper, not noticing the contradictory nature of calling out for someone with a quiet murmur.


    ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯ll let myself in,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°He¡¯d better not be out today. I don¡¯t really want to sit here waiting for him to come back. I doubt this place even has any pillows.¡±


    With his torch held high above his shell, Balthazar carefully pushed forward, squinting at the path ahead of him in hopes of spotting something other than moist walls and crawling critters.


    Suddenly, the crab froze as the sound of clacking in the distance reached him, his antennae perking up and twitching as he tried to catch where the noise was coming from.


    ¡°Anyone there?¡± he said to the darkness around him.


    His question was met with nothing but silence, only interrupted by the rhythmic dripping of water somewhere out of view.


    Balthazar was no coward (according to himself), but the tension of being deep underground, in the dark, alone and unsure of whom¡ªor what¡ªwas around him started to make his bristles stand as he questioned his recent choices.


    Why the hell did I think this was a good idea?


    Holding the flame a bit further, he realized the corridor ended there, opening into a much wider room with a slightly taller ceiling. Figuring there was no way but forward, he tentatively stepped into the chamber, trying to inspect what it had to offer.


    ¡°Are these¡­ wooden boxes?¡± he muttered, approaching a brown rectangle that sat atop a stone slab on one end of the room.


    As the light of the flame reached closer, its glow revealed the full details of the many boxes lined against the wall, from their carved edges, to the iron handles, as well as their epitaphs.


    ¡°They¡¯re coffins!¡± said the crab, eyestalks standing up.


    From somewhere behind him, in the dark recesses of the chamber, where the dim light of his fading torch could not reach, came a creaking sound.


    Balthazar turned with a start, eyes wide as he peered into the darkness, trying to make out what the faint movement he seemed to perceive was.


    ¡°Is that you, To¡ªAh!¡±


    A figure burst out of the void and into the light of the torch that the crab had just dropped on the floor in his sudden fright.


    A freakishly tall skeleton with a grinning skull, much taller than Tom and wearing no suit, hat, or clothes at all, came charging towards Balthazar with a rusty axe held high as he cackled maniacally.


    ¡°HA HA HA HA!¡±

 Chapter 115: A Skeleton Party

    The calcified assailant rushed at Balthazar, his bones rattling as he ran with the chipped hatchet in his hand. A massive jaw bounced precariously from side to side with every step as his cackle echoed all around the chamber like a thousand shrieks from hell, making the crab quickly shrink back against the nearest coffin, every bristle in his body standing up in a fright.


    ¡°I¡¯m a friend of Tom¡¯s!¡± Balthazar blurted out as he covered his eyestalks with his claws.


    It was the only thing that came to his mind in the spur of the moment, other than perhaps ¡°please don¡¯t kill me, I still have so many pies to live for.¡±


    To the crab¡¯s surprise, the charging skeleton actually stopped dead on his tracks. Which, really, is the only way skeletons can stop on their tracks anyway.


    ¡°Oi, you know Tom, do ya?¡± said the grinning skull, with a cheery and loud voice.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks peeked up from behind his pincers.


    ¡°Y-yes. We¡¯re trade partners.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, that makes sense,¡± said the skeleton, finally lowering his weapon and putting his hand bones against his hip bones. ¡°I did wonder why you weren¡¯t defending yourself. Usually, this is the part where they fight me back, heh.¡±


    ¡°Hah, right,¡± the crab said with a nervous chuckle, as he stood back straight and away from the coffin. ¡°Just glad you stopped when you did.¡±


    He glanced at the hatchet with a gaze of slight concern.


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± the unclothed skeleton said, tapping a bony finger on the rusted blade of his weapon. ¡°No reason to worry, really. The thing¡¯s so old and dull it can¡¯t even cut cheese. It¡¯s all just for show, ha ha.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± said Balthazar, with an expression of someone who was anything but relieved. ¡°I¡¯m Balthazar, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet ya, ha ha! I¡¯m Jim!¡± The skeleton paused and eye-socketed the crab up and down for a moment. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re the merchant crab Tom talks so much about!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yes,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you suspect that might be the case when you saw a crab walk in here?¡±


    The skeleton shrugged.


    ¡°Not really. To be fair, I wasn¡¯t sure if you weren¡¯t just a dwarf in weird armor or something, ha ha.¡±


    The merchant frowned, but before he could say anything, the cackling maniac spoke again.


    ¡°So, I guess you¡¯re here to see Tom, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, actually.¡±


    ¡°Want me to get him for ya?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, yes, that would be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey Tom!¡± yelled the skeleton at the top of his empty rib cage. ¡°Get your bony butt over here!¡±


    The sound of meatless steps came from somewhere behind the walls, accompanied by the rattling of an iron lantern that Balthazar knew well.


    A section of stone wall split open revealing a secret passage, and from it came another skeleton, this one wearing an old, dusty suit full of moth holes, and an equally old hat with several rat bites around its brim. As the other traveling merchant appeared, surrounded by the faint halo of light from his firefly lantern, a big grin appeared on his skull once his empty eye sockets found the crab.


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± Tom greeted cheerfully. ¡°You came to visit!¡±


    ¡°Tom!¡± exclaimed the crustacean, finally letting himself relax slightly at the sight of a more familiar skeleton. ¡°How are those old bones?¡±


    As the bony merchant approached, he stopped to look at the other skeleton, and his glabella frowned.


    ¡°Jim, what the hell?¡± he exclaimed. ¡°How many times have we told you? You can¡¯t go around the dungeon naked, it¡¯s weird!¡±


    The taller skeleton looked down at the floor sheepishly. ¡°But I told you it gets hot and stuffy inside the walls, and I enjoy the nice breeze blowing through my ischium bones when I come out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, for the love of¡­ Just go put on some clothes, will you? Can¡¯t you see we have a guest?¡±


    Jim grumbled as he dragged his feet back through the passage on the wall, closing it behind him as he left.


    ¡°Alright, sorry about that,¡± Tom said, turning back to Balthazar with a smile. ¡°Some of these guys spend so much time cooped up down here they forget how to act civilized.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I noticed,¡± said the crab. ¡°Especially the part where he came out of a wall cackling and swinging an axe at me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I hope he didn¡¯t scare you too much? It¡¯s all part of the act for any visiting adventurers. But anyway, you¡¯re here! I almost can¡¯t believe it. You finally came out of your pond!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. I just had too many things that I needed to do out here, it had to happen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I remember now, your friends,¡± said Tom, the smile fading and his skull assuming a more somber expression.


    ¡°Besides, I felt it was time to come out here, get on the road and expand my business,¡± said the crab, wishing to quickly shift the subject.


    The skeleton¡¯s smile came back in a flash.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re not going to step on my turf by becoming a traveling merchant too, are you?¡± he said in a teasing manner.


    ¡°No promises, Tom,¡± said Balthazar with a wink. ¡°No promises.¡±


    The old skeleton chuckled loudly.


    ¡°It¡¯s great to see you, crab! How did you end up around these parts anyway? Something else brought you here?¡±


    ¡°What, am I not allowed to show up for a social visit?¡±


    Tom threw his arms up. ¡°Of course you are! Hell, in fact, come with me. Let me introduce you to the other guys and give you a tour.¡±


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    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at the turning skeleton, unsure if a tour of a dark, damp dungeon is something he¡¯d want, but the crab still followed the other merchant nonetheless.


    ¡°The other guys are going to love meeting you!¡± exclaimed the excited skeleton as he quickly tapped a very specific combination of loose stones on the wall, causing them to shift and a passageway to be revealed.


    Following Tom through it, Balthazar was surprised to find a much more well-lit corridor right behind the wall of the crypt hall.


    Rows of glowing lanterns lined the wall in both directions, and the lack of dust or skittering critters made the crab feel like he was in an entirely different place altogether by taking just a couple of steps.


    ¡°This way!¡± said Tom, heading down the corridor.


    After just a couple of turns, they both arrived at a large room, about the same size as the previous hall, except this one had lights and no coffins, only skeletons.


    Around the opposite side of the room, a few skeletal fellows wearing old ragged clothes were mulling around the place, seemingly busy either moving stuff into large wooden chests, or putting on different kinds of half-broken armor over their scrawny bones.


    ¡°Guys, guys!¡± called Tom. ¡°Guess who came to visit. It¡¯s Balthazar, the merchant crab!¡±


    The others stopped their tasks to look over to them, and with toothy smiles and bony waves, they all greeted the crustacean, who despite the strangeness of the company he found himself in, waved back to be polite. After all, he always heard good manners form the backbone of a good relationship.


    ¡°Oh man, it¡¯s a shame you didn¡¯t show up yesterday,¡± the skeleton merchant said to Balthazar. ¡°Monday is our rehearsal day, you¡¯d have loved it!¡±


    ¡°Rehearsal?¡± asked the crab.


    ¡°Yes, did I never tell you? We have a band!¡±


    ¡°I could go get the instruments,¡± said one of the bigger skeletons standing over an open loot chest. ¡°The day¡¯s been pretty quiet so far, I doubt we¡¯ll get any adventurers until after lunchtime. We could play a few tunes for our guest.¡±


    Tom turned to Balthazar, a big smile on his skeletal face.


    ¡°That¡¯s Bob, he¡¯s a monster on the drums. You really got to see it to believe it.¡± He pointed back at another one of the skeletons. ¡°And wait until you hear Tim on the strings!¡±


    Stepping out of yet another secret passage on a side wall, Jim joined them in the room, now wearing just a pair of lime-green swimming shorts.


    ¡°What did I miss?¡± he asked. ¡°Are we going to be playing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, and Jim over there is an ace on the xylophone,¡± the excited merchant told the crab.


    ¡°Guys, I appreciate the offer,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°but I don¡¯t want to be any trouble, and I also can¡¯t stick around for long.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± said Tom, looking slightly disappointed.


    ¡°Yes, really. Remember, I¡¯m out here on a mission, I can¡¯t just stand around for concerts when my friends are out there counting on me to help them.¡±


    ¡°Ah hell, you¡¯re right,¡± the skeleton said, scowling at himself. ¡°What was I thinking, this is serious stuff. There will be other opportunities for us to play for you. Maybe after a few more band rehearsals we will even be ready to go play at your bazaar, make a nice party out of it.¡±


    ¡°Heh, sure, maybe someday,¡± said the crab, chuckling awkwardly as he imagined everyone¡¯s faces back at the bazaar, watching a musical band of skeletons clacking their bones around on a stage.


    ¡°So, tell me, what can I help you with?¡± asked Tom.


    Balthazar tilted his eyestalks, thinking.


    ¡°Well, I was wondering, with all the loot you guys handle down here all the time, and all those adventurers that come through here, have you ever seen or heard about something called a Scroll of Potential?¡±


    The skeleton merchant looked up, tapping on his pointy chin bone.


    ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t think so. We see lots of scrolls around here, adventurers carry and loot those things all the time, but honestly, I wouldn¡¯t know what for or if any of them are called that.¡±


    ¡°Dang it¡­¡± the crab said.


    ¡°Maybe we could ask Sal,¡± Tom said. ¡°If someone around here would know, it would be him.¡±


    ¡°Sal? Who¡¯s that?¡± asked the curious crab.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re gonna love him. He¡¯s the oldest skeleton around here. He knows this dungeon and adventurers better than anyone. Come with me.¡±


    The skeleton quickly dipped under a small alcove and into a narrow passageway, Balthazar following close behind, struggling to fit his shell through.


    As they advanced through yet another corridor and a few more winding tunnels, the crab realized that most of the areas they passed, well-lit and clean, were directly adjacent to the regular areas of the crypt, with vantage points and peepholes into their dark, dusty halls. No doubt the way the skeletons watched any adventuring fools coming to loot the place.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± said Tom, as they arrived at a small room with seemingly nothing and no one there, save for maybe some loose items and dim candles strewn around the indentations in the walls.


    Balthazar rolled his eyes around, confused. ¡°So¡­ where¡¯s this Sal guy?¡±


    ¡°Right there!¡± said the happy skeleton, pointing towards a small alcove built into one of the cobblestone walls. ¡°Hey, Sal, I brought a visitor to see you.¡±


    With a frown, the crab approached and looked at the space in the wall closer, realizing with surprise that what sat on the ledge was not another rock, but bone. The back of a lone skull, lacking any skeleton under it.


    The skull spun around with a jump, startling the approaching crustacean. Just like Tom and all the other skeletons in that place, this skull had no flesh, muscle, or skin, only old yellowed out bone. Except it also had a long gray beard attached to its face.


    ¡°What?¡± said Sal, his face moving like someone looking around the room, minus the part where he had any eyeballs to do that with. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Tom, is that you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sal, it¡¯s me. I brought a friend to meet you.¡± He turned back to the crab and whispered. ¡°He¡¯s pretty old, so he doesn¡¯t see very well anymore.¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk. ¡°But¡­ None of you have¡­ You know what, never mind.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± said the talking skull with great interest. ¡°And who is it?¡±


    ¡°Remember the merchant crab I told you so much about, Balthazar?¡± said Tom. ¡°He finally came to visit our dungeon! And I brought him down here because we were hoping you might know something about an item he¡¯s looking for.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Balthazar! I¡¯ve heard much about you,¡± Sal said, facing an empty area of the room opposite of where the crab was. ¡°If I can help a friend of little Tommy here, you bet I will.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, ask him,¡± Tom said to the other merchant. ¡°Sal¡¯s job here is to be the watcher for any incoming adventurers, so he knows everything that has passed through these halls.¡±


    ¡°Wait, his job is to watch¡­¡± an incredulous Balthazar started. ¡°Actually, forget it, let¡¯s get to the point.¡± He turned to the skull and, for whatever reason, decided he needed to talk very loudly. ¡°Hello there, Sal. I¡¯m Balthazar, and I was hoping you¡¯d be able to tell me if you ever saw something called a Scroll of Potential around this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Boy,¡± said the old skull, ¡°you don¡¯t have to shout, I¡¯m not deaf.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, my bad, I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just messing with you!¡± Sal said with a cackle. ¡°I am a little deaf too, actually.¡±


    Balthazar scowled at the skull.


    ¡°Alright, but, about the scrolls¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that, yes, hmm, let me think,¡± the old cranium said, twitching his grizzly beard from side to side. ¡°Ah, I do recall some adventurers mentioning that name before while delving into our halls. More specifically, they seemed convinced that they might find some of those scrolls down here.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s antennae perked up. ¡°Really?! And did they?¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± the skull replied. ¡°We get lots of old scrolls here, those guys always seem to carry loads of them in their packs, for whatever reason. But we never really know why or what''s written in them that is so valuable to their kind. They¡¯re all gibberish to me.¡±


    The crab¡¯s shell deflated with slight disappointment. ¡°So you don¡¯t know if you guys might happen to have one of them around here somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Not really, but¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, a powerful rumble shook the halls of the crypt from below, shaking Sal off his ledge. Tom leaped forward and caught the old skull in his hands right before it hit the floor, as tiny stone pieces of the ceiling dropped from above, along with clouds of dust.


    The unnatural earthquake struck once, twice, and then again, like some gigantic being angrily stomping on the walls around and below them.


    Balthazar struggled to maintain his footing on all eight legs, his body bouncing from all the shaking as he tried to speak through trembling words.


    ¡°What¡­ is¡­ going on?!¡±


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± said Sal from between the other skeleton¡¯s hands.


    Tom had turned pale, which was quite the feat for a skeleton.


    ¡°We forgot to feed it.¡±

 Chapter 116: A Rich Diet

    Balthazar intended to ask what it was that they had forgotten to feed, but before the crab could even fully regain his footing from all the rumbling, Tom had already taken off back through the tunnel with Sal¡¯s skull still in his hands.


    ¡°Hey, wait for me!¡± exclaimed the crustacean, following them out of the room. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me down here, I don¡¯t know this place!¡±


    ¡°This is bad,¡± the worried skeleton said as he rushed through the corridors.


    ¡°So bad,¡± reiterated the skull, bouncing up and down in the other undead¡¯s hands. ¡°How did you let this happen, Tom? Wasn¡¯t it your turn to feed it today?¡±


    ¡°It was, and I was going to! But then Balthazar showed up, Jim called for me, I went to go meet them, and I just got completely sidetracked!¡±


    ¡°I hope you remember what happened last time!¡± exclaimed Sal.


    ¡°What are you two talking about?!¡± asked Balthazar, trying to keep up with the running skeleton as they passed through tunnels and corridors, moved down narrow ramps and underpasses, until finally arriving at a large atrium with a wide double gate on the other side.


    The rumbling and ground stomping had not ceased, and was now even stronger, coming directly from behind the doors in front of the trio.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of a long story, Balthazar,¡± the nervous skeleton said, eye sockets fixed on the gate.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you give me the short version?¡± said the apprehensive crab, unsure if coming all the way down there had been the best choice. ¡°Start by telling me what¡¯s behind those doors?¡±


    ¡°Our unwanted tenant,¡± said Tom.


    ¡°What??¡±


    ¡°Let me show you.¡±


    The bony merchant pushed forward, towards the gates. Balthazar hesitated, wondering why he was following a spooky skeleton and a talking skull to a room that rumbled and shook the very walls around them. Nevertheless, he carried on behind Tom, not by virtue of courage, but by virtue of pure curiosity.


    To his surprise, the skeleton cut to the right as he reached near the double doors, once again tapping the bricks on the walls in a specific order, which revealed another hidden passage into a side tunnel.


    As they scooted into the small space, a small sliver of light hitting the wall revealed to the crab that there was a thin slit on the opposite side, allowing them to peek into the room behind the gates.


    ¡°This is our final chamber,¡± explained Tom in a hushed voice. ¡°Most adventurers never make it this far, but if they did, this would be where we keep our best loot. You know, gotta have a nice lure to catch some fish.¡±


    ¡°Or skillful pincers,¡± said the crustacean.


    ¡°Anyway, one day we came down here to dump some new loot into the pile, and we found out we had a little infestation problem.¡±


    Balthazar frowned at the other merchant, and leaned forward to look through the hairline crack on the wall.


    Just as he looked into the room, a new roaring rumble shook the dust off the walls, as the creature inside slammed itself against the stone floor.


    A viscous ooze blob sat at the center of the chamber, partially attached to one of the four support pillars of the room. It was easily bigger than the crab¡¯s gazebo back at his pond, and strangest of all, its whole body, made of a gel-like substance, had a translucent golden color to it.


    ¡°A slime infestation,¡± added Sal¡¯s skull, still sitting in Tom¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Woah,¡± exclaimed the crab in a murmur. ¡°It¡¯s huge.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the thing,¡± continued the full-bodied skeleton. ¡°At first we found just some small gray balls of goo around the room. We told Jim to get rid of them, but you met Jim¡­ he¡¯s not exactly great at doing what he¡¯s told. Long story short, by the time we looked again, that thing had already eaten almost all the stuff we had in the room and grown ten times its original size.¡±


    Balthazar winced. ¡°Yikes. But then what? How did it become¡­ this?¡±


    ¡°Well, then came the problem,¡± Tom explained. ¡°The slime grew too big for us to get rid of it easily, and now it was hungry and demanding to be fed.¡±


    ¡°I tried to shoo it away with a broom,¡± said the bearded skull. ¡°Back then I still had more bones than what you see now.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Sal¡¯s holder said. ¡°That thing gulped up all of his bones when he tried to fight it. All Bob could save was his skull before the slime absorbed everything else.¡±


    The crab peeked at the mass of ooze again, gurgling and bubbling in its chamber as it occasionally slammed the ground and walls near it in a hungry protest.


    ¡°So what did you guys do?¡±


    ¡°What else could we do?¡± Tom said with a shrug. ¡°We kept feeding it as best as we could, so it wouldn¡¯t gobble us all up and take the dungeon for itself. So long as we kept providing it with things to absorb, it stayed quiet and sleepy, digesting everything we brought.¡±


    Balthazar glanced at his skeletal friend. ¡°But let me guess, that only delayed the problem?¡±


    ¡°You got it. The more we fed it, the bigger it got, and the bigger it got, the larger its appetite. That¡¯s why I started having to work overtime. We needed to fill the crypt faster and attract more adventurers here so we could keep feeding it.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not telling me you¡¯ve been feeding adventurers to that slime, are you?!¡± said the slightly concerned crab.


    ¡°Oh, no, no, of course not,¡± Tom said.


    ¡°Ah, alright, good,¡± Balthazar said with relief. ¡°I may have no big love for most of those dunces, but even I would find that just a little morally questiona¡ª¡±


    ¡°We started feeding it gold coins instead.¡±


    ¡°You monsters!¡± the crab blurted out as his eyes nearly jumped out of their stalks.


    ¡°We were running out of any other junk,¡± said Tom with an apologetic shrug. ¡°Adventurers always carry lots of money in their pockets wherever they go, and that thing seemed to grow a taste for gold, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t blame it,¡± said the crustacean. ¡°Even I felt tempted before, but coins taste awful.¡±


    ¡°How would you know tha¡ª¡±


    ¡°So anyway, you¡¯ve been dumping coins into that blob of jelly this whole time? Is that why it looks golden now?¡±


    ¡°Guess so. It used to just be plain gray,¡± Sal¡¯s skull said.


    Balthazar squinted harder through the peephole, focusing on the center of the creature¡¯s translucent body, where he spotted a big pile of gold coins within, as well as some loose loot and a chest, surrounded by bubbling mucus.


    Ew, but also¡­ ooh.


    His eyes widened with a mix of slight disgust and great want.


    It¡¯s just a slime, how hard could it be¡­


    ¡°How come you guys haven¡¯t just found a way to get rid of it?¡± asked the crab, turning back to the other two. ¡°Slimes aren¡¯t exactly the smartest foe to face.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be wrong!¡± said Sal.


    ¡°Jim kept dumping whatever random loot he found into it,¡± the bony merchant continued, ¡°including things like Potions of Intellect, and a bunch of Intellect boosting gear. Next thing we know, that thing has grown way too smart for our own good.¡±


    The skull rattled angrily. ¡°It started blackmailing us!¡±


    Tom nodded. ¡°That slime got smart enough to see every plan to get rid of it coming. We were outmatched at every turn, and then it threatened to collapse the whole dungeon around us if we didn¡¯t keep bringing it loot and coins daily. This is our home, we have nowhere else to go!¡±


    Balthazar glanced at the slime on the other side of the wall again, a large portion of its body firmly attached to the surrounding pillars, likely supporting beams to the whole structure.


    ¡°But wait,¡± the confused crab said, ¡°if the slime did that, wouldn¡¯t it also be bringing the whole place down on itself?¡±


    Tom brought his face very close to the crab¡¯s, sad frown all over his bones.


    ¡°Yes, but the slime doesn¡¯t have any bones, Balthazar.¡±


    The crabby merchant¡¯s eyestalks arched inwards in annoyance.


    Big as it was, it was still just a slime, hardly a match for a crab determined to get his pincers on a pile of gold.


    If it¡¯s smart enough to threaten a bunch of skeletons, it¡¯s smart enough to understand what I say.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sort your pest problem,¡± announced Balthazar as he skittered towards the gate.


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed Tom. ¡°Are you crazy? Come back here, what do you think you¡¯re going¡ª¡±


    But it was too late to dissuade him, Balthazar had already pushed the double doors open with his claws and stepped inside, filled with determination in his step, as well as an unreasonable amount of loot greed.


    A guttural, stuffy voice echoed around the chamber, like a big barbarian with an awful case of throat congestion.


    ¡°Finally, lunchtime. I started to think I would have to bring these pillars down on¡ª¡± A pair of bubbly orbs that vaguely resembled eyes rolled inside the slime¡¯s translucent body to face Balthazar. ¡°You are not one of the usual skeletons.¡±


    ¡°Hah, very observing of you!¡± the crab cheerfully said as he stepped into the room with a casual attitude. ¡°I¡¯m a traveling merchant. Balthazar is my name, and I¡¯ve heard so much about a fascinating golden slime that I just had to come and see you for myself. Quite magnificent, you are!¡±


    The slime observed him lazily before speaking in a bored tone.


    ¡°I am Montgomery, the Great Destroyer, and you¡¯re not fooling me, I know you¡¯ve come to try and get my precious gold, crab.¡±


    Well, darn it, that didn¡¯t take long. And who the hell calls themselves that?! Balthazar thought.


    ¡°Oh, ha ha, you are right, but only partially,¡± he said with a chuckle.


    The slime eyed him quietly, perhaps even with some bubbling interest. Or maybe it was just gastric reflux.


    ¡°As I said, I am a merchant,¡± the crab continued. ¡°Of course I have an interest in gold, why would I hide that? Gold is great, I¡¯m sure you agree. I mean, look at you, that much is clear to see!¡±


    Montgomery continued quietly bubbling, unfazed by Balthazar¡¯s attempt at a joke.


    The merchant glanced at the beckoning coins within the monster, his heart beating faster at the shiny gold glowing through the layers of mucus separating them from being together at last.


    ¡°What is it you want?¡± asked the ooze in a bitter, congested voice. ¡°I am hungry, and my patience runs thin.¡±


    Balthazar tried to take his focus out of the coins and back into how to get them out of the slime.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re incredibly smart, I hear, so isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m here to bargain! Make a deal. A trade. Some exchange of goods. Perhaps something of mine for something of yours, like¡­ coins, maybe.¡±


    The ground shook once more as the creature suddenly slammed the old dungeon stones with its heavy body mass, nearly knocking the crab off his feet.


    ¡°You think you will scam me out of my delicious meal, crab?!¡± Montgomery shouted. ¡°There is nothing you could possibly have that I¡¯d want over my coins!¡±


    Balthazar gulped nervously. The angry slime sure looked bigger and more intimidating up close. On the other pincer, the loot pile also looked much bigger the closer he got.


    ¡°Come on now, everyone always wants something more,¡± said the merchant, tentatively stepping closer, unable to resist the appeal of so much gold at near arm¡¯s reach. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of negotiating. Let¡¯s make a trade, shall we?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said Montgomery in a poisonous tone. ¡°I never tried crab before. I bet it¡¯s delicious.¡±


    [Gift of the Crab: failure. Target¡¯s INT too high.]


    A portion of the slime¡¯s body suddenly reached out like a tentacle, wrapping around one of Balthazar¡¯s legs. He tried to shake it off, but the gel-like substance stuck itself to him like glue, slowly slithering its way up and pulling him closer to the blob.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather just skip the negotiation part,¡± uttered the sludge with evil glee in its voice.


    The crab turned his eyes to the exit in a panic, stuck in place by the sticky ooze, but all he had time to see was Tom and Sal running towards the room right as the gates slammed shut in front of them, leaving the skeletons out and trapping the crustacean inside with a very hungry slime.


    ¡°Oh, crabapples¡­¡± said Balthazar as he watched the acidic muck creep over his leg.


    [Warning: you are being digested.]

 Chapter 117: The Very Hungry Slime on a Pillar

    [Warning: you are being digested.]


    You don¡¯t say, system?!


    Balthazar tried pulling at his leg again, but it was still firmly stuck in place by the thick, binding slime.


    As he looked down again, the crab paid closer attention to the advancing ooze.


    And he stared.


    For a while.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± said the crab awkwardly, glancing up at Montgomery. ¡°Does this usually take so long?¡±


    The giant golden slime stared down at him, its appendage still moving up Balthazar¡¯s leg at a snail¡¯s pace.


    ¡°Er¡­ yes,¡± said the embarrassed creature. ¡°It can take a while. It¡¯s a very thick and viscous substance, if I do it any faster I¡¯ll get indigestion.¡± It suddenly switched back to its deep and menacing voice. ¡°But once I fully absorb you, your entire body shall be mine, ha ha ha!¡±


    Balthazar rolled his eyes.


    On the other side of the gate, the crab could still hear the skeleton slamming on the doors and calling for him.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Tom,¡± shouted the crab. ¡°This thing is a very slow eater. I think you got a couple of hours to get that open, easy.¡±


    The hungry slime rumbled again, its voice thundering from above.


    ¡°You mock me, crab? You will not find it so funny once Montgomery, the Great Destroyer is sucking the flesh out of your shell! Just a little longer and I shall have my first taste of your¡ª¡±


    The crab felt a tiny tingle between the joints of his leg¡¯s chitin as the ooze seeped into it.


    ¡°BLAAARGH!¡± exclaimed the monster, its form twisting and shaking as it recoiled back, spitting and coughing loudly out of a newly formed mouth hole at the center of its body. ¡°You taste terrible!¡±


    Balthazar shrugged as he watched the slimy appendage recede from his leg, shrinking back into Montgomery¡¯s body.


    ¡°I could have told you that, if you had just asked.¡±


    ¡°How can a freshwater crab taste so¡­ salty?!¡± said the creature, sticking a tongue of slime out of its mouth in an uncanny expression of disgust.


    ¡°Perks of dealing with adventurers all day for a while, I suppose,¡± the merchant said with another casual shrug. ¡°And what are you complaining about anyway? You eat pieces of metal!¡±


    Montgomery shrunk back slightly.


    ¡°I know, and I hate it!¡± it cried out in a wimpy voice.


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡±


    ¡°These coins and all the other crap the skeletons bring me all taste awful,¡± said the slime. It had no shoulders¡ªor really any other defining body part¡ªand yet it just looked like it was slumping them as it spoke.


    Balthazar scratched the top of his shell with the tip of his pincer, one eyestalk cocked in confusion.


    ¡°Then why the hell do you eat the stuff?¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s nothing else here, and I was starving when I found this place! Besides, some of the stuff they feed me is giving me all sorts of new bonuses I never dreamed of when I was just a common slime crawling around the gutters. I even became smart enough to give myself a name!¡±


    The crab pinched the space between his eyestalks gently. ¡°Right, and look at what you picked. So anyway, you don¡¯t actually like all those gold coins swimming around in your gut? Does that mean I could perhaps have¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± shouted the mad slime, its suddenly deeper voice echoing from every corner of the chamber, making its own body tremble like jelly. ¡°You will not take away my sustenance, crab! Slowly or not, I will dissolve you if you try to steal from me.¡±


    Balthazar glared at the giant monstrosity with a hint of annoyance. A tough foe, certainly, but the crab would not give up so easily, not when so many shiny gold coins were on the line.


    ¡°Who said anything about stealing?¡± asked the merchant with faked outrage. ¡°I am no thief, I¡¯ll have you know. I¡¯m a reputable merchant and well-known throughout the land. But, before I was all that, I too was little more than an inconsequential creature in some forgotten corner of the world. That was, until the day I discovered shiny golden coins like you, and even more importantly, until I discovered something else. The ultimate delicacy.¡±


    The quick bubbling going on inside Montgomery seemed to slow down at the last part of what Balthazar said, and the slime¡¯s supposed eyes drifted downward in its body, closer to where the crab stood.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Delicacy?¡± asked the creature with cautious curiosity.


    ¡°Yes, my friend,¡± said the crustacean, his eyes staring longingly and his tone becoming earnest. ¡°A sweet girl came down to my home, bringing me something I had never tasted before, and it changed my life forever. It was like a piece of heaven in my mouth, its taste was like a dream traveling through my body, and the feeling it left afterward was like the most comfortable nap I could imagine during a rainy afternoon.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ what was it?¡± Montgomery asked, almost in a plea.


    ¡°It¡¯s called pie,¡± answered the smiling crab. ¡°And that was just the start. After the oven¡¯s door was opened in my life, I¡¯ve discovered and tasted countless other delicious baked goods, and with each one I look forward to tasting the next even more. Gold coins are great as shiny trinkets to collect and admire with my eyes, but pastries, dear Montgomery, those are to be enjoyed by the whole body, and are what makes me get up in the morning every day.¡±


    ¡°Pastries¡­¡± the slime repeated slowly. ¡°I never tried that. They sound like they would be¡­ good.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t believe it until you tried them. No words from me could ever compare to feeling the real thing. A piece of baked goodness in your mouth will make everything melt away for one joyous moment.¡± Balthazar¡¯s eyes perked up. ¡°In fact, just recently I found yet another baked good I wasn¡¯t even aware of, and it turns out to be delicious too! It¡¯s called bread.¡±


    Montgomery¡¯s slimy body waved and twisted with interest. ¡°Bread? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s this loaf of baked dough that¡­¡± He paused and pulled his Backpack of Holding forward. ¡°In fact, hold on, I should still have some of it around here somewhere¡­¡±


    With one swift pull, Balthazar brought out the bread in his claw. Or rather, what remained of it: a small piece of the leftover loaf, full of pincer marks on its now rock-hard crust, along with strange spots all over it that the crab suspected might be mold.


    ¡°Maybe I shouldn¡¯t store this stuff in there, now that I think about it,¡± muttered the merchant. ¡°I promise it was even more impressive when I purchased it!¡±


    Montgomery¡¯s eye-bubble-things were like glistening pearls staring at the old piece of bread.


    ¡°It looks so¡­ wonderful,¡± it said in a strangely high-pitch voice. ¡°Oh, and the aroma, it¡¯s just perfect!¡±


    Balthazar winced and recoiled as he took a quick sniff at the loaf in his pincer.


    ¡°May I¡­ taste it?¡± the slime asked, sheepishly stretching two appendages out to the crab.


    ¡°You¡­ you want to taste it?¡± said the merchant in disbelief, before quickly shaking his shell and regaining his composure. ¡°I mean, of course you do! How could you not. Just look at this beauty, with its crispy crust and¡­ green speckled crumb.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes¡­¡± Montgomery said, an extra amount of moistness running down its already slimy surface.


    ¡°Well, we need to negotiate, then,¡± said Balthazar, suddenly pulling the loaf away from the creature¡¯s grasp, causing it to let out a sad whimper. ¡°This bread cost me a lot, so it¡¯s only fair that you trade me something for it.¡±


    The slime¡¯s voice deepened slightly once again. ¡°Fine, cunning crab. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Well, the obvious thing would be for you to pay me with some gold coins, like the ones you have floating around in there.¡± He gestured towards the creature¡¯s stomach area, which also seemed to be its face. ¡°Although I also would consider an offer for some of those chests and boxes you¡¯ve pocketed there.¡±


    Montgomery¡¯s entire mass shook disapprovingly.


    ¡°What if I end up trading my entire sustenance for something worthless? No, I am not one of your dimwitted clients, crustacean. I know when I¡¯m being offered a bad deal and¡ª¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes squinted as a wry smile formed on his face.


    Sometimes you have to spend bread to make some bread.


    ¡°What if I let you have a taste first, as a show of good faith in our transaction?¡± said the sly crab.


    ¡°I will not¡ªWait, really?!¡± exclaimed the giant slime with a sudden jiggle. ¡°Will you let me try it?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not? I can tell a good client when I see one.¡±


    With a swift snip of his pincer, Balthazar broke off a piece of the loaf and tossed it towards the creature, who quickly opened up a way larger than necessary hole in its body to receive the bread.


    The golden slime vibrated from top to bottom, accompanied by a long and pleased humming that made the surrounding pillars vibrate along, as well as tickle every bristle in Balthazar¡¯s body.


    With wavy ripples undulating across its body, the small piece of moldy bread disappeared into the being¡¯s body, quickly dissolving into tiny bubbles that faded away into more ooze as Montgomery smacked whatever passed for lips in its anatomy, before addressing the crab again, with a much softer and almost tearful tone.


    ¡°This is the best thing I¡¯ve ever tasted! The texture! The subtle fungal undertones! The pungent aftertaste! I cannot believe I¡¯ve gone my whole life without knowing the feeling of eating bread.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I knew you¡¯d like it! Can never go wrong with baked goodies. I take it that you want the rest of it now?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± exclaimed Montgomery in a deep and low tone, ¡°I must have it all, every piece you have. Let me absorb it!¡±


    ¡°Well then, in that case, what will you trade me for¡ª¡±


    [Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°Here, have it all!¡± said the slime, quickly convulsing itself until the piles of gold coins and a few small chests spilled out of its body. ¡°I have no wish to ever taste such garbage again after what I just experienced. Bleh!¡±


    Balthazar smiled with a glint to his eyes, seeing the loot pile spilled in front of him, despite its slimy state.


    Hah! I guess if just Charisma isn¡¯t enough, adding a little bit of baking will do the trick.


    Without even taking his eyes off the prize, the crab tossed the remaining piece of old bread into Montgomery¡¯s welcoming maw, who received it with a loud moan of satisfaction.


    Despite the piles of shiny coins spilled in front of him, Balthazar¡¯s eyes were attracted to something else among Montgomery¡¯s regurgitated loot. A small wooden chest, toppled between some sticky crowns and covered in goo, with its lid half open, revealing a small piece of rolled parchment sticking out of it.


    The crab reached for the chest, opening the lid and extracting a rolled up scroll from it, surprisingly clean and untouched by the slime¡¯s ooze.


    Could this be¡­


    Balthazar opened the piece of parchment, and an intense glow filled his vision as words flew out of the page, directly into his eyes.


    [Scroll of Potential]


    [Revealing skill¡­]

 Chapter 118: A Crab’s Potential

    ¡°Nice!¡± said Balthazar to himself, the scroll page still held open in his pincers.


    [Revealing skill¡­]


    The crab tapped his legs impatiently on the old floor stones, waiting for the text to change.


    What¡¯s taking so long to reveal a skill? I don¡¯t got all day!


    After what felt like a small eternity of the system rummaging through Balthazar¡¯s brain, the text finally moved on.


    [Imbuing]


    [Skill - F tier]


    [Requirements: 10 CHA, 8 INT]


    [Cost: 15 mana]


    [Absorbs a compatible held material, temporarily infusing its properties into your body to gain different bonuses depending on the type, quality, rarity, and amount of material used.]


    [Would you like to learn this skill?]


    [Yes] [No]


    The crab frowned at the text in front of him.


    Wait a minute. Isn¡¯t that the skill I had before in the old system and that the crow said nobody used anymore in the new one?


    He reminisced about his old golden shell, and his silver and iron claws.


    I sure miss those, but if Imbuing sucks now, do I really want this skill? It even says it right there, F tier. That¡¯s the lowest tier of skill! This thing is going to be worthless, I just know it!


    With loud chewing noises and plenty of gurgling in the background from the delighted slime, Balthazar continued pondering as he paced back and forth with the scroll still held open in his claws, beaming its words into his eyes.


    At the same time, even a bad skill is probably still better than no skills, right? I wish this scroll had something better, but what can I expect from something that was just vomited out of a pile of snot? Ah, screw it, what do I have to lose?


    With his usual crabby attitude, the merchant pressed ¡°Yes¡± on the prompt.


    The surface of the page in front of him shined with a blinding glow that flooded the crab¡¯s vision as it pierced straight into his mind like pins and needles assault his brain matter.


    ¡°Ow, ow, ow!¡± he cried out, dropping the scroll and rubbing his eyes with the backs of his claws.


    Just as quickly as it came, the unpleasant feeling went away, leaving Balthazar staring at the floor wondering what had just happened inside his shell.


    Do I¡­ know how to imbue now?


    Confused, the crustacean brought up his familiar stat sheet, and with excitement, he found the Imbuing skill now listed under his other attributes.


    Alright! And I know exactly what is the first thing I want to try.


    Reaching into his Bag of Holding Money, Balthazar pulled out a single gold coin, holding it between his pincers.


    Please work! I miss being golden and shiny so much!


    Squeezing his eyes shut, the crab attempted to activate his newly learned skill, but nothing happened.


    [Skill activation failed]


    [Requirements for skill not met: 8 INT]


    [Insufficient mana: 10/15]


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he read the warning with a scowl.


    ¡°Oh come on!¡± the crab exclaimed loudly in great frustration. Despite that, Montgomery still seemed too busy savoring the moldy bread to pay him any mind.


    Now I need more Intellect? What the hell! I already put all my points into Charisma. And mana?! I don¡¯t want not stinking mana, I¡¯m not a mage!


    The cantankerous crab crossed his arms, as if expecting the lifeless system in his eyes to suddenly change its mind at the face of his tantrum.


    Unsurprisingly, the text in his eyes cared not for his displeased mood.


    Argh, guess I¡¯ll have to find some way to level up more and spend more points into that stuff. There¡¯s always something!


    Frustrated, but resigned, Balthazar turned to the gates of the chamber, which had just clicked open.


    ¡°Aha! I told you I still knew how to lock pick, Tom,¡± said Jim, the skeleton in bright green shorts, stepping into the room with his pointy bone finger held up in front of him like a key.


    Following behind him came a few more skeletons, led by Tom, still holding Sal¡¯s skull in his hands.


    ¡°Balthazar!¡± called the other merchant, with concern across his expression. ¡°Are you alright? Did that thing hurt you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, just a few harmless nibbles,¡± said the crab. ¡°Montgomery isn¡¯t so bad after all.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Montgomery?¡± said the skeleton, raising his brow ridge.


    ¡°Yes? The slime right there. Did you not know its name?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no. We were too worried about it sucking the marrow out of our bones, or bringing the roof down on our skulls, to ask if it had a name.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well, now you know,¡± said the smug crab. ¡°And Montgomery shouldn¡¯t be as much of a problem from now on, so long as you provide it with a more suitable diet.¡± He turned to the satisfied slime, its body quietly purring like a kitten as it finished absorbing the bread. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Montgomery.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wha¡­ Oh, right, of course, Balthazar,¡± said the giant ooze, in a lazy tone. ¡°So long as I can have more delicious bread like this, you don¡¯t need to worry about me, I¡¯ll just be over¡­ taking a nap now¡­ for a bit¡­¡±


    A quiet whistling noise came from between the slime¡¯s folds as it seemed to slip into a peaceful sleep.


    ¡°Ah, post-snack nap, I can certainly relate,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Nothing mellows out a fierce temper like some baked treats. I¡¯d know!¡±


    Tom stared at the crab with a smile of disbelief, slowly shaking his head.


    ¡°You just can¡¯t help it, can you?¡± he said. ¡°No matter who you meet or where you go, you just end up finding friends in the most unlikely places, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Balthazar rolled his eyes. ¡°Oh, come on now, Montgomery and I are hardly friends. Just another satisfied customer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all nice and good,¡± interjected the bearded skull sitting in Tom¡¯s hands, ¡°but what exactly are we supposed to do with our resident booger now?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said the crustacean. ¡°The good news is that you shouldn¡¯t need to feed it any more money or gear anymore. It has found the joys of baked goods now. You will have to bring it bread from now on, however. A lot of bread, I¡¯d imagine. Don¡¯t worry about it being fresh, though. In fact, the moldier, the better, I think.¡±


    Tom scratched the side of his skull.


    ¡°Sure, alright, but¡­ we are underground, in a dungeon, beneath a crypt, and we¡¯re all skeletons¡­ who don¡¯t eat¡­¡± He leaned closer to the crab. ¡°Where are we gonna get baked products?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes rolled to the side. ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s a good point. I hadn¡¯t really considered that.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I know one baker, but I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s not really available to take orders right now, is she?¡±


    The crab shook his shell up and down. ¡°Yes, I get it, no need to give me even more reasons to keep trying to find her, Tom. When we bring her back home I¡¯ll make sure to tell her about your business opportunity. Meanwhile, I guess the only other baker I know is the one I met in Ardville who sold me this loaf.¡±


    ¡°Oi, crab-o,¡± called Jim, who was standing next to the regurgitated loot pile along with a couple of other skeletons, all of them looking around confused at the aftermath of the crab and slime¡¯s encounter.


    ¡°Yes?¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°So, is this loot now technically yours, or can we take it back into the dungeon¡¯s stockpile? Because we were running real low on stuff to put in our trap chests.¡±


    The merchant looked at the spilled gear. As much as he was not one to pass up on free merchandise, he also knew he needed to be practical. He was not at his bazaar anymore, and he had no easy way to carry all the boxes, swords, and pieces of armor that Montgomery kindly puked at his feet, not even with his magical backpack. Plus, they smelled funky now.


    ¡°You know what, sure, you guys can take the gear back, it was my pleasure to help return it,¡± said the friendly crab with a smile from eyestalk to eyestalk. ¡°I¡¯m still keeping the coins, though, for risking my chitin.¡±


    The skeleton in shorts shrugged. ¡°Fair enough. Hey, Bob, help me carry these out of here, will ya?¡±


    As the skeletons started carrying the gear and boxes out of the chamber, Montgomery¡¯s body shook, and it awoke from its light slumber.


    The creature was still golden, but its tone seemed to take a slightly different shade now, and its body mass seemed slightly smaller, perhaps due to the releasing of the items it was absorbing.


    ¡°Huh? Hmm? What happened?¡± said the groggy slime, startled by the working skeletons.


    ¡°All good, Montgomery, don¡¯t worry,¡± said Balthazar, skittering closer to the blob. ¡°I was talking with the guys and everything¡¯s settled. They will start bringing you more of that delicious bread, but from now on you also have to play nicer, alright? No more slamming the ground and threatening to bring the whole place down.¡±


    Despite its lack of a face, the creature¡¯s semi-transparent expression seemed surprised.


    ¡°Really? You arranged that for me?¡±


    ¡°Of course! That¡¯s what I do, I make great deals! But now it¡¯s up to you to stick to your end of the deal. Can you do that?¡±


    The slime¡¯s voice was far less deep and threatening than before, now a much smoother and amicable tone.


    ¡°Yes, I¡­ I think I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± said the crab. ¡°Maybe, for a start, you could come down from those support pillars you¡¯ve been holding hostage all this time, hmm?¡±


    Montgomery¡¯s eye bubbles glanced at the stone beams it was glued to, and it was as if the creature¡¯s body shrunk slightly before it spoke in a subdued tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ afraid I can¡¯t do that anymore, Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked the merchant.


    ¡°We slimes have two stages to our lives. The first, when we move around freely, small and mobile, and then the second, after we find our chosen habitat and settle down, fusing ourselves with it as we consume whatever source of sustenance we found, growing as big as we can. I was running out of time when I found this place. I was weak and dying. So I fused with the limestone around me. And, well¡­ you know the rest.¡±


    ¡°So now¡­¡±


    ¡°So now I don¡¯t think I can leave this place anymore. I¡¯m stuck here permanently.¡±


    The crab paused for a moment, looking down from the slime to the floor and then the room around them, reflecting silently.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Montgomery. ¡°It¡¯s not like I wouldn¡¯t leave if I could, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I get it,¡± said the crab, raising a claw. ¡°Strange as it might seem to you, I get what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I swear I won¡¯t do anything to the pillars or the dungeon at all, though!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I believe you,¡± Balthazar said solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll talk with Tom and the others, make sure we arrange something so you can stay here. No one will make you leave your territory if you can¡¯t choose to do it yourself.¡±


    The crab turned to leave when the slime spoke again, in a hesitant way.


    ¡°Hey, Balthazar, wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± said the crab, turning back to the creature.


    ¡°I just wanted to say¡­ thanks, and, if it¡¯s not too much, ask for one more thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°If you can, will you¡­ will you come and visit me again some time?¡± said Montgomery. ¡°I had never really gotten to converse with anyone ever since I got smart enough to, you know¡­ talk, and all the way down here, by myself, I¡¯d just really like it if we could do it again.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks rised slightly in surprise, which was soon replaced by a sincere smile.


    ¡°Sure, I can do that. But only under the condition that you don¡¯t try to digest me again!¡±


    The crab¡¯s joke made the slime laugh, a bizarre sound that echoed around the chamber like something otherworldly, but that still felt earnest and friendly.


    ¡°I can do that, no problem,¡± Montgomery said. ¡°You might be an alright crab, but you still taste awful.¡±


    As Balthazar skittered back to the skeletons, he noticed they were all converging around Sal¡¯s skull, which was now placed on top of a broken stone column nearby, staring attentively at something.


    ¡°Hey, guys? What¡¯s happening?¡± he asked, getting slightly worried.


    As he joined them, he saw that what the skull was looking at was a firefly, which had landed on the stone surface in front of him and was blinking rapidly in a strangely precise pattern.


    ¡°Sal¡¯s got a message from above,¡± explained Tom.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± said the crab, with a raised eyestalk. ¡°Something going on up there?¡±


    The skeleton merchant turned to Balthazar with a big grin on his face.


    ¡°This is when the fun begins,¡± he said. ¡°Adventurers just entered the dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 119: A Bit Too Real

    ***


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, this place looks sketchy,¡± said the young adventurer girl.


    ¡°Come on, Lisa, stop being such a scaredy-cat. If Reagan says we¡¯re fine then we shouldn¡¯t worry,¡± said the girl¡¯s adventuring partner, a young, muscular man wearing a sleeveless leather doublet and holding a large warhammer in his hands, looking ready for action.


    ¡°Did you not read the warning on the wall?¡± said the girl. ¡°It clearly tells adventurers to beware¡ªthat¡¯s us!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, girl,¡± said a voice coming from around the ivy-covered corner. ¡°As I¡¯ve told you two back at the inn, so long as you don¡¯t stray too far away from me, you will be fine.¡±


    Walking from the back of the mausoleum, a mage wearing exquisite vestments in multiple shades of blue joined the other two, his bored face framed by the hood over his head. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget you still need to pay me the other half of my commission once we get out.¡±


    Lisa glanced at the open doors of the old building with a still concerned expression. ¡°I just have a bad feeling, James¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, come on!¡± said her friend. ¡°We¡¯re already levels 3 and 2, it¡¯s time we take the training wheels off! And with a level 30 cryomancer backing us up, this is going to be easy. Isn¡¯t that right, Reagan?¡±


    ¡°Sure, whatever you say,¡± the robed adventurer said, while absentmindedly checking his fingernails. ¡°Everybody knows Tudor¡¯s Hall is child''s play, so this should be easy loot and experience for you two with me tagging along.¡±


    ¡°You heard that?¡± said James with a grin. ¡°I told you my idea was smart. Why risk our skins for real when we can just pay a higher level to carry us?¡±


    The girl sighed and tightened the straps of her backpack against the boiled leather of her light armor. ¡°Alright, if you two are so sure, let¡¯s just go in already, but I¡¯d better not regret this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I promise you,¡± said Reagan, snapping his fingers and creating a tiny orb of pale light in front of his face as the trio stepped inside the hall, ¡°you won¡¯t regret a thing.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Come on, Balthazar, keep up!¡± said an excited Tom as they ran through the tight corridors hidden behind the dungeon¡¯s tunnels. ¡°I promise you won¡¯t regret coming along for this!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, calm down, I¡¯m coming!¡± said the crab, huffing and puffing as he tried to keep up the pace with the other merchant. ¡°Not everyone is unburdened by the weight of flesh like you.¡±


    As they arrived at what Balthazar estimated was one of the top-most layers of the dungeon, Tom scooted down in front of a fracture on the wall, overlooking a large, poorly lit room on the other side.


    ¡°Alright, this is where the adventurers will probably arrive soon,¡± he explained in a hushed voice.


    ¡°Sure, but what exactly are we doing hiding here?¡± asked the crab, lowering his voice too.


    Tom chuckled. ¡°What, do you think we can just step out there and strike a conversation with them, offer some goods for trading? That might work for you, but we¡¯re skeletons, undead, most humans would rather smash our bones to bits first and ask questions never.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fair point, I guess.¡±


    ¡°We know our role, and we find ways to enjoy our job, just like I¡¯m sure you do with yours.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Tom,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°but I don¡¯t usually get the adventurers around my place killed. Not intentionally, at least. When it happens it tends to be their own fault.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± said the skeleton. ¡°Same way here. We don¡¯t force any of them to come down into our home. They choose to do it themselves, to smack us around and pillage our stuff. You even saw the sign outside, warning them, but they still come down anyway. And so we do our part. We look spooky, we rattle our bones around, and we set our traps in front of the loot they want. If they decide to turn around and leave, we don¡¯t stop them, but guess what? They don¡¯t, so if they get themselves killed, that¡¯s just the adventurer¡¯s life they signed up for.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± the crustacean said, looking down at the floor thoughtfully.


    Balthazar found himself out of arguments to offer, and it didn¡¯t feel right to go into a friend¡¯s house and question how they choose to do things there. Tom had never gone to his pond and tried telling him how to do his business either.


    Coming from the opposite end of the tunnel, Bob, Jim, and Sal joined them.


    ¡°All set?¡± asked Tom in a whisper.


    ¡°The traps have all been reset and the rest of the guys are in position in their respective rooms,¡± said Bob in his deep voice.


    ¡°Great,¡± the merchant skeleton said, before turning to Balthazar again. ¡°So, this room we¡¯re looking at has a couple of traps, simple stuff, good for filtering out the really dumb ones, and if that doesn¡¯t stop them, Bob here takes the stage.¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The crab looked over Tom¡¯s clavicle, at the skeleton wearing a rusty chestplate, bouncing an old iron mace in his hand.


    ¡°He will scare them around a little, look big and menacing as he does, and if that makes them turn around and leave with their tail between their legs, that¡¯s that, we have a few laughs about their spooked faces and let them go. Then¡ª¡±


    They all went quiet and turned to the hole in the wall as the sound of steps echoed from the corridor leading into the room. As the noise grew louder, the faint glow of a light shined through the entrance as well.


    ¡°Alright, everybody shush now,¡± said old Sal, who was being held up against the peephole by Jim. ¡°It¡¯s go time. Bob, get to your position.¡±


    The larger skeleton nodded and put on his rusty bucket helmet before quietly moving past the corner.


    Balthazar looked through the wall crack, finding himself growing nervous, for some reason he could not explain.


    ¡°Look, there¡¯s a room here,¡± a young man¡¯s voice said, before stepping into the room.


    Behind the hammer-wielding adventurer came two others: a girl with a baton, and a robed caster.


    ¡°It¡¯s so dark,¡± said the girl, looking uncertain about stepping any further.


    Without a word, the mage raised his hand, making the floating orb of light following behind him soar towards the ceiling, bathing the chamber in an icy white glow.


    ¡°Good one, Reagan!¡± said the smiling young man. ¡°And you see, Lisa? Nothing to fear here at all.¡±


    As the adventurer opened his arms and spun around to make his point, the caster suddenly reached forward and pulled him back.


    A quiet click came from behind the walls and a dart shot out of a small hole in between the cobblestones, zipping right past the boy¡¯s skin, missing him by a hair.


    ¡°Watch where you step,¡± said Reagan with a calm and cold demeanor.


    Lisa gasped. ¡°Are you alright, James?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± said the other adventurer, running a hand over the area of his body the shot had just missed while looking at the iron dart now lodged into a pillar, a tiny green haze emanating from it.


    ¡°Are you going to stand there, or are we going to keep going?¡± said Reagan. ¡°I¡¯m not getting paid by the hour here.¡±


    The younger adventurer nodded at him and carefully walked around the pillar, avoiding the dart trap.


    ¡°Heh, show time,¡± murmured Tom, glancing at the crab next to him behind the wall.


    As the first adventurer set foot past the half point of the room, a stomp caused all three of them to stop. Bob, in his rusted out metal plate and helmet, stepped forward from the shadows, holding his old mace in an intimidating pose, staring head on at the intruders from behind his visor.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± James said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if these guys run away,¡± said Tom, barely holding his giddy mood. ¡°Half the time, Bob¡¯s menacing act is enough to scare adventurers into running back up the stairs crying for their mommies.¡±


    Despite how amused the skeleton was, Balthazar was more concerned with the worried look on Sal¡¯s skull.


    ¡°What¡¯s troubling you?¡± he asked the bearded veteran.


    Sitting in Jim¡¯s bony hands, Sal clicked his teeth without looking away from the group of adventurers on the other side.


    ¡°Something¡¯s off about that one in the robes. He doesn¡¯t smell of fresh milk like the other two.¡±


    The crab frowned. ¡°What does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°You think there¡¯s reason to worry, Sal?¡± asked Jim.


    ¡°Maybe. I think you should go to your spot in the next room just in case, Jim. These guys might make it past this chamber.¡±


    With a nod, the skeleton in bright lime green shorts stood up, handed Sal¡¯s skull to Tom, and crept away through a dark passage.


    ¡°You really think these guys are that¡ª¡± started Tom.


    ¡°Hush! Look,¡± the skull said, nodding forward.


    On the other side, in the chamber, the armored skeleton started walking forward, slowly, the sound of his rattling bones echoing around the room with each step.


    ¡°Is he going to attack them?!¡± Balthazar whispered.


    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry,¡± Tom said. ¡°It¡¯s all part of the act, to make it feel real.¡±


    The adventurer with the two-handed hammer bounced up and down as if psyching himself up. ¡°Screw it, it¡¯s just an old and slow skeleton.¡±


    With a yell, he charged forward, hammer held above his head.


    Bob brought the hand with the mace back while holding the other arm forward, a large iron shield attached to it.


    The hammer struck the shield right in the middle, producing a loud clang around the room, but the skeleton¡¯s bony knees barely buckled.


    ¡°Hah, amateur,¡± whispered Tom. ¡°You gotta really put your back into it, kid.¡±


    James looked at his opponent with shock plastered all over his face, while the bulky skeleton slowly rose back up from behind the shield, his menacing empty gaze staring down into the boy¡¯s soul from behind the weathered metal of his visor.


    ¡°Do something! Help him!¡± the girl yelled at the mage next to her. ¡°What are we even paying you for?¡±


    Reagan rolled his eyes as he uncrossed his arms. ¡°Bloody newbies, can¡¯t even handle a lousy skeleton.¡±


    Passing the strap over his head, the adventurer took off his traveling satchel and tossed it into Lisa¡¯s arms. ¡°Here, hold this while I do your friend¡¯s job for him.¡±


    The caster stepped forward, and James took a couple of steps away from the skeleton, relieved to see some backup.


    Bob turned to look at the robed adventurer, but before he had even finished setting his eye sockets on him, Reagan had already begun weaving a spell into his arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go far,¡± he said to the younger adventurer.


    The whole room and surrounding tunnels, already cold before, suddenly grew even colder, a chilling frost permeating the air all around, as a swirling hail started dancing around the cryomancer¡¯s arms, like snakes made of scintillating ice crystals.


    With a snap forward, Reagan sent the stream of frost out at the skeleton¡¯s left leg, which quickly began freezing in place, stuck to the stone floor.


    Bob looked down, pulling at his leg bones, but to not avail.


    ¡°Alright, make yourself useful, will you?¡± the mage said to the young man still standing by the side, watching the unfolding events in awe.


    James grasped at his hammer tightly, bouncing on his feet from side to side, but clearly uncertain of what to do.


    Reagan rolled his eyes once again. ¡°What are you waiting for? Strike the thing already.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, the adventurer lunged forward, roaring as he brought his warhammer back.


    Bob tried to bring his shield back up like he had before, but the frost around his leg prevented him from turning properly, and he could not block the strike this time.


    With a loud shatter, the attack connected directly with the skeleton, breaking the armor apart in the rusty areas and sending bones flying everywhere.


    ¡°Oh crap!¡± gasped Balthazar with a start, watching in shock as Bob¡¯s remains scattered across the floor.

 Chapter 120: Cold, Dead Bones

    Ribs, tibiae, a pelvic girdle, and even a funny bone went flying all over the room with a loud crash as the adventurer¡¯s hammer smashed through Bob¡¯s skeleton, only stopping once it connected with the stone floor.


    ¡°What the hell, Tom?!¡± said Balthazar in a hushed yelp.


    The crab did not really know Bob, but to watch one of his friend¡¯s friends be so suddenly and brutally struck down while hiding behind a wall in a dark dungeon felt a little too real for what was supposed to be just some fun act to fool new adventurers.


    The other skeleton, however, seemed unfazed by the whole ordeal, simply watching on as the scene unfolded before his eyes. Or rather, his empty eye sockets. Maybe that was the issue.


    ¡°Did you not just see what I saw?!¡± the agitated crustacean said. ¡°Are you going blind like Sal, or something? They just killed Bob right in front of us!¡±


    Tom turned to him with a head movement that implied he would be rolling his eyes, if he had any. ¡°Relax, Balthazar. Did you forget?¡±


    ¡°Forget what?!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t really kill what¡¯s already dead. I thought I explained it to you before. These guys come down here all the time, they smack us around a bit, send our bones flying, they feel really tough over it, and then move on. Once they¡¯re gone we just go around, pick up the pieces, reset our traps, refill the loot chests, and put ourselves back together, ready to do it all again. It¡¯s all par for the course.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the other merchant, unblinking. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°There, look,¡± said Tom, pointing at Bob¡¯s skull, lying on the floor near a stone column on the other side of the wall. ¡°Do you see? He¡¯s fine.¡±


    The crab brought his eyestalks closer to the crack on the wall, and he saw the cranial bone on its side, facing their wall, and giving a quick wink before returning to his motionless pose.


    ¡°After this is all over, we¡¯ll go out there, scoop him up, and put him back together in no time,¡± explained Tom. ¡°Nothing that some bone wrenching and glue won¡¯t fix. Now, if one of them was using arcane fire to burn our bones, or worse, used weapons enchanted with holy magic, then maybe we¡¯d have something to worry about, but the low levels we get in here never have that kind of stuff yet.¡±


    Balthazar stared out of the wall with a distant stare, scratching the side of his face with the tip of his pincer. Despite how long he had been dealing with his macabre friend, there were just some things that would still take some getting used to.


    ¡°Did you see that?!¡± shouted James, standing up from where he had struck Bob, hammer back in his grip. ¡°I one-shot that skelly like a boss!¡±


    ¡°Yes, good for you, kid, very impressive,¡± said Reagan, sounding bored as he readjusted his vestments. ¡°Shall we move on now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please, I don¡¯t want to stick around this room for long,¡± said Lisa, clutching the cryomancer¡¯s satchel against her chest as she carefully avoided stepping on the bones scattered all around her feet.


    ¡°Sure, but not before I get that!¡± said the excited young man, pointing at a wooden chest sitting in a dark corner near the back of the room. ¡°I found our first loot chest!¡±


    Like a child seeing presents, or a crab seeing pie, the adventurer ran towards the chest with glee in his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just ope¡ª¡± started Reagan, but it was already too late.


    As the adventurer reached the chest, he kneeled down in front of it, placing his hammer on the floor and quickly unlatching the lid as he grinned in anticipation.


    A rapid unwinding sound came from the back of the chest as he threw the lid back and its hinges clicked. The smile vanished from his face as he gasped, realizing the mistake of his actions, but before the young man had time to move, a short volley of darts flew out of a hole in the wall in front of him, hitting him squarely in the forehead.


    After a moment frozen in place, the boy fell backwards, landing on the floor, stiff like a statue.


    ¡°Oh, for god¡¯s sake¡­¡± grumbled the spellcaster, pinching the space between his eyes in frustration.


    ¡°James!¡± yelled Lisa, running towards him.


    She kneeled next to her adventuring partner, shaking his body as hard as she could, but with no response. His eyes were frozen in shock along with his expression, both of his hands still stretched out, in the same position as they were when releasing the latch of the chest.


    ¡°Do something!¡± the girl cried to the mage. ¡°He¡¯s paralyzed! I can¡¯t move him, he''s too stiff.¡±


    Reagan approached casually, showing no sense of urgency or care.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s as stiff as a corpse,¡± he said in a bored tone. ¡°Because that¡¯s what he is now.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed Lisa, her eyes bulging out at the man standing over them.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead, kid,¡± said the more seasoned adventurer, bending down to pick one of the projectiles stuck to the boy¡¯s forehead. ¡°Poisoned darts. Terribly weak, but a handful of them are still enough to dispatch lower levels like you two.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no, no, no, this can¡¯t be,¡± muttered the desperate girl, her breathing quickening as she stared down at the dead adventurer.


    ¡°What? You two knew the risks,¡± said the unfazed cryomancer. ¡°Did you think coming down into a dungeon full of traps and undead was some kind of walk in the park? That you could just stroll in, grab some valuable loot and leave without a care? This is what being an adventurer in this world is like, girl.¡±


    Lisa looked up at the man with tears pooling in her eyes.


    ¡°You were supposed to protect us!¡± she shouted. ¡°The only reason James came here, and I agreed to it, was because you assured us we¡¯d be safe with you!¡±


    ¡°I told you not to stray too far away from me, before we came in,¡± said Reagan casually, while checking his fingernails. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault or responsibility if your friend was too stupid to heed my instructions and just runs off to trigger all the traps he stumbles upon.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re a bastard!¡± said the girl, tears running down her cheeks as she let go of her friend.


    ¡°No, darling, I¡¯m just someone who¡¯s been around long enough to know how to survive and thrive in this world, even if it¡¯s at the expense of fools like you two.¡±


    Lisa stood up, her breathing shaky as she wiped the tears from her face. ¡°I need to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Wisest decision you¡¯ve probably made since we met,¡± the mage said, a smirk forming in the corner of his lips. ¡°Unfortunately, with your friend gone, it falls on you to cover the rest of my payment.¡±


    ¡°What?! James is dead and you¡¯re talking about money? We don¡¯t have coin! All we had we spent hiring you and getting supplies for this. We were going to cover your payment with the loot we¡¯d get from this place.¡±


    Reagan¡¯s smirk grew. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve got some looting to do, then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± said the panicking girl. ¡°I¡¯m getting out of here!¡±


    She stepped forward, towards the doorway the three of them had entered the room from, but the mage stepped to the side, placing himself in front of her.


    The girl froze on the spot, staring at him with wide eyes. She didn¡¯t need to hear or see more beyond the cold glare in Reagan¡¯s blue eyes to know he had no intention to let her go until he got his payment.


    With a sudden turn, Lisa took off running the other way, heading through the doorway past the trapped chest and down a set of stairs, disappearing into a dark corridor.


    Reagan laughed as the sound of her footsteps echoed away below. ¡°Really smart. Just head deeper into the dungeon full of dangers. I hope you get plenty of loot by the time I get there.¡±


    After quickly rummaging through the dead adventurer¡¯s pockets for a coin purse, the cryomancer calmly followed the girl down the stairs.


    ¡°This guy is trouble,¡± Tom said, as he turned to Balthazar.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯s way too high level to be in this dungeon,¡± said Sal, still sitting in the merchant skeleton¡¯s hands.


    ¡°He¡¯s also a jerk,¡± added Balthazar with a frown.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve grown a soft spot for adventurers lately, crab,¡± the other merchant said.


    ¡°I got little love for the fools, and if their bad decisions get them in trouble that¡¯s on them, but this guy is cruel and uses those weaker than him like playthings.¡±


    Tom nodded.


    ¡°I get your point. It would be fair game if those kids just came in and got hurt trying to loot our stuff, but this mage is breaking all the rules of how we do things around here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re heading down to Jim¡¯s room next,¡± exclaimed Sal. ¡°We need to warn him!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Tom, looking down at the skull. ¡°Balthazar, please take that door over there, it¡¯s a shortcut to the next chamber, warn Jim to abort and get out of dodge while I go get the other guys so we can come up with a plan to get rid of this guy.¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± the crab said.


    While Tom and Sal ran down a different dark tunnel, Balthazar skittered through a cramped corridor, filled with stacked boxes, buckets, a few brooms, and some bone piles he did not even want to know the origin of.


    After a few twists and turns, the huffing merchant found another wall with a small barred window overseeing a room full of stone coffins, barely visible under the dim light of a small brazier at the center of the hall. Finding the spot on the wall that opened the secret passage to the other side, the crab quickly started looking around for the skeleton.


    ¡°Psst, Jim,¡± he whispered. ¡°Are you here?¡±


    ¡°Balthazar?¡± a voice whispered back. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡±


    The skeleton stepped out of a dark corner, his rusty hatchet in hand again like when they had first met. And just like then, he was also completely unclothed again, the bright green shorts from before gone from his hip bones.


    ¡°I was lookin¡ªOh, what the hell!¡± said the crab, averting his eyestalks as he saw the skeleton¡¯s lack of modesty. ¡°You¡¯re naked again!¡±


    ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t get your bristles in a twist!¡± said Jim. ¡°I ain¡¯t got no dangly bits to be embarrassed by no more, and there¡¯s just no way an adventurer will take a skeleton in lime swim shorts seriously.¡±


    ¡°The adventurers!¡± Balthazar said quickly, remembering what he was doing. ¡°Jim, we need to get back behind the walls, Tom wants to regroup because¡ª¡±


    The sound of running footsteps came from behind the door on the other side of the room, and they both turned to look at it as the old wood started creaking, pushed by someone on the other side.


    ¡°Quick, hide!¡± whispered Jim, as he quickly ran behind a pillar.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± muttered the crab. ¡°Look at me, I¡¯m way too wide to hide behind a pillar!¡±


    The adventurer girl ran into the room, closing the door behind her as she struggled to control her breathing.


    Balthazar tried skittering his way behind one of the stone bases holding the coffins, but the clicking of his pointy legs against the stone floor in the dead silence of the crypt alerted the human, making her turn with a gasp.


    They both froze, gazes locked on one another.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Hi?¡± the crab said with an awkward smile.


    Lisa let out a yelp before pressing her back against the door. ¡°A skeleton that talks!¡±


    ¡°Alright, first of all, I have an exoskeleton, I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    Before Balthazar could finish his sentence or take more than two steps forward, the girl threw her baton at him, which flew over his eyestalks.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t do that! I¡¯m trying to¡ªoh no.¡±


    As his eyes moved back from the baton behind him and back to the adventurer, he saw she had already drawn a hand crossbow, and was pointing it directly at him.


    ¡°Stay away from me!¡± Lisa yelled as she pulled the trigger.


    With no time to react, Balthazar¡¯s gaze crossed inwards as he watched the tip of the bolt hit him right between his eyestalks.

 Chapter 121: More Cold-Blooded Than a Crab

    With a quiet plink, Balthazar watched the crossbow bolt hit the floor, its shaft broken in two and the tip cracked.


    [Natural Armor: 0 damage taken]


    ¡°Really, miss?¡± said the crab with a frown, as he rubbed the area between his eyestalks. ¡°Shoddily made stone-tip bolts? Those aren¡¯t even good enough to pierce chitin! If you¡¯d come to Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar, you could have purchased some much better steel¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just please don¡¯t kill me!¡± cried the young adventurer, dropping the crossbow to the floor, along with her knees.


    ¡°What?! No! I¡¯m not going to hurt you,¡± the merchant quickly said, waving his claws from side to side. ¡°I¡¯m not one of the skeletons, I swear. Not that they¡¯re bad either. Well, I mean, technically they do set all those traps and¡­ the point is, just stop crying, will you?!¡±


    Lisa gasped, staring at the crab through teary eyes as she tried to contain her cries.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, all is fine, no need to be scared,¡± Balthazar quietly said, taking slow steps forward.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± whispered Jim from behind the pillar, out of the girl¡¯s sight. ¡°We¡¯re not supposed to chat with the adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Let me try things my way,¡± the crab whispered back.


    ¡°Who¡­ who are you talking to?¡± said the confused adventurer, still sitting on the floor.


    ¡°Nobody! Definitely no spooky skeletons in this room. Just me, talking to myself. But totally not in a crazy kind of way either!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ strange. Who are you?¡± said Lisa, her crying hiccups slowly subsiding.


    ¡°Ah, of course, where are my manners!¡± the crustacean said while taking a quick bow. ¡°I am Balthazar, a crab, a merchant, and a traveler. In that specific order.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ crab merchant?¡±


    ¡°No, no. A merchant crab. The other way around would imply that I sell crabs, and that would just be weird, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    For a split second, there was almost a hint of a smile on the girl¡¯s lips, a tenuous glimmer of hope trying to blossom through the fear and despair in her eyes.


    ¡°You¡­ you seem out of place down here. Did you get lost?¡± she asked, sounding slightly more at ease.


    ¡°Not really,¡± answered the crab. ¡°Just doing some social visits, trying to do some business, uncover the secrets of the world. You know, everyday stuff. You¡¯re the one who seems lost, however.¡±


    The girl pulled her knees up against her chin, sitting with her arms hugging her legs.


    ¡°I was trying to find another way out of this place. I didn¡¯t even want to come here. James was the one who convinced me. He was so excited by the idea of being an adventurer exploring dungeons, but I told him we were too weak and inexperienced. I should have never let him hire that bastard of a mage.¡±


    Now standing next to her, Balthazar gave a couple of comforting pats on her shoulder with the side of his claw. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright. Everything will be alright.¡±


    ¡°How? I don¡¯t know how to get out of here, and he¡¯s out there, looking for me, wanting his payment.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, girl, you¡¯ve come to the right crab. Swindling dumb adventurers is one of my specialties.¡± He paused and glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. ¡°Present company not included, of course. How about I help you get out of here?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ how?¡± Lisa said, raising her face from between her knees, tears pooling around her eyes again.


    ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t start crying again,¡± said Balthazar, quickly rummaging through his backpack. ¡°Here, look, we¡¯ll use this shiny, pretty thing!¡±


    Pulling his claw out of his magical bag, the crab revealed a round metal object with a glass front and a spinning needle within.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a, uh¡­ it¡¯s a compass.¡±


    ¡°A compass?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it points the way north!¡±


    ¡°How is that going to help me get out of here?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ hmm¡­ I¡¯m not sure, actually. But it sure is shiny, isn¡¯t it?!¡±


    The young adventurer took the small compass into her hand, turning it over and admiring it.


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty. I like it,¡± said Lisa, a faint smile forming on her face, and this time, sticking around for more than just a second.


    ¡°Great! So, uh¡­ do you wanna buy it, or¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the girl and the crab jumped in place, startled by the wooden door slamming open behind them.


    Like the cold, bitter air of a winter night, Reagan entered the room through the open doorway, a halo of pale light around him from the hovering orb above his head.


    ¡°There you are,¡± said the cryomancer, with a smile that was anything but warm.


    Lisa scooted backwards on the floor, away from him, until her back was against a wall.


    ¡°I just want to leave, please,¡± she pleaded, anguish back in her eyes and voice.


    ¡°Sure, you can go, after I get my fill of loot, and you¡¯ve done your job being a nice meat shield.¡±


    The adventurer stepped forward, and his gaze landed on Balthazar.


    ¡°What is it you¡¯ve found here?¡± he said with a smirk.


    ¡°Hey, pal, why don¡¯t you stop being a scumbag and just let the poor girl go?¡± said the hard shelled merchant.


    ¡°A giant talking crab?¡± Reagan said, raising both eyebrows in amused surprise. ¡°Now that¡¯s a rare find for sure. Well done, little Lisa.¡±


    The man¡¯s demeanor was making Balthazar angrier by the second. Dumb adventurers, foolish adventurers, even incompetent ones, those the crab had learned to deal with, tolerate, and even accept. But the rare ones that were evil, just purely, needlessly cruel, like this one, he simply could not stomach.


    Something about seeing those with more power stepping on those below them made his blood boil, and as a cold-blooded crustacean, that was not an easy feat to achieve.


    ¡°Alright, girl, get up,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I¡¯m taking you back to the exit.¡±


    Lisa glanced back and forth between the mage and the crab, hesitating.


    ¡°Really?¡± said Reagan with a sudden laugh. ¡°I guess this crab can talk but not listen. She has a debt to pay, and since her stupid friend already got himself killed in the first room, she will have to do the rest of the job by triggering every trap standing between me and some easy money. She¡¯s not going anywhere.¡±


    Balthazar frowned. ¡°Yes, she is.¡±


    The cryomancer laughed even harder. ¡°Says who? A ridiculous crab wearing a backpack who thinks he¡¯s threatening?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the crab wearing a backpack, ¡°him and the squad of armed skeletons guarding this dungeon, so you¡¯d better just get lost and leave us be.¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: failure]


    ¡°Nice try, but I¡¯m not some novice adventurer you can easily fool into running away scared,¡± the smug mage said. ¡°I know this place is a beginner¡¯s dungeon. Every being in here is weak and way below my level, which is exactly why I enjoy coming with idiots like those two into places like these. Cheap but easy loot I can get, plus whatever I snag from their bodies after they invariably get themselves killed, and I barely need to lift a finger or risk my own skin.¡±


    Damn it, I can¡¯t take this guy in an actual fight, and he¡¯s too smart to trick so easily.


    ¡°Now get up, I¡¯m tired of wasting my time,¡± he barked at the girl, while turning back to the door.


    Lisa stood up, but did not seem willing to follow him.


    ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t go with you,¡± she said in a trembling voice. ¡°I¡¯m leaving with the crab.¡±


    Balthazar looked up at her. Attagirl! Show him you won¡¯t be pushed around.


    Reagan glared back at the adventurer. ¡°Is that so?¡±


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    ¡°Y-yes,¡± she said, standing up straight and raising her voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave here and go back to town.¡±


    Yes, good job, you tell him!


    ¡°And once I¡¯m there, I¡¯ll make sure everybody knows who you are and what you do to new adventurers like James and me!¡±


    Nooo! Don¡¯t tell him that!


    Reagan turned back to her, and it was as if the already cold, damp air of the crypt suddenly grew even icier, the condensation of Lisa¡¯s shaky breath billowing out of her mouth as she shrunk back in place under his gaze.


    ¡°And how do you plan to do that?¡± he said, slowly walking towards the girl.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± the scared adventurer stuttered, slowly backing away from the advancing mage.


    ¡°Who¡¯s going to help you? That crab?¡±


    The cryomancer laughed as he pointed a finger at Balthazar, his eyes still fixed on Lisa¡¯s as he moved in closer.


    The young adventurer continued backing away from him as she clutched the satchel around her chest, holding it up between her and the mage, like an ineffective shield.


    ¡°Please,¡± she pleaded in a trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯ll do what you want, just don¡¯t turn me into an ice cube.¡±


    Reagan leaned down, bringing his face closer to hers. ¡°Too late. You can¡¯t leave anymore.¡±


    Moving one foot to the side, the man pressed a slightly higher stone on the floor, which sank with a quiet click of pieces snapping together under the weight of his step.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks stood up. Oh, no.


    Several cogs and pulleys creaked and moved under the cobblestone floor as the mage took a step back, while the girl stood frozen in place, looking at him with confusion in her eyes.


    Her eyes widened, and a gasp escaped her mouth, but it was too late. The floor plate under her feet split in two, opening a hole into a deep well.


    Lisa threw her arms up as gravity pulled her down, the satchel in her grasp going flying across the room as she screamed, the echoes of it quickly fading in the distance as she disappeared into the dark depths below.


    With a quick thump, the trap closed back up and the lowered stone went back into place, everything looking like nothing had just happened.


    ¡°That¡¯s one less thing for me to worry about later,¡± said Reagan, brushing his gloved hands like someone proud of a job well done.


    ¡°You¡­ you just killed that girl,¡± the shocked crab said, still staring at the place where the hole was a moment before.


    The adventurer cocked an uncaring eyebrow. ¡°Technically, gravity did. I merely facilitated the process. Not sure why you¡¯d care, you¡¯re a monster creature, humans dying should mean little to you.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks moved over to the despicable man. ¡°I only see one monster in this room.¡±


    Reagan stared at the merchant for a moment, a half surprised, half amused expression on his face, before suddenly bursting out laughing.


    ¡°Oh, that is just hilarious!¡± he said, wiping the corner of his eye. ¡°You must really be quite the unique creature, if you¡¯re that naive. Not sure how things are in whatever hole you crawled from, but out here in this world, you don¡¯t get to make it as a higher level adventurer by being nice or morally upright. You either take advantage, or you get taken advantage of. Law of the jungle, little crab.¡±


    A system notification surprised the crab out of nowhere.


    [Adventurer slain. Assist experience awarded.]


    [You have reached level 17!]


    The hell?! I had nothing to do with that!


    Was the system counting the use of his trait to distract the girl as something that led to her tragic fate? Was it because her attack on him technically made it count as them being engaged in combat? Or was it simply the fact that he stood by doing nothing while she was pushed into a trap that made the merchant an accessory to the act? He did not know, but what he knew was that this was not the time to be worrying about systems or levels up, not with Reagan still there.


    Balthazar felt a revolting knot in the pit of his stomach, and for once he was sure it had nothing to do with a lack of pastries, but he was also sure there was little he could do against that odious human.


    ¡°But never mind her, her stupid friend, or even whatever worthless other loot this place might have,¡± the mage said, setting his sights back on the crustacean and stepping towards him. ¡°You¡¯re a big, talking, apparently somewhat sapient crab. I¡¯ve never seen anything like that. You have to be quite unique. And valuable.¡±


    Uh-oh, this guy is looking at me like I¡¯m a loot chest he wants to crack open.


    Turning around, Balthazar started skittering his way to the back wall where he had entered the room from, but after just a couple of steps, a wheezing sound made him instinctively duck.


    With his shell pressed against the floor, the crab looked up, just in time to spot a sharp spike of ice shooting over him and hitting the wall somewhere on the other side of the room.


    The crab glanced back, and he saw Reagan was already casting again, a shard of solid ice forming between his hands amidst a swirling spiral of snowy air.


    Balthazar launched himself forward, taking cover behind a stone coffin as the second ice spike zip past where he had been a moment before and hit a nearby pillar, chipping a large chunk off of it and sending fragments of rock flying everywhere.


    Those are no shoddy stone-tip bolts. My shell definitely can¡¯t take a hit from something like that!


    ¡°Come out, come out, little crab,¡± the caster¡¯s voice said from the other side of the room as his steps slowly grew closer, accompanied by the sizzle of the charged ice between his hands. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to find out how much I can sell your parts for.¡±


    Trying to push aside his curiosity about how much coin his body parts would fetch in the black market, Balthazar looked around looking for some way out of the trouble he¡¯d gotten himself into.


    He was halfway to the end of the room where the secret passage he had come from was, but in order to get there, he¡¯d have to risk running in front of the mage¡¯s sights, and probably be turned into a crab popsicle. Even if he got there, the merchant realized he had lost track of where exactly the door was, and there was little chance Reagan would just give him time to examine the wall until he found it again.


    No, I need to get rid of him first, but how am I going to¡­ Wait! I just got a level up a moment ago!


    A rattling sound came from between the pillars next to Balthazar, where the faint light could not quite reach, and a moment later, a tall skeleton charged forward, running at the human with a rusty hatchet in his hand.


    ¡°RAAAH!¡± yelled Jim as he broke into a mad sprint that caught the mage by surprise.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡± exclaimed Reagan, right before releasing his charged ice spike towards the skeleton.


    The projectile shot at its new target and Balthazar watched from behind cover with his jaw dropped as the naked skeleton lunged forward, and somehow the ice spike flew right between the empty space of his hip bone and disappeared on the other side of the room.


    ¡°No dangly bits¡­¡± muttered the awestruck crab.


    But the skeleton¡¯s impressive stroke of luck was short-lived, as before he could strike at the adventurer with his axe, the caster had already woven a new spell, and a sudden wall of solid ice appeared between him and Jim.


    Halfway through his strike, the undead¡¯s axe hit the ice shield, its blade becoming stuck in it. Jim pulled at it, trying to get it out, but with no success.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks jumped. What am I doing? This is my chance.


    The crab turned to the dark side of the room, but immediately came to a stop again.


    I can¡¯t just leave Jim and run away like a coward. I mean, I definitely want to, but¡­ argh, there¡¯s got to be something I can do!


    As if a candle had just lit up above his shell, Balthazar brought up his system screen.


    It¡¯s a long shot, but it¡¯s not like I have any other skills.


    [You have reached level 17]


    [Choose a base stat to increase by 10]


    [Health: 190/190]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 10/10]


    I doubt 10 more health will save me from those ice spikes, but more mana should let me use my new skill.


    [Mana: 20/20]


    Near the center of the room, Jim continued trying to pull his weapon from the ice wall, while a sound of howling wind grew louder from the other side.


    [You have 3 unspent attribute points]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 5]


    [Charisma: 60]


    Argh, this feels like such a waste, but what other choice do I have right now?


    [Intellect: 8]


    Whatever Reagan was casting on the other side of his wall of ice was clearly something big, as the wild gale ravaging from behind the frost grew deafeningly loud.


    Come on, come on!


    As fast as his eyes allowed, Balthazar navigated through the system¡¯s screens, trying to reach his list of available skills, which listed only one.


    [Imbuing]


    [Skill - F tier]


    [Requirements: 10 CHA, 8 INT]


    [Cost: 15 mana]


    [Absorbs a compatible held material, temporarily infusing its properties into your body to gain different bonuses depending on the type, quality, rarity, and amount of material used.]


    ¡°This better work. I hate wasting money!¡±


    Reaching into his Bag of Holding Money, the crab pulled a single golden coin.


    Carefully holding it between his pincers, the merchant tried to activate the Imbuing skill as the sound of cracking ice came from behind his shelter.


    [Insufficient material amount]


    ¡°Oh come on!¡± exclaimed the frustrated crab.


    Grumbling, he reached into his coin purse again, pulling a few more coins and holding them all between his pincers with a sense of urgency.


    [Can only imbue one item at a time]


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± Balthazar blurted out.


    As if aligned with his outburst, the wall of ice separating Reagan from Jim shattered loudly, making the skeleton stumble back as the hatchet he was trying to retrieve went flying across the room.


    A miniature blizzard erupted from the cryomancer¡¯s hands now, a cone of pure hail and freezing winds aimed at the naked skeleton as he tried to weather the storm and reach the caster.


    Balthazar peeked from behind one of the stone tombs, his eyes teary from the frosty gale reaching him, watching as Jim¡¯s bones quickly grew icicles all around them, and his march slowed down with each struggling step.


    In just a few moments, his entire skeleton had become completely frozen in place, surrounded by a crystallized block of ice, like a bizarre sculpture of macabre taste.


    Crap, not again!


    Ceasing his casting, Reagan flexed his gloved fingers as he casually walked around his latest victim.


    ¡°Now where did my prize go?¡± the smug mage asked loudly in a mocking tone.


    The crab shoved both claws into his backpack, searching for something, anything that he thought could work with the only skill he had to use.


    No, no, that¡¯s useless. So is that. And that. Why do I only deal in junk?!


    Reagan¡¯s steps grew closer, and Balthazar knew he would be found any second now.


    Curses! Why didn¡¯t I bring an ingot of gold or even iron with me? Sure, they¡¯re heavy, and not like I would expect someone to buy them on the road, but damn it, I could use one right now! Blasted hindsight!


    Pulling his pincers out of the pack, the merchant did a double take to the other side of the pillars with his eyestalks. There, across the room, behind another stone coffin, right on the edge of where the light reached, rested a dropped brown bag.


    The satchel the girl was carrying!


    Seeing the shadow of the mage appearing over his hiding spot, the cornered crab decided there was no time for decisions.


    Skittering as fast as he could from behind one tomb to the other, the crustacean launched himself at the satchel, grabbing it between his claws as he landed.


    ¡°There you are!¡± yelled Reagan.


    Please tell me there¡¯s something I can use in here!


    Balthazar dared not turn his eyestalks, but he could hear the sound of another ice spell forming in the cryomancer¡¯s hands as his claws desperately reached down into the satchel, grasping for anything that the system would accept.


    Until his pincers finally gripped something.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine now, little crab!¡±


    [Imbuing activated: Voidwood absorbed]

 Chapter 122: Voided Warranty

    Balthazar did not know why the mage had been carrying a small piece of dark, rough bark in his satchel. Maybe it was a valuable material. Or perhaps he had a carpentry hobby.


    It didn¡¯t really matter that much at that moment anyway.


    What mattered was that the piece of strange wood held between the tips of his pincers was quickly vanishing, swiftly being siphoned up his claw, arm, and all around his shell. It felt a little itchy.


    The hissing sound of the charged ice between Reagan¡¯s hands made the crab¡¯s bristles stand as his eyestalks twisted backwards ahead of the rest of his body, bracing to face the unavoidable impact.


    After an endless couple of seconds, the cryomancer released the ice spike from his grasp, the pointy icicle whistling through the air like an arrow of frost, aimed straight at Balthazar¡¯s center of mass.


    But by the time the spike reached him and the crab had turned, eyes squinting as he prepared to feel his chitin crack and be pierced, there was a quick fizzle sound and then¡­ nothing.


    The misty cloud of icy crystals in the air left by the ice spike¡¯s trail dispersed, leaving the mage and the merchant facing each other again. The human¡¯s eyes widened as he saw his unscathed target, and the crab¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw himself.


    There, in the middle of that poorly lit and damp crypt chamber, stood no longer a gray crab sporting a well polished shell of chitin, but instead a strange-looking Balthazar made of dark wood, like a life-size sculpture of a giant crustacean that absorbed the faint light shining on him like a black hole.


    The baffled merchant looked at himself, examining his own shell, running the tip of his pincer over its now very rough wooden surface, struggling to see its details even from so up close, due to how dark it was, like the charred bark of a burnt tree.


    ¡°How¡­¡± muttered the bewildered mage, his expression riddled with conflicting emotions as he struggled to comprehend what had just happened.


    A feeling not too different from the one Balthazar was experiencing.


    [Imbuing - Voidwood]


    [Duration: 1 minute]


    [Effect: 50% chance to nullify incoming spells. 50% chance to double the effects of incoming spells.]


    Holy profiterole¡­ Not only was that a last minute save, but it was also a coin flip save. I don¡¯t want to imagine what I would look like if I got the second effect instead.


    Balthazar tried to move, an action that proved slightly more cumbersome than usual due to his wooden joints.


    Ow, so this is what I have to look forward to in my retirement years¡­


    ¡°You should be dead!¡± exclaimed an outraged Reagan, pointing an accusatory finger at the crab as if expecting him to perish right there and then out of politeness.


    The stiff merchant flexed his limbs a couple of times, trying to get used to his current state.


    Looks like this guy has never seen an imbuing skill before. Not surprising, but I need to take advantage while¡ª


    A loud hissing came from the mage¡¯s hands once again, and an icy gale began forming a spiral within his grasp.


    So much for that! Screw it, maybe I can get one of his ankles before he finishes casting.


    Throwing caution to the cold wind, Balthazar skittered forward, both claws open towards the caster, but the human released his spell before the crab could reach him.


    A blizzard similar to the one that hit Jim and encased him in ice moments before blew across the room, rapidly whirling its way to the wooden crustacean.


    Balthazar tried to jump out of the way, but the stiffness of his body made the leap impossible.


    Oh, no¡­


    The crab held both claws up in front of his face, preparing to feel the cutting winds, but for a second time, instead all he saw was the blizzard quickly fizzling against his wooden shell as it disappeared into nothing.


    Oh, thank my lucky stars!


    ¡°This is not possible! How?!¡± yelled Reagan, his confusion and anger now mixed with a hint of fear.


    I better make the most of the opportunity I have.


    Balthazar stood up straight again, slowly lowering his claws as his wooden eyestalks glared at the apprehensive mage.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come here,¡± said the crab, in the most confident voice he could muster. ¡°You thought this place was going to be easy pickings. That you¡¯d fool some weak adventurers and get an easy time. Now you¡¯re all on your own.¡±


    Reagan took a small step back as his face seemed to turn a shade paler.


    ¡°What are you talking about?! This is a beginner¡¯s dungeon full of nothing but low level skeletons.¡±


    Balthazar took a tentative step forward.


    ¡°Is it? Do I look like a skeleton to you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re just a crab! I¡¯m not afraid of you!¡± spat the human, trying to sound assertive, but not quite selling it.


    ¡°Does this look like a normal crab to you?¡± said the increasingly confident crustacean, opening his arms and showing off his Voidwood carapace, so dark it almost looked like a portal into an endless abyss.


    ¡°Wha¡­ what are you?¡± the cryomancer asked in a trembling voice.


    ¡°Someone you shouldn¡¯t have messed with, pal,¡± said Balthazar, slowly continuing his march forward.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ some kind of miniboss of this dungeon?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the wooden crab, deciding to just improvise with what he was being given. ¡°And you¡¯ve made me very upset. Me and my army of skeletons that are currently gathering beneath our feet.¡±


    Reagan gulped as he placed his back against a stone coffin and took another step backwards.


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing!¡±


    Balthazar smirked.


    ***


    Deeper down in the dungeon, several floors below where the crab and the mage were, inside the last room of the crypt, where the giant slime resided, most of the skeletons were still moving chests and other unsorted pieces of loot back to their storage.


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    ¡°Guys!¡± shouted Tom, slamming the door open as he arrived in the room with Sal¡¯s skull still held in one of his hands.


    ¡°Woah, calm down, Tom,¡± said one of the skeletons holding a broom. ¡°We already cleaned up your friend¡¯s coins from all the sticky ooze, they¡¯re over there. No need to burst in here to rush us.¡±


    ¡°No, Tim, it¡¯s not that,¡± said the worried merchant. ¡°We¡¯ve got a problem up top.¡±


    Tim and the rest of the skeleton crew stopped what they were doing, looking up at Tom with concerned glances.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± asked the one with the broom.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a level 30 adventurer in the dungeon!¡± the skull in Tom¡¯s hands blurted out.


    One of the nearby skeletons dropped the crate he was carrying, spilling candlesticks everywhere.


    Another one fainted on the spot, but only from the neck up, causing his skull to fall from its spine and his hands to clumsily try to catch it.


    Tim held on to his broomstick like it was a weapon.


    ¡°A level 30?!¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s an adventurer like that doing in our dungeon?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the other half of the problem,¡± said Tom. ¡°The guy is luring low level adventurers down here under the guise of backing them up, just to then use them as meat shields and keep all the loot for himself.¡±


    A buzzing of disapproving murmurs sounded between all the skeletons.


    ¡°Shameful.¡±


    ¡°Very unsportsmanlike!¡±


    ¡°The living really have no morals.¡±


    ¡°What a loser.¡±


    ¡°At least we play fair down here.¡±


    With a sharp whistle, the bearded skull in Tom¡¯s hands silenced all the others.


    ¡°Alright, fellas, we got contingency plans for these cases. Remember all our drills.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the move here, Sal?¡± asked Tom.


    ¡°The same we do when higher level clerics or pyromancers show up. We all go into the emergency chamber, lock ourselves in, and wait for them to either fall for the drops or take their chunk of loot and leave.¡±


    The skeleton merchant nodded and looked up at the others.


    ¡°Right, you heard old Sal. Pass the word around to the others not here right now and let¡¯s move it.¡±


    ¡°You got it, Tom,¡± said Tim. ¡°Hey, what about your crab friend? Did you send him to the emergency room already?¡±


    The other skeleton scratched the side of his face bones. ¡°Err, no, I asked him to go warn Jim.¡±


    Sal¡¯s skull suddenly jumped in his hands. ¡°Wait, did you tell him about the contingency protocol?¡±


    Tom winced. ¡°No. Did you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! I thought you would. He¡¯s your guest!¡±


    ¡°Ah, damn it. Maybe Jim will know what to do and where to take him?¡±


    The bearded skull shook itself from side to side.


    ¡°Tommy, my boy, this is Jim you¡¯re talking about. When have you ever even seen him awake during our safety meetings?¡±


    The other skeleton rubbed his forehead with his bony fingers. ¡°Right, of course.¡±


    ¡°So what do you guys think is happening up there right now?¡± asked Tim, still holding his broom.


    ¡°Nothing good,¡± said Sal. ¡°Against a level 30 adventurer, Jim is probably down and out already, and if he wasn¡¯t lucky enough to get away, Balthazar is probably facing those adventurers all by himself at this point. And unfortunately for him, if they break him, we can¡¯t put him back together like we can Jim.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± said the deep and guttural voice of Montgomery, who had been quietly overhearing the conversation from above the skeletons. ¡°Balthazar is in danger?!¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± started Tom in an uncomfortable tone, ¡°technically we don¡¯t know for certain, but¡­ probably, yes.¡±


    A sudden rumble shook the walls and pillars of the room as the giant slime violently slammed the ground.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just sit idly by and hide while Balthazar is in danger!¡± yelled Montgomery in a thunderous roar. ¡°We must help him!¡±


    ¡°Woah!¡± said the bony merchant, as all the skeletons in the room struggled to not fall from the quake caused by the creature. ¡°Easy there. I thought you promised him you¡¯d not bring this place down on our heads anymore.¡±


    Montgomery¡¯s slimy body vibrated gently as it stilled itself.


    ¡°I¡­ I apologize. It was a force of habit. I¡¯ll try to control it better, but still, we have to do something for Balthazar. He would do it for you if it was the other way around, I¡¯m sure!¡±


    Tom dropped his shoulder bones. ¡°Ah, the slime¡¯s right. We can¡¯t just leave him to his luck up there.¡±


    Sal looked up at the skeleton holding him. ¡°Are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking, Tommy?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡±


    ¡°The scapula protocol?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only option.¡±


    Tim gripped his broomstick tighter. ¡°Are you guys sure?¡±


    Tom nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t leave a skeleton behind. Even if it¡¯s an exoskeleton.¡±


    Raising both hands up, the skeleton held Sal¡¯s skull high for everyone around the room to see.


    ¡°Alright, fellas,¡± said the bodiless undead, ¡°spread the word and grab your gear. We¡¯re storming the second floor to grab the crab. No theatrics or playing hero. Just run in, be loud, grab him, and escape through the secret passages before the humans know what happened.¡±


    For a moment, nobody moved, staring at the bearded skull.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?!¡± Sal yelled. ¡°Move those old bones already!¡±


    Jolted by the command, all the skeletons started moving about quickly, grabbing weapons and old pieces of armor, before leaving the chamber at a hurried pace.


    ¡°I wish I could go and help too,¡± said Montgomery. ¡°But make sure you give the adventurer a good smack for me!¡±


    The ground shook once more as the pumped up slime slammed an appendage against the ceiling.


    ¡°Oops, sorry!¡±


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing!¡± accused the cryomancer.


    Balthazar smirked, and as he did, the whole room shook as if hit by an intense earthquake.


    Reagan stumbled, hanging on to the edge of one of the coffins to avoid falling.


    The crab was caught off-guard by the rumbling too, but luckily for him, the same wooden imbuing covering his body and making his movements stiff, also seemed to make him a lot more stable and harder to knock down.


    This feels like Montgomery¡¯s slamming from before. What the hell is going on down there?


    ¡°What was that?!¡± exclaimed the agitated adventurer. ¡°What did you do?!¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at the human.


    Never let an opportunity go to waste.


    ¡°Oh, that? That was just Montgomery.¡±


    ¡°Who?!¡± the confused mage asked.


    ¡°Montgomery,¡± repeated the wooden crustacean. ¡°Our giant slime that lives at the bottom of the dungeon. It must be hungry again. It really has grown quite the voracious appetite since it tasted its first adventurer.¡±


    Reagan¡¯s eyes blinked rapidly as he licked his lips nervously.


    ¡°A giant slime? In a beginner''s dungeon like this? That¡­ that can¡¯t be.¡±


    Like a crab smelling the scent of pie, Balthazar approached his prey some more.


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± he said in a quiet, slightly menacing tone. ¡°You also thought this dungeon wouldn¡¯t have a giant crab, and here I am. Maybe you should meet Montgomery yourself. I can arrange for my skeleton army to take you down there, if you want.¡±


    For someone with such mastery of cold spells, Reagan seemed to be suffering from a serious bout of intense sweating all of a sudden.


    ¡°This¡­ this is insane,¡± he stammered, backing away from the crab as he approached. ¡°What is this place? Who are you?!¡±


    The dark-shelled crab continued his slow approach towards the human, each step he took forward followed by a step backwards from the caster.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Balthazar, and all you need to know is that I¡¯ve got friends in low places. Dark, deep down places. The kind cowards like you go and never come back from.¡±


    ¡°S-stay away! I¡¯ll freeze you!¡±


    ¡°Please, you already tried that. Twice. Do you really want to waste the mana trying again? I assure you that all it will do is just piss me off even more.¡±


    I hope he doesn¡¯t, I don¡¯t want to flip that coin again.


    Another small quake shook the ground beneath them, nearly knocking the human down.


    Reagan glanced from side to side, nervously searching for an answer to his growing panic as he cautiously backed away from the increasingly closer crab.


    ¡°You hear that?¡± said the looming crab void. ¡°That means it¡¯s lunchtime.¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll leave, alright?¡± he said in a shaky voice. ¡°I don¡¯t want any more trouble. I will go and never come back here.¡±


    Balthazar came within a couple of steps from the mage.


    ¡°Really? Now you want to go? After everything you¡¯ve done?¡±


    ¡°L-let¡¯s just forget all about it, y-yes?¡± stuttered Reagan, looking down at the void-covered creature in front of him while slowly backing away. ¡°You just let me walk out of here, and you¡¯ll never see me again.¡±


    The crab brought his face up and close to the mage¡¯s.


    ¡°Too late. You can¡¯t leave anymore.¡±


    Reagan¡¯s eyes widened, and he let out a shocked gasp as he heard a quiet snap from below.

 Chapter 123: Undead Drop

    The raised floor cobblestone sunk down with a click, and a tiny mechanical mechanism snapped in place under the mage¡¯s heel, triggering several gears, which pulled on tripwires, which in turn activated rows of pulleys, causing a fake ground plate to move.


    It took a split second for the realization to hit Reagan, but by then it was too late.


    ¡°You should watch where you step,¡± said Balthazar, backing away from the man.


    The trapped floor opened up under the cryomancer, and gravity called on him to obey its pull.


    Flailing his arms and vestment sleeves around in a fruitless attempt at spontaneously becoming a flying adventurer, Reagan¡¯s expression of surprise and horror tumbled backwards as he fell into the dark pit.


    ¡°Noooooo!¡±


    The crab stood over the open well for a moment, staring down into its abyss.


    ¡°How come I didn¡¯t even hear him¡ª¡±


    A sudden thump echoed from the pit, startling the merchant.


    ¡°Oof, never mind.¡±


    The trap mechanism unwound itself with several clicks, and with a final snap, the trigger reset back to how it was moments before, leaving no trace of what had just happened.


    Just as Balthazar turned away from the recently covered hole, a sharp itch struck the back of his shell. ¡°Ow!¡±


    In just a few seconds, the thick layer of black bark covering the crab¡¯s body cracked and crumbled into dust that disappeared before it even reached the floor.


    The now gray again crustacean moved his eyestalks around to look at himself.


    ¡°Huh, looks like imbuing really doesn¡¯t stay permanently anymore. Shame.¡±


    [Adventurer slain]


    [You have reached level 18!]


    Already? I guess even at 50%, the experience from beating a level 30 while at 17 is still a lot. Or was it because I managed to pass his dialogue check too? Hmm¡­


    A low rumbling made the cobblestones under Balthazar¡¯s feet vibrate as he heard several hurried footsteps approaching from both ends of the room.


    Great. What now?!


    Both the door leading into the chamber and the one leading out of it slammed open with a kick, and several spooky skeletons rushed into the room, wearing decrepit armor and brandishing rusty weapons as they yelled loudly.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you guys,¡± the crab said casually.


    The bone mob slowed down and came to a full stop as they found no one else there but Balthazar and Jim¡¯s ice sculpture.


    Tom, who came in leading the charge from one of the doors with his walking stick held high in one hand and Sal¡¯s skull in the other, stood in front of his group with a confused expression.


    ¡°You are getting pretty good at doing this,¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°Doing what?¡± said the bewildered skeleton.


    ¡°Arriving just a moment too late,¡± the crab said with a chuckle.


    ¡°The hell happened?!¡± asked the bearded skull in Tom¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I took care of your adventurer problem. Jim might need a blanket or two now, though.¡±


    The dungeon¡¯s merchant stared at the block of crystal ice encasing the unclothed skeleton while slowly shaking his head. ¡°I told him he¡¯d catch a cold one day if he kept running around naked like that.¡±


    He turned to the group of skeletons behind him. ¡°Hey, Tim, go get some torches, will ya? We gotta defrost Jim¡¯s chicken bones again.¡±


    Balthazar stepped next to Tom. ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh on Jim. He did try to save me, and bought me enough time to come up with a plan.¡±


    ¡°What happened to the adventurers that came down here anyway?¡± asked the skeleton. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you ate them?¡±


    ¡°No, of course I didn¡¯t¡ªWhy would that even be your first thought?!¡± asked the baffled crab.


    Tom shrugged.


    ¡°No, I ended up confronting the cryomancer directly,¡± Balthazar continued. ¡°After Jim kept him busy for long enough, I got lucky and managed to find¡­ an advantage. Then I just had to be convincing enough to sell him on the idea that this dungeon wasn¡¯t as easy as he thought, that I was some kind of miniboss, and that an army of skeletons was coming to feed him to a giant slime. So, you know, slightly enhanced true facts.¡±


    Tom looked at the crab while shaking his head slowly, a surprised and amazed expression all over his face bones. ¡°You sure are quite the talking crab, aren¡¯t you? Where is he now, though? Don¡¯t tell me you¡­¡±


    The skeleton ran a finger across his throat. Or at least where one would be, if he still had any flesh and muscle.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t lay a pincer on him. He did it all to himself. He stepped on that floor trap over there. I merely had to make him scared enough to forget his own dirty trick.¡±


    ¡°Ah, good old hole traps!¡± said Sal. ¡°Some of my favorites. No matter how high the level, enough fall damage can still do you in.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what about the girl?¡± asked Tom. ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s mood turned slightly somber.


    ¡°She was scared and just wanted to leave,¡± he said.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Ah, so you showed her the way out?¡± said the skeleton.


    ¡°No, because the frosted douchebag wouldn¡¯t let her go. His intention was to use her as a meat shield and trap bait so he could get easy loot. When she refused, he triggered a trap and sent her down the chute like discarded garbage.¡±


    ¡°And then they say that we undead are the evil ones!¡± said the old skull with an upset rattle.


    Balthazar looked at the place on the floor where Lisa had fallen.


    ¡°Hey, Tom, how deep is the fall from here?¡±


    ¡°From these traps?¡± the unliving merchant said. ¡°Hmm, pretty deep, several floors, at least.¡±


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s any chance she¡¯s still¡­ you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Alive? Nah, no way. Way too long of a drop for that.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± said the pensive crab.


    ¡°She¡¯s definitely dead,¡± added Tom.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Goner than Sal¡¯s dancing career.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I got it, geez!¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, my bad,¡± the undead said. ¡°I forget how uncomfortable you living ones can be with death.¡±


    ¡°Poor kid just didn¡¯t deserve to be done in like that, that¡¯s all,¡± the crustacean said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t greed that brought her down here.¡±


    Tom tapped the crab¡¯s shoulder gently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll send Tim down there for her later. If there¡¯s one thing we know, is how to respect the dead. Would be strange if we didn¡¯t!¡±


    Balthazar nodded quietly in appreciation.


    Of the large group of skeletons that had barged into the room, some had now either left, or were helping with defrosting Jim and cleaning the room.


    ¡°Hey, crab,¡± said Tim from behind one of the stone coffins. ¡°Is this yours?¡±


    Held up in his hand was a brown satchel, the one that belonged to the cryomancer, had been carried and dropped by the fallen girl, and from where Balthazar had retrieved the piece of Voidwood.


    ¡°It is now,¡± he said, skittering towards the skeleton. ¡°To the victor go the spoils.¡±


    He took the bag and began rummaging through it with more proper care this time. It was no Backpack of Holding, so it had little space for items, and most of what the crab was finding inside was either useless trash, a few loose coins, or half empty vials of potions.


    Bah, I was hoping for some more of that strange bark, but I guess I¡¯ll have no such luck. I wonder how he got it¡­


    As he nearly gave up on the contents of the bag, Balthazar¡¯s pincer grabbed something that made his eyestalks jump with interest.


    He pulled his pincer out of the bag, holding a piece of rolled up parchment, which seemed to glow just for his eyes.


    Another Scroll of Potential!


    ¡°Hey, Balthazar,¡± Tom called, approaching from the other side of the room.


    ¡°Yes?¡± said the crab, quickly stuffing the scroll in his pack for later inspection.


    ¡°I almost forgot, the boys cleaned the snot off the coins and bagged them for you,¡± said the skeleton, tossing a large coin purse at the crab.


    ¡°Sweet,¡± the eight-legged merchant said, while pocketing the money together with his other coins.


    [Bag of Holding Money: 12,512 crowns]


    ¡°So, will you stay for the night?¡± asked Tom.


    ¡°We ain¡¯t got no feast to offer, though,¡± said Sal. ¡°On account of us being undead skeletons and all that.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Sal, have some manners!¡± grumbled the other skeleton. ¡°I¡¯m sure we could scrounge together some appetizers.¡±


    Balthazar recalled all the cockroaches and slugs he saw crawling around when he first entered the dungeon.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, fellas. I left Druma and Blue waiting for me outside, so I should probably get going anyway.¡±


    ¡°You brought the little rascals along, and you didn¡¯t even mention it?!¡± Tom said. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll show you the secret way out.¡±


    ***


    After saying goodbye to all the many skeletons of Tudor¡¯s Hall, Balthazar was on the surface once again, accompanied by Tom and Sal¡ªwhose skull was now tied to the merchant¡¯s walking stick¡ªmaking his way back to the road as the late afternoon sun bathed the forest in its faint orange light.


    ¡°So where will you go now?¡± asked the merchant skeleton.


    ¡°Not really sure,¡± answered the merchant crab. ¡°Probably need to find Rye again, see if he managed to track the whereabouts of the dragon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, looking to rescue your baker friend, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    Balthazar pondered on his options as they leisurely walked out of the crypt¡¯s clearing and towards the main road.


    He had gotten his system access back, he had even started getting some skills, but he was still far from being fit to face off against a level 75 dragon. Not to mention he was still not any closer to understanding half of what was really happening around him, from the strange mind-wiped adventurers, to the mysterious birds that can just swoop by and steal his system.


    He did have one lead on that, however.


    Reaching into his backpack, Balthazar retrieved Ruby¡¯s letter he had received before leaving the pond.


    ¡°Hey, Tom, you wouldn¡¯t happen to know where a town called Condor is, would you?¡± the crab asked.


    The skeleton rubbed his chiseled jawline for a moment, thinking.


    ¡°Hmm, Condor¡­ That doesn¡¯t ring a bell, and I¡¯ve been all over the land,¡± he said.


    ¡°Condor?¡± said the skull hanging from Tom¡¯s walking stick, where the firefly lantern usually was. ¡°Now there¡¯s a name I haven¡¯t heard in a long time.¡±


    ¡°You know it?¡± asked the excited crab.


    ¡°Well, I remember it, don¡¯t think I ever visited,¡± Sal explained. ¡°This was many moons ago, I might have even still had some meat on my bones back then!¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me where it was?¡± Balthazar said, while pulling a map from his backpack.


    The crab spread the piece of parchment open on the ground, while Tom placed the skull on top of it.


    ¡°Hmm, the land looked so different back then,¡± the old-timer said as he looked around the map. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what half of these places are now, but I¡¯m pretty sure Condor used to be somewhere around¡­ there.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the map and then back at the skull sitting on top of it, like some kind of macabre paperweight. ¡°Uh¡­ where?¡±


    ¡°Right there!¡± the old piece of bone said again.


    ¡°You¡­ you know we can¡¯t see you pointing, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, fiddlesticks! Sorry, phantom limbs, I guess. Tom, pass me a stick or something, will ya?¡±


    The skeleton grabbed a small broken branch off the forest floor and handed it to the skull, who took it between his teeth.


    ¡°Itfs rifth fthere,¡± Sal said, maneuvering the stick with his mouth to point at an empty clearing near some hills on the map, before spitting it out. ¡°Or at least it used to be, back in the day.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a start, at least,¡± said Balthazar, rolling the map back into his backpack. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    After a few more steps through the woods, they arrived at a clearing near the road, where they found Druma and Blue playing hacky sack while waiting for the crab.


    ¡°Boss!¡± the goblin cheerfully greeted.


    ¡°Hey there. I hope you two didn¡¯t get up to any trouble while I was away, because I sure did.¡±


    After some more hellos and goodbyes, the trio was back on the road, waving back at Tom and Sal as they left.


    ¡°Where boss go now?¡± asked the enthusiastic assistant.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m thinking we head southeast, but I¡¯d like to find Rye again first.¡± He turned to the drake walking alongside them. ¡°Hey, Blue, have you spotted any signs of Rye while I was away?¡±


    The winged creature shook her head.


    ¡°Damn, it¡¯s been a while, I wonder if he¡¯s alright.¡±


    The sound of twigs breaking and shuffling bushes came from one side of the road, and the party froze in place, Blue baring her fangs, Druma holding his staff, and Balthazar putting his pincers up.


    ¡°Who goes there?¡± he asked loudly.


    A figure stepped out of the shadows of the forest trees, his clothes and armor dirty and messy, his blond hair and face covered in soot and ash, looking completely exhausted.


    Balthazar frowned at the boy.


    ¡°Rye?!¡±

 Chapter 124: Catching Up

    ¡°Oh, hey guys,¡± said the weary adventurer, leaning against a tree for support. ¡°Been looking for you everywhere.¡±


    ¡°What happened? Did you find the dragon?!¡± Balthazar asked, looking at the soot-covered boy with great expectation in his eyes.


    Rye exhaled deeply. ¡°I did not.¡±


    ¡°Then what happened to you?¡±


    The human placed his hands on his knees, visibly tired.


    ¡°Can we set up camp somewhere, and then I¡¯ll tell you everything? It¡¯s almost night, and I¡¯m completely wiped.¡±


    Not long after, on a clearing not too far off the road, the merchant and the adventurer sat around a small fire made by Druma, while the goblin and drake enjoyed some dried meat.


    ¡°Alright, spill already,¡± said Balthazar, holding a piece of dried fish in his pincer, which he wasn¡¯t too keen on eating, because it wasn¡¯t a pastry. ¡°What did you find in that town?¡±


    Rye sighed.


    ¡°So I went up the path that the guy we found on the road pointed to, and after a long walk I finally saw the smoke coming from somewhere ahead. Once I got there I found a small village, just a few buildings, pretty much, some of which were half burned, the villagers still trying to put out the few fires that remained.¡±


    ¡°Did you ask them where the dragon went?!¡± inquired the impatient crab.


    ¡°People were running around with buckets and jugs of water, Balthazar,¡± said the archer, ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to stop them to ask about it right then and there, was I? I ran in and picked up some buckets to help.¡±


    Balthazar nodded. ¡°Right, of course, earn their trust first before getting information. Smart.¡±


    The adventurer shook his head and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Yes, sure, that¡¯s exactly why I did, not because it was the right thing to do in that situation. Anyway, after the fires were out I asked if there was anyone injured, but thankfully nobody died or got seriously hurt. This is when the real kicker happened.¡±


    The crab raised both eyestalks. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I said they were lucky nobody got hurt after a dragon attack, and they looked at me like I was crazy. They didn¡¯t know what in the world I was talking about.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± said the confused crustacean.


    ¡°I had the same reaction!¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t the guy on the road say he came from a burning village that had been attacked by a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Rye said. ¡°Turns out, there was no dragon at all. The fire started because of a peddler who rode into town claiming to be selling smokeless torches. Someone was foolish enough to fall for it, they bought some, and well, soon after there was a roof on fire. And then another. And another.¡±


    ¡°How could someone fall for that?¡± said Balthazar, waving his fish on a stick around. ¡°Sellers like that give honest merchants like me a bad name!¡±


    ¡°And get this,¡± the young man continued, ¡°when I asked what the peddler looked like, they said he wore a tricorn hat.¡±


    The crab stared at the ranger. ¡°And¡­?¡±


    ¡°Who do you remember meeting that was also wearing a triangle hat like that?¡±


    Balthazar shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I hardly remember what hat you were wearing last time we were together.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t wearing a hat last time we saw each other¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly my point.¡±


    The adventurer threw his arms up in frustration. ¡°Whatever, that¡¯s not the point! The point is, the man with the cart we met on the road and told us about the village was wearing a tricorn hat.¡±


    ¡°Oooh!¡± said the crab. ¡°I get it now. The peddler must have sold him the hat too!¡±


    Rye smacked his palm against his own face.


    ¡°No, Balthazar! He was the peddler!¡±


    ¡°Right, of course, that was going to be my next guess.¡±


    The tired archer pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.


    ¡°So, yes, that was a monumental waste of time. I got tricked by a scammer fleeing from the village and went there for nothing, as there was no dragon. Spent a whole day helping the people there and then got back on the road without rest to try and catch back up to you. And to top it all off, at some point I lost my bar of soap, so now I¡¯m a dirty, tired mess. Anyway, what about your day?¡±


    Rye reclined back against his quiver, looking at the crab with an exhausted face.


    ¡°Oh, it was quite something too, I tell you,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°It involved killer starfishes, bandits, slimes, and a lot more.¡±


    As the fire crackled under the cloudy night sky, the crab rambled on about his own adventures, talking without break as he waved his little fish around.


    ¡°So anyway, then I just took off and flew away in style on Blue¡¯s back while the twenty defeated bandits below watched in awe as I¡­¡±


    The merchant¡¯s eyes landed on the adventurer and he stopped his story.


    Rye was now fast asleep, lying down with his head against his travel bag.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just rude,¡± Balthazar muttered. ¡°Bah, I get it, he had a long day.¡±


    Looking over to the other side of the fire, he saw Druma and Blue also asleep, the goblin comfortably nestled against the drake, who was wrapped around him like a fire-heated cushion.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    A smile sneaked onto the crab¡¯s face.


    At least they get along well.


    Finding himself all alone by the fire and with no wish to go to sleep yet, Balthazar remembered his level up from earlier, after defeating the cryomancer, and sat down as he pulled his system screen.


    Alright, finally some me time.


    [You have reached level 18]


    [Choose a base stat to increase by 10]


    [Health: 190/190]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 20/20]


    Give me that health, I like big round numbers!


    Without much pondering or hesitation, the crab pressed the first stat on the list, increasing it by 10.


    [Health: 200/200]


    Nice. Next, let¡¯s see¡­


    [You have 3 unspent attribute points]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 8]


    [Charisma: 60]


    Hmm, I could already have 63 Charisma if it wasn¡¯t for that Intellect requirement on the Imbuing skill. I really want to get even higher Charisma, but should I consider putting some more into Intellect?


    Weighing his options, Balthazar expanded the Intellect description once again.


    [Intellect]


    [Affects your mental power, your magical abilities, and the capacity to learn and absorb knowledge.]


    Makes sense. I don¡¯t feel any smarter after putting points into it, because I guess this just affects my magical power and makes me better at learning new stuff. Good thing I already know lots of things!


    As the crab considered what to do with his points, his eyestalks suddenly jumped.


    Wait! I almost forgot about that scroll I found in the mage¡¯s satchel!


    Digging through his backpack, he retrieved the rolled up piece of parchment and quickly opened it. A bright light projected into the crab¡¯s eyes while he waited for the Scroll of Potential to reveal a new skill.


    [Revealing skill¡­]


    [Leader¡¯s Voice]


    [Skill - C tier]


    [Requirements: 30 CHA, 10 INT]


    [Cost: 20 mana]


    [For 2 minutes, you and up to three of your allies receive +1 to all attributes, and all actions performed as a team receive a success bonus.]


    [Would you like to learn this skill?]


    [Yes] [No]


    Balthazar glanced at his sleeping companions across the flames of the campfire between them.


    Hmm, this could be a good fit.


    As he hovered over the yes option, his eyes flicked back up to the requirements.


    Figures. I¡¯m good on the mana now, but I¡¯m short on Intellect.


    Grumbling, the crab navigated back to his attribute list and placed two points into his Intellect.


    Hmm, I still have one point left now. Should I invest it on something else, save it for later, or¡­


    Glancing down at his high Charisma, the merchant shrugged and placed the last point into it.


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 10]


    [Charisma: 61]


    After confirming all the prompts and learning his new skill, Balthazar watched as the scroll dropped to the ground, lifeless and blank.


    ¡°Too bad they¡¯re single use. I could make some good coin selling them to adventurers,¡± he said quietly.


    After picking up the piece of parchment, the crustacean stretched his pincers up and let out a long yawn.


    ¡°Alright, that was enough bedtime reading.¡±


    After dumping some dirt on the fire like the responsible camping crab he is, Balthazar went to his own little corner, to fall asleep like all the others around him, certain that he would need much rest for all the traveling they would continue doing in the days to come.


    ***


    After several days deep in the woods, Warren emerged from the forest¡¯s edge and onto a road.


    Heartha¡¯s new arrival looked nothing like his previous self now. Gone were the soaked rags he walked out of the sea with, replaced with tightly fit pieces of padded leather and fur armor crafted by him using looted animal parts and his newly acquired crafting skills.


    His physique had seen great changes as well. Already in fine shape before his untimely demise in the previous world, thanks to a balanced diet and daily exercise routine, Ren¡¯s body was now even more muscular and well-defined, thanks to his new attributes.


    After spending his nights carefully analyzing and calculating the best option for each of his choices, and his days tirelessly grinding experience, the new adventurer had already reached level 15, gained several skills, and even unlocked a unique class: Champion.


    Stopping on the side of the road, Heartha¡¯s new hero took a knee and opened the backpack he had fashioned from stitching rabbit pelts together using a moss snake¡¯s fang as a needle and caterpillar silk as thread. Inside, he rummaged through even more rabbit pelts. A lot more rabbit pelts.


    Ever the careful deliberator and efficient minmaxer, Ren had quickly figured out the entire formula for experience and level gaining, and rather than risking his life going into more dangerous areas while having only a few levels, no skills, and poor equipment, he determined that the best course of action was to remain in the easiest part of the forest, where no monsters dwelled and only small critters lived. After determining that rabbits provided the best experience returns relative to time investment, the young man spent several days slaying the fluffy creatures in order to raise his level.


    Unfortunately for the Champion, after a minor bunny genocide, he quickly realized the slaying of the small critters was no longer an efficient method to gain experience, due to diminishing returns¡ªand also the fact that the local rabbit population could no longer sustain itself thanks to him.


    Knowing that he had gotten as much as he could out of that area, Ren was now ready to finally leave the forest meant for level 1 adventurers to do their tutorial quest on their first fifteen minutes on that world.


    ¡°Where did I put it¡ªaha!¡± said the adventurer, as he pulled a compass out of his handmade backpack.


    Standing back up, Ren turned around as he inspected the item he had expertly crafted with his own hands using nothing but raw pieces of iron ore and a few stones.


    ¡°So north is that way¡­ and the river ran¡­ that way,¡± he mumbled to himself, while using a stick of charcoal to draw on an old piece of parchment, where he had been drawing his own map of the area. Because he was also excellent at cartography.


    ¡°Right,¡± he said, storing the map and other items back in his pack after a few moments of study. ¡°This way up the road it is.¡±


    Putting his backpack on again, the adventurer took to the road, marching on with well-defined goals.


    First, find civilization in order to learn more about his surroundings and possibly acquire better gear.


    Second, figure out how to gain even more levels in the most efficient way, to make sure he is prepared for any dangers he might encounter.


    And finally, track down the mysterious character seemingly responsible for him being in that strange world and nearly losing all his memories: Balthazar.


    As Ren marched through the road, his thoughts drifted to the same few images that kept haunting him every night as he fell asleep. A blurry sight of a house, two distant figures waving from the front door, likely his parents, although he couldn¡¯t quite be sure. And a face, a blank woman¡¯s face, that he knew to be beautiful but still could not fully remember. What was her name? How could he not recall his fianc¨¦e¡¯s name?


    The broken memories would have likely driven him to insanity, were it not for his iron will and incredible focus, keeping him on the tracks and determined to get back what had been taken from him.


    He would find this Balthazar, and he would get his answers, the easy way, or the hard way.


    Catching something up ahead with his eagle eyes, Ren slowed down his march, carefully observing what was coming for any possible dangers.


    Two men on horseback rode the opposite way as him. One was brawny, his physique even larger than Ren¡¯s, with a shaved head that reflected the sunlight, and wearing dark studded armor. The other was a much smaller figure, dressed not in armor but instead expensive-looking clothes along with a feathered hat, and sporting a thinly cut pencil mustache.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Ren said to himself. ¡°Let¡¯s see if these two know this Balthazar.¡±

 Chapter 125: Crossing Paths

    ¡°Keep up, Bruce,¡± said Antoine from atop his large stallion. ¡°I can¡¯t afford to slow down for your sake.¡±


    Bruce, riding a few paces behind on a much smaller horse, scowled at the back of his patron¡¯s head.


    ¡°Maybe if we¡¯d swap horses like I¡¯ve suggested, mine wouldn¡¯t be always so tired. This thing is practically a pony. My feet are almost dragging on the road.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± barked the arrogant merchant. ¡°I could never allow myself to be seen riding such a pathetic horse. A guildmaster like me must ride only on pure breeds.¡±


    ¡°Former guildmaster,¡± said the bodyguard. ¡°And shouldn¡¯t you be trying to not be seen, so nobody recognizes you from all those bounty posters?¡±


    Antoine glared back. ¡°Last I checked, I wasn¡¯t paying you double that bounty to hear your inept thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Fine, suit yourself, but then don¡¯t complain about my horse¡¯s stride,¡± Bruce said with a shrug, unfazed by his employer¡¯s gaze. ¡°And we¡¯d better get to your next hidden cache soon. My pay is almost due.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know. You¡¯ll get your gold soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you said yesterday, and we¡¯re still riding in circles looking for your stupid crab.¡±


    Ardville¡¯s fugitive groaned with frustrated anger.


    ¡°He has to be somewhere around here,¡± he said. ¡°All of his sightings lead to this road, and you heard the people from the burned village, his archer friend left this way as well.¡±


    ¡°And yet, we still haven¡¯t found squat,¡± said the bored merc. ¡°What¡¯s your plan when we do find him anyway? Because if it¡¯s for me to squash him, that¡¯s gonna cost you extra.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about that,¡± said the menacing merchant. ¡°I have worse plans for him first.¡±


    Pulling on the horse¡¯s reins, Bruce slowed down and straightened his back. ¡°Heads up, there¡¯s someone on the road.¡±


    Antoine¡¯s gaze followed the merc¡¯s, until he spotted a figure walking towards them along the edge of the path.


    ¡°Excellent, another of those moronic adventurers,¡± the former merchant said quietly. ¡°They all seem to know the crab, so let¡¯s find out if he has seen him somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Greetings,¡± said the adventurer as they reached each other on the road. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be interested in buying a few rabbit pelts from¡ª¡±


    ¡°You there!¡± exclaimed Antoine in a commanding voice, sticking his chin up from atop his stallion. ¡°I require information from you.¡±


    Ren frowned at the man, but remained silent.


    The pompous horse rider stared down at him for a moment, barely hiding a sneer as he examined the handmade clothes and armor Ren was wearing.


    ¡°You¡¯re a traveling adventurer, I take it?¡±


    The Champion squinted, pondering his answer for a second. ¡°In a way. I am actually looking for an individual. Maybe you could help me. His name is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± the man on the horse said, ignoring Ren¡¯s words once again. ¡°Then you should surely be able to tell us: have you seen the¡­¡± He paused and swallowed like someone who had just tasted something unsavory. ¡°Esteemed merchant Balthazar around these roads?¡±


    The adventurer¡¯s eyebrows perked up for a split second, before returning to a neutral expression.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I have,¡± Ren said casually, gauging the other man¡¯s reaction carefully. ¡°Any particular reason why you are looking for him?¡±


    Antoine scoffed. ¡°I have a debt to settle with him, is all.¡±


    The adventurer cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Really? You seem rather upset, friend. Does Balthazar owe you something?¡±


    The rider¡¯s eyes widened with underlying ire. ¡°Oh, he owes me, alright. My entire life! When I find him¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, boss,¡± said the bodyguard riding behind him. ¡°You sure you wanna be sayin¡ª¡±


    ¡°Silence, merc!¡± Antoine spat. ¡°You¡¯re paid to guard me, not interrupt me.¡±


    Ren rubbed his chin with interest. ¡°Seems like you have a bone or two to pick with this merchant.¡±


    ¡°He is no merchant!¡± the angry little man said. ¡°That is an insult to my trade. He is a fraud! A liar and a cheater. Ruiner of lives and businesses. You should watch yourself too, adventurers are known to perish around him. He will get what¡¯s coming to him, though. Soon, very soon. I¡¯ll make sure he¡ª¡±


    ¡°I really think we should get going,¡± said Bruce, riding up to the right of his patron and staring at him with a scowl.


    Antoine exhaled sharply before looking down at the horseless man to his left.


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t seen him recently then you are of no use to me. Begone.¡±


    And with a click of his ankles, the arrogant rider drove his horse forward without another word, his bodyguard following close behind.


    Ren watched quietly as the two departed, while processing the encounter he just had.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°So this Balthazar is well known around these parts, and apparently has some enemies. Sounds like mine was not the only life he ruined, and that the kid at the beach was not the only one he left for dead.¡± He paused, tapping on his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Indeed, this Balthazar might be more dangerous than I expected. I must proceed very carefully, and make sure I am powerful enough before I confront him.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Keep up, Rye,¡± said Balthazar, while rubbing his itching antennae. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to waste the daylight.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Balthazar,¡± groaned the archer, several paces behind him and his companions. ¡°We¡¯ve been searching for this supposed town for days now, and we¡¯re still no closer to figuring out where exactly it is, if it even exists at all!¡±


    ¡°We have to be close, I can feel it in my bones!¡± said the determined crab.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have bones!¡±


    ¡°My metaphorical bones!¡±


    ¡°Seriously, when are you going to tell me why this¡­ Condor town is so important?¡± said Rye.


    ¡°I told you, there¡¯s a group of people there that I need to meet,¡± Balthazar said dismissively.


    ¡°So you keep saying, but you dodge explaining how this will help us find Madeleine,¡± insisted the archer.


    The merchant groaned as he continued walking without looking back at his friend. ¡°In a roundabout way, it will. They might have some answers I need.¡±


    Rye stopped walking.


    ¡°You know what, that¡¯s enough. If we¡¯re going to keep going around in circles, both in our search and in this conversation, I¡¯m not taking another step until you tell me exactly what it is that you need from this Ruby lady.¡±


    Balthazar stopped too, hesitating for a moment before turning back and walking up to the human.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I have tried, Rye,¡± he said with a frown. ¡°And whenever I try to, you are the one who doesn¡¯t let me get too far into it.¡±


    The young man looked at the crab with a confused expression. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You want to know why I need to find this group of adventurers and talk to Ruby? Fine,¡± the crustacean said in a serious and out of patience tone. ¡°I want her to tell me why talking birds control the system. You know, the little words in your eyes? I want her to tell me why this whole levels charade even exists and why only adventurers can use it. And I want her to tell me where adventurers like you came from and why you all are here, because I¡¯m tired of just watching things happening to me and around me while I tried to just ignore them like I was in my own little bubble.¡±


    Rye¡¯s expression of confusion grew into perplexity. ¡°I¡­ What are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m talking about, Rye, is where, for example, have you come from?¡±


    ¡°W-what do you mean? I came from up the road, just like you. We have been traveling together since¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, Rye,¡± said the resolute crab. ¡°I¡¯m asking where did you come from originally? Before you were an archer, an adventurer, before you had levels and funny words floating in your eyes, before you woke up on a beach. Where did you live before all that?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± the boy stared off into the distance with an empty gaze, his breathing accelerating as a mix of emotions ran through his expression. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. I think we should change the subject.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought,¡± the crustacean said, before turning back to the road while muttering. ¡°Just like all the other times we had this talk.¡±


    After less than a minute of walking, Balthazar heard Rye¡¯s casual voice speak again.


    ¡°So, you think we¡¯re any closer?¡± the young man said with a smile, as he caught up to the crab.


    The merchant stared at him for a moment.


    Amazing. Every single time. It¡¯s like I never even mentioned it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Balthazar, pulling the map out of his backpack. ¡°But I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ve scanned this side of the river at this point. We need to cross to the other shore. If that town still exists, it has to be there.¡± He pointed to the small mountains over the treeline. ¡°The hills match, I just wish Sal could have narrowed down the area a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going, then,¡± said the cheerful young man.


    As the quartet of travelers reached the edge of the river, Balthazar looked in both directions. ¡°There¡¯s got to be some way across.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Blue could carry us over to the other side?¡± suggested Rye.


    The drake looked at the crab and the human with a deadly scowl.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s definitely not an option,¡± said Balthazar, gulping at the mere thought of heights. ¡°We need to find a bridge or something.¡±


    ¡°There, let¡¯s ask that local,¡± Rye said, pointing downstream.


    A lone figure stood by the shore, a few paces away from them, seemingly busy doing something the crab could not fully perceive.


    As they got closer, he finally figured out the man was pulling an old fishing net from the water, empty and full of holes.


    ¡°Howdy there,¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°Caught any big fish today?¡± said the friendly archer.


    The man tipped his straw hat up with one finger and glanced back at the group. ¡°Ain¡¯t fishing for fish, son.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± said Rye. ¡°What then?¡±


    ¡°Fishing for valuables,¡± said the man, as he continued pulling the net to shore. ¡°Adventurers like you do a lot of dying upstream, and sometimes I can nab a few treasures here. Not that that¡¯s any of yer business, o¡¯course.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well, we¡¯re just looking to know if there is a way across this river somewhere nearby,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Would you happen to know?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± said the fisherman, from the corner of his mouth that wasn¡¯t busy chewing on a long piece of straw.


    After a long pause where the local continued slowly collecting his net, Balthazar threw his arms up. ¡°Well?!¡±


    ¡°Well what?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell us?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± the man said casually.


    Balthazar felt a vein that did not exist pulsing in a forehead he did not have. ¡°And why the hell not?!¡±


    ¡°Do you really need to know how to get across the river?¡±


    ¡°Of course we do!¡±


    ¡°Then that means that information is valuable to you,¡± the irritating piscator said, glancing back at them while untangling pieces of algae from his net. ¡°And you see how I¡¯m fishing for valuables over here, don¡¯t you?¡±


    The crab scowled as he exhaled sharply.


    ¡°I think he wants us to pay for the information, Balthazar,¡± said Rye, leaning closer to the crustacean.


    ¡°Yes, I got that, thanks,¡± the annoyed shellfish said. ¡°I just can¡¯t imagine who would see a group of travelers in need of help and decide to try and make a profit out of them in exchange for simple directions!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ You? I could totally see you doing that,¡± muttered the archer.


    ¡°Not helping, Rye!¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± said the fisherman, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it''s like where y¡¯all come from, but down here life is tough, and a man¡¯s gotta make a living where he can, however he can. You want to find a way across for yourselves, go right ahead, but you¡¯ll be in for a very long walk.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already wasted days on this ghost town hunt, Balthazar,¡± whispered the adventurer. ¡°We can¡¯t afford even more time looking for bridges that might not even be there.¡±


    The crab grumbled to himself.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Let¡¯s do it my way, then.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± the man said, as he prepared to cast the net again. ¡°How much coin you willing to offer?¡±


    Like hell I¡¯ll give you any of my precious coins!


    ¡°I had something else in mind,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°A trade, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°What kind of trade?¡± the local said, with a cocked eyebrow.


    ¡°Ah, the worthwhile kind, of course!¡± the merchant said, while taking off his Backpack of Holding and shoving both claws inside it.


    Let¡¯s see, I gotta have something here that will satisfy this guy.


    He searched, rummaged, and dug, but kept on coming up with nothing that sparked the right trader inspiration. Until¡­


    Why in the world did Tristan and Henrietta pack this thing in my bag?! Were they having a laugh?


    ¡°So?¡± said the impatient man. ¡°You gonna make an offer or what? I got a net to cast.¡±


    Negotiate with what you have, I guess¡­


    ¡°Right, about that!¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Your fishing and your net.¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice that you¡¯re not having much luck pulling anything.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°No offense, but that net looks like it has seen better days,¡± the crab said. ¡°I think you need something to improve your odds of catching something valuable.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± asked the suspicious fisherman.


    ¡°This!¡± exclaimed the merchant, pulling his claw out of the backpack and holding up a pair of loose fishnets, blowing in the wind like a flag.


    ¡°Are those¡­ stockings?¡± said the incredulous adventurer behind him. ¡°Why are you carrying stockings in your bag?!¡±


    ¡°Please stop asking questions, Rye,¡± the crab muttered from behind his sales pitch smile.


    ¡°The hell do I want that for?¡± the local said abruptly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± said Balthazar. ¡°These are fishnets. Equip them and their special enchantment will boost your fishing skill, greatly increasing your odds of catching something valuable.¡±


    The man looked at the pair of tights blowing in the wind with suspicion. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the merchant confidently said. ¡°Look at me, I¡¯m a crab. If there¡¯s something I know, it¡¯s fishing. And for the low, low price of telling us how to get across this river, these could be yours.¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°I do like the way they look, for some reason,¡± the fisherman said, scratching his prickly chin hair. ¡°Ah, fine, it¡¯s practically free information. I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°Great. How do we get to the other side?¡±


    ¡°You got two bridges. One is half a day¡¯s walk downstream, and the other is about ten minutes upstream, but trust me, you wanna take the one downstream.¡±


    ¡°Take the one that is several hours away when we¡¯ve got one just ten minutes that way?¡± said the merchant. ¡°Why would we ever do that? No way, we¡¯re going upstream and¡ª¡±


    ¡°The bridge upstream has a toll.¡±


    ¡°Never mind, we¡¯re going downstream. Let¡¯s go, Rye,¡± Balthazar quickly said as he spun around to go in the other direction.


    ¡°Come on, Balthazar,¡± said the adventurer, placing a hand on the crab¡¯s arm. ¡°We already lost way too much time, we can¡¯t afford to waste another day just to get to the other side of the river.¡±


    ¡°You heard him, there¡¯s a toll. That means paying money, Rye!¡±


    ¡°Do I really need to remind you why we¡¯re all the way out here, doing this? Would she turn back if it was you in her place?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s shell slumped slightly, and he let out a quiet sigh.


    ¡°Fine. That was a low blow, but you¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go upstream.¡±


    As the group was leaving, the crab looked back at the fisherman, who was trying to work out the best way to fit the fishnets over his straw hat.


    ¡°No, no,¡± yelled the crab, pointing down with his pincer. ¡°They don¡¯t go on your head.¡±


    The man looked at the crab and then down at his own legs. The crab nodded slowly.


    Balthazar quickly skittered back to his party, snickering as the fisherman unbuttoned his pants by the shore.


    After a short walk along the shore, they spotted a road leading up a small dirt mound, ending on an old stone bridge over the river.


    ¡°Look at that!¡± said the happy crab, stepping on the bridge and turning to the archer with open arms. ¡°That guy was lying. There isn¡¯t even a toll booth here.¡±


    Rye froze on the spot, staring with wide eyes over the merchant¡¯s shell.


    Balthazar dropped his arms and sighed. ¡°There¡¯s something behind me, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    The boy nodded slowly, eyes still fixed above his friend.


    The ground shook under his feet, and a huge shadow loomed over the crab.


    ¡°The fisherman meant the bridge had a troll, not a toll, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Rye nodded again.

 Chapter 126: The Troll’s Toll

    Balthazar turned slowly, his eyestalks gazing up at the towering figure standing above him. Large and as ugly as the smell coming off of it, the troll stood nearly as tall as two men, its rough green skin looking like moss-covered rock with ancient boils scattered all around it. The creature leaned down, an old club resting over one shoulder, the strap of the fur loincloth it wore over the other gently flapping in the wind.


    The troll squinted its beady black eyes at the crab, before drawing a toothy smile, revealing dirty jagged teeth.


    ¡°¡äEllo.¡±


    The merchant gulped.


    ¡°Balthazar, stay very still,¡± whispered Rye, from several paces behind.


    ¡°Why? You think its vision is based on movement?¡± muttered the crab sarcastically.


    ¡°No, but I don¡¯t want to accidentally hit you with an arrow,¡± the archer said, as Balthazar heard the quiet sound of a bowstring being pulled.


    ¡°Pass?¡± said the troll.


    ¡°Wait, Rye!¡± said the crab. ¡°I think it¡¯s trying to communicate.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure, let¡¯s chat with a troll, I¡¯m sure that will go well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, big guy,¡± Balthazar said to the creature. ¡°We would like to pass your bridge.¡±


    The troll extended a big and calloused hand, the skin on its palm looking like the gray bark of a dead tree.


    ¡°Coin?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you want coin?¡± the crab repeated, keeping a couple of legs back.


    The bridge¡¯s guardian nodded, pushing his open palm closer to the merchant.


    ¡°Urgh¡­ fine then,¡± Balthazar hesitantly said, while reaching into his coin purse.


    It wasn¡¯t his preferred choice of action, but trying to dialogue with the creature did not seem like much of an option, and not even his mighty claws were big enough to wrap around those tree trunk ankles.


    Pinching a single gold coin from his bag, the crab carefully and begrudgingly placed it on the troll¡¯s open hand.


    The bridge guard brought its palm closer to its face, its bulbous nose nearly touching the tiny coin as the creature examined it.


    ¡°No,¡± grunted the troll, while shaking its head.


    ¡°No?¡± repeated the merchant.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough to cover the troll¡¯s toll, Balthazar,¡± the adventurer said, from the bottom of the mound leading up to the bridge.


    ¡°Yeah, thanks, Rye. I think I got that on my own.¡±


    The troll took a moment to slowly count up with its own fingers, before turning to the crab again.


    ¡°Ten,¡± the monster¡¯s guttural voice uttered, while holding up both hands to show all of its fingers.


    ¡°You want ten coins?¡± said the apprehensive crustacean.


    Once again, the troll shook its head. ¡°No.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks frowned in confusion.


    ¡°Ten ten,¡± the creature said, while flexing its ten fingers closed and then open again.


    ¡°Wait, you want a hundred gold coins to let us pass?!¡± exclaimed the indignant crab.


    The troll¡¯s disturbing smile, which resembled a beaten up handsaw blade, appeared again as it nodded affirmatively.


    ¡°I told you we should have gone downstream,¡± Balthazar muttered back at the archer.


    ¡°No pay?¡± the moss-covered monster said with a frown.


    ¡°A hundred crowns to cross a bridge? No way! That''s a ridiculous price,¡± said the crab. ¡°Just let us through, and I¡¯ll toss a fried fish filet and a squeeze bottle of skin lotion your way. How¡¯s that, big guy?¡±


    The creature¡¯s frown deepened as it shoved an open palm in front of the merchant again. ¡°Coin!¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not giving you 100 coins just to walk over an old, crumbling stone bridge,¡± the annoyed crustacean exclaimed.


    The troll pulled its hand back, the frown turning into a full scowl. The club which had been resting on the creature¡¯s shoulder was now held at the ready.


    ¡°No coin, no bridge.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Swinging its massive arm back, the creature prepared to sweep the crab off the overpass when a small arrow pierced into its shoulder.


    ¡°Argh!¡± exclaimed the monster, as it snapped the shaft of the projectile lodged into its shoulder in half and focused its gaze on Rye.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± yelled the archer, as the crab skittered towards his traveling companions.


    ¡°We need to get across!¡± said Balthazar, as the troll began charging towards them.


    ¡°Well, that guy might have an issue with that!¡±


    The heavy stomps of the troll made the ground shake as it prepared to strike at them with the crude club, but Rye made the creature stagger back by shooting it with two quick arrows to the chest.


    Druma and Balthazar ran out of harm¡¯s way and towards the tree line, while Blue took flight, placing herself above the club¡¯s reach. Meanwhile, Rye stayed quick on his feet and continued pelting the creature with arrows from a safe distance.


    I gotta do something!


    His mind racing, Balthazar turned to the goblin.


    ¡°Druma, I need you to shoot the troll with your magic bolts to distract it from Rye. Can you do that?¡±


    The loyal assistant and his floppy wizard hat nodded vigorously up and down. ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡±


    ¡°Blue!¡± the crab called up.


    The drake, hovering over the scene, turned its golden gaze to the crab.


    ¡°Unless we wanna tell Madeleine we let her boyfriend be turned into a pancake, we have to help Rye,¡± he shouted. ¡°When Druma strikes, take the opportunity and barbecue that troll!¡±


    The winged creature did not respond with words, but Balthazar could tell she was onboard.


    With a massive swing, the troll missed the adventurer, but kicked up a cloud of dust which forced him to tumble and roll out of the way, leaving the boy on the ground and open for a second strike.


    A sudden stream of green glowing bolts hit the creature¡¯s rough hide on its back, causing it to turn its angry scowl towards the origin of the attack.


    Standing on a rock by the side of the road was a small goblin, holding his hat with one hand and a magical staff with the other.


    The troll took a step towards its new source of anger, but before it could take a second one, a bright blue jet of flames assaulted it from above, forcing the monster to shield its head with an arm as the fire from the drake¡¯s mouth poured over its skin.


    ¡°Yes!¡± celebrated the crab, but too soon.


    As Blue¡¯s fire breath stopped, they all watched as the troll slowly stood back up. The arrows sticking out of its body fell to the ground as the creature¡¯s skin healed, closing the wounds. The place where Druma¡¯s magic bolts had hit was unharmed, and even the arm that took the brunt of the drake¡¯s attack showed no signs of burns.


    ¡°No¡­¡± said the crab.


    It was as if all of their efforts had been for nothing, as the creature quickly recovered in front of their eyes.


    Damn it, I should have remembered those bestiaries I read.


    ¡°What just happened?!¡± asked Rye as he ran to the crab along with his two companions, regrouping behind a boulder while the troll recovered by the bridge entrance.


    ¡°Trolls have rapid regeneration from physical wounds,¡± Balthazar explained, ¡°and are practically immune to magic. I knew that, but completely forgot about it in the heat of the moment.¡±


    ¡°Well, great, now we have a pissed off troll coming for us,¡± the adventurer said, peeking over the rock. ¡°Any suggestions?¡±


    The crab tapped on the top of his shell with the back of his claw.


    Think, Balthazar, think! What can¡ªWait, my Imbuing skill!


    Without a word, he ran to a nearby tree, using his pincers to pull a large piece of its bark off the trunk.


    ¡°What are you doing, Balthazar?¡± exclaimed the archer. ¡°We¡¯re fighting for our survival, and you decide to go play with trees?!¡±


    Ignoring the young man, the crab held the fresh piece of oak wood between his pincers and focused on his system.


    [Imbuing failed. Incompatible material]


    Damn it! It doesn¡¯t work with every wood type.


    He ran back to the boulder, but over by the bridge, the troll had already fully regenerated, and had resumed looking for his targets.


    Come on, come on! Think! There has to be something I can do. Use your smarts, Balthazar!


    Sticking his eyestalks from behind the rock, the crab watched the creature scanning his surroundings for the group.


    Magical attacks are out, leaving only physical damage. It would be too risky for Blue to get close with her claws, and I¡¯m way too slow. That just leaves Rye¡¯s arrows. Now if only we could coordinate some kind of distraction and¡ª


    His eyes widened.


    That¡¯s right, I have another skill now!


    With a few flicks of his eyes, the crustacean activated the skill.


    [Leader¡¯s Voice]


    [For 2 minutes, you and up to three of your allies receive +1 to all attributes, and all actions performed as a team receive a success bonus.]


    ¡°Alright, guys, listen up,¡± Balthazar said hurriedly. ¡°I¡¯ve got a plan, but you will have to do what I say.¡±


    The human, goblin, and drake all scooted closer behind the rock, listening to the crab¡¯s instructions.


    Standing on the bridge, the troll turned back and forth, big club in hand, still looking for any signs of the trespassers.


    ¡°Hey, big fella!¡± yelled Balthazar, standing on the path leading up to the bridge. ¡°Wanna buy a toothbrush?¡±


    The creature¡¯s beady eyes widened at the sight of the crab, and it started charging at him with its weapon held high.


    While the crab skittered away, the sound of something breaking behind the troll made it stop to look back.


    Bolts of arcane magic shot by Druma from the shore were hitting the side of the old bridge, knocking loose cobblestones off its side and into the water.


    ¡°Nooo!¡± cried the monster, running back and dropping its club as it tried to catch the pieces falling off the bridge.


    ¡°Do it, Blue!¡± Balthazar shouted.


    Diving from the clouds, the drake homed in on the surprised troll, who turned its face up as the winged menace rained blue fire on it.


    The bridge guardian covered itself from the heat with both arms as it ducked down.


    ¡°It¡¯s not looking this way, now¡¯s your chance. Get close, Rye!¡± Balthazar shouted.


    The shower of flames ceased, and the troll raised its head from between its arms, just in time to see a human archer sliding across the cobblestone floor of the bridge, bow drawn and charged, ready to shoot.


    The creature¡¯s eyes bulged at the realization of where the adventurer was aiming.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blink,¡± Rye said, as he let the arrow loose.

 Chapter 127: The Troll’s Toil

    ¡°Ooow!¡± yelled the troll, as the arrow hit it straight through the left eye.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Rye said, doing a fist pump as he stood up.


    ¡°Great shot!¡± yelled Balthazar from the road.


    The monster grasped its face with one hand, writhing in pain as it howled.


    Suddenly, the troll lowered its hand and spoke, but in a completely different voice and tone.


    ¡°Alright, time out!¡± said the troll in a lower pitch and less slurred way than before, while tapping his palm on the fingertips of his other hand, making a ¡°T¡± shape.


    ¡°Huh?¡± the adventurer said, confused.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± said the crab.


    ¡°Really, mate?¡± the bridge guardian said, looking at Rye with one eye while pulling the arrow from the other. ¡°Right in the peeper?¡±


    ¡°You can talk?!¡± exclaimed Balthazar, skittering his way up to the bridge, next to the archer.


    ¡°O¡äcourse I can! I was doin¡¯ it before, wasn¡¯t I?¡± the indignant troll said, tossing the arrow into the water as his eye quickly regenerated back to its original state.


    ¡°I mean, talk¡­ coherently, like people do,¡± the crab tried to explain, between awkward shrugs.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that rich, comin¡¯ from a talkin¡¯ crab?¡± He turned to Rye again. ¡°But you, lad! What¡¯s with shootin¡¯ me in the eye? That¡¯s a low blow, don¡¯t ya think?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ But¡­ I mean¡­¡± the young man said between stutters. ¡°It was the obvious weak point.¡±


    ¡°Oooh, alright then!¡± exclaimed the creature, frowning at the shrugging boy. ¡°So that makes it fine to poke someone¡¯s eye out like that, huh? How would ya like it if I gave your berries a flick?¡± The troll held his huge bulky hand in front of the human, the tip of his index finger held against the tip of his thumb. ¡°That your weak point too, ain¡¯t it?¡±


    Rye gulped. ¡°Hey, come on now, that¡¯s not fair. I mean¡­ I¡­ you can regenerate your eye! You just did it!¡±


    ¡°Sure, but that don¡¯t mean it don¡¯t hurt like hell when ya shoot it!¡± yelled the troll, throwing his arms up.


    The crab and the human exchanged confused glances.


    ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± muttered the archer.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± responded the merchant.


    ¡°Bah, ya know what?¡± said the creature, turning away. ¡°Just go. Cross the bridge. I don¡¯t even care no more.¡±


    Slumping his shoulders, the troll dragged his feet towards the parapet of the bridge and leaned on it, holding his head on his hand as he stared at the running waters of the river.


    Rye looked back at Druma and Blue, who were standing by the road, staring at them and waiting, then at the crab next to him.


    ¡°So¡­ should we just¡­ go?¡± he asked with a shrug.


    ¡°I mean¡­ Now it kind of feels wrong, doesn¡¯t it?¡± replied the crab.


    With his interest piqued, Balthazar cautiously approached the troll.


    ¡°Uh, hey¡­ pal. You got a name?¡± he asked tentatively.


    The troll, resting his chin on the palm of one hand, looked at the crab from the corner of his eye without turning. ¡°Yeah. Bricker.¡±


    ¡°Bricker? That¡¯s your name?¡± the crab said, cocking an eyestalk.


    ¡°It is. Ya got a problem with it?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Not at all. I¡¯m Balthazar, by the way. Say, Bricker, how come you were playing dumb before? You seem intelligent enough to chat with and know how to count coins.¡±


    The troll sighed.


    ¡°Oh, ya know, it¡¯s all part of the job. A¡¯venturers come through ¡®ere, they see a bri¡¯ge, they expect a big ugly troll guardin¡¯ it, and they expect me to be as dumb as a sack of bricks. Gotta deliver a good act.¡±


    Balthazar was suddenly reminded of Tom and all the other skeletons down in their dungeon.


    ¡°Huh. Alright, but then what¡¯s wrong?¡± asked the crab. ¡°Why did you drop the act and are all¡­ bummed like that now?¡±


    Bricker let go of his chin, letting his hands hang from the parapet.


    ¡°Because what¡¯s the point? Things just ain¡¯t what they used to be! Back in the day, we¡¯d get a ¡®andful of a¡¯venturers through here every day. Real a¡¯venturers! Noble knights, mighty barbarians, proper wizards. They¡¯d fight a good and fair fight. A troll could feel proud and fulfilled about his job. A knight cuts off one o¡¯ your limbs, and you got a tale to tell later at the tavern. A wizard sends ya flying all the way to the hills, and ya feel like a million crowns.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The mopey creature slumped down again, this time resting his chin on the parapet itself.


    ¡°But now? No one comes through here no mo¡¯! Weeks go by without me seein¡¯ a soul. And when they do, it¡¯s always some a¡¯venturer still wet behind the ears, who don¡¯t even know how to hold a sword straight, or they just be fightin¡¯ dirty. There¡¯s no more ¡®onor or pride in them a¡¯venturers. It¡¯s all about how to get what they want, as fast and ¡®fficient as they can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ rough,¡± the crab said, awkwardly. ¡°If things are so bad, why haven¡¯t you considered, I don¡¯t know¡­ a change of occupation?¡±


    The troll stood back up straight, turning to the merchant with a frown.


    ¡°And do what?! I¡¯m a bloody troll, mate! Not a whole lot of job opportunities for me kind out ¡®ere! It¡¯s either guardin¡¯ a bri¡¯ge or guardin¡¯ a cave, and I got asthma, I can¡¯t deal with all the ¡®umidity in a cave.¡± He paused and exhaled sharply. ¡°We can¡¯t all be lucky like me cousin, got himself a nice cozy gig at some castle in the middle o¡¯ the mountains, has the catacombs all to himself. I hear he gets to spend his days scaring little kids. Easy life, that one.¡±


    Balthazar glanced back at Rye, who stared back at him. They both shrugged.


    ¡°Sounds like you don¡¯t really enjoy this whole thing anymore,¡± said the crab.


    ¡°I want to!¡± exclaimed Bricker. ¡°When I was a wee troll, this was all I wanted. I wanted to be like my pa¡¯, and his pa¡¯ before him. Bri¡¯ge trolls, collectin¡¯ riches from either tribute to pass, or spoils o¡¯ defeated a¡¯venturers. It was a respectful livin¡¯ back then, ya know? But now? Look at me, livin¡¯ alone under this ol¡¯ decrepit sorry excuse o¡¯ a bri¡¯ge, too poor and ¡®shamed to even brin¡¯ a lady here and start a family.¡±


    The crab couldn¡¯t help but find himself almost feeling sorry for the stinking creature.


    ¡°How did things get like this anyway?¡± he asked the troll.


    ¡°Oh, ya know, times change. These new a¡¯venturers are not like they used to be. They don¡¯t see fellas like us as worthy opponents, challengin¡¯ foes to best in combat. We just walking bags of ¡®experience¡¯ or whatever it is they call it. There was one a while back who used me livin¡¯ space under the bri¡¯ge as a toilet! Ya know how disrespec¡¯ful that is?! But the real pro¡¯lem is that there¡¯s just no traffic ¡®round these parts no more. With the nearby town gone, every farm, lumber mill, fishery, and dungeon business around slowly disappeared, ¡®til there was no one left to cross me bridge.¡±


    Town?! Does he mean¡­


    ¡°I ¡®member my first year on the job,¡± the troll rambled on. ¡°I¡¯d squeeze this farmer every week for a sack o¡¯ apples whenever he passed through to the market. Good ol¡¯ days. I miss him. Really squishy ribs, that one.¡±


    ¡°Hang on, Bricker,¡± Balthazar interrupted. ¡°That nearby town you just mentioned. What was it called?¡±


    ¡°The town? Huh¡­ Been a long time. I think it was¡­ Cantor? Somethin¡¯ like that?¡±


    ¡°Condor?!¡± the suddenly excited crustacean exclaimed.


    ¡°Yeah, that was it,¡± the green monster said. ¡°Condor was the name o¡¯ the town. Nice place, I heard. Never visited it. Or any other human town, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you could point me in the general direction of where that town was?¡± the hopeful merchant asked.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, sure can,¡± Bricker said, turning to the end of his bridge and raising a thick finger in its direction. ¡°Go down that road all the way to the fork on the road, then take a left ¡®til you reach the plains. Ya should see some farms¡ªor what¡¯s left of ¡®em¡ªand somewhere after that there should be the ruins o¡¯ the place. At least I think so. Again, never been there meself.¡±


    Balthazar turned to Rye with a wide smile, ready to get going towards their destination, but then his smile faded slightly.


    Turning back to the dejected troll, who was back to resting his elbows on the parapet, staring longingly at the stream below, the crab spoke. ¡°Hey, uh¡­ how much for these directions?¡±


    Bricker flicked an eyebrow at the merchant. ¡°I ain¡¯t charging for no directions. I still got morals.¡±


    With a long sigh, the green creature went back to his depressed contemplation.


    ¡°I wonder what the ocean smells like. I hear it¡¯s nice.¡±


    Unable to shake the bothersome feeling in the back of his shell, Balthazar persisted.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go out and travel a bit?¡± said the crab. ¡°See the sights, visit different places, have a change of airs.¡±


    The baffled troll stood up straight, looking at the merchant like he had just spontaneously grown a ninth leg.


    ¡°You crazy or somethin¡¯, crab? Go travel? And leave me bri¡¯ge unattended? I don¡¯t think ya understand, this is me business!¡±


    ¡°Oh, trust me, I get it. I have my own business too,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°And from what you¡¯ve said, it seems your business is pretty dead these days. Don¡¯t you think you deserve a holiday? Some ¡®you¡¯ time?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± Bricker hesitated, as if the very notion being presented to him had never even crossed his mind. ¡°I¡¯m a bri¡¯ge troll. My place is ¡®ere, under me bri¡¯ge, not out in the world, travelin¡¯!¡±


    ¡°Says who? Look at me, I spent my whole life in my little pond. I have a big trading business back home. And yet, here I am, backpack on my shell, friends by my side, traveling these roads and getting myself in trouble!¡±


    The troll looked confused, but also intrigued.


    ¡°I mean¡­ really?¡± he said, rubbing the moss on his chin. ¡°It just feels wrong, don¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± said the defiant crab. ¡°Just because life gives you a role doesn¡¯t mean you have to stick to it, to stay in your lane and never dare step out of it. It¡¯s your life! If you want to go see the damn ocean, you should!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I¡­ What if some a¡¯venturers show up to cross the bri¡¯ge and I ain¡¯t ¡®ere?!¡±


    ¡°So what? Do you have a boss? No. You were already going to let us pass for free, weren¡¯t you? The bridge will be fine, but you¡¯re not. You need to worry about yourself too, or else you will end up like this bridge, old, falling apart, and forgotten in time.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ bloody hell, crab, ya make some pretty good points. Who taught ya to be such a good speaker?!¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± said Balthazar, puffing up his shell. ¡°Crab or troll, you can go and do whatever you want, if you set your mind to it. You just have to want it hard enough to break the chains holding you in place.¡±


    Bricker walked up to his dropped club, picked it up, and placed it on his shoulder again.


    ¡°Aye! Ya know what? Ya lit up me fires there. I¡¯m gonna pack up me spare loincloth, kiss me mushroom garden goodbye, and go downstream ¡®til I find the sea!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡±


    As the troll ducked under the stone bridge, the crab rejoined his companions. Rye had a sly smile on his face.


    ¡°What?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Nothing. Just wondering how much of that speech was about the troll, and how much was about you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up. We got a free crossing, didn¡¯t we? Let¡¯s go find this town already.¡±


    ***


    After another hour of walking from the bridge, the crab and company finally spotted the end of the forest, where the surrounding trees opened up onto large plain fields of brown grass.


    ¡°Alright, we should be getting close to where Condor supposedly is,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Let¡¯s keep an eye out for¡­¡±


    The merchant¡¯s words trailed off as the group passed the mound on the road and got a full view of the plains in front of them.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± said the archer.


    The crab¡¯s hopeful expression turned grim.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Rye, but I think you should keep your bow at the ready.¡±

 Chapter 128: The Place That Once Was

    The plains were barren, their soils a mix of grays and blacks, the few grass bushes that dotted the land brown and lifeless. Despite the clear blue sky that they had experienced all day, simply stepping out of the forest and into those fields made it feel like the weather itself had changed in an instant, to a gloomy ambiance lacking in color and even the usual sounds of nature.


    Along the barely noticeable road path ahead of the crab¡¯s party, they could see vague remnants of civilization through the toppled sign posts and broken pieces of wooden fences.


    Whatever that place once was, it was long gone, leaving nothing but a bleak memory behind.


    ¡°Druma don¡¯t like this place,¡± said the agitated goblin, clutching his staff tight against his chest as they walked into the plains.


    ¡°Me neither, buddy,¡± Balthazar said, his frowning eyestalks scanning the area for any signs of life. ¡°You traveled around a lot, haven¡¯t you, Rye? Have you ever seen anything like this?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the concerned adventurer responded. ¡°I¡¯ve seen ruins, I¡¯ve seen abandoned buildings, I¡¯ve even seen a burned village recently, but nothing so suddenly out of place as this. It¡¯s like a complete dead spot in the middle of the land.¡±


    The crab looked over to the edges of the forest around the plains. They were full of greens and the normal autumnal golds and oranges, with abundant foliage and life all around them, up to the exact point where the woods ended and the clearing began, barren and devoid of color.


    ¡°It¡¯s like something very bad and very specific happened here, but only here, up to a specific point,¡± the merchant commented.


    Rye rubbed his neck nervously. ¡°Are you sure this is the place we want to be in? I can¡¯t imagine anyone living here, and I¡¯m getting a really bad feeling from it.¡±


    ¡°No, we have to be on the right track,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Let¡¯s just push a little further and see if we find a signpost that is still legible.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you send Blue flying ahead to scout the area from above?¡± suggested the archer.


    The crab glanced at the drake walking alongside them. ¡°I¡­ no, it¡¯s best not to. I don¡¯t know what dangers might lie ahead, and I don¡¯t want to send her in alone. We should stick together as a group.¡±


    The azure creature looked at the crustacean with a hint of surprise in her golden eyes for a brief moment.


    As the four of them advanced through the wasteland for a few more minutes, the outline of a building appeared in the distance, past the remains of a low fence and a long empty field.


    ¡°There¡¯s a house over there,¡± Rye announced, holding a hand over his eyes as he scanned the horizon. ¡°Looks like a farm.¡±


    ¡°Or at least what¡¯s left of it,¡± said Balthazar, approaching the opening between the fence posts, where a path once was.


    The house at the end of it was a ruin, most of its roof gone, and the place where windows once were now merely open holes on the walls.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s anything or anyone there.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine someone living in that place,¡± said the human, but he followed all the same.


    As they got closer, something took them by surprise.


    On one of the empty fields near the collapsed house, past a broken well, was a man.


    Just an average human being, dressed in worn out farmer clothes, wearing a straw hat full of gaps and holes, tilling at the barren soil beneath his feet with a rake.


    ¡°What in the¡­¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°Oh, heya there, friends!¡± said the farmer with a big smile on his dirty face, as he continued to rake the dirt. ¡°Didn¡¯t see ya coming.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Hi there,¡± the crab hesitantly said. Something about that man was making him feel uneasy. ¡°How¡¯s¡­ how¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a beautiful day, isn¡¯t it? Just wonderful! Perfect day to tend to my fields.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ sure?¡±


    ¡°Looks like the harvest will be good this year!¡± exclaimed the farmer, in an out of place joyful manner that gave Balthazar the creeps.


    ¡°This guy is weirding me out. There¡¯s something wrong with him,¡± the adventurer whispered to the crab.


    ¡°Really, Rye?¡± Balthazar whispered back. ¡°What tipped you off? The fact that he¡¯s tilling a dead field, or the fact that he¡¯s thrilled to be in the middle of this wasteland?¡±


    The archer rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go take a quick look around while you talk to him.¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to talk to this¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, heya there, friends! Didn¡¯t see ya coming,¡± the farmer suddenly blurted out again, with the same wide smile.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Balthazar winced uncomfortably. ¡°You, uh¡­ you''re feeling alright there, pal?¡±


    ¡°Never better!¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, sure,¡± the merchant said tentatively. ¡°We were looking for a town, Condor. Would you happen to know where that was?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course! Condor is right down the road that way,¡± the man said, pointing the opposite way the group had come from. ¡°I¡¯ll have to visit the market there myself soon, once we harvest all these chestnuts!¡±


    The crab looked behind the farmer, at the barren field with nothing but one small shriveled dead tree without a single leaf to it, only a broken branch hanging off of it, slowly and creepily swinging in the wind.


    ¡°You¡¯re so¡­ lucky,¡± he said to the farmer.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a modest living, but I can¡¯t complain,¡± the cheerful man continued. ¡°I¡¯ve got my farm, my wife, and my daughter. That¡¯s all I need to be happy.¡±


    Balthazar glanced back at Rye, who was peeking inside the seemingly empty house through one of the broken windows. He turned around and shrugged.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± said the weirded out merchant. ¡°I think we¡¯ll just be on our way now.¡±


    The farmer stop tilling again and turned to them. ¡°Oh, heya there, friends! Didn¡¯t see ya coming.¡±


    ¡°Keep walking, guys,¡± Balthazar hurriedly said to Druma and Blue as he skittered back to the road. ¡°Eyes forward, don¡¯t look at the strange man.¡±


    As they returned to the main path, Rye caught up to them as well.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but that guy was clearly not playing with a full deck. Hopefully he¡¯s just the local loony, and we¡¯ll find someone else more¡­ sane.¡±


    ¡°This place¡­¡± the worried archer said. ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s giving me the heebie-jeebies. I think we should just turn around and leave.¡±


    Balthazar shook his shell.


    ¡°After we came all this way? No. I won¡¯t leave until we get some answers.¡±


    ¡°Until you get some answers, you mean,¡± said Rye. ¡°I still don¡¯t see any reason to be here at all.¡±


    The crab rolled his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re not doing this again.¡±


    ¡°I just hope I¡¯m wrong, but I really can¡¯t shake this feeling deep down that I¡¯m going to regret coming here.¡±


    As the group reached a desolate crossroads, with a piece of broken stone wall around a hole in the ground where a water well might have once been, they found a woman in an old and dirty dress, carrying two buckets in her hands and walking fast.


    ¡°Excuse me, do you¡ª¡± Balthazar started.


    ¡°Sorry, ain¡¯t got time to flap my lips with strangers. Got to bring water to the cows before my pa starts yelling for me,¡± the woman said loudly, as she walked past them.


    As she did, the crab noticed both of her buckets were completely empty, one of them even having a large hole at the bottom.


    They watched on, dumbfounded, as the woman walked towards a barn, or at least the skeletal frame of what once was a barn, now just a few support beams and a broken roof standing over nothing but dead weeds.


    ¡°Is everyone in this place just mental?¡± Rye said, still staring at the ruined barn with a baffled expression.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go, the town has to be close,¡± said Balthazar.


    After just a couple more minutes of walking, enjoying the sights of decaying shrubbery, broken fences, and decrepit farmhouses, the group was suddenly startled by a small figure that ran in front of them out of nowhere.


    ¡°Hello, mister!¡± a young girl carrying a basket said to the crab. ¡°Would you like to buy some flowers?¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± said the merchant, taken aback by the flower girl¡¯s sudden appearance.


    ¡°Some flowers,¡± she repeated. ¡°Would you like to buy some? I just picked them!¡±


    She leaned forward, presenting her basket to them, which had nothing in it, save for a few dry strings of brown weeds and roots.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re good, thanks,¡± Balthazar hurriedly said, as he walked around the girl with a nervous look in his eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t really like flowers.¡±


    ¡°For crying out loud, Balthazar,¡± muttered the archer, moving up closer to the crab, ¡°does any of this seem normal to you?¡±


    The crustacean grumbled to himself.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said to the human. ¡°If we find one more weirdo like that, we¡¯ll go, alright?¡±


    Up the road, near a half broken stone column, Balthazar noticed another figure. A hooded man, tall and wearing mantled traveling clothes over what he knew well were pieces of sturdy armor, thanks to all the many months spent dealing with similarly dressed adventurers at his pond. What also stood out about him was that, unlike all the other locals they¡¯d seen so far, this one was not doing anything, just leaning there against a pillar, watching them.


    Hmm, there¡¯s something different about this one.


    The crab skittered towards the man. ¡°Excuse me? Hello there. Would you know where Condor is?¡±


    The hooded figure glanced down at the crab briefly, his face covered by a Shemagh scarf that left only his eyes exposed. ¡°I¡¯m just a farmer. Never heard of it. You probably took a wrong turn somewhere.¡±


    And with that, he bounced off the stone column and started walking away from them.


    Balthazar frowned. He knew he was on the right track. That was the right place. And that guy was definitely the right person.


    With a jump of his eyestalks, the crab quickly reached into his backpack, searching for Ruby¡¯s letter.


    Retrieving the piece of parchment and unfolding it, his eyes quickly scanned through it for the part he wanted.


    ¡°There is a small abandoned town called Condor to the southeast, halfway between your pond and the sea, under the shade of a hill. You won¡¯t find it on most modern maps, but if you ask about it to the right locals from that part of the continent, they will know of it. Find it and look for any farmers dwelling around its outskirts. Tell them you are looking for the local birdwatching club. They will point you in the right direction to us. Again, I am sorry for all the cloak-and-dagger, but circumstances require extra care.¡±


    The merchant shoved the letter back in his pack and skittered forward to catch up with the hooded man.


    ¡°Hey, you, hold up!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I need to know where Condor is.¡±


    ¡°Told you already, I can¡¯t help you,¡± the supposed farmer said without stopping or even looking at the crab. ¡°Never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the local birdwatching club,¡± the puffing merchant added, as he tried to keep pace with the man.


    The hooded figure suddenly stopped, turning to him with an intense look in his eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Balthazar,¡± said the crab, as his friends caught up behind him.


    The man pulled his scarf down, and a small hint of a smile appeared on his face.


    ¡°We have been expecting you. Come with me.¡±

 Chapter 129: Condor

    The mysterious man kept walking up the road at a fast pace, with Balthazar and his friends trying to keep up behind.


    ¡°Hey, wait, hold on,¡± said the strained crab, trying not to fall behind. ¡°What do you mean, expecting me? Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Jasper,¡± the brown-skinned man said with a content smile, ¡°and we have been looking forward to your arrival for a while, Balthazar. She told us you would be coming.¡±


    ¡°She? Who is ¡®she¡¯? Are you talking about Ruby?¡±


    Once again, the adventurer smiled. ¡°You must have many questions, as do we. All will be answered soon.¡±


    Unsatisfied, Balthazar frowned, but it was Rye who spoke next.


    ¡°You have an unusual accent. You¡¯re not from around these parts, are you?¡±


    Jasper¡¯s smile became a slight smirk.


    ¡°Neither are you, my friend.¡±


    The archer leaned down closer to the crab.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± he whispered. ¡°Why is this guy so cryptic?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Balthazar murmured back.


    They continued moving through the road, now passing through several broken brick columns and ruined wooden structures.


    ¡°Are you taking us to Condor?¡± the merchant asked from a few paces behind the peculiar man, struggling to keep up with his stride.


    ¡°Look around,¡± he said, spreading his arms as he continued walking. ¡°This is Condor.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks spun around, examining his surroundings.


    Pieces of broken wooden fences from what seemed to once have been a stable. Sections of dilapidated brick walls where stores once were. Remnants of what used to be houses, now just a square frame filled with debris. Deserted streets filled with years of dead shrubbery and trash.


    And above them as they walked, a large sign held between two tall pillars. It was broken down the middle, the right half of it lying half buried in the ground below. Together, their faded and barely readable letters would have formed a name: Condor.


    ¡°So this is the place?¡± the stunned merchant said.


    ¡°It is,¡± replied Jasper. ¡°Or at least it once was.¡±


    The strange adventurer continued on his way, walking like someone certain of where he was heading, despite the messy path of the surrounding ruins, which seemed to bother him none.


    With a faint whistle of the wind blowing across the lifeless streets, and the drab ambience that seemed to mute any colors that weren¡¯t grays or browns all around them, not even the sun seemed brave enough to shine directly on those lands, instead remaining hidden away behind a thick cluster of clouds that looked more like a permanent layer of smoke lingering above the town.


    ¡°What happened to this place?¡± the increasingly despondent crab asked. ¡°Why does it look like this?¡±


    ¡°Many things happened,¡± said Jasper. ¡°Condor was once a beautiful, thriving settlement, not too different from your neighbor town, Ardville. Full of life, color, and joy. Its streets were filled with hard-working locals and many passing adventurers looking for fame and fortune. But that was a long, long time ago, before problems started appearing.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s curiosity increased at a similar rate as his frustration. ¡°What problems?¡±


    ¡°Did you see the orchards full of apple trees outside town on your way here?¡± asked the now apparent tour guide.


    ¡°Uh, no? All we saw were desolate fields and abandoned farms.¡±


    Jasper clicked his tongue as he continued forward, talking without even turning back.


    ¡°Yes, but back in the day, this town was surrounded by lush fields of fruits and vegetables, including delicious shiny red apples. One day, an adventurer rode through town, and he noticed something very particular.¡±


    ¡°What? That everyone around here was a loony?¡± said the crab.


    The man laughed.


    ¡°No, not yet. Not back then, at least,¡± he said. ¡°He noticed there was always a boy by the road leading from the farm fields and into town, and that this street urchin would always offer to sell any passing adventurers a shiny apple for 6 coins.¡±


    Balthazar frowned. ¡°What a terrible deal! But I bet adventurers still bought them, so good on the kid.¡±


    ¡°What the adventurer also noticed,¡± Jasper continued, ¡°was that once he went into town, there was a general store there, owned by an old man, and that the merchant would buy a shiny red apple for 7 crowns.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the crab exclaimed with a scoff. ¡°What a fool! That¡¯s an awful price.¡±


    Jasper smiled a knowing smile as he glanced back. ¡°Perhaps, but the adventurer quickly realized the opportunity he had stumbled upon, and for the next few weeks, he would be seen going in and out of town nonstop, day and night, barely stopping to eat or sleep. He would go out, buy an apple from the kid, walk back, sell it to the store merchant, and then repeat. Countless times.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ stupid,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Again, perhaps, but after doing it enough times, this adventurer emerged as one of the richest people in the region, and began traveling and spending his fortune in the most lavish of ways, which brought a lot of attention to him, and raised questions about how such a low level could have acquired so much gold.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± asked the walking crab.


    ¡°And soon after, the old merchant disappeared,¡± the tall man said.


    ¡°Hah! Probably went bankrupt from buying so many overpriced apples, and skipped town, the fool.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Jasper glanced at the crustacean from the corner of his eye. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just him. The little boy on the road outside town vanished without a trace overnight as well. The town merchant¡¯s store also disappeared as if it had never existed, suddenly replaced with a stable.¡±


    Balthazar frowned. ¡°That does sound strange, but¡­ what does it have to do with the state this place is in now? Were apples that vital for the social and economic stability of Condor?¡±


    ¡°No, probably not,¡± the mysterious adventurer said, as he kept moving forward, now in pensive quietude.


    After a deafening moment of silence, he suddenly started talking again.


    ¡°Then one day, after that, a group of new adventurers arrived in town, looking for action and glory, as many do. They scoured the town boards and asked the citizens for any quests they could take, in their endless journey for experience and higher levels.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like the same kind of adventurers of today,¡± the crab said with a shrug.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Jasper said. ¡°At the time, one of the quests offered was to solve the problem of a haunted well. Apparently, the spirit of a heartbroken girl was keeping the locals from collecting water from it, and after following a series of clues, the adventurers were given the task of finding a specific spot in the nearby woods where a special type of tree with white flowers grew. They were the girl¡¯s favorites, and casting one down the well would summon her ghost temporarily, providing an opportunity to face her and break the curse.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m invested in your tale now, go on,¡± said the curious crab. ¡°What happened next?¡±


    ¡°The band of adventurers successfully defeated the spirit and completed their quest.¡±


    ¡°Great, hooray, happy ending,¡± Balthazar said with sarcastic disappointment. ¡°So what about it?¡±


    ¡°Except, one of the members of the group figured something out,¡± Jasper continued. ¡°If they collected more of the white flowers, and dropped them down the well again, the ghost would be summoned again. And again. And again. For as long as there were flowers to summon her with.¡±


    The merchant scratched the top of his shell.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why would anyone keep doing that?!¡±


    The guide chuckled as he hopped over a small section of brick wall in their path.


    ¡°You clearly do not think like an adventurer, my friend,¡± he said. ¡°Soon after this discovery, countless adventurers were visiting the town, picking as many white flowers from the woods as they could on their way here, to drop into the well, so they could slay the wailing girl of the well over and over again, and reap the loot and rewards from it, as well as the experience.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the crab said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t long until the cursed well disappeared, along with a large section of the woods, the beautiful white flower trees never to be seen again, with nothing in their place but a barren clearing.¡±


    Despite the strange stories the man was sharing, his mood seemed unnervingly casual, and he continued leading them deeper into the ruins of the town with no sign of what their destination might be.


    ¡°Balthazar, I¡¯m telling you, something deep in me is telling me to turn around and leave,¡± Rye whispered. ¡°Do we even know where this guy is taking us, or are we just following a stranger through a ghost town for the fun of it?¡±


    The crab glanced at his friends behind him. He knew the young man had a valid point, even if his instincts to leave were likely coming from the same source as his selective amnesia when something came too close to making him think about inconvenient subjects.


    ¡°So, is there a point to all of this that you¡¯re telling us?¡± Balthazar asked the man leading them past a partially collapsed archway. ¡°Because I still don¡¯t understand how this place ended up like this. Either explain already, or I¡¯m turning this parade around and leaving.¡±


    Jasper continued strolling forward without turning. ¡°A holiday celebration.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± said the puzzled crab.


    ¡°It was a holiday celebration that led to what you see of Condor today.¡±


    ¡°How? I mean, I¡¯ve seen some adventurers partying pretty hard before, but this seems like a bit much.¡±


    ¡°One day,¡± the adventurer continued, ¡°Condor dressed in bright colors and bright lights to celebrate a special event. Nobody really remembers what it was about anymore. The important bit was that adventurers came from all over the continent for the free souvenirs.¡±


    ¡°Hah, typical,¡± the crab said. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t love some free stuff?¡±


    ¡°Among them were these unique magical lotto tickets that, when used, had a chance to give an adventurer a permanent +1 to a random attribute. Or a free bag of roasted chestnuts.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a win-win to me.¡±


    ¡°Each individual was only meant to be eligible for no more than one ticket,¡± Jasper carried on, stepping over toppled wooden market stands and washed out pieces of ripped flags on the ground. ¡°Yet, somehow¡ªdon¡¯t ask me how¡ªone adventurer discovered that if he claimed his ticket, then left town, walked exactly 125 steps south, crossed between two specific crooked trees on the edge of the forest, circled back and passed underneath the wooden bridge instead of over it, and entered the town again but walking sideways, he would somehow be able to claim a free lotto ticket again like it was his first.¡±


    Balthazar looked at the man with a baffled expression and his mouth half open. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Word spread fast among the adventurers,¡± Jasper said, unbothered by the crabs¡¯ bewilderment. ¡°Soon there were countless tickets flooding the town markets, being used, traded, and duplicated. It was¡­ a huge mess.¡±


    ¡°Fine, whatever!¡± exclaimed the exasperated crab, finally coming to a stop. ¡°But what the hell does any of that have to do with anything?!¡±


    Jasper stopped too, placing both hands behind his back and admiring the sky above without turning to look at the group.


    ¡°A few days after this event, Condor was wiped off the map,¡± the man said, this time in a slightly louder and resolute tone. ¡°Almost every local who lived here vanished without a trace. The buildings were practically uprooted overnight. What was once a land full of life became dead and inhospitable. No maps showed this place anymore, no signs pointed here, and nobody in the other towns talked about Condor anymore.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the adventurers back, perplexed. ¡°What? Just like that?¡±


    Jasper let out a quiet sigh.


    ¡°Some said it was a curse that swept through the town overnight. Others claim a horde of trolls ransacked the place and kidnapped everyone. Some even believe adventurers did it. But no matter who tells what version of the tale, one detail is always shared between them all.¡±


    The dark-skinned adventurer turned to the group, hands still behind his back.


    ¡°They all saw a large flock of black birds circling above the town the day before it happened, like a bad omen of what was to come.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes widened, and his eyestalks stood up. ¡°Birds¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, this is a great story and all,¡± Rye interrupted, while stepping forward, ¡°but I still don¡¯t get the point in any of this.¡±


    Jasper smiled at the younger man.


    ¡°The point, my friend, the moral to be taken from it all, is that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.¡±


    The tall human turned his deep brown eyes to the crab and smiled again. ¡°Tell me, Balthazar, are you a nail? Or a hammer?¡±


    With a couple of confused blinks, the merchant stared at Jasper, unsure of what to make of his question.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know? But if you need a hand with some carpentry, I know this old guy that could probably help you.¡±


    Jasper placed a hand on his chest and let out a hearty laugh as he threw his head back.


    ¡°She did say you were funny,¡± the strange man said.


    ¡°She? You mean Ruby?¡± Balthazar said, with his eyestalks standing up. ¡°Look, as much as I appreciate the tour through this lovely town and its magnificent vistas, are you actually going to take us somewhere, or do we have to tip you first?¡±


    Once again, Jasper smirked with that annoying knowing smile. ¡°We are already here.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± said the crab, looking around confused.


    They were standing in front of another of the many ruined buildings dotting the town¡¯s streets. The same cracked cobblestone paths under their feet, the same broken fences around them, and just another dirty, dilapidated house standing behind the mantled figure that brought them there.


    ¡°She has been expecting you,¡± said Jasper, placing both hands behind his back again as he stepped towards the door of the house and stood next to it.


    With a heavy thump and a creak, the door opened, and a tall woman dressed in red stepped through, her dark green eyes staring directly at Balthazar.


    ¡°At last,¡± Ruby said. ¡°We meet again.¡±

 Chapter 130: Pie and Tea

    The enchantress stood in the doorway, the scarlet vestments she wore like a fiery beacon against the dark frame behind her. She held her hands together, hidden inside the large sleeves of her robe, while observing the crab with great interest and a discreet smile.


    ¡°Wow, you live here?¡± exclaimed Balthazar. ¡°This place looks like a dump!¡±


    The merchant¡¯s bluntness did not seem to faze her.


    ¡°Ah, still a charmer as always, I see,¡± said Ruby. ¡°Looks can be deceiving, as I¡¯m sure you know. Shall we go inside?¡±


    ¡°If it will look less depressing than out here, sure.¡±


    As the crab took a step forward, Rye placed a hand on his arm.


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± he said with a whisper. ¡°What are we doing here? This could be a trap for all we know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worrying too much, Rye,¡± the crustacean whispered back. ¡°I get why, even if you don¡¯t. If you¡¯d prefer to stay out here, that¡¯s fine, but I¡¯m going in to get some answers.¡±


    The young man hesitated for a moment, as if struggling with his answer.


    ¡°No,¡± he finally said, with strain on his face. ¡°If I thought it was dangerous but let you go in while I stayed out here and then something happened, I¡¯d never be able to look Madeleine in the eye again. I still don¡¯t like it, though.¡±


    Balthazar nodded. ¡°If it will make you feel any better, I¡¯ll tell Druma and Blue to keep watch out here, that way we got backup to get us out if something were to happen.¡±


    After the exchange, the crab and the archer finally stepped into the old building, led by Ruby and followed by Jasper.


    It did not look much different inside than it did outside. Dark and dusty, no lighting other than what little light poured in through the broken windows, revealing rooms with missing floorboards and torn curtains. That anyone would live in such a place surprised even a pond-dwelling crustacean.


    ¡°Sheesh, you live like this?¡± Balthazar said, as the four of them entered a living room in a worse state than his bazaar after a mad dark mage passed through it.


    ¡°Certainly not,¡± said the woman. ¡°I told you, looks can be deceiving, and we very much like it that way. Jasper, if you will, please?¡±


    With a nod, the dark-skinned traveler faded into a shadowy corner of the room, and after a second, they heard the sound of something heavy being pulled. He reappeared and pressed the tip of his foot onto a loose floorboard, following it up with a press of his hand against a section of a nearby shelf. There was a whirring sound of gears moving and then a click.


    Walking to the center of the room, Jasper pushed a torn sofa aside and pulled back the tattered carpet beneath it, revealing a hatch.


    ¡°Ladies first,¡± he said, smiling at the enchantress while holding the hatch door open with one hand and offering her the other.


    Holding his hand for support, Ruby descended the few steps leading into a tight tunnel.


    Balthazar peeked down the hatch tentatively. ¡°Ehhh, I don¡¯t do very well with stairs.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the redheaded adventurer. ¡°Perhaps this would help?¡±


    With a quick clap of her hands, the stone steps rotated with a loud thump, turning into a ramp.


    ¡°Huh, neat trick,¡± said the crab, as he followed into the tunnel.


    The walls and floor were made of stone, but they were visibly cleaner than anything above. Unlike the previous room, which was dark and hard to see in, this tunnel had lit lanterns hanging from the ceiling, leading all the way to the other end of it, where a pristine iron door was.


    ¡°Is your upstairs maid on holiday?¡± said Balthazar, while carefully moving through the corridor, the sides of his shell nearly scraping against the narrow walls.


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± said Ruby, ¡°keeping up with surrounding appearances is a necessity, if we are to maintain a low-profile. It¡¯s part of the job.¡±


    ¡°Right, and what job would that be?¡± the crab asked.


    The woman stopped in front of the thick iron door. Pulling one hand from her sleeve, she produced a large golden key and inserted it into the keyhole. Letting go of it, the enchantress waited while the key turned on its own and unlocked the door, which blew a gust of wind onto the group as it opened.


    ¡°Our job is to observe and learn what we are not supposed to,¡± said the scarlet lady as she stepped through the door and held it open for her guests. ¡°Welcome to the Birdwatchers headquarters.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks stood up as he walked into the room. Well-lit and spotless, the hidden basement looked nothing like the house above it. There was furniture of the finest wood, with a glossy and immaculate varnish finish. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, with golden details over their brass structures. Most of the walls were covered in exquisite tapestries, and the floors in equally impressive carpets that made the crab feel like he should take off his shoes before entering, despite never having worn any before.


    The merchant let out a whistle. ¡°Nice place you got here. Can¡¯t help but notice a distinct lack of birds, though. Not that I mind, of course.¡±


    Ruby smirked at the crab¡¯s quip. ¡°We like to keep the subjects of our watching at a distance. For safety, and to not disturb their natural behavior.¡±


    ¡°Still, that¡¯s kind of a lame name for a secret society of¡­ whatever you guys are.¡±


    ¡°Yes, unlike ¡®The Pie Council¡¯, I suppose,¡± the enchantress said with subtle irony as she turned around.


    The crab looked around awkwardly. ¡°Yeah, well, that was just¡­ hey, wait a minute, how would you know about that?!¡±


    Jasper shut the door behind them as he stepped through, causing the two visitors to jump in place.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°I imagine you must have many questions,¡± the adventurer in red said. ¡°As do we. That is the reason we are all here. Please, come, let us sit down and talk.¡±


    She led them to a different section of the large hall, with a low table and a few seats around it. As she moved around to her chair, she pulled a pair of round reading glasses from the inside of her robe and put them on, like someone preparing to read a book.


    ¡°May I offer you anything?¡± said the woman as she sat down on a cushioned chair. ¡°Something to drink, perhaps tea? Something to eat as well? You must be famished after such a trek.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but what we really want to know¡ª¡± Rye started.


    ¡°Amber, dear,¡± the enchantress called towards a nearby doorway. ¡°Are the pies ready yet?¡±


    ¡°Shush, Rye,¡± Balthazar said quickly, waving a claw in front of the archer while sitting down on a low stool by the table. ¡°Did you just say pies?¡±


    A short-haired girl walked into the room, wearing the same attire one would expect from any adventurer, except with a white apron on top as well.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Amber said in a shy manner while bowing gently. ¡°The pies are ready, Madame Ruby. Should I bring them out?¡±


    ¡°You should ask our guest,¡± the woman in the chair said before looking at Balthazar again. ¡°Knowing your love for baked goods, I had our dear Amber here try her hand at preparing some delicacies for your enjoyment. She is by no means a proper baker like your friend from Ardville, but as you could probably notice outside, we are rather limited in terms of nearby bakeries, so she tried her best.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the slightly nervous girl said, turning to the crab. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure which one would be to your preference, so I tried baking four different types of pie. An apple pie, a pumpkin pie, as well as one lemon cream pie and a strawberry pie. Can I serve you any of them?¡±


    Balthazar stared at the shy adventurer, unblinking.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said in a dry and quick tone.


    Amber¡¯s eyes darted between him and her superior. ¡°Y-yes to which one?¡±


    ¡°All of them,¡± the deadpan crab said. ¡°Obviously.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the girl said quietly, glancing at Ruby as if looking for instructions on how to proceed.


    The enchantress gave her a gentle nod and the young adventurer retreated back to where she had come from.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take me for a fool, Ruby,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I know when someone is trying to win me over, and I¡¯m telling you, this won¡¯t stop me from wanting some answers¡­¡± His words trailed off as Amber returned, pushing a small trolley with several plates on it. ¡°...after a quick snack break.¡±


    Four different miniature pies came strolling into his sight. One by one, the girl moved each plate from the cart and onto the table, under the crab¡¯s attentive gaze. They were not quite as perfectly shaped as Madeleine¡¯s, the crust was visibly uneven in places, and overall much rougher-looking, clearly the work of a novice baker, but that did little to stop Balthazar¡¯s mouthwatering.


    ¡°They¡¯re not very good, but I¡­ I hope you will enjoy them,¡± said Amber, her eyes glued to the floor.


    Balthazar started with a generous bite of apple pie.


    ¡°A bit crumbly,¡± the crab said with a mouthful. ¡°The middle area is a little undercooked, too. The apple slices are slightly too thick as well.¡±


    The girl¡¯s eyebrows arched into an expression that resembled a lost puppy. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°But all free pie is good pie!¡± the hungry crustacean added, shoving the rest of it into his mouth unceremoniously.


    The apprentice baker perked up slightly. ¡°Oh!¡±


    Rye shoved an elbow against Balthazar¡¯s side and muttered under his breath. ¡°I thought we were supposed to be looking for Madeleine, not looking for her replacement.¡±


    ¡°Right, ahem, right!¡± said the crab, between coughs and a slight choking fit, thanks to the boy¡¯s shove. ¡°We should get down to business, Ruby.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the lady in red said, leaning back comfortably on the scarlet cushions of her golden throne-like chair and giving the girl in the apron another nod.


    ¡°Can I get you anything?¡± Amber asked Rye.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m¡­ fine,¡± the young man said dismissively.


    ¡°Please, at least have a cup of tea, for hospitality¡¯s sake,¡± said Ruby.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the annoyed adventurer said. ¡°Just a cup.¡±


    Amber disappeared back into the presumed kitchen, while Ruby placed her hands together in front of her face, connected at the fingertips, peering at the crab through her red-tinted lenses.


    ¡°Where shall we start?¡±


    ¡°How about¡­¡± Balthazar started, while struggling to gulp down a generous bite of pumpkin pie. ¡°How about you start by telling me who in the world you all are and what you¡¯re doing here?¡±


    ¡°A pertinent question,¡± said the experienced adventurer. ¡°We are a group of people who have become aware of the machinations of the system in this world, and that there are things being kept hidden from almost everyone, be it adventurer or local. We seek to uncover the truth.¡± She paused and looked at the archer for a moment. ¡°If you mean who we are as in us, adventurers in general, and what we are doing or where we came from, then I¡¯m afraid I have no conclusive answer for you, but that is also part of what we seek to find out.¡±


    ¡°That was a lot of words to say very little,¡± said the merchant, while nibbling on a bit of pie crust.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but shouldn¡¯t we be talking about the big red dragon that took Madeleine instead?¡± Rye exclaimed, standing up in a sudden outburst.


    ¡°Woah, easy, buddy,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I¡¯m getting there. Please calm down.¡±


    ¡°T-tea?¡± Amber hesitantly said, arriving next to the table with a smoking cup in her hands.


    ¡°Please, sit down,¡± the calm enchantress said. ¡°Have some tea. I promise all will be clear soon.¡±


    Exhaling sharply, Rye obliged, sitting back down and taking the cup into his hands.


    ¡°How about you explain that, huh?¡± the crab said, with his mouth covered in lemon cream. ¡°Why is it that whenever the subject is anything to do with the system or where they came from, every other adventurer seems to get all touchy and averse to it, and then immediately forgets all about it, unlike you?¡±


    Ruby nodded.


    ¡°Indeed. The system, and whatever is behind it, does not want us asking inconvenient questions, or digging for answers. The way it seems to prevent this is by creating a selective blank spot in an adventurer¡¯s mind. Upon arriving into this world, something is done to us, to our brains, to block out the memories of our previous life, and most importantly, also block out the sense of what was lost, so that we never even realize a piece of us is missing. Like a mist pulled over our¡ª¡±


    ¡°...eyes,¡± said Balthazar, cleaning the cream around his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it. At Star Beach, when some kid arrived, there was this moment where his eyes went foggy, and after that, he no longer seemed to remember or care about anything that happened before.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± the enchantress said, the golden frame of her glasses reflecting brightly as she leaned forward on her chair and into the light of the lantern above them. ¡°Someone, or something, works very hard to prevent us from remembering how we got here and from asking why we are here, and that¡¯s what the Birdwatchers are about. We want to know the truth, to know what¡¯s really going on, at all costs.¡±


    Balthazar paused, looking up at the light and thinking.


    ¡°So wait, how come you guys seem to remember stuff and be able to ask these questions unhindered by that ¡®mind fog¡¯ thing?¡±


    A sudden shattering sound startled the crab, making him jump on his stool.


    Rye had dropped his teacup, which shattered to pieces on the floor.


    ¡°Are you alri¡ª¡± the worried crustacean started, but before he could finish, the young man dropped from his seat and onto his knees, curling up as he clutched his stomach, grunting in pain.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes darted between his friend and the shattered cup as he jumped off the stool.


    ¡°What have you done?!¡± he yelled at Ruby. ¡°You poisoned him!¡±


    The scarlet enchantress calmly stood up from her throne and placed her hands together inside her sleeves.


    ¡°No, we did not poison him. Look closer.¡±


    The crab turned to his friend as he arched back, clutching his head with both hands.


    Suddenly, Rye¡¯s yells of pain ceased, and a milky white fog washed over his eyes.

 Chapter 131: Hazy

    ¡°Rye? Can you hear me?¡± Balthazar asked quietly.


    After a few seconds that felt like ages, the archer blinked as he wobbled on his knees. Placing his face on his hand with a grunt, Rye slowly looked up and around the room, eyes clear from the fog that covered them a moment before.


    ¡°What¡­ what happened?¡± he said with a labored breath.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked the concerned merchant, approaching the young man and touching his arm.


    Rye recoiled instinctively at the crab¡¯s touch, turning to him with a momentary frown, as if he hadn¡¯t recognized his traveling partner at first.


    ¡°What have you done to my friend?¡± Balthazar exclaimed, glaring at Ruby.


    ¡°We merely pulled the veil of fog draped over his eyes,¡± the enchantress dispassionately said while stepping closer to the boy. ¡°How do you feel? Do you remember now what has been taken away from you?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ how did I get here? What am I doing here?¡± Rye said, staring emptily at the floor. ¡°I can remember the beach, but¡­ but what about before? I was doing something¡­ what was it? I know it was important. I know there was someone important.¡± His breathing shaky, the adventurer looked up at the woman in red. ¡°It¡¯s right there. They are right there in front of me, I can almost touch them if I reach out, but I can¡¯t see them clearly. Why can¡¯t I remember their faces?!¡±


    Ruby leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Breathe. I know it¡¯s a lot to take in at once. It will take time for you to adapt, but your eyes have been opened now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, kid? Come on, talk to me,¡± the earnest crab asked.


    Rye looked at Balthazar, a mix of hurt and confusion in his eyes.


    ¡°I know something¡¯s missing. I couldn¡¯t before, but now I can see the empty spots.¡± He paused, clutching his head again. ¡°I need to think. I need some fresh air. Please.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Ruby, standing up and looking towards the door. ¡°Jasper, please take our friend outside.¡±


    The tall adventurer nodded quietly and helped Rye stand up before opening the door and leaving with him.


    ¡°What the hell was all that?!¡± asked the crab.


    ¡°That, dear Balthazar,¡± said the enchantress as she sat back down, ¡°was your friend being rid of the haze that kept him from questioning his existence in this world.¡±


    ¡°So you unlocked his old memories?¡±


    ¡°No. Unfortunately, that is something we cannot easily do. The tea he had contained a very specific and difficult mix of ingredients that can peel back the layer of occlusion the system places on every adventurer in order to make them not remember what they forgot.¡±


    Balthazar pondered for a second. ¡°So he still doesn¡¯t remember where he came from or who he was, just that those memories are missing?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ tortuous.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, it can be, but it is better than to live blissfully in ignorance. The truth is always better.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but isn¡¯t that just your opinion?¡± the crab retorted.


    The scarlet woman peered at Balthazar through her red-tinted glasses, the glow of the lantern hanging above them reflecting like golden flames off the round lenses.


    ¡°You tell me how can you obtain an informed opinion from someone who cannot freely think about what they are choosing?¡±


    The crab held quiet for a moment.


    ¡°Did all of you guys go through the same? You¡¯re aware of your old lives, you just can¡¯t fully recall them?¡±


    Ruby sighed. ¡°Correct again. It is one of our main driving forces to what we do. To find out who did this to us, and why.¡±


    ¡°So you all had to go through that tea business?¡±


    ¡°Most of us,¡± the woman explained. ¡°Early on, our movement was started by a few strong-willed adventurers who managed to break down the dams holding the memories from flowing in. Whether through sheer willpower, or simply a mind too stubborn to suppress, the mind haze did not fully work on them. The powers that be have since made sure that no such individuals are brought into this world anymore, but by then it was too late. The few that existed had already spread, explored, and recruited others. In time, they found ways to break the hazing, even if only partially, and here we are today, following in their footsteps.¡±


    ¡°And serving strange teas to make more of you,¡± said the pensive crab. ¡°Hey, wait a minute! Did you put something funky in these pies you served me, too?!¡±


    The enchantress leaned back on her chair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, other than an unhealthy amount of sugar, there is nothing nefarious in them.¡±


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    ¡°Oh good, that¡¯s a relief,¡± Balthazar said, between mouthfuls of strawberry pie. ¡°So, this is all very interesting, but I keep coming up with the same question: what does all this system and adventurer conspiracy nonsense have to do with me? I¡¯m just a crab trying to earn a living and spend that living eating pastries.¡±


    Once again, Ruby leaned forward on her seat, glaring at the gluttonous crab with an intense look in her eyes.


    ¡°Except you are not, Balthazar. You are different. A sticking point in an otherwise smooth surface. An anomaly.¡±


    ¡°Gee, thanks,¡± the chewing crustacean said in a sarcastic tone. ¡°You really need to work on your flattery.¡±


    ¡°You have, whether through fate or random chance, stumbled upon something no local was meant to access, especially not a crab in an inconsequential corner of the world. That makes you unique, a potential one in a million shot for us. It means you are¡ª¡±


    ¡°I swear, lady, if you call me ¡®special¡¯, I¡¯ll flip this table right here,¡± said Balthazar, after finishing the last piece of pie on said table. ¡°Your compliments really need some work. And I don¡¯t know what you think you need me for, but I don¡¯t know much of anything about the world, the system, or any of that stuff. I¡¯m probably more clueless about it than you are. Remember, I came here looking for answers, not looking to provide them!¡±


    Ruby closed her eyes and exhaled like someone whose patience was being tested.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to get it. No local was meant to be able to use a Scroll of Character Creation. Somehow, you did. You are from this world, with a system that was meant only for people not from this world. The scroll you used was old. Ancient, even. From way back when our founding members arrived here, maybe even older than that. It¡¯s from a time when the system was still new, unstable, and much more exploitable. That is what makes your unique situation so¡­ promising.¡±


    The crab shrugged. ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad for you, then, because the crow took my old scroll.¡±


    Balthazar considered mentioning the bird had also taken away his system access, but stopped himself, deciding he didn¡¯t need to tell his cryptic conversation partner everything until she did as well. As much as he enjoyed talking, even he knew that sometimes there was merit to keeping one¡¯s mouth shut and listening instead.


    The woman¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You met one of the crows?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Showed up at my place, took my scroll, and then just flew away. A real jerk.¡±


    ¡°That means you really must have stirred some trouble up the chain of command, if a crow came to you directly,¡± Ruby said. ¡°No matter, the scroll is not as important as you are now. Something about you disturbs the system, and I have only ever heard of one other instance of someone like that before.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks perked up with interest. ¡°Someone like me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed,¡± replied the enchantress. ¡°And I believe you have met him already.¡±


    ¡°What?! When? Don¡¯t tell me it was that giant that showed up at my place once and drank a whole barrel of beer?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ruby said dismissively. ¡°Remember that ruinous deal you made for a golden statuette?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t remind me of that,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Wait, so you mean that strange guy all dressed in black and covered in bandages was¡­¡±


    ¡°Quite possibly. There were tales, even before my time, about one individual with a system access from the first age. Nobody knew his name anymore, or where he came from, only that wherever he went, strange things followed. I believe you experienced that yourself.¡±


    The crab stared pensively at the empty plates on the table. ¡°The red dragon¡­¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± said the adventurer. ¡°Dragons were just a mythical tale from ages past, not seen in generations, and then a stranger shows up at your place, makes up a tale about one, and suddenly a dragon appears? This is the kind of unintended and unpredictable effects the ones in charge of this world do not want anyone having.¡±


    Balthazar shook his head. ¡°And you think that¡¯s me? I can¡¯t pull dragons out of my shell!¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. But what about giant spiders where they did not exist before? Or a pack of wolves that shouldn¡¯t have been there? Have you never told a tale so real even you believed it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The merchant paused. He knew that what Ruby was telling him had some truth to it, he had noticed those strange events before, but yet he always dismissed them. The crab wanted coin and pies, not to deal with world plots and secret conspiracies.


    He also wanted his friends back¡­


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute,¡± he suddenly said. ¡°How do you know all that about me?! The strange things that happened before, the deal with that stranger. How could you possibly know that?¡±


    The enchantress reclined on her chair once again, with a sly smile on her lips.


    ¡°I told you, we like to keep the subjects of our watching at a distance, to not disturb their natural behavior. We may be called ¡®birdwatchers¡¯, but we observe a lot more than just birds.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks frowned. ¡°That¡¯s not really an answer.¡±


    Ruby nodded. ¡°Indeed. In our line of business, secrecy is a must. The birds you so rightfully suspected all your life are always watching too, and they do not take kindly to our meddling. The only way we can stay safe is by hiding our movements in the shadows, in places like this, where nobody would think of even looking anymore. To be invisible in plain sight.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± asked the crab. ¡°What¡¯s the point of all this?¡±


    He could see a fiery determination sparking in the woman¡¯s eyes behind her tinted glasses as she looked straight into his eyes.


    ¡°Someone¡ªor something¡ªbrought us to this world, out of our own will, took away our memories, and has us running around in circles gaining levels, for some reason nobody knows. Why? By what right? What about locals like you, or your baker friend, or all the others? What unwitting role do you play in this scheme? We want to uncover the truth, and get back what was taken from us.¡±


    The merchant paused for a while, reflecting on all the woman said.


    ¡°I get it,¡± he said, ¡°but that sounds like too much world-sized trouble I don¡¯t want to deal with. I just want to go back to my little pond, to my little bazaar, with my friends, and enjoy my peace and quiet. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Ruby stood up.


    ¡°Perhaps, but can you be certain that your little corner of the world will always remain unaffected by the consequences of what you choose to ignore?¡±


    Balthazar sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but right now all I want is to help my friends. The rest of the world can wait behind them.¡±


    The enchantress exhaled in a way that the crab wasn¡¯t sure if it had been a scoff or an amused chuckle.


    ¡°There is still a way we may share mutual interests,¡± she said. ¡°I believe you seek a way to bring your stone guardian back to life, do you not?¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks stood up. ¡°Bouldy? Yes, I do. You know something about that?¡±


    The scarlet woman walked around the table and towards a door at the end of the room.


    ¡°Come with me. I¡¯d like to show you something.¡±

 Chapter 132: Shown Path

    The enchantress pulled a silk drape to the side and walked the crab through a doorway hidden behind it, into a tight corridor.


    ¡°I am going to tell you the truth openly, Balthazar,¡± said Ruby as she walked in front of her guest.


    Balthazar rolled his eyes while following her. That would be nice for once.


    ¡°We have been hoping to find someone like you to help us,¡± the woman continued. ¡°No matter how many of us there are, what we know, and how much we try, it never feels like we get close enough to our objectives.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡± asked the merchant.


    ¡°To find answers, of course. To know who or what is in charge of this whole system, and what they are trying to achieve by placing countless adventurers on this world, on a rat¡¯s race towards an arbitrary goal.¡±


    She arrived at a corner, but to the crab¡¯s surprise, instead of turning towards the next corridor, she instead waved a hand in front of a bookcase, which quietly slid to the side, revealing a new passage.


    ¡°Every adventurer has the same innate desire to level up,¡± she continued, while ducking through the new passage and into another corridor. ¡°To reach level 100, despite none of us knowing what¡¯s so important about it, or even if anyone has ever really done it. Our theory is that whoever is pulling the strings is seeking something, and it requires finding one adventurer who can reach that level. What for, is one of the many questions we have no answer for.¡±


    The crustacean sighed as he followed along.


    ¡°Fascinating, but this is still none of my business,¡± he said. ¡°Not unless it somehow involves a big pie in the sky. What in the world could you need my help for?¡±


    Ruby let out a sigh of her own.


    ¡°You continue to not get your own potential,¡± she said. ¡°Your unique system¡­ peculiarity makes you able to interfere with it and do unpredictable things that none of us could ever hope to. We seek to poke holes into this system until we find a way through it, and you could be our most valuable tool.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks frowned. ¡°Did you just call me a tool?¡±


    ¡°Metaphorically, Balthazar,¡± said the enchantress with a tired tone.


    ¡°Still, I¡¯m nobody¡¯s tool,¡± the merchant reiterated, crossing his arms as he continued skittering behind the woman.


    ¡°No, but what I want to show you is a tool,¡± said Ruby. ¡°My mentor, the one who brought me into the Birdwatchers, created it alongside a close friend of his a very long time ago.¡±


    They arrived in front of a solid brass door with several engravings on it, and the adventurer began tracing her fingertip across its lines in a careful and precise manner.


    ¡°Is it a baking tool?¡± asked the crab.


    ¡°No?¡± said the woman. ¡°Why would it¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not really interested then,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I came out here to find answers that would help me with my friends, not to get involved in your school project to¡­ Woah.¡±


    The crab¡¯s jaw dropped as the door opened and a radiant glow shined onto him from within.


    Warm light reflected off the many polished metal surfaces inside the small circular chamber, an amber glow flooding into Balthazar¡¯s eyes from the copper and bronze instruments, tools, and gear displayed around the room, all lit from a single hollow orb hanging from the ceiling, a phosphorus light spot suspended at the center of an armillary sphere that made up its delicate structure.


    Ruby, standing off to the side, gestured for the merchant to step into the room.


    ¡°This is a part of our archive,¡± she said. ¡°Sources of knowledge and banished pieces that once were in the world, kept by us in hopes of solving Heartha¡¯s riddle.¡±


    Balthazar walked in, and his eyes marveled at the wonders around him. Bookcases filled with hardcover tomes and copper artifacts inside glass display cases. Old tapestries covered the walls, depicting ancient myths through complex patterns. An array of bronze instruments stood around the room, hung from the ceiling, or simply resting on tables. All so very shiny and captivating to the crab.


    Almost as pretty as gold¡­


    ¡°We know that all roads for answers will inevitably lead to one source,¡± said the enchantress. ¡°The Creator.¡±


    The crab turned to her with a puzzled look. ¡°Hey, I remember the crow mentioning something about a creator.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ruby said. ¡°We know next to nothing about this figure, who or what they might be, but it¡¯s clear that the birds are simply the underlings to this creator. If we ever hope to get to the bottom of what¡¯s behind the system, we will have to find this individual.¡±


    Balthazar nodded. ¡°You tried asking people you meet on the side of the road? That¡¯s usually my method for finding things.¡±


    ¡°The tool I mentioned,¡± the woman continued, ignoring the crab¡¯s insightful tip, ¡°is how I hope to find The Creator.¡±


    She stood next to a table at the very center of the room, with a small scarlet sheet covering something atop its surface. With a smooth pull at the piece of cloth, the enchantress revealed the object underneath.


    An armillary sphere sitting on top of a solid metal base, entirely made of spotless and shiny brass, finely engraved rings suspended around the central frame, which itself held a small copper-colored ball. It was a complex piece of mechanical clockwork like the merchant had never seen before.


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    ¡°Pretty¡­¡± said the bright-eyed crab. ¡°¡­what is it?¡±


    ¡°It is called the Amil Astrolabe,¡± Ruby said.


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk thoughtfully. ¡°Wait, I¡¯ve read books about these things. Don¡¯t you mean an armil astrolabe?¡±


    ¡°No. This is no simple armillary sphere. This unique instrument was one of my mentor¡¯s creations. His name was Amil.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the crab, rolling his eyes. ¡°So he just liked to name things after himself. Got it.¡±


    The adventurer glared disdainfully at him over her glasses. ¡°Remind me again, what is the name of your trading post?¡±


    The merchant scowled, and decided to carry on with admiring the delicate instrument by walking around the table. ¡°So, what does this thing do?¡±


    ¡°At the moment¡­ nothing,¡± said Ruby. ¡°Once complete, it would be able to lock onto the strongest point of power in this world¡ªthe so-called creator¡ªand point us in its direction. But there was one last ring piece left to finish in order to complete it, and sadly, Amil did not live to see it done.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the crab. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    The lady in red stared longingly at the sphere for a moment, tracing a fingertip across the edge of one of its rings.


    ¡°It was his closest friend and research partner who had the final piece,¡± she continued. ¡°But after Amil was gone, so was he, and we could never reach him again.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°But you said we had a mutual interest, regarding Bouldy. What does he have to do with your contraption there?¡±


    Ruby¡¯s eyes lifted from the sphere as if breaking away from a long-lost memory.


    ¡°Your stone golem? Nothing. It¡¯s who you seek to help you restore him that is important.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said the baffled crab. ¡°You mean that old loony wizard?!¡±


    ¡°Tweedus,¡± the woman said with a nod. ¡°He was my mentor¡¯s greatest friend, a long time ago.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the enchantress for an awkward moment, blinking with a puzzled expression. ¡°Seriously? That old lunatic is the guy you¡¯re after?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by his touch of madness, Balthazar. Tweedus is one of the oldest and highest level adventurers still roaming these lands.¡±


    The merchant chuckled while looking at her in disbelief.


    ¡°A ¡®touch¡¯ of madness, you say? Lady, that man showed up shirtless at my place screaming for mana potions the first time I met him. The second time, he was flying through the sky on a carpet and drinking tea while heading to a date with a sea creature. He¡¯s completely off his rocker!¡±


    Ruby smirked at the confused crab. ¡°And yet, is he not the one you seek to bring your friend back to life?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ that¡¯s because I don¡¯t have any better clues to follow!¡± said the crustacean, throwing his arms up. ¡°Do you know how to repair a broken golem core?!¡±


    ¡°No, I do not,¡± the adventurer said. ¡°But I am also certain if someone does, it would be Tweedus. Despite his¡­ appearance, he is extremely knowledgeable and likely knows more about Heartha than all of us combined. Which is why we need his help, just like you.¡±


    The merchant squinted his eyes at the scarlet lady. He better than anyone knew that nothing is free.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the deal?¡± he asked. ¡°Because I¡¯m still not interested in watching birds.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± said Ruby. ¡°I will not pressure you into joining us. I only ask that you consider it. I believe that when the time comes, with your help, we could uncover the truth. For now, we could help each other while you ponder it.¡±


    ¡°Help each other how?¡±


    ¡°I believe Tweedus has the final ring to the astrolabe,¡± explained the enchantress. ¡°With it, this instrument could finally show us the path to The Creator, and everything we seek.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± the crab said. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you just asked the old guy?¡±


    ¡°We would, except Tweedus does not seem very keen on talking to us, or most people, for that matter. Every attempt to reach him throughout the years has always failed, with him always leaving us in the dust and disappearing without a trace. Whether it¡¯s old age, his flavor of madness, or¡­ something else, he seems to be an extremely reclusive wizard.¡± She paused and gave Balthazar an intense look through her red-tinted lenses once again. ¡°You, however, seem to be an exception. He appears to have taken a liking to you, for some reason. Hardly anyone gets to meet the legendary mage once, yet you¡¯ve met him twice already.¡±


    Balthazar shrugged. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my naturally charming personality.¡±


    ¡°I am certain that if you were the one to seek him out, he would not vanish like he does when we try to approach him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice theory, but with me having no clue where to find the old fool, it¡¯s all pointless conjecture, lady.¡±


    Ruby smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s where we can help you. We have a lead on where one of his homes might be located. If one of us tried to reach him there, we would likely find our attempt at contact being frustrated by him once more, and we would lose his tracks yet again. However, if you go there yourself, I¡¯m confident he will listen to you.¡±


    The red lady moved around the armillary table and closer to the crab.


    ¡°Find him, ask for his assistance with your golem, and all I ask is that you try to get him to also help us with our own problem. Get him to give us the missing astrolabe ring and perhaps after we could further discuss you helping us yourself.¡±


    Balthazar pondered to himself for a moment.


    It¡¯s not like I have any other ways to find the old guy, and her demand isn¡¯t that bad¡­


    He reached back into his backpack and touched the surface of the cracked stone resting within.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the trader said after a quiet sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. You have my word that if I find Tweedus, I¡¯ll ask him about your bronze instrument, but that¡¯s all I can promise. It¡¯s up to him to help you or not.¡±


    The scarlet woman smiled openly. ¡°Excellent. That is all I ask of you. I have full confidence in your charisma.¡±


    ¡°So, where is this abode of his?¡±


    ¡°Our informant tells us he has a hiding place up in the mountains,¡± Ruby explained, ¡°somewhere near the east coast of the continent. Give me your map.¡±


    The merchant pulled the rolled up piece of parchment from his pack and gave it to her.


    Spreading it open over a nearby table, the enchantress produced a long, pointy crystal from her robe and began tracing lines with the tip of it over the map while whispering unintelligible words under her breath.


    ¡°Here,¡± she said, offering the map back to the crab. ¡°This is now an enchanted map. It¡¯s a common item among adept adventurers. It will reveal the locations of your objectives during your travels.¡±


    ¡°Neat,¡± said Balthazar, looking at the page with an approving nod.


    ¡°You will find it much easier to explore and discover all Mantell has to offer with it.¡±


    ¡°Mantell?¡± repeated the crab, with a cocked eyestalk. ¡°What¡¯s that? Is it something I can eat?¡±


    Ruby stared at the crustacean with a hint of bewilderment in her expression.


    ¡°Mantell is the name of the continent you are on,¡± the woman said. ¡°By the arcane, how you have managed to come this far will never cease to amaze me.¡±


    ¡°Flattery will get you nowhere with me, lady,¡± the smug crab said as he stored the rolled up map into his bag.


    The enchantress let out a brief sigh before heading towards the bronze door.


    ¡°Come, let us check on your archer friend now.¡±

 Chapter 133: Split Path

    The crab and the enchantress stepped out of the ruined building and into the gloomy daylight of Condor. The bleak environment seemed to dull out the world¡¯s colors and the windy breeze made even a crab feel chills down his spine, despite having neither skin nor backbone.


    Ruby, whose vivid scarlet vestments seemed to be the only thing unaffected by the dreary aura of the land, stood by the door like a fiery beacon in the wasteland.


    ¡°Go on, you should talk with your friend now,¡± she said, gesturing towards the side of the house. ¡°I hope we will meet again soon.¡±


    Balthazar walked around the front of the dilapidated building. Druma and Blue were still hanging out by the road, but not playing as usual, for even they seemed to be affected by the mood of the town.


    Off to the side of the Birdwatchers secret headquarters, near a torn fence, sitting on a half-broken stone bench, was the young archer, leaning forward and staring emptily into the blade of dried grass he was fidgeting with in his hands.


    As the merchant passed Jasper, who was quietly leaning against the house with his arms crossed and one foot pressed against the wall, the man gave him a brief nod and left towards the front door, passing on the task of watching over the recently awakened adventurer to the hesitant crab.


    With tentative steps, Balthazar approached Rye, placing himself next to his bench and looking towards the bleak, gray horizon in front of them.


    ¡°Hey,¡± said the crab in a quiet tone.


    The young man continued staring at the piece of grass wrapped around his finger, but his gaze was somewhere else far, far away.


    ¡°How¡­ are you feeling?¡± Balthazar insisted.


    Rye inhaled shakily and raised his head, now facing forward, but still not looking at the crab.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± he said in a hoarse voice. ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in at once.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s words vacillated for a moment. He usually had no trouble talking his shell off, but when it came to more sensitive or heartfelt conversations, he always felt like a fish out of water.


    ¡°What do you remember?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°Not much.¡± Rye paused, eyes fixed on a broken bell tower across the next street. ¡°Nothing at all, actually. It¡¯s hard to explain.¡±


    The crab nodded quietly.


    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­¡± the young man continued. ¡°I can see the empty spaces now. They were always there, but I just couldn¡¯t notice them, but now I see them clearly, yet they¡¯re just¡­ blank. Just a void where I know things should be, but just aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I can only imagine how it feels,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°but it must be frustrating.¡±


    The human¡¯s shoulders slumped. ¡°It is. Do you know that feeling when you know that you know something, it¡¯s on the tip of your tongue, but you just can¡¯t quite recall it?¡±


    The crab shook his shell up and down. ¡°Oh yes, I get that a lot with regular customers at the bazaar. I know their names, but just can¡¯t for the life of me remember them. Too many names, too many humans that all look the same.¡±


    ¡°Faces¡­¡± Rye murmured. ¡°You know, I can¡¯t understand how I¡¯ve gone this long without even considering it, but I had parents. Of course I did, but somehow I didn¡¯t even think about that. Now, I can almost remember them, as if I could reach them if I just stretch my fingers a little more, but I¡¯m still not quite there. Their faces are just a hazy blur I can¡¯t reach through.¡±


    The crab and the human sat under the cloudy sky for a few more moments, silent, as the bitter breeze over Condor swept dead leaves and dust around them. Balthazar finally broke the silence again.


    ¡°So what do you intend to do about it now?¡±


    Rye let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Part of me wants to lash out. Rage and fight against something, anything. Just vent my anger over what was ripped out of me, until I can get my memories back, fill the void and restore my past life.¡± He paused and let his head hang again, staring at the dirt ground below. ¡°But another part of me just wants to go back to how it was before. Blissfully ignorant to it all. When what I didn¡¯t know couldn¡¯t hurt me. And it all just hurts so much now.¡±


    The young man placed his forehead on his palm and shut his eyes like someone struggling against an agonizing migraine. Balthazar wanted to say or do something, but no right words came, and placing his massive pincer on the boy¡¯s back didn¡¯t feel like the most comforting gesture to make at that moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I had a sister,¡± the archer suddenly said, without lifting his face from his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t remember her name, her face, or even how old she was, but I have this vivid impression in my mind that there was a sibling there before, in my previous life. How could I forget that? I¡¯ve been running around this land all this time, completely unaware that there was someone out there, probably missing me, mourning me, while I pranced around playing adventurer. How messed up is that?¡±


    Balthazar let out a small sigh of his own.


    ¡°Yeah, it must be¡­ tough. I can¡¯t pretend to relate. I never had parents. Or brothers and sisters. Or any family at all, really. It was just me alone in my pond, ever since I could remember. The first time I ever felt I had anything close to a family was probably when I got Druma, and Bouldy, and Blue. In a way, Madeleine as well, and¡­ maybe even you, too. Sort of. I can¡¯t imagine losing all memory of you guys.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Rye raised his head and finally looked at the crab.


    ¡°Madeleine¡­¡± he said, with a heavy sorrow in his voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the crab said. ¡°We will find her. Ruby gave me a lead on the wizard who can help us. He can tell me how to fix Bouldy, and I bet if someone would know how to track down a dragon, it would be that old lunatic. His place is pretty far, but if we get on the road now, I¡¯m sure we¡ª¡±


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± the archer interrupted quietly. ¡°Please stop.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± said the surprised crustacean. ¡°Oh. No, you¡¯re right. This was a rough day for you. You¡¯re in no condition to get back to traveling right now. We should take the rest of the day, rest up, and then tomorrow morning, as soon as the sun is up, we can head off and¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going with you,¡± Rye declared.


    Balthazar froze, looking at the adventurer with quiet surprise.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re not?¡± he finally said, after an endless few seconds where nothing but the sound of dry leaves blowing in the wind could be heard around the dead garden where the crab and the human sat.


    ¡°No,¡± the young man said, hanging his head and hands again as he planted both elbows on his knees.


    ¡°But¡­ we need to find the dragon. To find Madeleine.¡±


    ¡°I know. Trust me, I know. But right now I¡¯m in no shape to be going out there looking for a mythological creature in some unknown part of the continent when my head is barely able to think straight.¡± He turned his distraught gaze to the crab. ¡°I¡¯m a mess, Balthazar. As much as I want to help, I can¡¯t. Not right now. I need¡­ I need time. To think, to figure things out. To figure my own self out. I¡¯m not even sure who I am anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re her hero,¡± Balthazar said quietly, a sad frown on his expression as he stared at the adventurer. ¡°Nobody else will care about a poor baker from some small town. The only one Madeleine can count on to come and save her is you.¡±


    Rye shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. She has you, too. You¡¯re out here, far away from your home, which you had never even left, looking for her, just like me. If someone can find Madeleine, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t rescue her alone,¡± said the crab.


    A faint hint of a sad smile appeared on the boy¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re never alone, Balthazar. No matter where you go, you always have friends. You can¡¯t help it.¡±


    Balthazar felt a knot in the pit of his stomach, like a painful void. It made him sad and deflated like a hunger for pastries typically would, but he knew this was different, and somehow even worse.


    ¡°But what about you?¡± he asked. ¡°What will you do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet,¡± Rye said. ¡°I¡¯m not giving up on Madeleine, but I also can¡¯t take on all of this without first getting my head in order. I need to be alone for a while, with my own thoughts, out there, in the wild. That¡¯s usually how I find peace to think. Whatever comes after that, I don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    The crab sighed. ¡°I mean¡­ I get it, but at the same time¡­¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t goodbye,¡± the archer said, standing up from the broken bench. ¡°I¡¯ll find you again. I promise. Just please give me some time to process all of this.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s expression was still dispirited, but he quietly nodded in agreement.


    He didn¡¯t like it, but he understood it.


    After going to Druma and Blue to say his goodbyes, the young archer took off on his own way, alone.


    Soon after, the crab and his two remaining companions departed as well, through a different road, ready to leave behind that dreary place called Condor.


    ***


    In a small town somewhere else on the continent of Mantell, an adventurer stepped out of a blacksmith¡¯s shop with a brand-new steel longsword strapped to his back.


    Ren flexed and stretched his arms, still adapting to the tight fit of his new armor, now a combination of boiled leather and steel pauldrons, instead of his previous handmade furs and pelts.


    After having arrived at his first human settlement, the newcomer had spent the first couple of days learning as much as he could about the place, all while asking as few questions as possible, to not raise suspicion about himself.


    Through pure observation skills and lots of eavesdropping on other people¡¯s conversations at the local tavern, the champion-class adventurer quickly puzzled together that there were many more like him around the land. Other adventurers, heroes from some unknown land that took on quests and were well regarded by most, and that, as far as Ren understood, nobody really knew the true origins of.


    They apparently were much more common in large cities, and seldom seen at small settlements like the tiny lumbering town he currently found himself at, unless some quest led them there. That served the clever young man just fine, for he did not want to risk being exposed as an outsider himself. At least not until he felt ready enough for it. Ren was always one to keep his cards close to his chest, something that came from his many wins at poker tournaments.


    While there, the new arrival also quickly figured out the most efficient way to earn some quick coin. Using the alchemy skills he picked up during his first days in the forest, he took to crafting some extremely basic concoctions that, while trivial to brew, revealed immensely popular at the local inn for their hangover curing properties. This earned him a nice chunk of money, which he used to buy some gear upgrades.


    ¡°This should do nicely, for now,¡± Ren said to himself, while admiring the sharp blade of his new weapon under the sun¡¯s light.


    Having taken more than a few sparring lessons during his university years, the prodigal young man felt more than comfortable picking a longsword as his weapon of choice until something better came along.


    But he knew those were all steps on a long climb to real power.


    Power he would need in order to find and confront his target: Balthazar.


    Ren still knew very little about this mysterious merchant who seemed to be responsible for his arrival in that world, other than whoever he was, he was likely a dangerous figure, which he would need to approach carefully.


    Now that he had studied the place enough and was feeling ready to move on from the small town, the adventurer decided it was the right time to ask some questions without fear of having to make a quick escape.


    Sitting at the counter of the local tavern, the champion ordered a drink before leaning closer to the tavern keeper and asking, ¡°Say, I¡¯m looking to buy something, and I heard there¡¯s a merchant called Balthazar that might have what I¡¯m looking for. You wouldn¡¯t happen to have seen someone by that name pass through here, would you?¡±


    The bald man behind the counter cocked an eyebrow at the question.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I have, sorry,¡± he responded, before going back to rubbing the inside of a tankard with his rag.


    The adventurer nodded to himself. There wasn¡¯t much else to go on with, he would have to just keep asking until something came up.


    If only he at least knew more about the merchant¡­


    Suddenly, Ren felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he found a small young boy staring wide-eyed at him, face full of freckles and a head of bright ginger hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t help but to overhear your question,¡± said the excited boy. ¡°Are you looking for Balthazar too?!¡±

 Chapter 134: Burdens

    Ren looked down at the boy with a cocked eyebrow. Something about that strange character made him feel uncomfortable.


    ¡°And who are you?¡± asked the adventurer.


    ¡°Hi! My name¡¯s Taffy!¡± the freckled young man excitedly declared. ¡°I am Mr. Balthazar¡¯s number one fan!¡±


    The champion turned on his stool to face the peculiar figure.


    ¡°His¡­ fan?¡± Ren repeated, incredulous.


    He wondered what kind of merchant had fans. Unless, of course, being a merchant was just a sham, a disguise meant to conceal what he truly was. That would make perfect sense for such a sinister and powerful figure who seems to puppeteer the lives of others in that world.


    Indeed, the more Ren learned about this Balthazar, the more clear it became how cunning and dangerous he was.


    ¡°Why are you a fan of a merchant?¡± the adventurer inquired.


    ¡°Oh! Because Mr. Balthazar is amazing! And so much more than just a merchant!¡± said Taffy.


    ¡°Bingo¡­¡± the champion muttered under his breath.


    ¡°And you¡¯re an adventurer, aren¡¯t you?¡± the inquisitive boy asked, pushing his smiling face closer.


    Ren pulled his own head back and frowned at him. ¡°What makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just know. I¡¯ve seen many of you back in my hometown. You all just have this¡­ air to you that oozes coolness!¡±


    The adventurer¡¯s eyebrows flicked. ¡°Back in your hometown? You¡¯re not from here?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, no,¡± said Taffy. ¡°I¡¯m from a town several days away from here. I¡¯m actually searching for Mr. Balthazar myself. My mom didn¡¯t approve of it, but I told her ¡®mom, I¡¯m an adult now, and I¡¯ll do as I choose!¡¯ And so I grabbed my bag and got on the road.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re searching for this merchant as well? What for?¡±


    ¡°To serve him, of course!¡± the strangely excited boy declared.


    Ren did his best to maintain his poker face, but the odd fellow was weirding him out more and more with every word.


    ¡°I want nothing more than to serve him in any way I can,¡± Taffy continued. ¡°Just accompanying him on his journey would be a privilege. I don¡¯t care if I have to fetch water for him or even carry his junk.¡±


    ¡°Why would you want to carry his¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh, the amazing things I would see!¡± exclaimed the carrot-head boy, causing some of the other people in the tavern to turn their gazes to them. ¡°The tales of Mr. Balthazar¡¯s exploits are legendary¡ªas I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard too¡ªand I want to come along, to witness such awesomeness from the front row!¡±


    The champion tried to interject. ¡°What do¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your favorite feat from Mr. Balthazar?¡± the electrified fan asked, eyes wide. ¡°The time he vaporized the dark mage who invaded his home is good, but I still think my favorite has to be the time he single-handedly defeated the red dragon that took out over a hundred adventurers with a flap of its wings. That was just epic!¡±


    Ren¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as the boy continued spewing words at dizzying speeds.


    ¡°Do you think if I spend long enough around him, I¡¯ll become at least a tiny bit as awesome as Mr. Balthazar?!¡±


    The loud commotion was starting to turn too many heads from other patrons, and the adventurer grew worried. He had worked hard to get by without attracting too much attention to himself, and this loud ginger lunatic was putting all of that at risk.


    ¡°Anyway, sorry, I went off on my own here and forgot about you,¡± said Taffy, staring wide-eyed at the champion. ¡°You¡¯re looking for Mr. Balthazar too, right? I¡¯ve been searching for weeks with no luck. Oh! Maybe we could team up! Me and you! Taffy and a real adventurer, questing for the great Balthazar. I love it! Let¡¯s do it! What¡¯s your name? Oh, goodness, I cannot wait for us to find him, so I can regale him with the tale of how we met!¡±


    Some of the people around them started standing up from their chairs and walking closer to the counter, attracted by the racket, and Ren perceived that he needed to slip out before too much attention fell on him.


    ¡°Oi, what¡¯s going on here?¡± a bulky lumber mill worker asked the boy from a nearby stool.


    ¡°Did you say you¡¯re looking for someone, kid?¡± another villager said, approaching them with a tankard in hand.


    While Taffy turned to look at the incoming townsfolk, the champion slipped down from his stool, and using his excellent skills picked up from his high school track practice years, quickly sneaked his way towards a backdoor.


    ¡°Oh, hello!¡± the freckled boy said to the people gathering around him. ¡°Are you guys Mr. Balthazar¡¯s fans too? You should totally join us, we were just¡­ Hey, where did he go? Mr. adventurer?! Where did you go? You never told me your name!¡±


    Ren closed the tavern door behind him with a quiet click and hurriedly started heading down the street, looking over his shoulder every few steps as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead under the midday sun.


    ¡°What the hell kind of person attracts that type of lunatic?!¡± he muttered to himself.


    Arriving at the edge of the village, the adventurer decided it was high time to leave that settlement and look for a new destination. There was no telling what dangers he would find himself in if he were to stay there, with such a fervent fanatic who seemed to worship the very merchant Ren sought to confront.


    Indeed, the more he learned about Balthazar, the more clear it became that this was no mere two-bit bad guy, but a full-fledged villain who commanded great power and a loyal following of cultists.


    Someone who was able to bring souls from other worlds into his own, someone who ruined the lives of others, someone who attracted fervent worshipers, and even worse, someone who apparently could stand one-on-one against dragons.


    As Ren headed down the road away from the village, it became ever more clear that he would need a lot more than just nicer armor and a new longsword to face this ¡°merchant¡± fiend.


    He would need real power. A lot more of it.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ***


    Balthazar and his two companions had been on the road for days, heading east, and while the crab had been relieved to step away from the gloomy lands of Condor and back to the more lively vistas that Heartha had to offer, the feeling was short-lived.


    ¡°Stupid thing,¡± he grumbled, while struggling with the large piece of parchment in his pincers. ¡°What good is a magical map that marks where my destination is, but doesn¡¯t show the route there?!¡±


    After weeks without crossing any settlements or signs of civilization, only the occasional adventurer or wild animal on the road, Balthazar began wondering if he hadn¡¯t somehow gotten lost and been going in circles around the same wilderness.


    Thankfully, he was accompanied by someone who could fly.


    Blue was gliding high above the crab and the goblin, scouting the path ahead for any relevant landmarks, or dangers. It was thanks to her keen eyes that the group had so far avoided most encounters with bandits, scoundrels, or worse, traveling tax inspectors.


    The downside of remaining antisocial on the road was that now the merchant found himself unable to resort to his usual method of finding people: asking an adventurer.


    Balthazar sighed quietly as he walked up the road, with Druma following close behind, picking pine cones as he went.


    He recalled the day he first met Rye, over by the road next to his pond, when he convinced the young man to go into Ardville and find the ¡°maker of pies¡± for him.


    Why do I miss the kid? I used to go weeks without seeing him before, and now I keep wondering where he is?!


    It couldn¡¯t be helped. The crab kept worrying about the archer, whether he was alright after the dehazing tea, or if he was still struggling.


    Things certainly were so much simpler when all he cared about were pastries and coins. At least the shiny metal does not feel sorrow.


    Alright, focus, Balthazar! There¡¯s nothing you can do about that, but you can do something about Bouldy. I gotta find that wizard.


    As he moved through yet another dirt road between some woods full of more naked trees and yellow leaves covering the ground, the merchant spotted someone coming down the road towards them.


    Good, an adventurer. I can finally ask for directions.


    As the crab came closer, he noticed the young man was carrying a huge backpack, stuffed to the point of bursting, while walking with difficulty and extremely slowly.


    This guy better not step on me like I¡¯m a stone, or I¡¯m gonna have to give him the pinch too.


    ¡°Hey there, pal,¡± Balthazar greeted as the two travelers crossed. ¡°I was wondering if¡ª¡±


    ¡°What are you?¡± the adventurer asked bluntly without turning his gaze to the crab or even stopping his march. Not that it was very noticeable, given how his feet barely inched forward with each painfully slow step.


    What does this guy mean by ¡®what¡¯ am I?!


    ¡°I¡¯m Balthazar, a crab and a merchant, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± the snail man interrupted again, ¡°you¡¯re a merchant. I got stuff to sell.¡±


    ¡°I am, but I wasn¡¯t really looking¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come on, man, hurry up, I¡¯m suffering over here! Let¡¯s get to trading.¡±


    Argh! Typical rude adventurers. But I have been falling behind on my trading quotas¡­


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do business,¡± the merchant declared. ¡°Are you looking to buy or sell?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?!¡± exclaimed the burdened traveler. ¡°Sell! Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    He dropped the pack from his shoulders and onto the ground with difficulty and began rummaging through it.


    ¡°Alright, you can take this, this¡­ also this¡­ this as well¡­¡±


    With no care or ceremony, the adventurer began tossing items from his bag onto the dirt path in front of the crab.


    A straw pillow.


    Two wooden bowls.


    A cracked ladle.


    Half a dozen horseshoes.


    A hammer with the head and the handle missing.


    Even a couple of calipers.


    The items kept on piling up, and the merchant just watched, dumbfounded.


    Why do they pick all of these things up?! I will never understand it.


    ¡°There, that should do it,¡± the seller said. ¡°How much for those things?¡±


    ¡°This is all trash! What value do you expect these things to have?!¡±


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t play hard with me, merchant,¡± said the adventurer. ¡°Give me a number. Here, maybe you need some more stuff¡­¡±


    Reaching into his backpack, the young man produced a large bucket and placed it upside down on the pile of other junk items already on the ground.


    ¡°No, I really don¡¯t need¡­¡±


    Shoving both arms into the opening of the bag, the adventurer huffed and puffed as he forcibly pulled a wooden chair out of it.


    ¡°How the hell are you even carrying that?!¡± exclaimed the baffled crab. ¡°Actually, never mind that. What even made you decide to pick that up at all?!¡±


    ¡°So, what about now?¡± said the traveler, leaning on the chair and wiping the sweat from his forehead. ¡°Maybe ten gold for it all?¡±


    ¡°Why¡­¡± The merchant stopped himself and took a deep breath.


    Just do it for the experience, Balthazar. Focus on that experience.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you five gold for this and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± the seller said abruptly, while pulling the straps of his pack back onto his shoulders.


    Still shaking his shell at the whole ordeal, but deciding to just be done with the transaction, Balthazar paid the young man his five crowns while choosing to focus on the small progress it would bring him towards another level.


    After having reequipped his backpack, the traveler prepared to resume his march, but the next step he took was once again as slow as a turtle¡¯s.


    Scoffing in annoyance, the human reached back into the bag with one hand and rummaged through it as he grumbled to himself, while the merchant watched on, still befuddled by his odd behavior.


    ¡°There, you can have that one for free, I gotta hurry,¡± he told the crab while dropping one more item onto the pile: a single quill pen.


    And then the adventurer simply took off, jogging and skipping down the road with great ease.


    The crab stared at the human disappearing into the distance with his mouth half open. These adventurers will never make sense to me.


    After shaking his shell disapprovingly, Balthazar turned to his brand-new pile of junk and scratched the side of his face.


    ¡°How am I gonna carry all this crap?¡± he asked, looking at his goblin assistant with a puzzled expression.


    Druma simply shrugged.


    ¡°Why would I even want to carry all this crap?¡± the crab added.


    Crossing his arms, the merchant turned an eyestalk down the road, and the other up the path.


    ¡°Hey, psst, Druma,¡± he whispered to the goblin, despite there not being another soul anywhere near them. ¡°Help me put these under that pile of leaves over there.¡±


    After the two travelers finished concealing the worthless items under some brown and orange leaves by the side of the road, the crab brushed his claws as he returned to the path. He wasn¡¯t proud of his solution, but unfortunately the roads through the wilderness of Mantell did not yet have convenient garbage dumpsters available at every corner, and there was just no way Balthazar saw himself arriving at a dragon¡¯s lair with a wooden chair tied to his shell. Despite how much that might add in terms of intimidation.


    I wouldn¡¯t want to mess with someone carrying an upside down chair on their back if they barged into my home, but still¡­


    As they returned to their march up the road¡ªand after the crab quickly went back to grab the two calipers just in case they¡¯d ever come in handy¡ªBlue appeared above the crab and goblin, flapping her wings as she hovered in place and let out a couple of screeches at them.


    ¡°What is it, girl? Little Timmy fell down the well again?¡± Balthazar said, holding a claw above his eyestalks to protect against the sunlight as he stared up at the drake. ¡°Or did you just spot something up ahead on the road?¡±


    The winged creature screeched again.


    ¡°Yeah, the second one. That¡¯s what I figured.¡±


    Moving his gaze down to the road, the crab spotted something up ahead. As they approached, he realized it was a human figure, standing by the side of the path, organizing things in the back of a hand pulled cart.


    There did not seem to be any danger to him, so Balthazar kept walking towards the traveler, who wore loose overalls, muddy hiking boots, and a tricorn on his head.


    Hmm, strange. Why does that hat seem familiar?

 Chapter 135: The Peddler

    ¡°Good day,¡± said Balthazar, standing behind the man as he rummaged through the contents of his cart.


    The traveler began turning. ¡°Howdy there! What can I help you with¡­ today¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as he scanned his surroundings with a confused frown, until his eyes lowered to the crab¡¯s level, and he jumped in place, startled.


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± the man exclaimed.


    ¡°Last I checked¡­ yes, I am me,¡± Balthazar replied.


    ¡°Hot damn! I knew I¡¯d find you again some day!¡± the stranger said, smiling from ear to ear. ¡°The famous merchant crab!¡±


    Please don¡¯t be another crazy fan. I swear, if this guy starts undoing his overalls and asking me to sign something, I¡¯m going to start running and telling Blue to smoke him.


    ¡°Have we met before?¡± the merchant tentatively asked.


    ¡°We sure did!¡± the other said. ¡°I was too out of sorts back then to realize who you were until later, but we met at a crossroads weeks ago. You were looking for directions to a dragon, I believe? You had a young man with you, blond, with a bow and arrow? Where is he anyway? Sold him already, I bet!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Rye. No, we just¡­ took different paths for the time being, that¡¯s all,¡± the crab said, his eyes dropping to the ground for a moment before suddenly jumping back up in realization. ¡°Hey, wait, you¡¯re that guy that told us about the village being burned to the ground by a dragon!¡±


    ¡°Ah, ha ha, that¡¯s it!¡±


    ¡°Which turned out to be a lie, because there was no dragon attack at all,¡± Balthazar said.


    The man¡¯s smile dropped from his face like a rock thrown into a pond.


    ¡°Instead, the fires started because some scammer drove through town claiming to be selling ¡®smokeless¡¯ torches that were actually just regular, very flammable torches,¡± the crustacean added.


    The traveler¡¯s face was turning white as chalk and he gulped audibly. ¡°That sounds awful. Who would do such a thing?¡±


    Balthazar crossed his arms. ¡°According to the villagers, some guy wearing a funny triangular hat and pulling a cart.¡±


    The incredibly innocent-looking man threw a glance back at his cart and then quickly pulled the tricorn down from his head and held it against his chest, revealing a balding dome atop his head.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have been me,¡± he said, hunching down meekly and speaking in a subdued tone. ¡°I am but a humble trader. A supplier of fine goods. An honest merchant, just like you! Triangles are just a very popular hat shape these days, I suppose.¡±


    The crab threw a disdainful glare at the human. ¡°So you¡¯re a merchant too?¡±


    ¡°You betcha! Allow me to introduce myself,¡± the other merchant said, returning to his booming and well-placed tone of voice.


    In the blink of an eye, the wide smile returned to the traveler¡¯s face as he put his hat back on and stood with his back straight.


    ¡°I am Mr. LaTan,¡± he said with great flair and a peculiar accent. ¡°But you can call me by my first name, Charles, since we are among colleagues here. I am what I¡¯d call a merchant¡¯s merchant. A supplier of supplies.¡±


    ¡°An annoying annoyance?¡± Balthazar grumbled.


    ¡°I provide the finest traders on the land with a stock of vast and unique treasures!¡± Charles continued, either ignoring or not having noticed the crab¡¯s comment under his own loud presentation. ¡°If you ever came across a precious relic or outstanding item among the wares of a famous merchant, chances are it has passed through my caring hands before.¡±


    ¡°Funny,¡± the crustacean merchant said, ¡°because I never heard of you.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± LaTan said, wagging a finger in front of the crab before grabbing the straps of his overalls with his thumbs. ¡°But I have heard much about you, which is why I¡¯ve been seeking you out, to introduce myself, so that we may begin a prosperous business partnership.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but no thanks,¡± Balthazar said, turning right to keep moving up the road. ¡°I already have enough business partners.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± exclaimed the man. ¡°None like me, I assure you! My kind of business partnership would be as a supplier of unique wares to enrich your stock.¡±


    The crab stopped and let out a long sigh. ¡°Look, pal, I already get enough junk from adventurers as is. I don¡¯t need some fancy talker pawning off his trash on me.¡±


    ¡°Your words wound me, good sir!¡± the trader exclaimed with exaggerated outrage. ¡°I am not a supplier of trash. My wares are all of exquisite quality and immensely useful.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± said Balthazar, waving a dismissive claw. ¡°If I ever need to burn a village to the ground, I¡¯ll come seek you out, alright?¡±


    The traveler grabbed the crab¡¯s arm as he walked away, pleading, ¡°Please, won¡¯t you at least give me a chance? A wise merchant should not just walk away from a potential business opportunity without at least checking it.¡±


    Balthazar scowled at the man.


    Bah, I¡¯m in a hurry, but he¡¯s hitting me right in the merchant instincts. After weeks on the road, I do miss me a little trading and bartering¡­


    ¡°Fine,¡± the crustacean said with a scoff. ¡°I¡¯ll give you five minutes, and you¡¯d better not try to scam me. I¡¯ll know.¡±


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Charles clapped his hands together as he rushed back to the cart with a beaming face. ¡°Great! I won¡¯t regret this!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean I won¡¯t regret this?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said!¡± Mr. LaTan replied, while rummaging through the contents of his cart. ¡°I do believe I have a Tome of Levitation around here somewhere that might interest you¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± yelled the crab. ¡°Absolutely no Tomes of Levitation!¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright, alright. The client is always right. A flying crab would no doubt be very silly anyway.¡±


    He continued digging through his wares, mumbling to himself, while Balthazar started impatiently tapping a couple of his feet on the ground.


    The crab crossed his arms while looking up at the sky, watching the blue and golden spot circling above them, keeping an eye on things.


    ¡°Come on, time¡¯s ticking, Charles,¡± said Balthazar, throwing an eye roll at his goblin assistant, who responded with a sympathetic shrug.


    ¡°I know I¡¯ve got it around here somewhere,¡± the man said, now nearly toppled over the back of his cart. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯d like to browse through my selection of elixirs while I keep looking?¡±


    He peeked back at the crab with an extended arm, holding a small bottle in his hand.


    ¡°Let me see that,¡± Balthazar said as he skittered closer and took the flask. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s one of my finest products,¡± said LaTan. ¡°They are my very exclusive Potions of Hydration.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Top selling product right there,¡± the man continued. ¡°Everybody wants them! You drink one of these, and it completely cures your thirst debuff.¡±


    The crab held the corked glass bottle up between his pincers, examining its contents closely. It was full of a clear and thin liquid that sloshed around as he shook the vial.


    ¡°This is water!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡­ it¡¯s¡­¡± Charles stammered. ¡°That¡¯s just a very simplistic way to put it!¡±


    ¡°I live in a pond, I know damn well when I¡¯m looking at water,¡± the irked merchant said.


    ¡°It still does as advertised, though!¡±


    Balthazar tossed the glass container back at the man while shaking his shell. ¡°I knew this was going to be a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± exclaimed the other traveler. ¡°I swear this will be worth your time, just wait!¡±


    He shoved a hand between some baskets and retrieved a smooth brown satin bag, tied shut with a thin golden rope.


    ¡°One of my most precious wares. I would only share it with a client of the highest order.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± said the unimpressed crustacean. ¡°Your midafternoon snack?¡±


    ¡°No, it is something of incredible value,¡± said Charles, trying to sound mysterious. ¡°This bag contains an Invisibility Cloak.¡±


    Balthazar scoffed. ¡°Yeah, right.¡±


    ¡°I am serious!¡± said the peddler.


    ¡°A Cloak of Invisibility? Right there in that bag? Carried by someone like you, in your cart over there?¡±


    The man paused and blinked before nodding. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°May I see it?¡± said the crab.


    Charles looked down at the satin bag he was holding his hands. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Figures!¡± Balthazar said, throwing his arms up. ¡°Another scam.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, it¡¯s an invisible cloak,¡± said the seller. ¡°How could you see it?¡±


    ¡°And you expect me, or anyone else, to just buy something without inspecting it first? For all I know, the only thing you got in that bag is your dirty laundry!¡±


    ¡°I swear, it¡¯s a genuine Invisibility Cloak. Look!¡± the man said, quickly undoing the knot keeping the bag closed.


    Spreading the opening of the sack, Charles placed it on the ground, displaying its inside. There was a clear volume of folded cloth filling it, but all Balthazar could see within was the brown satin of the bag¡¯s interior.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± the crab conceded, cocking an eyestalk at the container.


    ¡°Told you it was genuine,¡± said the now smug seller. ¡°As they say, not seeing is believing. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re much more interested now, and I¡¯m happy to tell you that this wonder can be yours for the low, low price of just 500 crowns!¡±


    ¡°Put it on,¡± said the shrewd businesscrab.


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Charles said.


    ¡°Put the cloak around yourself,¡± Balthazar insisted.


    The peddler¡¯s eyes jumped from the crab to the bag, and then to the crab again.


    ¡°I-I mustn¡¯t!¡± he awkwardly said. ¡°I cannot in good conscience wear an article like this and then sell it to you. It would become a used item, greatly devaluing it!¡±


    Balthazar crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m telling you to put the cloak around yourself, not asking you to wear it like a banana hammock.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± the stubborn crustacean persisted. ¡°If your wares are really all that, put your money where your mouth is and show off your amazing article.¡±


    Mr. LaTan let out a deflated sigh and slowly picked up the piece of transparent cloth from the bag, spreading his arms as he wrapped it around himself.


    ¡°Aha!¡± exclaimed the crab. ¡°I knew it! I can still see you right through it. That¡¯s not an Invisibility Cloak, you idiot, it¡¯s an Invisible Cloak!¡±


    ¡°A minor misunderstanding!¡± said the fraudster. ¡°I never claimed the cloak would make its wearer invisible!¡±


    ¡°Please, you¡¯re going to have to try a lot harder than that to deceive me.¡±


    The human dropped the cloak back into the bag. ¡°But you cannot deny that it is a very unique item! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve never seen any like it!¡±


    ¡°And I still haven¡¯t,¡± Balthazar said casually. ¡°The point is, what use would that be for me or anyone I tried to sell it to? I¡¯m not paying 500 gold for that.¡±


    Charles¡¯s shoulders slumped in defeat as he picked up the bag. ¡°Not even if we negotiate it down to 490?¡±


    The crab rolled his eyestalks, and something up the road caught his attention.


    A figure was coming down their way. The gear he wore and the way he carried himself made it clear to Balthazar that the man was an adventurer.


    The things I do to make a trade¡­


    ¡°Look, I¡¯ll make you a deal,¡± he said, turning back to the other merchant. ¡°Hand over that bottle you just showed me before. I¡¯ll show you how you properly sell to adventurers. If I make the deal, you can keep the profit, the lesson, and I get the stupid cloak. If I can¡¯t make that guy over there buy your ¡®Potion of Hydration¡¯, I¡¯ll be the one buying it off you, along with the cloak. Sounds good?¡±


    Charles looked at the bag, then at the bottle of water sitting on the edge of his car, and finally back at the crab. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Balthazar looked at the man with an intense frown. ¡°Look, we both know you¡¯re never going to get 500 gold out of that useless thing, and what I¡¯m offering you is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the best. You said so yourself, you¡¯ve heard about me, so you know how good I must be. This is your chance to witness it first-hand. Take it, or don¡¯t, and I just go on my merry way.¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°Fine!¡± the peddler said, tossing the potion bottle back at the crab. ¡°I never managed to sell a single one of these, so I¡¯d like to see how you¡¯ll pull that off.¡±


    Balthazar turned to the road, where the adventurer was about to cross paths with them.


    Flexing his shell, he said, ¡°Watch how a real merchant does it.¡±

 Chapter 136: Peddling Water

    ¡°Greetings, brave adventurer!¡± said the merchant crab, with a cheerful voice and his shell held high. ¡°It sure is a fine day to travel, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    The young man stopped dead in his tracks, appearing surprised by the approach and looking around for a moment.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hi?¡± he said sheepishly, before shrugging. ¡°I guess? It¡¯s a day like any other to me.¡±


    ¡°Come now, don¡¯t say that,¡± Balthazar exclaimed, moving to the side of the passing traveler and waving a claw towards the sky. ¡°Look at that. Not a cloud in sight all day. Perfect weather for a hike. Shining sun and everything! Maybe that¡¯s the only downside, hah! Makes a traveler sweat like a pig.¡± He gave the adventurer a playful wink and added, ¡°A handsome pig, in your case, of course.¡±


    The young man looked at the crab with a mix of confusion, befuddlement, and pure awkward discomfort.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think crabs could sweat?¡± Mr. LaTan whispered from his front row spot to the show near the cart, despite the fact that the adventurer could hear him just as much as the crab.


    ¡°Shut up, Charles,¡± Balthazar said between grinding teeth, before turning back to the passerby with a smile. ¡°So, how long have you been out here walking today, young man?¡±


    ¡°Since the early morning hours,¡± the traveler answered. ¡°Stopped for a quick lunch and then kept going.¡±


    ¡°Goodness!¡± the crab exclaimed with exaggerated flair. ¡°That¡¯s a lot of hours on your feet, walking, under this scorching hot sun.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the middle of autumn¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you been keeping yourself well hydrated?¡± the merchant carried on. ¡°We cannot have fine adventurers like yourself falling to the wayside on their journeys because they were so busy worrying about saving our fair villages and slaying dangerous beasts that they simply forgot their most basic needs!¡±


    The look of utter confusion and bewilderment on the young man¡¯s face kept on growing the more he watched the strange crustacean waxing eloquent concern.


    ¡°I¡­ uh¡­ yes, I think so. I have my waterskin right here,¡± the traveler said, showing the brown water bladder hanging from the side of his backpack. ¡°Running low, but I¡¯ll be sure to refill it on the next river or creek I pass.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks curved into a deep frown.


    ¡°No, no, that won¡¯t do! I meant real hydration! Common water like that is for the common folk. Aspiring adventurers like yourself need something more. Something better than water.¡±


    The boy scratched the side of his head, clearly trying to keep up with whatever the talking invertebrate had going on. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I follow. And who are you anyway?¡±


    ¡°Ah, my name is Balthazar, and I am a merchant,¡± the titular crab said with a slight bow.


    The peddler behind him took a bow as well. ¡°And I¡¯m Charles La¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shush, this isn¡¯t about you, Charles,¡± the real merchant quickly said, shaking a claw at him dismissively.


    ¡°Oooh, I think I get it,¡± said the adventurer. ¡°You¡¯re trying to sell me something.¡±


    ¡°A sharp one, I see. Quick on the uptake! I like that,¡± Balthazar said with a pump of his pincer. ¡°But not just ¡®something¡¯, my young globe-trotter. I have to offer you something you won¡¯t find anywhere else. Something unique and exclusive. Something you need.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± the boy said, raising both eyebrows.


    The crab turned around to give Charles a smirk and a wink, before spinning back to the adventurer with flair, and a shiny glass bottle held in his pincer.


    ¡°This!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°A precious brew. A concoction from a far away land. A secret recipe passed down through the ages. Nearly thought to be a myth. A forgotten nectar. It is¡­ a Potion of Hydration.¡±


    The young man leaned forward, his upper lip pushing up and scrunching his nose as he squinted at the transparent vial.


    ¡°That just looks like water!¡± he said.


    ¡°Not at all!¡± exclaimed Balthazar. ¡°This is far more than just water. This is beyond water. This is the next step above that common liquid.¡±


    The adventurer scoffed. ¡°I can already get water from any old river, lake, or creek I find on my path. Why would I waste money buying that from you?¡±


    ¡°Because the water you can get from some puddle on the side of the road is improper for consumption by someone who seeks to level up like yourself!¡± explained the crab. ¡°This potion right here, on the other pincer, you will find provides the aforementioned hydration, is clean and devoid of any nasty and incapacitating diseases, not to mention it contains what any hardworking voyager such as yourself craves for a day of adventuring: electrolytes.¡±


    Charles, who was now holding a small notebook and quill, leaned closer to the crab and whispered, ¡°What in tarnation is an electrolyte?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Balthazar whispered back.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± mused the young man, rubbing his chin as he admired the crystalline bottle. ¡°What makes your water so special?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Why, the fact that it comes directly from my pond, of course!¡± the merchant exclaimed. ¡°Boulders Point, the most beautiful pond you will ever encounter anywhere on Heartha.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± the crab said dismissively. ¡°Got to keep such a place a secret, only to be shared with worthy people, you know, like adventurers such as yourself.¡±


    Balthazar plucked the cork from the bottle with his pincers.


    ¡°Hmmm, ahhh! Just smell that,¡± he said after a big sniff. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m back home, blissfully drifting around in those pure, crystal clear waters.¡±


    Charles leaned over again. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea to say you¡¯re selling them your bath water?¡±


    ¡°Can it, LaTan,¡± the crab grumbled back, while the young man took a tentative sniff at the open bottle. ¡°I know how to work these adventurers.¡±


    ¡°It does look pretty clear,¡± the human holding the vial said.


    ¡°Like I told you,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°after you¡¯ve tried one of these Potions of Hydration, you will never be satisfied with simple ¡®water¡¯ anymore. Why don¡¯t you give it a try and find out for yourself?¡±


    ¡°Fine. How much for one?¡±


    ¡°Just four coi¡ª¡± Charles started.


    ¡°Ten crowns, please,¡± the merchant crab quickly said, stepping in front of the peddler.


    The adventurer raised an eyebrow while reaching into his pocket. ¡°A bit expensive for a drink, but you¡¯re lucky I scored a pretty good haul in yesterday¡¯s dungeon, so I¡¯m in a good mood.¡±


    He tossed the payment with one hand, while tipping the bottle into his mouth with the other.


    Charles looked on with bated breath, while the crab moved next to the buyer with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Can you feel it?¡± said the crustacean. ¡°The refreshing breeze flowing through your body? The smoothness caressing your tongue as it descends into your throat? The minty fresh aftertaste? If you close your eyes, it¡¯s almost like sitting by the edge of the pond, enjoying a calm spring morning.¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    The adventurer opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times, as if rebounding from a brief daydream.


    ¡°Woah, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s almost like I was there,¡± he said. ¡°And I don¡¯t even know where there even is!¡±


    ¡°Hah, told you,¡± the smug crab said, moving back to the cart. ¡°And I bet you¡¯re not thirsty anymore, are you?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all!¡± said the suddenly ecstatic young man. ¡°These Potions of Hydration are amazing! And was that a sparkly feeling I noticed there?!¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. It was whatever you want to call it,¡± Balthazar said with a nod.


    The peddler next to him scratched his forehead and frowned. ¡°What does he mean, sparkly?¡±


    ¡°Just roll with it, Charles,¡± the merchant told him. ¡°Just smile and wave. The client is always right, so long as he¡¯s paying.¡±


    ¡°I must have more of these!¡± the adventurer exclaimed, hurriedly pulling a coin purse from his belt.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± the crab said. ¡°Charles over here will take care of that for you, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡± the confused supplier said, lifting his gaze from his quill and notebook. ¡°Oh, right, of course! I got a whole crate of water bott¡ªI mean, Potions of Hydration right here in the cart.¡±


    After they concluded the transaction and the grinning adventurer moved on, now carrying a dozen bottle of common river water with him, Mr. LaTan turned back to Balthazar.


    ¡°I have to give it to you, that was impressive, how you managed to sell not just one, but a whole pallet of just water bottles to him, and at 10 crowns a piece!¡±


    ¡°Bottles of premium water, I think you mean,¡± said the confident crab. ¡°Now, about our deal¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, of course,¡± Charles said, grabbing the satin bag with the Invisible Cloak and offering it to Balthazar. ¡°Here you go. It was well worth it for the inspiration. The tales really do not do you justice. A true master of the craft. And to think I was considering myself clever for selling a dining room chair to a traveling adventurer earlier. Hah! Amateur work next to you.¡±


    ¡°Heh, right¡­¡± the crustacean said awkwardly. ¡°Who would ever buy one of those on the road. Anyway, I must be going now. Say, you wouldn¡¯t happen to know where the nearest town is, would you? Preferably one that isn¡¯t currently burning down?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, right, the nearest town¡­¡± the man said, thinking. ¡°I believe the closest one would be to the northeast. If you keep heading up this road, you should find a sign pointing the way soon.¡±


    ¡°Great. Appreciate it. Good luck selling your¡­¡± Balthazar glanced at the peddler¡¯s cart full of junk. ¡°¡­goods.¡±


    ¡°Mark my words, merchant crab,¡± LaTan said, puffing out his chest and putting on a proud expression. ¡°Next time we see each other, I will present you with treasures beyond your wildest dreams. I will become a worthy supplier of your bazaar!¡±


    The crab smiled and waved at the peddler.


    I sure hope not. What a charlatan¡­


    After another hour or so of walking, and with sunlight slowly fading as dusk approached, Balthazar and his party arrived at an area where the woods surrounding the road grew denser, letting even less light through.


    Since they¡¯d no longer be able to see each other, the merchant called his drake down from the sky so she¡¯d accompany him and the goblin on foot instead.


    ¡°We should find a place to make camp soon, Druma,¡± the crab said.


    As they continued further into the darkening forest, Balthazar spotted something past a few trees and bushes that made him pause.


    There, just around a thick tree trunk, he could see a pale aura glowing.


    Ever the curious one in matters involving things that shine, the crab approached slowly to investigate.


    As he rounded the corner, a translucent ethereal form turned to him, looking surprised by the sudden appearance of the crab,


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± they both screamed.


    After jumping back, Balthazar stopped and frowned. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re just a ghost.¡±


    The pale see-through figure of a man ceased his screaming as well. ¡°And you¡¯re a¡­ crab?!¡±


    The merchant let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew! For a moment I thought you were something scary.¡±


    Hovering in place, the spirit looked at him with a confused expression. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t think a ghost is scary?¡±


    Balthazar scoffed. ¡°Pfft, of course not. Why would I? You¡¯re just a harmless non-corporeal remnant of a soul drifting around.¡± He waved a claw through the ghost¡¯s torso, moving it around unimpeded. ¡°You¡¯re not even solid. Why would I be scared of that?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do that, it feels very strange,¡± the ghostly gentleman said. ¡°But your attitude is quite refreshing. Most adventurers that cross paths with my current form tend to either run away screaming, or attempt to put their swords through me. You¡¯d think they would grasp the concept of what a ghost is after the first stab attempt or two, but no¡­ they really do like to insist on doing it again and again.¡±


    Balthazar chuckled. ¡°Hah, sounds about right. Good thing I¡¯m not an adventurer, then!¡±


    The floating specter eyed the crab for a moment, pondering.


    ¡°Hmm, in that case, perhaps you¡¯d be the right one to help me with something.¡±


    The crab raised an eyestalk at the apparition. ¡°Maybe. What do you need help with?¡±


    The ghost leaned forward. ¡°I need you to kill someone for me.¡±

 Chapter 137: A Ghastly Proposal

    ¡°Excuse me?!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°You want me to kill someone for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, when I say ¡®kill¡¯ I simply mean kill again,¡± said the ghost floating in front of the crab.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Also, the someone I wish you to kill again is me. In a way.¡±


    ¡°I am so confused right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Allow me to explain,¡± the ethereal spirit said. ¡°My name is Sir Edmund Auclair Allard, and I was once an advisor of the court. Sadly, I perished some time ago in a place not too far from here.¡±


    His levitating form was a pale white with faint hints of a light blue hue whenever he moved. Despite being incorporeal and very much dead, the ghost was wearing what clearly used to be exquisite travel robes. As for the shoes, Balthazar could not tell, as his translucent form faded away below the knees, into a trickle of spectral mist.


    ¡°My¡­ condolences?¡± said the merchant. ¡°Is that even the right thing to say in this situation?¡±


    ¡°Thank you. They are appreciated nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m Balthazar,¡± the crab said. ¡°And those two shy ones back there are Druma and Blue.¡±


    The phantom bowed. ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°So, what, you¡¯re looking for revenge on whoever killed you, or something?¡± the puzzled merchant asked.


    ¡°No, certainly not something so mundane as petty vengeance,¡± Sir Edmund said. ¡°My demise was my own careless doing. I was traveling these winding roads, parched, and upon finding a spring fountain, I walked up to it too hastily, slipped on the wet stone, and hit my head on a rock.¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Balthazar said with a wince. ¡°Should have brought some Potions of Hydration with you.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me?¡± said the ghost.


    ¡°Never mind that,¡± the crab said dismissively. ¡°This is all very tragic, but if you already died, why and how would you want to be killed again?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± sighed the spirit, his floating form slumping down slightly, ¡°Alas, if only that rock had been the end of me. But it was not fated to be. I found myself in this form, a ghastly vestige of the man I once was, likely unable to move on from this world due to the sudden and shocking nature of my untimely death. And probably also because I had left far too much unfinished business in my previous life.¡±


    The crab nodded. ¡°Oh yes, that would do it. Probably some unfulfilled promise, or a debt of honor? Perhaps revenge? Or maybe even unconfessed love?¡±


    ¡°No. I just had these tomes I checked out from the library¡¯s archives that I never returned.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the phantom, unblinking. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I dread to imagine the fines they must have incurred at this point,¡± Sir Edmund said, a quick shiver running down his immaterial body. ¡°Regardless, that is not a relevant detail to my present conundrum. As if me perishing in such an embarrassing manner and then becoming an apparition haunting the side of a road was not enough misfortune already, something even worse happened.¡±


    ¡°Well, go on, tell me. I¡¯m invested in your tale now,¡± said the merchant, planting the bottom of his shell down on the ground and resting his chin on a claw. His two companions, meanwhile, remained at a safe distance on the road, watching the crab chatting it up with a floating spirit as they exchanged glances of resigned confusion.


    ¡°For you see,¡± the dead nobleman continued, ¡°not long after my perishing, along came a man wearing dark robes and carrying a staff. He was a foul necromancer, but clearly a novice one at that.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I hate the type, they always stink to high hell,¡± Balthazar commented. ¡°Heh, did he try to buy your corpse for a few gold coins? That happened to me once. Well, it wasn¡¯t my corpse, they were¡­ uhh, actually, never mind that. Carry on with your story.¡±


    The ghost raised an eyebrow at the crustacean, but continued his tale.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I hid from his sight, unsure of how the living might react to my unsettling form. Unfortunately, I could not do the same for my inanimate body. The wicked death-dweller saw in it an opportunity to practice his dark arts, and waving his magical staff, he cast some incantation upon my remains.¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± the listening crab said. ¡°What¡¯s with necromancers and never asking for consent before raising the dead?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± said Sir Edmund, with a weary nod. ¡°I watched on, aghast, as my physical form was magically lifted from its resting place, and puppeteered into some unholy mockery of life.¡±


    Balthazar nodded in agreement. ¡°Yeah, exactly. So rude. Anyway, what then?¡±


    ¡°The necromancer was quite pleased with himself and his foul work,¡± the undead storyteller continued. ¡°He had gotten himself a zombie follower. It was uncanny and unsettling, to watch my own self standing there, gawking, drooling, half rotted. Not a thought or memory behind his eyes. A most abysmal sight to behold. And what¡¯s worse, my robes were ripped on the sleeves.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, terrible,¡± the crab said with a roll of his eyes. ¡°Death is no excuse to not look presentable.¡±


    ¡°Precisely!¡± Sir Edmund exclaimed. ¡°I am so glad you understand.¡±


    ¡°So what then? The necromancer went on to cause some trouble with your body, and now you want him killed for it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, not at all,¡± the ghost quickly said. ¡°The necromancer is also very much dead. He was so thrilled with his successful reanimation that he slipped on the same wet stone near the fountain and broke his neck on the fall.¡±


    ¡°Gee, remind me to watch my step if I ever go near that spring,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Well, where¡¯s his ghost? I don¡¯t see any other semi-transparent floaters around here.¡±


    Allard shrugged. ¡°I wondered the same, but I suppose he had his affairs in order and simply moved on to the afterlife directly.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, I guess he had no pending books to return,¡± said the scoffing crab. ¡°But after all that, I still don¡¯t get it: who the hell do you want killed?¡±


    ¡°As I¡¯ve been trying to tell you: me!¡± exclaimed the ghost. ¡°You see, when the necromancer landed on his neck, for whatever reason, my zombified remains remained reanimated. Now unshackled from his dark master, he has simply been wandering these woods aimlessly, chasing any living beings he encounters while grunting and groaning like a mannerless lout. It¡¯s downright embarrassing!¡±


    ¡°Oooh, I finally got it!¡± said Balthazar. ¡°You want someone to put down your zombie so you can finally move on from this world in peace.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, that too, possibly,¡± Sir Edmund said. ¡°But mainly just to avoid the risk of some of my former peers ever seeing me behaving in such a shameful manner during their travels. I would be the talk of the court for ages in a most humiliating way. The embarrassment alone would kill me. Again.¡±


    The merchant chuckled while standing back up to his feet.


    ¡°Heh, everyone¡¯s got their priorities,¡± he said, while dusting himself off. ¡°Anyway, thanks for your fascinating story. I was really entertained. Good luck with your zombie problem. See ya!¡±


    Sir Edmund watched the crab walking back to the road with his mouth ajar.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not going to help me?¡± the ghost exclaimed in disbelief.


    Balthazar looked back at the spirit and then around himself, before pointing a pincer at his own shell. ¡°Who? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I just told you my whole quandary, and you¡¯re simply going to walk away?!¡±


    ¡°Of course I am!¡± the eight-legged traveler said. ¡°I¡¯m a crab, mate! Do I look like one of those silly adventurers going around solving and making everyone¡¯s problems?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ but¡­¡± the haunted nobleman stuttered. ¡°You were the only one so far who hasn¡¯t simply tried to slay me! I thought you¡¯d be willing to aid me!¡±


    ¡°Nope, sorry,¡± the merchant said while walking back to his friends. ¡°That ain¡¯t me.¡±


    ¡°But I am¡ªI was¡ªa traveler in need!¡±


    ¡°Sucks for you, but I got things to do, places to be, and no opposable thumbs.¡±


    ¡°If you do not help me, how will I ever rid myself of my foul former self?!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a you problem. I¡¯m sure some more killing-oriented traveler will come along eventually.¡±


    Sir Edmund stared baffled at the crab for a moment, before gliding over to the road and floating next to him and his crew.


    ¡°Surely you know helping me is the right thing to do?!¡± he said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say that I do,¡± Balthazar said nonchalantly, while adjusting the straps on his backpack and scanning the path up the road.


    ¡°I would be ever grateful to you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you would.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have my undying gratitude.¡±


    ¡°I bet,¡± said the merchant, while walking past the ghost.


    ¡°I¡­ I would tell you the location of a treasure chest I found while floating through these woods!¡±


    ¡°So where was this zombie of yours again?¡± the crab hastily said, turning back to the phantom with a snap and placing his eyestalks right up to him.


    Allard looked at him with a mix of surprise and relief. ¡°So you will take my quest and help me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll help you get rid of your problem,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°but I¡¯m not taking no quest. I¡¯m not an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°But you accept to take on this task for me¡­ in exchange for a reward, correct?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if it pays, I can figure something out.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fairly certain that still counts as taking on a quest,¡± said the spirit.


    The crab¡¯s shell deflated in defeat. ¡°Ah, damn it, you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    [Quest accepted: Capture the zombie of Sir Edmund Auclair Allard]


    The things I do for treasure¡­

 Chapter 138: Zombie Hunting for Dummies

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°But you¡¯d better come through for me with that treasure chest.¡±


    ¡°My word is my bond, good sir,¡± the ghost said proudly. ¡°I will hold my end of the bargain.¡±


    ¡°So, where do I find this zombie of yours?¡±


    Sir Edmund pondered, bringing a hand to his chin, which went right through and to the back of his head. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯d start with the area around the edge of the river. It seems to dwell by that location the most lately. Perhaps attracted to the sound of running water.¡±


    ¡°Well then, lead on,¡± said the crab. ¡°Show us the way.¡±


    After a few minutes of walking, the merchant called out to the spirit.


    ¡°Hey, will you hold on?¡± he said, huffing and puffing as he tried to catch up to the floating apparition.


    ¡°Oh? Sorry, I did not realize you were falling behind,¡± Allard said.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t, if you¡¯d stop going in a straight line through every damn tree and boulder in your way,¡± the cranky crustacean said. ¡°Not all of us can phase through solid things, you know?!¡±


    ¡°Ah, my apologies,¡± said the nobleman¡¯s ghost, taking a brief bow. ¡°I quickly forget the constraints of still being alive and carrying a physical body. I will account for your solid nature from here on.¡±


    After catching up to him, Balthazar walked alongside the ghost, while Druma and Blue followed a few paces behind, looking at their party leader¡¯s choice of company with cautious suspicion.


    ¡°Your pets do not seem to approve of my presence,¡± Sir Edmund said, glancing back at them.


    ¡°They¡¯re just feeling protective, that¡¯s all,¡± the merchant said. ¡°And they¡¯re not my pets, they¡¯re my friends.¡±


    Allard took another apologetic bow. ¡°Forgive my mistake.¡±


    ¡°Once we find your old shambling shell,¡± Balthazar started, ¡°I¡¯ll get that big blue girl back there to give him a nice cremation. That should take care of your problem once and for all.¡±


    The ghost suddenly stopped, turning to the crab with great concern plastered all over his semi-transparent face. ¡°You mustn¡¯t do that, Mr. Balthazar!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± the confused crab said. ¡°Why not? I thought that the whole point of this was that you wanted to get rid of the zombie because he was cramping out your ghost style, or whatever.¡±


    ¡°While the objective is indeed to put my mindless doppelganger to rest, you cannot simply strike him down wherever you find him.¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at the spirit. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because that would put my entire plan at risk of failure,¡± Sir Edmund said. ¡°You see, as far as I recall from my readings on ghosts and spirits back when I could still hold a book, we must properly exorcize the body at the location where its soul originally left it in order to ensure the passing of the spirit¡ªmeaning myself¡ªto the afterlife.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s starting to sound way too complicated, mate,¡± the crab said, rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Well, it may be so, but needs must,¡± said the floating figure, as they continued moving through the forest. ¡°I cannot risk finding myself permanently stuck like this because we did not properly dispose of my remains.¡±


    ¡°Would that even be so bad?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The crab shrugged.


    ¡°You get to hang out wherever, for as long as you want. Can¡¯t get hurt. You can pass through any object in your way. It doesn¡¯t sound so bad. You never even need to sleep. Never need to eat either. Well, maybe that last one isn¡¯t so great¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not all roses, my friend,¡± Allard said. ¡°I cannot go wherever I please, as you suggest. I am bound to these woods, unable to move too far away from the place of my demise, forever stuck to it as a haunting ghost. It is a curse.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡­ think I get what you mean,¡± said the suddenly somber crab.


    Being able to relate to a ghost¡¯s predicament was not something Balthazar had ever expected to find himself doing, but if there was one thing he understood, it was being stuck in a limited area, unable to leave it.


    ¡°Being able to pass through walls is indeed pretty fantastic, however,¡± the phantom said with a cheeky smile.


    ¡°Heh, I bet,¡± the merchant responded, cracking a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, though. I¡¯ll figure out a way to capture your worse half and bring him to that spring. I¡¯m nothing if not a crafty crab.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    After a few more minutes of walking¡ªand hovering¡ªthey began hearing the sound of running water, and soon after, the group broke through the tree line, arriving next to the river¡¯s shore.


    ¡°We must proceed with caution now,¡± Sir Edmund said. ¡°It must be around here somewhere, but we do not want to catch its attention before we find it. I would hate to watch any of you be attacked by my former self.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think this world is prepared to handle an outbreak of zombie crabs,¡± the crustacean said while turning to his party. ¡°Thankfully, we got a good way to scope out the area. Blue, come here, please.¡±


    The drake approached slowly, head held high, glancing at the phantom before fixing her golden eyes on the crab.


    ¡°I need you to fly up and see if you spot any shambling¡­ man, let¡¯s call it,¡± Balthazar explained. ¡°I know daylight is practically all gone, so don¡¯t go too far. Just let us know if you catch any movement below, alright? Can you do that for us?¡±


    To his slight surprise, the winged creature bowed her head gently and took flight, rising above the trees as she scanned the area below them.


    I wonder why she¡¯s been so much easier to deal with lately. She even does almost everything I ask her. Could it be¡­ Hmm, nah, probably not.


    A screech from above broke Balthazar off his thinking. The drake had already returned, and was signaling them to an area upstream.


    Quietly, the other three moved alongside the river¡¯s edge, keeping both eyes and ears open.


    ¡°There,¡± said Sir Edmund, who was floating through trees and bushes, scouting the area ahead.


    The crab and the goblin sneaked up to his location, ducking behind a large rock.


    ¡°Why did I not wait for morning?!¡± the merchant grumbled under his breath. ¡°I can¡¯t see a thing.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± the ghostly figure whispered, pointing his ethereal finger towards a small clearing between the trees.


    The crab squinted, until he finally spotted some movement and his eyestalks jumped.


    There, amid the bushes and under the faint moonlight, he saw it: standing with his arms dropped and neck dropped to one side, a shell of a former man, clothing ripped and dirty, skin dirty and covered in dirt. As it slowly turned in place, Balthazar saw its gaunt face, eyes staring emptily at nothing, tongue hanging from the side of its mouth.


    ¡°Gah,¡± the merchant said quietly. ¡°You¡¯re not winning any beauty contests, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for putting it so eloquently,¡± Allard said, with a hint of bitterness. ¡°I¡¯ve certainly seen better days, but I¡¯ll have you know I was quite popular in the courts back in my day.¡±


    They watched on as the undead walker turned its head, attracted by the sound of shuffling from a nearby bush.


    ¡°Brrraaains¡­¡± the zombie garbled, moving towards the source of the noise.


    A mouse popped out of the leaves with a squeak, stopping to look around.


    Seeing it, the shambling corpse ran towards the small creature, lunging towards it in an awkward way. ¡°Brains!¡±


    The rodent let out a yelp and skittered back to the bush, disappearing into the foliage.


    ¡°Brains?¡± the confused zombie uttered, chin still planted to the ground, where it had landed.


    ¡°Not the brightest one either, is he?¡± Balthazar remarked.


    ¡°What did you expect?¡± Sir Edmund said. ¡°Its brain is rotting, and I took all the smarts when I left it.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the crab said, turning to his group. ¡°I think I¡¯ve got an idea on how to snatch him up, but I¡¯ll need everyone¡¯s cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± said his goblin assistant. ¡°Boss say what boss want Druma to do and Druma help!¡±


    ¡°Alright, here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do,¡± Balthazar started, reaching into his backpack.


    After all the instructions were given, the group split up to their respective positions.


    ¡°This better work,¡± the crab whispered to himself, while pulling up the skills on his system.


    [Leader¡¯s Voice activated]


    [For 2 minutes, you and up to three of your allies receive +1 to all attributes, and all actions performed as a team receive a success bonus.]


    ¡°Now!¡± Balthazar yelled up to the sky.


    Blue, hovering above the trees, nodded affirmatively and dove into the clearing where the zombie was.


    The undead turned, attracted by the sound of the drake swooping down nearby. ¡°Brains?!¡±


    Blue screeched, hovering in front of it for a moment, before quickly whipping her wings and flying towards the trees.


    The zombie stumbled forward, hungrily chasing the azure creature.


    ¡°Come on, girl, quick and easy,¡± Balthazar muttered to himself, while watching from the bushes. ¡°Don¡¯t let him get too close and bite a chunk off you.¡±


    As she reached the edge of the clearing, the drake swerved and ascended back to the skies, out of reach of the hungry ghoul, whose fumbling chase came to a halt, looking up at her with confused frustration.


    ¡°Oi oi, ugly!¡± a voice yelled from the bushes near him.


    Turning its bulging eyeballs, the zombie spotted a small goblin jumping from side to side, mocking it into another chase.


    Without hesitation, it obliged, running towards the green creature.


    Druma grabbed hold of his hat and ran into the denser woods, luring the dead body behind him.


    Rotting knees were no match for the spry little guy, and the undead could do little more than chase him through the vines and branches, grunting in hungry frustration.


    ¡°Braaaaains!¡± Sir Edmund¡¯s revenant yelled.


    Suddenly, the zombie stopped, finding himself in another tiny clearing, no more goblin in sight.


    It looked around in dumb confusion, when another voice called out.


    ¡°Hey, you, wanna buy some mouthwash for that breath?¡± the eight-legged merchant shouted, standing between two trees nearby.


    The zombie turned, hungry eyes setting on the crab, and it broke into a sprint towards him.


    ¡°BRAINS!¡±


    Balthazar winced but did not run, instead standing where he was as the undead rushed at him.


    Please work! Please work!

 Chapter 139: Dead Zed Ned

    As Balthazar stood between those two trees, in a dark forest at night, right on the path of an incoming zombie, he found himself questioning his life choices.


    Was he doing it for the treasure? Or rather, for the potential for treasure? He did not even know what this treasure chest might contain, if anything at all. Was he doing it out of kindness to a fancy-talking ghost on the side of the road? Certainly not. Could it be that he was somehow finding a taste for completely reckless behavior like those foolish adventurers?


    He shook off the thought. Not only because it seemed inconceivable to him, but also because there were more pressing matters at pincer at that moment.


    Mainly the hungry ghoul lunging at him.


    Please just work¡­


    Sir Edmund¡¯s reanimated dead body threw itself forward, mouth open and ready to have a crab dinner, when suddenly it crumpled up and fell on the ground rolling.


    Yes!


    The zombie grunted and growled as it rolled around on the dirt, angry and frustrated by the unseen force restricting his movements.


    ¡°Ah! I knew I¡¯d find a use for that invisible cloak!¡± Balthazar cheerfully exclaimed. ¡°One zombie wrap coming up for the gentleman in the white ectoplasm!¡±


    Druma jumped out from behind a bush and quickly found the edges of the cloak, tying them together around the captured ghoul.


    ¡°I must admit,¡± Sir Edmund¡¯s ghost said, appearing through a tree trunk nearby, ¡°I did not expect your plan to work, but that was impressive teamwork.¡±


    ¡°Ha, never doubted it for a second!¡± the crab said. ¡°Well, there you go, your former body all wrapped and ready for you, as promised.¡±


    The merchant extended his claws towards the zombie still struggling on the forest floor, arms tightly held against his body as it twitched and snapped at the invisible cloak binding him.


    The spirit glanced down and then back up at the crab.


    ¡°You, uh¡­ you do realize I cannot do anything with it, do you not?¡±


    Balthazar stared at the body and then its former owner for an awkward moment. ¡°Oh, right, because of the whole¡­ can¡¯t touch physical stuff¡­ ghostly business¡­ thing. Well, that sucks.¡±


    The crab stood back straight and scratched the top of his shell with the tip of his pincer, thinking.


    ¡°It seems the only course of action is for you and your crew to carry him back to the spring,¡± Sir Edmund said.


    ¡°We already went through all the work of snatching him up, and now we also gotta carry this undead weight back to where it died?¡± the merchant bemoaned. ¡°This is turning into way too much work.¡±


    ¡°Well, I would do it, but you know¡­¡± The ghost waved his hands through the nearby tree branches, with no effect.


    Balthazar looked down at the half-rotten creature with a tinge of disgust. ¡°But he looks pretty bitey¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, come now,¡± the jolly phantom said, ¡°you already did the hardest part of capturing it. All wrapped up like that, he won¡¯t be any trouble, so long as you¡¯re careful. Just remember why you are doing this and use it as motivation to push through to the finish line!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the crab said while nodding. ¡°To get the treasure chest.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I meant to help a traveler in need, but sure, that works as well.¡±


    The crustacean threw his arms up. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re burning moonlight here, let¡¯s go. Druma, grab his feet, I¡¯ll take the other end.¡±


    With the help of his green assistant, the merchant picked up the zombie wrapped in an invisible cloak, still struggling against what it could not see or understand.


    ¡°Oof, heavy, but not as bad as I thought,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I guess dying is a great weight-loss program. Alright, show us the way to that slippery fountain of yours, Sir Ghost.¡±


    The group navigated through the forest for a while, until they returned to the road and soon after arrived at a lone shrine by the side of it.


    Two broken pillars of white stone flanked an old path leading to a fountain fed by a small spring spilling from a rocky hill behind it.


    ¡°Ah, still a beautiful sight, despite the bad memories,¡± said Sir Edmund.


    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± said Balthazar, taking care to avoid placing any of his eight feet on any of the old polished stones surrounding the fountain. ¡°Let¡¯s just get on with this. I still want to grab some sleep tonight.¡±


    The crab and the goblin unceremoniously dropped the undead wrap in front of the fountain. The creature grunted, still frustrated by the piece of invisible fabric binding its body.


    ¡°After all this time,¡± the spirit said, ¡°it¡¯s hard to believe it¡¯s almost over.¡±


    The merchant looked at the nobleman from the corner of his eye. ¡°You¡¯re not having second thoughts, are you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± said Allard, snapping out of his empty stare and looking at the crab. ¡°Oh, no, no, certainly not. I¡¯m very much looking forward to crossing over¡­ in peace¡­ and move on¡­ into the unknown of the afterlife.¡±


    The ghost sighed, and the crab cocked an eyestalk. ¡°Alright then, should I tell Blue to start the fireworks or¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± exclaimed Sir Edmund. ¡°My medallion!¡±


    ¡°What medallion?¡±


    ¡°Before I died,¡± explained the ghost, ¡°I always wore this gold medallion that was given to me by my late mother when I was a young man. I believe that object is now what anchors me to this plane. Even now, here, I feel its pull weighing on me, coming from it, around his neck.¡±


    Balthazar looked down at the constrained zombie. ¡°Alright, and?¡±


    ¡°I believe, in order to make both of us move on, the object must be purged.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± said the crab, holding both pincers in front of himself in a halting manner. ¡°You want me to destroy a gold medallion? Now you¡¯re asking too much of me.¡±


    ¡°I believe that is the only way to be sure.¡±


    The merchant frowned. ¡°Can¡¯t I just wash up the zombie goop and scrub the ghostly stuff off and keep it for myself? Surely the spirit authorities wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not how it works, my friend,¡± Sir Edmund said.


    Balthazar groaned. ¡°Fine, but that¡¯s a huge waste of gold!¡±


    He looked down at the ghoul, still growling and struggling against the cloak tied around him.


    ¡°Uh¡­ how do you figure I¡¯ll get the medallion off his neck?¡±


    Allard looked down at his former body too, brow held high. ¡°Carefully?¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    The crab rolled his eyes before turning them to his goblin assistant. ¡°Here, Druma, help me turn him over.¡±


    Fighting against the zombie¡¯s attempts at kicking, they flipped the shambler onto its stomach.


    ¡°Alright, gently now¡­¡± said Balthazar, while carefully pulling down the edges of the cloak he could not see with the tips of his pincers. After uncovering the back of the twitching creature¡¯s neck, the crab grabbed hold of the thin chain around it and gave it a swift snap.


    ¡°Got it!¡± said the merchant, holding up his claw, a solid golden medallion hanging from it by a chain.


    ¡°Excellent job, Mister Baltha¡ªWatch out!¡± shouted Sir Edmund.


    The zombie, feeling the cloak around him loosen up from where the crab had pulled to reach the medallion, managed to break free from its hold, growling loudly as it rushed back to its feet.


    ¡°Oh crap!¡± exclaimed Balthazar, as he skittered away.


    But the crab was not fast enough.


    The revenant lunged at him, grabbing hold of his shell as it yelled, ¡°Brains!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± screamed the panicking crustacean as the undead chomped down on him. ¡°¡­ah?¡±


    Balthazar twisted his eyestalks up, to look at the rotting shambler slumped over his shell. With loud suckling noises, the zombie was attempting to bite through the tough chitin, but all he had left were harmless gums.


    ¡°What the hell?!¡±


    The still shocked ghost approached them, observing the scene with stunned fascination.


    ¡°It would appear that all my former teeth have completely rotted away!¡± he exclaimed, leaning down to look closer at the suckling ghoul.


    ¡°That¡¯s great, but will somebody get this thing off me?!¡± yelled the crab.


    ¡°Goodness gracious, of course, my apologies!¡± Sir Edmund said, reaching forward to grab his corpse, but his arms simply went through the unfazed zombie. ¡°Oh, right¡­¡±


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± exclaimed the crab¡¯s assistant. ¡°Druma help!¡±


    The goblin pulled at the ghoul¡¯s leg, but to no avail. It would not budge from his attempts at acquiring a succulent crab fondue.


    ¡°Get off already!¡± the merchant cried out. ¡°This is so embarrassing!¡±


    ¡°Oh, for crying out loud!¡± exclaimed the agitated phantom. ¡°Leave the poor crab alone, you foolish mockery of my former self!¡±


    In frustration, Sir Edmund pushed forward into the zombie, but instead of phasing through it, his ethereal form simply vanished.


    ¡°Sir Ghost?!¡± Balthazar called, trying to look around as he continued struggling to get rid of the undead holding him down. ¡°Where did you go? Don¡¯t leave me here with your hungry leftovers!¡±


    Suddenly, the ghoul stopped. No more biting, chewing, or suckling. It simply let go of the crab and stood back up to its feet.


    ¡°What in the world?¡± said the surprised crustacean, moving away from his assailant.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand,¡± the zombie said in its guttural, congested voice.


    ¡°Sir Edmund?¡± Balthazar said tentatively. ¡°Is¡­ is that you in there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me,¡± the spirit said through the ghoul, lifting his gaze to the crab, one eyeball looking precariously close to falling off its socket. ¡°But I don¡¯t understand what just happened.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­ possessing your own body?!¡± said the merchant.


    The confused zombie-ghost looked down at himself. ¡°I think I am!¡±


    ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you do that from the start!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know I could!¡± Allard said, shrugging his rotting shoulders.


    ¡°Great, and now what?¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Can you even leave it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I think so.¡±


    With a push, the floating spirit shot out of the zombie, who dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes that had gone bad weeks ago.


    ¡°Ha! It worked!¡± the excited ghost said.


    Standing up and shaking his head, the confused corpse looked around for a moment, before spotting the crab and charging towards him again.


    ¡°No!¡± yelled Sir Edmund. ¡°Ned, stop!¡±


    The zombie froze on the spot, and seemed to frown briefly, before looking back at the ghost.


    ¡°We don¡¯t bite the nice crab,¡± Allard said. ¡°That¡¯s rude, Ned.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the two of them, confused, while putting some more distance between himself and the zombie.


    ¡°Ned?¡± the crab asked, looking at the spirit with a cocked eyestalk.


    ¡°It¡¯s what my mother used to call me when I was young,¡± Sir Edmund said. ¡°In the spur of the moment, it seemed fitting, and¡­ I guess it reached him, in some way.¡±


    The shambler was standing near the ghost, dumbly gawking at him with his arms dangling.


    ¡°I believe it feels some sort of connection to me.¡±


    With a dive forward, Sir Edmund took hold of Ned again.


    ¡°It¡¯s like slipping into a very moist suit,¡± the nobleman said through the raspy voice of the ghoul.


    ¡°Lovely,¡± said the crab, with an affected smile. ¡°But, uh, what now? Do you want to jump out of there so we can¡­ you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, goodness, no!¡± said the possessed zombie, which felt extremely bizarre to Balthazar. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I could now.¡±


    ¡°But I thought you wanted to move on,¡± the merchant said, ¡°and stop your decaying corpse from going around embarrassing you, or whatever?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but now that I came so close to doing it, I will be honest¡­ I¡¯m getting cold feet.¡±


    The crab looked down at the ghoul. ¡°Well, yeah, of course you are.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Sir Edmund continued, ¡°I can feel him, you know? Between all the hunger and rage, I can feel the anguish and sorrow. There is a connection between us. I am not sure that I can just bring myself to put him down.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not just all hunger?¡± Balthazar said.


    The possessed body raised his arms, watching his own movements as if for the first time. ¡°I truly believe we could work nicely together, given enough time.¡±


    ¡°Can I remind you that a couple of minutes ago that thing was trying to suck my brains out of my shell?!¡± the indignant crustacean said.


    ¡°And for my corpse¡¯s appalling behavior, I offer you my sincerest apologies.¡± Sir Ned took an awkward bow, like someone still learning how to move properly, and Balthazar gazed in slight discomfort as its jaw looked dangerously close to falling off. ¡°I swear to you that I will make sure he will not harm anyone else ever again.¡±


    The merchant sighed.


    ¡°I guess if that¡¯s what you want,¡± he said with a shrug. ¡°The client is always right in matters of taste. Even really bad taste.¡±


    The zombie nodded and proceeded to do a few stretches. Balthazar shook his head and wondered how he always got himself in the weirdest of situations.


    ¡°Hey, wait a minute!¡± the crab suddenly exclaimed. ¡°You don¡¯t think that gets you off the hook from paying me, do you?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, certainly not!¡± the ghost-zombie said. ¡°You did your part impeccably. You have more than earned your reward, good sir!¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the merchant said, while pulling out his map. ¡°Then show me where this treasure chest is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no need for that. The chest is right there.¡±


    Balthazar frowned as he followed the direction the zombie was pointing his gnawed finger at.


    Skittering a few steps, the crab looked behind the fountain. There, half buried in the soil, was a wooden chest, sticking out of the ground at an angle.


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed the baffled merchant. ¡°This thing was here the whole time?¡±


    The ghoul nodded.


    ¡°How did nobody see it and loot it yet?!¡±


    Sir Ned shrugged. ¡°Perhaps they were too busy slipping and falling?¡±


    The crab grumbled, but the feeling of annoyance went away quickly once he cracked open the lid and the shiny glow of gold hit his eyes.


    ¡°Ooh yes, this is what I¡¯m talking about!¡±


    [+300 crowns]


    [+1 Scroll of Potential]


    After pocketing his loot, Balthazar returned to the front of the fountain, making sure to give the ground stones a wide berth.


    ¡°Well, I believe this concludes our deal,¡± Sir Ned said, while still flexing his joints like someone preparing for a run. ¡°I think I shall go take my old body for a spin, to get reacquainted with it.¡±


    ¡°Whatever floats your ghost,¡± the crab said. ¡°Hey, wait, don¡¯t forget this. Usually I¡¯d want to keep it, but heh¡­ you said it was a family heirloom and that it anchors you, so I guess you¡¯d better take it.¡±


    The merchant extended his pincer, offering the medallion back to the zombie.


    The possessed ghoul looked at it for a moment.


    ¡°You know what, you should keep it,¡± he said. ¡°I now believe Ned here is my true anchor to this world.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Balthazar, looking at the shiny gold.


    ¡°I still feel a strong pull to it, however¡± Ned added. ¡°If you ever find yourself in need of a ghost¡¯s aid, hold it tight and call for me, I will come to answer your summons. Consider it a bonus reward for helping me rediscover my will to live¡­ or unlive, I suppose.¡±


    The haunted corpse laughed.


    ¡°Farewell, Sir Crab!¡±


    With a shambling limp, the ghost in the zombie left into the night, heading off to the road, occasionally hitting his head on some lower branches. It would probably take him a while to get used to being solid again.


    What a strange fellow¡­


    [Quest completed!]


    [You have reached level 19!]


    After a very strange night, Balthazar found himself with some extra gold, a new skill to uncover, a new level, and a potential new friend. Or perhaps even two?


    But all of that would have to wait until the morning.


    ¡°I''m dead tired,¡± the crab said with a yawn.

 Chapter 140: Rob the Courier

    After a late night, Balthazar was not too keen on getting up with the sun, but morning came, and with it the sound of Druma hitting rocks on wood and Blue flapping her wings.


    ¡°Ugh, just five more minutes,¡± the crab grumbled while burying his face in his backpack.


    But it was too late, the damage had been done, and he could no longer unhear all the noises of nature surrounding him. Sleep was gone, and he would not be able to pinch it back no matter how hard he might try.


    Groggy and grumpy, the crustacean got up and decided to just accept his fate. At least he had something to make him feel just a little better.


    [You have reached level 19]


    [Choose a base stat to increase by 10]


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see¡­¡± he mumbled to himself, while chewing on a little dried fish.


    [Health: 200/200]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 20/20]


    I should keep going with health. After all, I¡¯m still alive, so that must mean I¡¯m making the right choices.


    The lazy crab looked past the text in his eyes, observing the goblin and the drake going through their own little routines.


    Look at them. Went to sleep as late as I did, but there they are, spry and full of energy. Must be nice.


    He looked at the stats on his system screen again.


    Maybe just a little bit more stamina wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­


    He thought back to the ghost and the zombie from the night before.


    Then again, better tired than dead.


    With a shrug, Balthazar selected the first stat and increased it by 10.


    [Health: 210/210]


    As healthy as a bull-crab!


    Taking a bigger bite off his breakfast fish, he carried on to the next screen.


    [You have 3 unspent attribute points]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 10]


    [Charisma: 61]


    Mhmm, this is where it gets trickier. In fact¡­


    The traveling merchant reached into his backpack and retrieved the Scroll of Potential he had obtained from Sir Edmund¡¯s treasure chest the night before.


    Maybe I should check this first, before I make any decisions on attributes.


    Setting the half-eaten fish down, the crab unfurled the piece of parchment and let its blinding glow hit his eyes.


    ¡°Argh, why did I do that¡­¡± he moaned, while rubbing his sore eyestalks.


    Squinting, Balthazar tried to make out what the floating words in front of him said.


    [Revealing skill¡­]


    [All-Tongue]


    ¡°Huh?!¡± said the squinting crab.


    For a moment, Balthazar pictured himself with a frog-like tongue.


    Eww, no thanks!


    After his eyes adapted to the brightness, he read the rest of the text.


    [All-Tongue]


    [Skill - C tier]


    [Requirements: 40 CHA, 20 INT]


    [Cost: 5 mana]


    [For 5 minutes, your tongue can reach anyone¡¯s ears. No, gross, not like that. Sentient beings will understand your words no matter their language.]


    [Would you like to learn this skill?]


    [Yes] [No]


    Hold on, never mind, this actually sounds pretty good. Much better than a bug-snatcher in my mouth.


    The crab excitedly moved his eyes to the confirmation prompt, when he noticed the required attributes.


    [Requirements: 40 CHA, 20 INT]


    Bah, really?!


    He pulled his attribute list back.


    [Intellect: 10]


    Great, I can¡¯t even get it right now. I¡¯m ten points short, and a level up only gives me three to spend.


    Grumbling, he performed some quick math in his shell.


    I¡¯d need another three level ups to even take this skill!


    Begrudgingly, the merchant spent the three points he currently had on his Intellect, raising it to 13.


    I just want to go back to maxing my Charisma, but no, this system just has to keep pulling me away! Hmph, I guess it will be worth it. Being able to speak to any living thing is a huge perk for any merchant, especially a traveling one!


    With no use for it at that moment, Balthazar rolled the scroll back up and stored it in his backpack, saving it for later.


    ¡°Druma, Blue,¡± he called. ¡°Pack it up, we¡¯re leaving. I want to reach this town soon, so hopefully I can find the right way to get to the coast from there.¡±


    The trio returned to the road, bathed by the warm sun of that autumn morning and the scents of fruit trees, as the woods around them gradually turned from a wild, dense forest, into open fields of clearly man-made orchards.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    As Balthazar admired the colors of the season all around, with brown fields dotted by orange foliage and golden leaves blowing in the wind, he spotted something appearing over the horizon.


    ¡°There, that must be it!¡± he said.


    The tips of a few stone towers emerged over the hill ahead of them as they moved forward on the road, revealing their arrival back to civilization.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait,¡± Balthazar joyfully declared. ¡°I hope this time I at least get to explore the town for a bit longer without having to make a quick escape through the sewers.¡±


    As the crab doubled his pace up the road, a shuffling sound from the side of the road made him stop and stare at the shrubbery lining the path, a soft breeze blowing through its dense foliage.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he said, squinting at the underbrush before shrugging and returning to his path.


    Another noise came from the bushes, and the alarmed merchant turned around with a jump.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±


    There was no response, save for the whistling of the wind.


    Unsatisfied with nature¡¯s response, Balthazar approached the undergrowth carefully.


    With a cocked eyestalk, he glared at one bush in specific.


    ¡°Hey, Blue,¡± the crab called, without taking his eyes off the shrub. ¡°Get ready to incinerate this bush, will you? I don¡¯t like the way it looks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright, you got me!¡± exclaimed a voice, followed by the figure of a man standing up from the vegetation.


    Balthazar jumped back, startled and holding his pincers up as if he actually intended to fight. Which he certainly didn¡¯t, because he knew he was a talker, not a fighter.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± the crab blurted out.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± the man standing up from the bush said. He was scrawny and was wearing traveling clothes with some leather padding, mostly brown and beige, with a logo patch of some kind stitched to the left side of his vest. His face was thin and bony, with a chevron mustache over his lip. ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me?¡±


    The merchant frowned. ¡°Should I?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Rob!¡± the other said.


    ¡°Rob?¡± Balthazar repeated, lowering his pincers. ¡°Is that really you?!¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s me! Do you not recognize me?¡±


    ¡°Since when do you have a mustache?!¡±


    Rob shook his head in bewilderment. ¡°I¡¯ve always had a mustache! How did you not notice?!¡±


    The crab rubbed his chin, thinking.


    ¡°Are you sure? Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m so used to thinking of you as a talking bush.¡±


    The adventurer facepalmed. ¡°You¡¯re still as face blind as ever, I see.¡±


    ¡°Well, not my fault you also changed your entire outfit,¡± the annoyed merchant retorted. ¡°How am I supposed to recognize you if you change your clothes?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you noticed?¡± the suddenly proud human said, doing a little spin while still standing in the bush. ¡°How do you like my new threads?¡±


    Balthazar looked at him with arched eyestalks. ¡°What happened to your thief armor?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I had to replace that,¡± Rob said. ¡°I¡¯m not a thief anymore.¡±


    ¡°Say what?!¡±


    The adventurer puffed out his chest.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you inspired me, made me believe that it¡¯s never too late to make a change and try something new in your life, so I got myself a change of class!¡±


    The merchant chuckled. ¡°So what are you now, a beggar-class adventurer?¡±


    Rob¡¯s chest deflated, and his shoulders dropped forward as he scowled at the crab.


    ¡°Really, man? Come on¡­¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m a courier now!¡±


    ¡°Ah, close enough. Probably pays just as much,¡± Balthazar remarked. ¡°So, what, your thieving days are over now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the novice courier said, regaining some of his previous pride. ¡°Not that I was ever very good at it. I think my talents are much better used this way.¡±


    ¡°Right, right,¡± the crab said. ¡°So what are you doing in this neck of the woods anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here for you, actually! You¡¯re my first job. I got a letter for you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, for me?¡± the surprised merchant said. ¡°Who sent it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a letter from home! Your guys at the bazaar asked me to deliver it to you.¡±


    Rob reached into his vest and retrieved an envelope.


    Excited, Balthazar took the missive the courier was offering him and called out to his companions, ¡°Hey, guys, look! It¡¯s a letter from Henrietta and Tristan.¡±


    The drake approached lazily, while the goblin hopped his way to the crab¡¯s side with great glee.


    Nodding, the crustacean began quietly reading through the message, with Druma looking over his shell.


    ¡°Boss, boss,¡± the assistant said. ¡°Druma don¡¯t know how to read.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Tristan wrote it, because, you know, Henrietta has no thumbs, but he says she¡¯s there with him as he¡¯s writing it. They say they miss us all and hope we are all well.¡±


    The goblin nodded along as his boss read the letter, with a wide grin on his face. ¡°Druma miss his friends too!¡±


    ¡°Repairs on the bazaar went well,¡± the crab continued. ¡°John got everything back up in place in just a few days, and has since started work on a few extensions.¡± He paused and lifted his gaze from the paper. ¡°Extensions? Those better not be coming out of my pocket.¡±


    Rob, who was still standing with his legs inside the bush for whatever reason, let out an amused chuckle as he crossed his arms. ¡°I see you haven¡¯t changed that much. Don¡¯t worry, last time I was there I saw the old man working around the place. They¡¯re really turning it into an impressive trading outpost.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s shell swelled with pride and a bit of homesickness.


    ¡°Oh, my precious bazaar and my beautiful pond,¡± he said, with a melancholic smile. ¡°How I wish I could see them right now.¡±


    Lowering his eyestalks back to the letter, the crab continued reading through its contents.


    ¡°Business is going well. Adventurers have been visiting in droves every day. The bazaar is more popular than ever, and everyone is always asking for the famous talking crab.¡±


    He paused and laughed.


    ¡°Hah! I always said a talking toad didn¡¯t quite have the same charm as a crab.¡±


    He went back to the letter.


    ¡°Henrietta has been focusing on the daily maintenance of the bazaar, while Tristan has been keeping himself busy overseeing the relations between Boulder¡¯s Point and Ardville. Mayor Bergen has been true to his word, and business has been going smoothly with the town. Great. They also say there has been no big trouble ever since I left. Also great. They hope our journey is going well and hope to hear from us soon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the courier piped up. ¡°They asked me to see if you¡¯d have any message to send back home.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I don¡¯t think it makes much sense to draft a letter right here, but you probably can just take my message and relay it to them, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said the bushed adventurer. ¡°I got a great memory. Tell me what you want me to tell them.¡±


    The merchant pondered for a moment.


    ¡°Tell them we miss them too, that I¡¯m glad to hear my trading post hasn¡¯t burned down again yet, and that I can¡¯t wait to go back and see it and them again.¡±


    The cross-armed human nodded along as the crab spoke. ¡°Mhmm. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s all going into the memory box up here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and also say hello to John for me! And tell Henrietta and Tristan to make sure the old guy is accepting payment for his work this time, even if just in the form of lunch. But don¡¯t pay him too much either!¡±


    Rob chuckled. ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    ¡°Other than that, yeah¡­ I think that¡¯s all. I¡¯ve been to lots of places, seen some crazy things, and can¡¯t wait to share the stories with them. We are still looking for the dragon. No leads yet, unfortunately, but I¡¯m still determined to find Madeleine and won¡¯t be giving up. Oh, and let them know I got a lead on someone who can help me with Bouldy. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be happy to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± the courier said. ¡°Hey, and what about Rye? Wasn¡¯t he with you when you left? What happened to him?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s smile faded slightly at the mention of the archer.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, they¡¯ll probably ask about him too,¡± the reticent crab said. ¡°We¡­ We split up for now. He wanted to go his own way, do his own thing for a while. It¡¯s¡­ complicated. We will meet again at some point, though. I hope. Tell them Rye is alright, they shouldn¡¯t worry.¡±


    The former thief nodded, his previous smile replaced with a serious expression. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll tell them that, then.¡±


    The merchant let out a long sigh and looked up at the adventurer again. ¡°Right, and I think that¡¯s all. Just tell them you found us well and safe. We weren¡¯t exactly sure where we were for a while, but now that we found¡­ Hey, wait a minute. How the hell did you find me all the way out there?!¡±


    Rob¡¯s chest puffed out again, and he placed a hand over his new patch on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m a courier, that''s what we do!¡±


    Balthazar stared at the man with an expressionless face. ¡°That doesn¡¯t really answer the question.¡±


    The human¡¯s chest deflated slightly and he shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m gonna be honest, I¡¯m not entirely sure how it works myself either.¡±


    ¡°Bah, whatever,¡± said the crustacean, throwing his arms up. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter right now anyway. Got more important things to focus on. Like reaching that town over there!¡±


    Turning to where the crab was pointing, Rob placed a hand over his brow and gazed at the looming buildings in the distance.


    ¡°Oh yeah, I should go there after I take care of some errands too. They must have a courier post that I should check in with.¡±


    ¡°Well, alright, maybe we¡¯ll see each other again there before you leave.¡±


    With a few nods and waves, the crab¡¯s party said their goodbyes to the thief turned courier, before heading back to their route towards the new town ahead of them.


    After a few minutes, the merchant finally got a proper look at the settlement. From the outside, it looked about as big or even larger than Ardville, with old but colorful brick walls protecting it, and a lowered bridge over a moat leading to the entrance.


    This place looks busy. Balthazar thought as he watched the droves of people coming in and out, pouring onto the many splitting roads.


    As the group made their way through the bridge, a town guard in metal plate armor stepped forward to intercept them.


    Oh, here we go again¡­


    ¡°Hey there,¡± the crab said before the man could open his mouth. ¡°Yes, I am a talking crab, and I assure you that my friends and I are¡ª¡±


    ¡°Greetings, travelers,¡± the guard said, cutting Balthazar off. ¡°Are you visiting for business or leisure?¡±


    The crab blinked a couple of times. ¡°Well, I¡­ I¡¯m a merchant, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah, excellent!¡± said the man with a nod. ¡°So it¡¯s business.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess?¡±


    ¡°Merchants are always welcome here.¡±


    The guard stepped aside and extended an arm towards the entrance.


    ¡°Welcome to the city of Marquessa.¡±

 Chapter 141: The City of Marquessa

    Balthazar stepped across the moat bridge and into the main street, Druma and Blue close behind. Despite how wide it was, the road was packed with people moving about, most on foot, some on carriages, busily navigating the urban tangle in an apparent rush to get to the next shop or stall.


    And shops were all the crab could see. Anywhere he looked, a mercantile air filled the streets, with every building¡¯s first floor being occupied by some sort of store, shop, or place of craft. The sidewalks were dotted with random stalls that seemed built to go up as quickly as they could be taken down and moved elsewhere, selling every manner of random goods.


    The fascinated merchant had only been to one town before, Ardville, and even that was a very brief visit, but Marquessa had a clear larger scale to it, with its wider streets filled with a lot more people and visitors, as well as its taller buildings, the majority built of solid brick, rather than Ardville¡¯s mostly wooden structures.


    Woah, this place smells of opportunity!


    Moving through the bustling streets with his companions, Balthazar could not get over the strange fact that nobody seemed to care or even throw curious glances at the giant crab, small goblin, and bright drake sharing a sidewalk with them.


    ¡°Morning,¡± greeted the crab, stopping in front of a small street stall where a man was selling vases and other pottery pieces.


    ¡°Ah, good day! What can I help you with?¡± said the vendor, peeking over his counter at the crustacean with a friendly smile and no apparent reaction to the fact that it had just talked to him.


    ¡°With some information, I hope,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°This is my first time around these parts.¡±


    ¡°Ah, a first-time visitor to the city,¡± the cheerful man said, standing straighter behind the stall. ¡°I hope you¡¯re enjoying our beautiful Marquessa.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I just arrived, but it seems pleasant enough,¡± said the puzzled traveler. ¡°And that¡¯s part of what¡¯s confusing me. I¡¯m more used to people having at least some reaction to encountering a talking crab, but here everyone seems to walk past us like we¡¯re just another common band of travelers. What gives?¡±


    The vase seller placed a hand on his chest and let out a hearty chuckle.


    ¡°Hah! It really must be your first time in our city. Marquessa is not like most other settlements around Mantell that you are probably used to. This is a metropolis of commerce, a place of trade and business, with people from every corner of the continent passing through here every day. Unlike most other more closed-up communities, we thrive by being open to everyone and welcoming them with open doors. It doesn¡¯t matter how many legs you have, or what color you are, if you¡¯re here to do good business, nobody minds your presence.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± said Balthazar, breaking a smile. ¡°This sounds like my kind of place already!¡±


    He turned, facing the open streets in front of him. Down one alley were multiple blacksmith workshops, each one populated by multiple locals and adventurers, browsing the wares, trying on armor pieces, and checking the balance on their weapons. Why a town would need more than just one blacksmith shop was something Balthazar could not fully explain yet, but the fact that they all seemed to be busy doing business told him that this place was ripe with trading opportunities.


    ¡°Say, friend,¡± the traveling merchant said, turning back to the local pot merchant, ¡°where would a prospecting trader who just arrived in town go first to make himself acquainted with Marquessa?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± responded the man, ¡°that would have to be the city''s guildhall, for sure. It¡¯s the place where every guild has their local headquarters, where every adventurer gathers, and in general the hangout spot for citizens and travelers alike. Great if you wish to mingle.¡±


    ¡°Perfect! That sounds like the right spot to get help with finding the right way to get to where I¡¯m going too,¡± the excited crab said.


    The Marquessian man leaned over his stall¡¯s counter and pointed a finger up the street. ¡°If you keep going up main street there, you¡¯ll eventually exit onto a large avenue. The big circular building with a domed roof is the hall. Can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Great, thanks!¡± said Balthazar, quickly moving on towards his new destination.


    The local merchant waved him goodbye, smile still on his face, while muttering to himself, ¡°Dang crab could have at least bought a little vase¡­¡±


    Strolling down the streets of Marquessa, the newly arrived merchant eyed down every shop and establishment on his way to the city hall, smirking at their clearly inferior business practices.


    Pff, look at that store¡¯s window, putting the prices of all their stuff on tags. Amateurs. You never tell them the price of the thing beforehand, you work the client first!


    Still shaking his shell, the crab spotted a grocery across the road, and a lady walking out the door, carrying two paper bags full of food in her arms.


    They give their clients bags?! What are they running there, a charity?!


    Somewhere to his left, the crustacean¡¯s sense of smell alerted him to what appeared to be a fish market, wedged between a small produce store and a butcher shop.


    A lady was propped out of a small window on the front of the shop, tending to her multiple display crates of fish facing the passing citizens.


    ¡°Fish! Fresh fish!¡± she yelled in a practiced ear-piercing shriek. ¡°We¡¯ve got fish from the sea and from the river! Check out my selection of salmon and bass! Squid and octopus too!¡±


    Hmm, a fish market, maybe I should check it out.


    ¡°¡­We also got fresh shellfish straight off the rocks!¡±


    Balthazar took a sharp turn to the right and skittered away.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Never mind, maybe I shouldn¡¯t check it out.


    Upon reaching the end of the street, the trio exited onto a large square, crowds of people moving up and down its pathways like schools of fish in a perpetually repeating dance.


    Carriages circled around the white stone center plate, slowly making their way to their entries and exits while maneuvering through the rivers of pedestrians, making it getting across a challenge to a crab used to the serenity of the countryside.


    Once through, Balthazar heard a small commotion and saw a group of people gathering in a circle nearby.


    ¡°Step right up! Step right up!¡± a booming voice behind the onlookers said.


    Curious, the crustacean found an opening through some legs and hips, pushing to the other side until he saw the scene everyone was gathering to see.


    Sitting on top of a stone platform was a large basin with a spewing fountain at its center, two marble statues of horses to each side.


    Balthazar shook his shell disapprovingly at the sculptures. It made no sense to him why anyone would place statues of horses of all things in a water fountain. Everyone knew horses were not aquatic creatures, so what logic was there in that? Now crabs, those would have definitely made for majestic statues to place on that monument.


    Maybe he¡¯d bring that up with the local authorities at some point. Clearly they needed some guidance, if having equestrian creatures shooting jets of water into a little pool is what passed for decoration in that place.


    The nonsensical fountain was, however, not the cause for the gathering of people around that area. Standing on top of an upside down milk crate was a peculiar man wearing a white buttoned down shirt along with suspenders holding up a pair of brown shorts. His arms were spread wide as he ushered people in.


    ¡°Come now, gather ¡®round, gather ¡®round, you won¡¯t want to miss this!¡± he announced loudly, with a peculiar accent that Balthazar had never heard before.


    Spotting the crab in the middle of the crowd, he pointed at him and said, ¡°You too, gentleman in the impeccable chitin shell. Water-dwelling fella like yourself will surely have an interest in what I have to show today!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± the surprised crab said, looking around while pointing a pincer at himself, as if somehow expecting anyone else there to be wearing a chitin shell.


    The populace rubbed shoulders and bumped elbows as they piled up to get a good look at what was being promised, and the man, seemingly satisfied enough with the size of his audience, clapped his hands loudly.


    ¡°Alright, everybody, thank you for your attention! My name is Roberto, and I came from very far away to visit your lovely city just to share something very special I brought from home.¡±


    He reached a hand into another crate near his feet.


    ¡°This is something you will not find anywhere else. A secret grown in the bay of my homeland. Its secret passed down from generation to generation. I give you¡­ my sponge!¡±


    The salesman held up both of his hands like someone presenting a newborn to the world, except in his grasp what he had was a small and squishy yellow rectangle full of holes.


    ¡°What in blazes is that?!¡± a gentleman from the front said, tipping up his top hat as he tried to take a better look at the presented item.


    ¡°A sponge, my good sir!¡± the man on the milk crate replied. ¡°Roberto¡¯s Nearly-Infinite Water Sponge!¡±


    ¡°A what now?!¡± a commoner exclaimed from somewhere else in the crowd.


    ¡°It is a super absorbent sponge,¡± Roberto explained, ¡°that can absorb up to fifty times its volume in water!¡±


    He held for applause, which never came.


    ¡°Perhaps a demonstration is in order!¡± the sweating man quickly said, jumping down from his crate as a couple of people from the back started leaving.


    Placing himself next to the edge of the fountain¡¯s basin, he held up the yellow item again for everyone to see.


    ¡°As you can see,¡± the salesman said, poking the sponge, ¡°dry as a bone. But watch as I do this!¡±


    He dropped the sponge in the water of the fountain, and it started making loud slurping noises, like a famished goblin eating soup.


    Balthazar stretched himself up to look over the edge of the fountain.


    The water level was rapidly lowering as the yellow rectangle quickly grew denser.


    With an open grin of pride, Roberto picked up the soaked sponge and presented it to the crowd. ¡°Ta-da!¡±


    Despite the surrounding clamor and noises of the busy city streets, the crowd of onlookers surrounding the fountain was like a void of silence in the middle of the square. Not a peep from those watching, except for the occasional sniffle or rubbing of someone¡¯s fingers scratching their chin.


    ¡°Tough crowd, I see¡­¡± the deflating man muttered behind his dying smile.


    ¡°What in the world would I need one of those for?¡± someone at the front of the crowd asked.


    ¡°Ah! A pertinent question!¡± said Roberto, hopping back on top of the crate, wet sponge still in hand, and a continuous stream of water leaking everywhere as he moved. ¡°With its high capacity, this marvelous item could soak up all sorts of inconvenient spills you might have while still remaining highly portable!¡±


    ¡°Can it soak up ale?¡± a man shouted from the back.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s technically not rated for alcohol but¡ª¡±


    ¡°What if you dropped it in lava, would it absorb that too?¡± someone else in the crowd asked.


    ¡°What?! Why would¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you going to put back the water you took from our fountain?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    The crowd started going from silence to grumbling and quickly dispersing, no longer captivated by the promise of an impressive show.


    ¡°Wait, come back,¡± the fumbling salesman pleaded, the wet sponge still in his grasp, leaking over his shoes. ¡°I haven¡¯t even shown you how easy it is to squeeze the water back out or how light it feels to hold despite the amount of water in it¡­¡±


    Balthazar winced and quickly slipped away, the second-hand embarrassment too uncomfortable to bear.


    People aren¡¯t easily impressed in this city. Noted.


    While walking away, he glanced back at the salesman, squeezing the yellow sponge into the fountain with his shoulders slumped.


    Who would think of selling sponges anyway?! Why would anyone need one of those things!


    Still shaking his shell at the uselessness of a super absorbent sponge, the crab and his crew continued around the town square, trying to make their way to the other side between the rows of coming and going Marquessians.


    As Balthazar was passing by the entrance to a narrow alleyway, a whimper from within it caught his attention.


    He stopped and peeked into the alley.


    In there, a rough-looking guy wearing dirty gray clothes was grabbing the strap of a young woman¡¯s satchel and pulling on it, while she struggled to hold on to it.


    ¡°Stop fighting and hand it over!¡± the mugger barked.


    ¡°Let go!¡± yelled the girl.


    A mugging? Balthazar thought, cocking an eyestalk.


    But, with a dismissive shrug, he started walking away.


    ¡°Someone else will come along or call a guard, I¡¯m sure,¡± he said to himself.


    After a few steps, he stopped, glancing at Druma and Blue, who were both staring at him with slightly disappointed glares.


    Balthazar looked around at the passing people, each one of them in a hurry and focused on their own paths, rushing through to wherever they were going and doing their best to avoid everything and everyone else. All of them fully absorbed in their own little bubbles.


    The crab sighed.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡±


    Grumbling to himself and his two guilt-tripping companions, the merchant stepped inside the alley, where the mugger was still trying to take the girl¡¯s satchel.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Balthazar yelled. ¡°Let her go!¡±

 Chapter 142: Milk Beater

    Both the scrawny mugger and the girl being robbed froze in their fight for the latter¡¯s satchel, turning their heads to the trio that had just stepped into the alley: a giant crab wearing a backpack, a small goblin in an oversized hat, and an awkwardly long juvenile drake trying to fit into the narrow space between buildings.


    After a moment of stupefied staring from the humans, Balthazar decided to speak again, ¡°I said let her go!¡±


    The thief, still holding on to the leather straps of the bag, blinked in disbelief a couple of times, before abruptly bursting out into mocking laughter.


    He laughed, cackled, and guffawed, until his face was red and his eyes teary, all while Balthazar¡¯s scowl grew heavier.


    ¡°Oh, man, I hadn¡¯t laughed so hard in a while,¡± the ratty fiend said, wiping the corner of his eyes with one hand while still holding the satchel with the other. ¡°Nobody told me there was a circus in town.¡±


    ¡°Why? Are you looking to apply for the clown job?¡± the crab threw with spite.


    The mocking smile dropped from the man¡¯s face in a flash, and he pointed a threatening finger at the crustacean. ¡°You watch it, wise guy, before I have to go over there and teach you a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did tell you to let her go, so¡­ go on.¡± The crab beckoned him to come closer with the backside of his claw.


    ¡°You little¡­¡± the mugger growled, his face turning a shade redder while his knuckles turned white, grasping the satchel¡¯s strap even tighter.


    ¡°Please,¡± the girl said, ¡°there¡¯s really no need to make the situation worse.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t appease bullies,¡± Balthazar told her. ¡°The only way to make them back down is standing up to them.¡±


    ¡°Who in the hell does this idiot think he is, playing hero around my alley?!¡± the thug said, scrunching up his ugly face at the merchant.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t hurt him,¡± said the girl. ¡°He¡¯s clearly just a misguided passerby trying to help.¡±


    The ruffian spat on the floor. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s misguided alright.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s really no need to punch down on the weak,¡± she continued.


    ¡°Weak?¡± the crab muttered between his mouthparts.


    ¡°He knows not what he¡¯s getting himself into,¡± the victim told the robber.


    Balthazar shuffled awkwardly. ¡°Alright, maybe dial it down a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°He is just a simple-minded animal acting recklessly, it really does not warrant paying him much mind.¡±


    ¡°Holy hell, lady! You do know I¡¯m on your side, right?¡±


    ¡°Alright, shut your yappers, both of ya!¡± yelled the mugger, with a quick pull that finally yanked the satchel from his mark¡¯s hands.


    He took a couple of steps towards the crab. ¡°You and your freak show parade got about five seconds to scram outta here, or I¡¯m gonna show ya what a Marquessian welcome looks like, and you ain¡¯t gonna like it.¡±


    Balthazar did not quite know what was getting into him. He knew he was by no means a hero, or even all that brave, but the ruffian¡¯s threats and attitude were making him want to do anything but back down.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said, pointing a pincer at the man¡¯s hand. ¡°After you give that satchel back to its owner.¡±


    The lowlife at the center of the alley sniffled loudly and disdainfully. ¡°Really, huh? Who¡¯s gonna make me?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± the defiant crustacean responded.


    [The Gift of the Crab: intimidation failed.]


    Once again, the fiend cackled.


    ¡°What? A freak of nature, with a sample-sized goblin and a lanky overgrown lizard?¡±


    A few paces behind him, Balthazar felt the air getting warmer as Blue bared her fangs and growled.


    ¡°No, Blue,¡± the merchant whispered to the drake. ¡°You might burn the girl too.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t talk to boss like that!¡± the green assistant yelled out, holding on to his hat while brandishing his staff angrily.


    ¡°Ha ha! Are you serious?¡± the detestable man said. ¡°This thing don¡¯t even know how to speak right! What are you gonna do, try to hit me with your little stick?¡±


    Balthazar could see the anger seething in Druma and placed a claw in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


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    The goblin slowed his breathing and looked at the crab. ¡°Boss don¡¯t want Druma to kaboom bad man?¡±


    The merchant shook his shell. ¡°Too much risk of collateral damage in such a tight alley. This situation requires some more¡­ finesse to handle.¡±


    Squaring the shoulders he did not have, Balthazar stepped forward.


    ¡°Oh, little man wanna fight, does he?¡± the criminal said with a mocking attitude.


    Just because my talking failed once doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t try again. I just need to find the right angle to work him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of cowards like you,¡± the puffed up crab said.


    He¡¯s not that big. What¡¯s he going to do, punch me? I¡¯m sure my natural armor could¡ª


    Suddenly and without warning, the mugger hit Balthazar with a jab right between the eyestalks.


    [Unarmed damage taken: 3]


    ¡°Ow!¡± howled the merchant, stumbling back as he rubbed the space where a nose would be, if he had such unnecessary appendages. ¡°Did you just punch me?!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± said the ruffian, hopping on his feet from side to side, fists held in front of his chest. ¡°And there¡¯s plenty more where that one came from. You gonna learn a lesson today, freak.¡±


    As he prepared to charge forward again, a loud yell came from behind the mugger, making him turn. ¡°What the¡ª¡±


    With a loud crash, a big jug hit the criminal on the side of the head, shattering and sending pieces of ceramic flying everywhere, as well as spilling its liquid contents all over him.


    He fell to the floor, wet and covered in a white substance while grabbing his ear and crying in pain. The girl who was being robbed a moment before stood over her assailant now, handle of the broken jug still in hand, breathing fast as she stared him down with wide, bulging eyes.


    ¡°Not so tough now, are ya?!¡± she screamed, shooting a quick kick to his stomach. ¡°Come on, act mean now!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Ow! Stop! Ah!¡± pleaded the lowlife, from his current low position in life, as his former victim viciously kicked him in the groin over and over.


    ¡°That¡¯s. What. You. Get,¡± she yelled with a maniac expression as the stomping continued. ¡°For punching down on those weaker than you!¡±


    Balthazar watched on with his eyestalks standing to full attention, flabbergasted at the display of unchecked violence from the small girl in noble dressing.


    By the entrance of the alley, both Druma and Blue also stared at the whole scene with wide eyes and jaws dropped, unsure of what to do.


    ¡°Alright, alright! Stop!¡± the crab finally said, trying to shoo the woman away from the sorry pile of man crumpled up on the alley floor. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure who needs saving anymore!¡±


    She finally stepped back, shaking her head and brushing her hair back while taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Did you just beat this guy up with¡­ milk?¡± Balthazar asked, incredulous.


    The girl looked at the broken jug handle still in her hand and tossed it aside. ¡°And a small share of ceramic too, yeah.¡±


    She stepped closer to the mugger again, making him recoil with a whimper as she bent down and pulled the satchel from him. ¡°And give me that back!¡±


    ¡°Just get out of here, before she breaks something more than your dignity,¡± Balthazar told the man. ¡°Go on, scram!¡±


    Stumbling back to his feet, the lowlife ran out of the alley, still hunched over his own sore stomach.


    ¡°You know, we have guards to handle these guys in this town,¡± the girl said. ¡°Should probably not have let him go.¡±


    The crab turned back to her. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, and where were your guards while you were getting robbed?¡±


    ¡°I had it under control,¡± she said, still recomposing herself.


    Balthazar looked at her with a frown.


    ¡°But¡­ thank you for intervening, it was very noble of you,¡± the young girl added. ¡°I¡¯m Olivia, by the way.¡±


    She extended her hand at the crab, who gently touched it with the tip of his pincer.


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± the merchant said.


    ¡°New in town, I take it?¡± Olivia asked.


    ¡°What gave it away?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s the fact that you stepped up when someone was in trouble, instead of just walking away minding your own business like most people in this city,¡± she explained. ¡°But also the fact that you¡¯re a crab accompanied by a goblin and a drake. I¡¯m fairly certain that¡¯s new, even for a place like Marquessa.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Well, we were just passing by trying to find our way to the guildhall.¡±


    The noble girl pulled a small mirror from the satchel and continued talking while checking that her hair was all in place. ¡°Ah, I see. Got business with one of the guilds, then?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Just looking for some directions to where I¡¯m going, and I was told that would be the right place to go.¡±


    Storing the mirror back in her bag, Olivia pulled the satchel¡¯s strap over her head and took a few steps towards the main street.


    ¡°Right, well, that would be a good place to find your path or even some scout to guide you there,¡± she said, while pointing a finger north. ¡°The hall is right over there. You can even see its dome from here, if you stand on the tip of your toes.¡±


    The crab stepped out of the alley with her and his companions.


    ¡°Well, I ain¡¯t got any of those, but I think I see what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Olivia exclaimed. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I was meant to go meet my aunt, and knowing her, nearly being robbed will not be an acceptable excuse for being late. Thanks again and I hope we meet again!¡±


    With haste, the young girl wandered off, disappearing into the passing crowd.


    ¡°Good¡­ bye,¡± the crab said, one claw held up in what was about to be a wave but never got a chance to start.


    What an odd girl¡­


    With a shrug, Balthazar gestured for his two friends to follow, and they continued up the sidewalk.


    Over the horizon of heads and hats from the populace in front of him, the merchant could spot the dome of the guildhall growing in the distance as they got closer.


    Alright, almost there! Without any more distractions I¡ª


    ¡°Oi, you, crab!¡± a loud voice called.


    ¡°Huh?¡± said the crustacean, turning around to look for the source of the yell.


    A goon¡ªbecause there was no better word Balthazar could think of to describe that individual upon laying eyes on him¡ªcame out of a nearby street, a mean scar on his mean-looking face that went along perfectly with his also mean-looking body, somehow rotund and flabby, but also intimidatingly robust and muscular.


    Alongside him were three other ruffians, one of them covered in milk, cowering in the back.


    ¡°Are you the one who beat up my friend Georgie here?!¡± the tough-sounding thug said, as he cracked his knuckles.

 Chapter 143: Downright Embarrassing

    ¡°Oi! I¡¯m talking to ya!¡± yelled the large ruffian. ¡°Got your ears clogged or somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want to get technical about it,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°I don¡¯t even have ears, on account of being, you know¡­ a crab.¡±


    ¡°Smartypants thinks he¡¯s funny,¡± the goon said, before turning to the cowering man behind him. ¡°This the crab that did it, Georgie?¡±


    The soaked lowlife nodded, his hand still holding his swelling cheek. ¡°Yeah, Brig, that¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°how many giant talking crabs do you guys get around here that would warrant asking that question?!¡±


    Balthazar looked around, evaluating his situation. Despite being in the middle of a busy street, the passing people seemed determined not to pay any mind to the exchange taking place between the man and the crustacean. The merchant did not yet know how much trouble he was in, or how to tackle the situation, so talking his shell off to buy time was his best bet.


    Why did that girl have to leave so soon?! There are more muggers to smash jugs on!


    ¡°You got a lot of nerve,¡± said Brig, strolling forward. ¡°Sticking around after what you did, instead of skipping town. That was your mistake.¡±


    He flexed his fists menacingly as he slowly approached the crab. Druma and Blue stood at the ready behind him, but Balthazar did not wish them to make a scene, at least not yet. He knew they were very far from home, in a city where nobody knew him, and getting into a street fight minutes after arriving was not the best way to make a good first impression.


    What really was bothering him was the fact that these ruffians were being so brazen, rather than sticking to the shadowy alleys and hidden parts of the city. Why was this guy so confident about making threats in broad daylight? Why was no one from the passing populace batting an eye at what was happening?


    And where the hell is a town guard when you need one?!


    ¡°Looking for someone to help ya?¡± the bully said with a chuckle, noticing Balthazar¡¯s eyes darting around the passing crowds. ¡°Yeah, you really must be new around Marquessa.¡±


    Suddenly, a head in a helmet popped up above the flow of pedestrians, trying to peek over them.


    Finally, an officer!


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± the guardsman in armor said, making his way through the passing people. ¡°I heard the¡ªOh, Brig. I didn¡¯t realize it was you.¡±


    The fiend smiled at the other man. ¡°Yeah, just taking care of some unpleasant business with a rowdy tourist. Don¡¯t you worry about it, officer. It¡¯s all under control.¡±


    The guard eyed the crab and his companions. ¡°I see¡­ Well, if you say it¡¯s all under control, I¡¯ll trust there won¡¯t be any trouble for me to deal with later. Right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, o¡¯ course not!¡± the thug exclaimed, giving the officer a pat on the back. ¡°Tell ya what, in fact, stop by the club later, and I¡¯ll offer you an ale, along with the usual¡­ arrangement.¡±


    Balthazar watched the unfolding scene with a growing frown as the guardsman nodded at the criminal with a slight hint of discomfort in his smile.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± said the armored man. ¡°I¡¯ll get back to my beat now. Carry on.¡±


    With another quick glance at the crab and his party, the officer turned and left, mixing and disappearing into the passing crowd.


    I can¡¯t believe it. I thought the guards from Ardville were bad because they were mostly useless, but the ones here are even worse. They¡¯re corrupt!


    ¡°You get it now, little guy?¡± said Brig, his focus now back on the crustacean. ¡°There ain¡¯t no guard coming to protect you. They know where their loyalties lie. Just like none of these sheep around us is going to stop and risk their necks for ya. People know their place in this city.¡±


    Crap, I don¡¯t like the look of this¡­


    ¡°Now, about my buddy Georgie over there,¡± the big man said, returning to his knuckle cracking. ¡°You really made a big mistake blindsiding him with that strike to the face, ya know that?¡±


    Wait a minute¡­


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Balthazar said, raising an eyestalk. ¡°You think I attacked him?¡±


    ¡°No use denying it, crab. Georgie didn¡¯t do that to himself, and my guys saw you leave the alley.¡±


    The merchant chuckled mockingly. ¡°Oh, no, I¡¯m not denying that. He very much got beaten, and I was certainly there. The part that¡¯s not true is that I didn¡¯t lay a pincer on him.¡±


    Brig frowned at the crab, his brow forming a solid balcony of meat above his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ya try to deceive me, wise guy,¡± he said. ¡°We know it was you. He even still has the ink he said you squirted all over to blind him and land a cheap shot.¡±


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    ¡°My what?!¡± exclaimed Balthazar. ¡°Mate, you do understand that I¡¯m a crab, not a squid, right? Totally different invertebrates, with one of them being much more handsome than the other¡ªI¡¯ll let you work out which one on your own. And that stuff all over him isn¡¯t even ink, it¡¯s milk!¡±


    The thug¡¯s solid unibrow arched slightly on one end, and he glared back at his smaller underlings.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Is that why I¡¯ve been smelling cheese all this time?¡± said one of the other two muggers next to the bruised one.


    ¡°Georgie?¡± said Brig with a menacing stare.


    ¡°I, uh¡­ Yeah, I remember now!¡± said the cowering coward. ¡°It wasn¡¯t ink. He hit me with one of those big milk jugs you see the dairy farmers sell around the market. It must have been the blow to the head, got me all confused.¡±


    Balthazar scoffed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s unlikely, isn¡¯t it? Look at my pincers. How do you figure I¡¯d pick one of those things up?¡±


    The ruffian rubbed his chin as the brawny cogs in his meaty head turned.


    ¡°Little fella does make a good point,¡± he said, looking back at Georgie again. ¡°Your story isn¡¯t really adding up.¡±


    With a milky sweat building up on his forehead, the other lowlife retorted, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, Brig! You two saw him leave the alley and everything, right, guys?¡±


    The other two exchanged glances and a half shrug.


    ¡°Yeah, I did, after you came running to us smelling like a dairy farm.¡±


    ¡°But I never really saw the crab do anything.¡±


    Standing in the middle of that busy sidewalk, Balthazar watched the scene unfolding before him, tension running down his shell.


    Come on, just gotta keep it going a little further. Sow confusion, plant doubt, reap the chaos.


    ¡°Ya know,¡± said Brig, turning back to the crab. ¡°That still wouldn¡¯t explain who beat up our buddy over there, would it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple, you could have just asked me from the start,¡± the calm and collected merchant replied. ¡°It was a girl.¡±


    ¡°A girl?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, she left the alley a moment before I did,¡± Balthazar explained.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s a lie, Brig!¡± exclaimed Georgie. ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t let some girl beat me up. It was that creature over there. That monster. He probably came out of some freakish dungeon, or something!¡±


    ¡°Zip it, Georgie!¡± the thug chief ordered, pinching his index and thumb together back at his underling without taking his gaze off Balthazar. ¡°Ya trying to insinuate that some girl could do that to one of my guys? That¡¯s some big disrespect, little guy.¡±


    ¡°Call it what you will, but by the time she was done with him, I almost felt sorry for him,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°He really picked the wrong person to mug. She had some anger to let out, that one. Her name was¡­ Olivia, I think?¡±


    Brig¡¯s eyes widened at the crab before he suddenly turned and paced angrily towards the milky thug.


    ¡°Is that true, Georgie?!¡± he yelled. ¡°You let bloody Olivia beat you up again?!¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± pleaded the cowering underling. ¡°It ain¡¯t true, I swear! The crab is making it all up to make me look bad in front of you guys!¡±


    The mugger-in-chief turned his angry scowl back to the crab.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me,¡± Balthazar said with a casual shrug. ¡°You said so yourself, I¡¯m new in town, how would I even know who this Olivia was or that your buddy over there has a history with her?¡±


    The large ruffian snapped his scowl back to the scrawny one.


    ¡°Freak or not, the bloody monster keeps making a lot more sense than your version of the story!¡±


    Georgie¡¯s eyes darted between his boss, his fellow thugs, and the crab, his lips trying to mouth a few words, but no sound coming out.


    ¡°I can¡¯t bloody believe it, Georgie!¡± Brig yelled, throwing his arms up. ¡°I told ya to stay away from her. It was bad enough the last time, and you had to go and get your head rung in again. It¡¯s downright embarrassing, ya know that, right?!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry, boss,¡± the coward muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re making the whole operation look bad!¡± exclaimed the bigger man.


    ¡°I fought back, ya know, but¡­ but¡­ she had help! Yeah, the crab over there was helping her. It was two on one. No, it was four on one, the crab¡¯s little freaks were helping too!¡±


    Balthazar let out a scoffing chuckle from the other side of the sidewalk.


    ¡°Help?¡± he said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to find a chance to get a hit in even if I wanted to, with how relentless her kicking was. You¡¯re right, it was downright embarrassing to watch. Really, how are you guys taken seriously around this city?¡±


    Brig¡¯s face was turning scarlet and Balthazar could swear steam was about to blow out of his ears.


    Which was exactly the merchant¡¯s plan.


    ¡°I mean, I watched the entire thing¡­¡± the crab said, leaning forward with a smirk. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s all milk soaking his pants?¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°Come on, Georgie!¡± the ruffian yelled out, turning back to the cowering mugger and raining an angry spray of spit on him as he lashed out. ¡°Ya promised me you wouldn¡¯t let me down anymore. I gave you a chance, and you¡¯re making me look bad in front of the whole city? How¡¯s the boss ever gonna let us move up within the operation if I can¡¯t even show that I can run a proper crew, huh?!¡±


    While Brig was busy disciplining his underling, Balthazar gestured for his friends to move and the three of them slipped away into the crowd.


    As they put some distance between them and the muggers, the merchant could still hear Brig¡¯s yells echoing over the busy buzzing of the crowds moving through the streets.


    ¡°¡­It ain¡¯t just about you or me either! This makes the boss look like a laughing stock to that bloody baroness too, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°Hey, where did the crab go?¡± one of the accompanying thugs could be heard asking in the distance.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a toss about the crab!¡± Brig shouted back. ¡°This is about Georgie letting bloody Olivia Marquessa make a mockery out of our crew!¡±


    The thug¡¯s voice faded into the background as Balthazar got away and back to the main city square, making sure to take a wide detour on his path to the guild headquarters.


    ¡°Phew!¡± he said, wiping his forehead. ¡°That could have gone a lot worse. I should have known this big city was too good to be true. This place is a hive of corruption, it looks like.¡±


    Shaking his shell, the crab slowed back down to a regular pace as he continued up a sidewalk.


    ¡°Alright, enough, I¡¯ll just get to this city hall, get some directions, and then leave. No more distractions.¡±


    After the words left his mouth, a sign above a shop to his left caught his attention, and his jaw nearly dropped as his widening eyes read the words inscribed on it.


    ¡°No way¡­¡±

 Chapter 144: Margo’s Baking Boutique

    ¡°Margo¡¯s Baking Boutique¡±


    The sign above the small storefront practically glowed in Balthazar¡¯s eyes.


    He did not know what a ¡°boutique¡± was, but he knew what baking meant, and he knew there was no way he would just walk away from that place without going inside.


    ¡°Pies, cookies, and tarts,¡± the crab mumbled while skittering towards the shop¡¯s door. ¡°It¡¯s just been so long. I¡¯m sure five minutes won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Stopping in front of the entrance, he quickly turned to Druma and Blue. ¡°You guys wait here, I won¡¯t be long, promise!¡±


    The goblin exchanged a quick glance with the drake and shrugged, but by then the merchant was already disappearing into the building.


    A bell rang above the door as Balthazar pushed it open and stepped inside. As it closed behind him, the buzzing hubbub of the busy streets outside was as if completely removed from the air around the crab, now replaced with soothing silence and a sweet aroma of sugary treats.


    Balthazar felt himself getting dizzy, both because of the intoxicating scents flowing into him, but also due to the fact that he kept spinning in a circle looking around the room.


    The colors were nearly as overwhelming to the senses as the aromas. A bright array of colorful pastries and other sweets filled the tables and counters of the tiny shop. Cakes with multiple creamy layers sat prominently atop display structures at the center of carefully constructed arrangements, surrounded by plates of meticulously placed ¨¦clairs and macarons. Wooden shelves covered the walls, each filled with all manner of colorful bags containing treats of different shapes and sizes. And behind the glass of the counter, Balthazar saw it, perfectly round as a whole, immaculately triangular as a slice: pie.


    His heart beat faster at the sight of his beloved, after so many weeks apart, deprived of her beauty, her scent, and most importantly, her taste. Breathtaking as everything else around him was, right there and then, all the heavy breathing crustacean wished was for the world to fade away, the glass separating them to cease to exist, and to have a few minutes alone with that sweet pastry.


    ¡°Ah, good morning. You may leave them by the¡ª¡± a lady¡¯s voice said, approaching from the back of the store. ¡°Goodness gracious! There¡¯s a crab slobbering all over my glass counter!¡±


    With a jolted start, Balthazar¡¯s confused eyestalks snapped back to reality. A reality where he was leaning over the baking display, with his face pressed against the glass, mouthing like a fish at the pie on the other side.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡± the traveling merchant awkwardly said, taking a couple of steps back from the counter as he wiped the corner of his mouth. ¡°I got a little too focused on your¡­ uh, impressive selection of goods.¡±


    The woman¡¯s finely plucked eyebrows perked up. ¡°Ahh, you can talk. For a moment I worried you were an adventurer¡¯s wild companion who wandered into my shop.¡±


    Her response gave Balthazar some relief, even if it still felt odd to him how casual everyone in that city seemed to be about a talking crab.


    ¡°At first I was expecting you to be one of my suppliers delivering some milk jugs,¡± she added. ¡°He¡¯s running late today.¡±


    The crab glanced at the floor briefly. ¡°Yes, who knows, maybe some of his product went missing¡­¡±


    ¡°Never you mind that, though,¡± the fancy-dressed lady said. ¡°Welcome to my boutique. What can we offer you today to satisfy your sweet tooth?¡±


    With a warm smile, she spread her arms and placed both hands on the counter. If she was a baker, she did not show it at all. Unlike Madeleine, who always wore simple dressing, fit for working in a kitchen and by the oven all day, this woman sported finely tailored vestments, makeup, and an absurd amount of jewelry.


    ¡°Pie,¡± Balthazar simply said, one pincer extended towards the pastry on the other side of the glass.


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    ¡°You want one of our pies?¡± the shopkeeper said. ¡°Of course you do. They are one of our most requested products. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been hearing about them nonstop before even arriving in Marquessa.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± the crab bluntly said. ¡°Never heard of you, this place, or your pies. I was just passing by on my way to the city hall, saw a bakery, and came in to get pie.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the woman said, taken aback by the slight disappointment laid onto her by the crustacean, before regaining her composure and returning to her friendly manners. ¡°Well, in that case, I¡¯m sure you will soon be the one spreading tales far and wide about our delicacies. I¡¯m Margo, owner of this baking boutique.¡±


    Balthazar started impatiently tapping a foot on the polished granite floor.


    ¡°Great, great. I¡¯m Balthazar, owner of a hungry belly. Now, about that pie?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± the lady said, pulling the large plate with the pie from the glass display and placing it on top of the counter.


    Perhaps it was due to all the weeks spent away from any baked goods, deprived of the nourishing sight of a pastry, but the pie before Balthazar¡¯s eyes looked nothing short of divine.


    Its crust was flawless, and visibly fresh, no doubt baked just a few hours ago, but it was its filling, visible from the one triangular slice cut and placed on top of the rest, that really caught the crab¡¯s gaze. Of a yellowish orange color, it was dense and humid, compact and devoid of any air pockets, almost like a more solid jelly.


    ¡°Quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± the smiling shopkeeper said, resting her elbows on the counter.


    Balthazar nodded, eyes fixed on the plate. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Margo raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°A mango pie, of course.¡±


    ¡°A mango pie?¡± the traveling merchant repeated, lifting his gaze to her.


    ¡°Not from around these parts, are you?¡± the woman said with a coy smile. ¡°Probably from the west of the continent, if I had to guess.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks arched. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°It would explain your surprise at seeing something made with mango,¡± Margo explained with amusement.


    Balthazar¡¯s curiosity now grew at a similar rate as his hunger.


    ¡°How come I never even heard about mango pie before?¡±


    The simple idea that a type of pie could have existed all this time without his knowledge, and worse, without him trying it, was leaving the merchant filled with great internal outrage.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite simple, my dear,¡± the bakery owner said. ¡°The climate on the west side of the continent is no good to grow mangoes, unlike our more temperate fields here in the east.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± said Balthazar with a slight frown. ¡°Why not export them there? Seems like a wasted business opportunity to me.¡±


    Margo chuckled, covering her mouth with a hand full of rings.


    ¡°Maybe if it was that easy, but mangoes don¡¯t keep well during a several week cart trip to the other side of the continent, my dear. We sell them to nearby towns and settlements, but only those within a couple of days ride, otherwise no one wishes to trade in rotten fruit.¡±


    His aspirations of bringing a new delicacy to the lands of Ardville dashed for now, Balthazar focused on finding solace in the one good thing in front of him.


    ¡°Alright, enough chit-chatting, time for chewing.¡±


    The baker pulled a small plate from under the counter, along with a serving spatula. ¡°I mean no offense by it, but I should mention we did have to increase our price on mango products recently, if you must know before I serve it to you.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks stood to attention. ¡°Hold up! How much?¡±


    ¡°25 crowns a slice,¡± said the shopkeeper. ¡°A bargain once you taste it, I assure you.¡±


    Balthazar gulped. ¡°25 gold coins for just a slice?!¡±


    Used as he was to Madeleine¡¯s more than ¡°affordable¡± deals for him, the merchant now found himself faced with the impossible dilemma of which of his two loves he cherished more: coin or pie.


    ¡°Why do you say you had to raise the prices on mango products?¡± he asked, trying to find any way into a bartering opportunity.


    ¡°Ah, I suppose you haven¡¯t been in town long enough to hear,¡± said Margo, with a sigh.


    The shop¡¯s bell rang again, and they both looked up at the front door to see who had just arrived.


    A rotund man wearing a bowler hat stepped into the store with hurried steps, his thick walrus mustache twitching and shaking as he grumbled to himself.


    ¡°Marvin, darling, what happened?¡± the boutique¡¯s owner asked with concern.


    The man stomped his way around the counter and through the doorway to the back, seemingly not even noticing the giant crab standing in front of the counter. There he stopped by a coat stand, hanging his hat and jacket before angrily putting on an apron.


    ¡°It happened again, Margo!¡± Marvin exclaimed, while fiddling with the straps of the apron he was attempting to tie behind his back.


    Margo placed an open hand¡ªalong with about four or five oversized rings and bands¡ªon her chest, looking distraught. ¡°Tell me you don¡¯t mean what I think you mean.¡±


    Exhaling exasperatedly, the man nodded his head.


    ¡°Yes I do,¡± he said. ¡°The mango thieves attacked again.¡±

 Chapter 145: Mango Pie

    ¡°So¡­ Can I eat the pie or¡­?¡± Balthazar said, looking back and forth between it and Margo.


    ¡°How can they keep getting away with it?!¡± she said to the man putting on the apron, seemingly forgetting all about her client.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Marvin said in a very crossed manner. ¡°You know exactly how! Those damnable, good-for-nothing guards, that¡¯s how!¡±


    ¡°You guys seem very upset about something, so maybe I should just take that pie to go now?¡± the impatient crab said.


    The robust baker stopped and frowned at Balthazar. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but who¡¯s that?!¡±


    ¡°Ah, this is a client, dear,¡± Margo explained. ¡°Mr. Balthazar is new in town.¡± She turned to the traveling merchant. ¡°Don¡¯t mind my husband Marvin, he can be quite the airhead sometimes.¡±


    The baker¡¯s fluffy mustache shuffled from side to side. ¡°My apologies, I didn¡¯t mean to ignore you, but until this very moment I honestly thought you were some kind of new sculpture my wife had bought.¡±


    Balthazar waved a dismissive claw. ¡°Easy mistake to make. Now, about this pie here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course,¡± said Margo. ¡°Like I was saying, 25 crowns for the slice. Lucky you that my husband didn¡¯t come in with the bad news a couple of minutes earlier, or I would have asked for 30.¡±


    Despite being no stranger to hiked up prices, even the crab was feeling like that was a bit much.


    ¡°What in blazes could justify that?!¡±


    The shopkeeper clutched the many pearls of her necklace. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? Those cursed thieves did it again.¡±


    Balthazar rolled his eyes. All he wanted was to eat pie.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll bite,¡± he said. ¡°What thieves, and what did they do?¡±


    The answer did not come from Margo, but instead from her husband, who stomped into the room again, crooked apron tied around his wide waist.


    ¡°The mango thieves!¡±


    ¡°They need to work on their branding. That name sucks,¡± said the crab.


    ¡°For weeks now, they¡¯ve been robbing supplies of our precious mangoes all over town!¡± the exasperated man exclaimed. ¡°Nobody can seem to do a thing to stop them, and it¡¯s throwing business into disarray on the busiest time of the year!¡±


    ¡°Darling, please, calm yourself,¡± the concerned lady pleaded, placing a many-ringed hand on his shoulder. ¡°Watch your blood pressure. Why don¡¯t you go back to the kitchen and get started with the afternoon batch while I tend to our client here?¡±


    After a brief nod, Marvin wiped his perspiring forehead and walked away to the back, grumbling. ¡°How am I supposed to work without my mangoes? And the milk hasn¡¯t even arrived yet!¡±


    ¡°As my husband was saying,¡± Margo explained, ¡°some gang of miscreants has taken to stealing whole shipments of Marquessa¡¯s mangoes for several weeks now. This has greatly disturbed many businesses, ours included.¡±


    Balthazar nodded. ¡°Right, and so you¡¯re raising the prices, I get it. Still, paying 25 gold for a slice of pie seems a bit much, even for me.¡±


    The boutique¡¯s owner tapped a finger against her lips, thinking.


    ¡°You said that you were on your way to the guildhall, did you not?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. Why?¡±


    The woman wiggled her jeweled fingers. ¡°I find it an outrage that this situation still hasn¡¯t been solved by the city authorities, and I think it¡¯s high time I took action.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks stood up in attention. ¡°Take action¡­ how?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I shall write a strongly worded letter!¡± Margo said, wiggling a finger in the air.


    ¡°Oh yes, that ought to do it,¡± Balthazar said under his breath while rolling his eyes.


    The shopkeeper reached into a drawer and produced a piece of paper, a flask of ink, and a quill.


    ¡°That¡¯s great and all,¡± the increasingly desperate traveler said, ¡°but¡­ what about the pie?!¡±


    ¡°If you take this letter to the city hall yourself,¡± said Margo, while leaning over the page and hastily writing on it, ¡°it will carry an extra weight to it, coming from a visitor to the city, who is clearly being exposed to such a stain on our beloved town. The shame alone will surely force our leader to action! Do this and I¡¯ll give you a discount on the pie. Say¡­ 5 crowns for it.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s antennae perked up. ¡°20 gold just for delivering a letter somewhere I was already heading to?¡±


    ¡°Is it too much?¡± said the lady. ¡°Perhaps I should make it ten, instead?¡±


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s perfectly reasonable! Deal closed! Here¡¯s the money!¡±


    The crab hurriedly reached into his money bag and placed the payment on the counter.


    ¡°Now can I please just eat it already?¡±


    Still writing, Margo lifted her gaze off the page and looked at the crustacean and the pastry.


    ¡°Usually I¡¯d insist payment should only be delivered upon the conclusion of the job, but you seem trustworthy enough, and I¡¯ve seen how you have been looking at that pie since you got here. Go on, dig in.¡±


    As if he had been standing up all day and had finally been allowed the sweet release of sitting down, Balthazar descended on that slice of mango pie like a famished wild animal. Which he wasn¡¯t, because he was obviously a crab of class, and not wild. Except, perhaps, for that one brief moment, where he was going wild on that piece of pastry.


    The first bite alone was enough to take his mind straight back to the shores of his pond and to the many summer noons spent enjoying baked goods in Madeleine¡¯s company. The key difference being that this was an entirely new flavor. The texture reminded him of a peach pie, but with an even sweeter taste. Its crust was also a clear tell that this had been made by different hands than his sorely missed baker girl. Despite never having considered it before, Balthazar had grown familiar enough with her touch to be able to tell the tiniest of differences.


    Wherever you are, Madeleine¡­ your dough is still superior.


    Despite not being an entirely suitable replacement to his dear friend¡¯s baking, the joy of tasting pie again after so long still filled the crab with great satisfaction, and a tear nearly shed from the corner of his eye after finishing. Mainly because he still wanted more.


    ¡°Simply delicious,¡± he said, still chewing the remnants of the slice. ¡°Your husband is a great baker.¡±


    Margo stood up straight again, putting down her quill as she folded the piece of paper.


    ¡°He certainly is, but this pie you just ate was actually prepared by me,¡± she said. ¡°I always do the morning batch, while he does the afternoon one.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the crab said in surprise.


    ¡°You may not expect it from looking at me, but I still know how to take off my rings and get my hands in the dough.¡±


    Teaches me not to judge a book by its cover. Balthazar thought while wiping his mouth.


    ¡°Now that you ate, here is the letter for you to deliver. Just take it up to the receptionist and she will know how to get it into the right hands.¡±


    The traveler took the piece of paper into his pincer. ¡°Watch out, Rob. I¡¯m coming to take your new job already.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡± said Margo.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Little inside joke for myself. I¡¯ll get going to the guildhall now, before the whole day is gone and I somehow still haven¡¯t gotten any closer to reaching it.¡±


    Skittering to the front door, the crab opened it, making the bell ring once more.


    ¡°Thanks for the pie,¡± he said, looking back while holding the door open. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely be back for more before I leave town.¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± the boutique¡¯s owner responded. ¡°It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Balthazar.¡±


    Rejoining his two companions outside, Balthazar hurried them to follow him up the sidewalk.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get to that big building over there before I find something else to get sidetracked with.¡±


    Holding his pincers next to his eyestalks, the crab skittered all the way from the bakery to the largest building in the whole square.


    Standing in front of it, he looked up in awe at the size of the hall, with its huge domed roof, a flag blowing in the wind at its very peak.


    Excited to see it from the inside, the crab hurriedly climbed to the front. Three different sets of heavy wooden doors made up the entrance, with several people coming in and out of them, some of them clearly adventurers from the look of their gear.


    Balthazar had set foot inside the building for no longer than a handful of seconds, taking in the impressive and busy environment of the guildhall, when he felt a small hand tugging on him from the side.


    He turned, looking for who was trying to get his attention, but to his surprise, the face he found was a lot closer to his eye level than what the crab was used to.


    A child stood next to him, hands now behind her back.


    After their eyes met, the young girl spoke.


    ¡°You got any money?¡±

 Chapter 146: The Two Crown Tour

    ¡°What?¡± the dumbfounded crab asked.


    Being accustomed to dealing with humans as he was at this point, Balthazar realized he had never actually interacted much with their children, and being suddenly accosted by one of their miniature spawns took him by surprise. Especially given the subject of her spontaneous question.


    ¡°Have. You. Got. Any. Money?¡± the little girl asked again, mouthing each word slowly.


    ¡°Why are you asking me that, kid?¡± the slightly miffed crustacean asked back. ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±


    The child shrugged. ¡°Just trying to know if you¡¯re worth investing my time.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s left eyestalk rose, while the right one squinted at the sample-sized human. For some reason, this seemed to amuse her.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the merchant asked.


    ¡°No point in trying to offer my tour to someone if they don¡¯t have two coins to rub together, mister,¡± she said, punctuating her explanation with a sassy head tilt.


    The crab looked up and down at the little rascal. She wore simple peasant clothes, their faded colors telling him they had seen a fair share of wear, the biggest standout being her shoes. The moccasins were old and full of worn-out spots where the leather was starting to tear apart. Likely a hand-me-down, if he had to guess. Despite her lively attitude, Balthazar also thought her to be a little too scrawny, like someone lacking a couple of pies in their diet.


    ¡°Your parents never taught you not to talk to strangers?¡± he told her.


    ¡°Who says I still have parents?¡± the girl quickly riposted. ¡°Did your parents never teach you not to answer a question with another question?¡±


    ¡°Who says I ever had parents?¡± the crab snappily retaliated.


    The merchant and the little girl stared down at each other with squinting eyes as imaginary sparks crackled in the space between them.


    ¡°Alright, you want the tour or not?¡± the young local abruptly said, breaking away from the stare-down like she had simply gotten bored with it.


    Finding himself suddenly unsure of what to do with his eyes, Balthazar scrambled his gaze around, trying to think of what to answer.


    ¡°What tour are you talking about?¡± he asked.


    The little girl rolled her eyes and threw her head back with a sigh.


    ¡°You tourists can be so slow!¡± she bemoaned. ¡°A tour of our guildhall. You¡¯re clearly new around here, it¡¯s written all over your dumb face with the way you look around in awe. Probably some rich traveler visiting the city for the first time, judging by the slave and expensive pet you¡¯re bringing behind you.¡±


    The merchant frowned and glanced back at Druma and Blue.


    ¡°Them?¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re not my pets or slaves, they¡¯re my friends!¡±


    Showing genuine surprise for the first time, the little street urchin raised both eyebrows at the trio in front of her. ¡°Oh. I never thought a lobster, a goblin, and a drake could be friends.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a lobster, I¡¯m a crab!¡± exclaimed the exasperated arthropod. ¡°How is it possible that you got goblin and drake right but not that?!¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say, mister.¡±


    Despite his lack of experience with children, Balthazar felt certain they were not usually this impertinent.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty smart-mouthed for a kid,¡± he told her. ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°Ten,¡± she replied, before squinting one eye and looking up at the ceiling. ¡°Wait, no, eleven. Maybe twelve? I lost count.¡±


    ¡°And you got a name?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°I do, but it¡¯s mine and I wanna keep it,¡± said the sassy rascal. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for one, I can name you¡­ Pincher! General Pincher.¡±


    After throwing a disapproving glare back at the snickering goblin behind him, the merchant looked at the girl again. ¡°Thanks, but I already have a name. It¡¯s Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s not bad either. Suits you pretty well. Heeey, hold on, who gave it to you, if you said you never had any parents?¡±


    Balthazar paused, mouth open as he was about to deliver a comeback, realizing the kid was actually making a good question.


    ¡°Huh¡­ I never really thought about that.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you can call me Suze. Now, are you going to purchase my services or what? Time is money, and you¡¯re wasting mine, mister.¡±


    Brushing aside the momentary bout of existential dread over his given name, the crab returned to debating the little girl like a reasonable and mature adult would.


    ¡°And what services exactly are you offering, Suzie?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Suze, not Suzie,¡± she corrected with great sass to her tone. ¡°And I already told you, if you had been paying attention, mister. I can offer you a full tour of the guildhall and everything you need to know about it for just two crowns.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks rose slightly as his most primal instinct stirred within him: bartering.


    ¡°How about you give me the tour for one coin?¡±


    ¡°Are you really trying to haggle with a little kid?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one trying to negotiate with a crab, kid.¡±


    ¡°Two crowns. Not a coin less.¡±


    The traveling merchant grumbled to himself for a moment, annoyed at the tough nut staring him down with her big brown eyes and arms crossed.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said. ¡°Then how about we make a trade instead?¡±


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    ¡°A trade?¡± she said, one tentative eyebrow raised. ¡°For what? You got any snacks on you?¡±


    ¡°Not unless you consider dried fish a snack.¡±


    ¡°Blegh,¡± Suze said, throwing her tongue out in disgust. ¡°No I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Me neither, but let me see here¡­¡±


    Pulling his Backpack of Holding off his shell, Balthazar took a peek inside it, looking for something that not even he knew yet what it would be.


    Hmm, this helmet is probably too big for her. Ah, what about¡­ no, maybe not that. I don¡¯t think I should offer a sword to a kid either. How about a shortsword?


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting any younger here, mister,¡± the young girl said, tapping her foot on the floor.


    ¡°Aha!¡± the merchant suddenly exclaimed, reaching into his bag. ¡°What if instead of two meager coins, I paid you with these¡­ calipers?!¡±


    Pulling his pincer out of the backpack, he revealed the slightly rusty tool.


    Suze stared at the calipers for a moment, unimpressed.


    ¡°What¡¯s that thing?¡±


    Balthazar glanced up at the instrument he was still holding above his shell, before looking back at her.


    ¡°Calipers!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ what are they for?¡±


    He glanced up at the tool again, before bringing it down to eye level.


    ¡°I honestly have no idea.¡±


    The little girl threw her arms out in exasperation.


    ¡°Then what am I supposed to do with them?!¡±


    The crab shrugged, expressing his own share of exasperation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know! You¡¯re a kid, aren¡¯t you supposed to use your imagination, or something?!¡±


    With an annoyed sigh, Suze swiped the calipers off Balthazar¡¯s claw.


    ¡°Fine, whatever,¡± she said. ¡°I know a scrap dealer I can squeeze a couple of coins from with this, if nothing else. We have a deal, I¡¯ll give you a tour.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the crab celebrated, pumping his pincer.


    Surprisingly, he noticed that no notification of success for his dialogue skill appeared in his system as he would have expected.


    Wait¡­ Why did I even want a tour?!


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Suze, after securing the calipers against her belt. ¡°Are you guys ready to begin the tour?¡±


    Still standing at the entrance of the hall, with the occasional adventurer and local passing as they came and left the building, Balthazar looked back at his two companions and shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± the girl asked. ¡°Because once I start it there are no breaks.¡±


    The crab gave another shrug and a nod.


    ¡°If any of you needs to go tinkle, now¡¯s the time to say it. Last chance.¡±


    ¡°Will you get on with it already?!¡± Balthazar said, clacking his pincers in frustration.


    ¡°Alright then!¡±


    The little girl stepped in front of the three travelers, with her back to the archway that led to the rest of the hall. The crab, goblin, and drake wiggled forward with her.


    Suze cleared her throat and took a deep breath.


    ¡°This is Marquessa¡¯s Guild House. It¡¯s at the very center of the city. Behind me to your left is the Adventurers Guild Hall.¡±


    She raised her right arm and the three travelers followed her motion with their eyes. Across the atrium, through another large archway, was a section clearly dedicated to adventurers. All manner of warriors, rogues, and mages were moving about, some chatting at their tables, others leaning over counters, talking to the staff, and a few just hanging around corners, emptily staring at something in their sights that only they seemed to perceive.


    The hall was grandiose and warm, mostly composed of wood, with large brass chandeliers hanging over rows of tables and chairs for tired adventurers to rest on while enjoying a meal or drink in between their quests.


    It was easily the busiest section of the building, and also the loudest.


    ¡°To your right,¡± Suze continued, raising her other arm to bring their attention to the opposite side of the atrium, ¡°is the hall of the Merchants Guild.¡±


    Shifting his gaze to the room behind the girl, Balthazar immediately noticed how much quieter and orderly this hall seemed. Unlike the adventurer¡¯s hall, the merchant¡¯s foyer used a lot more stone instead of wood. Floors of polished granite and marble columns comprised most of the visible hall, with several curtains of exquisite texture separating different sections and rooms from prying eyes. The few figures occupying the open hall were much quieter and discreet than the loud adventurers across the atrium, with far less armor or weapons, and instead a lot more gowns and jewelry.


    Despite the distance from it, Balthazar could somehow tell that the air in there was stuffier and full of perfume, with the general feeling it passed being a much colder and unfriendly one.


    ¡°And at the center behind me,¡± the precocious tour guide said, pointing a thumb directly behind her head, ¡°is the main city hall. Most people go up to the counter if they have some boring thing to take care of there. The mayoral offices are above that, but they don¡¯t let many people upstairs, only fancy rich people or big-shot adventurers. I tried sneaking in there once, but they kicked me out.¡±


    The crab looked over her shoulder, his gaze landing on the wide counter past the circular atrium. Behind it, many young women with warm smiles and matching blue uniforms moved around while tending to the people coming up to their desks. On the wall past them were several wooden slots filled with several cards and pieces of paper the crab did not recognize, and above that a large pendulum clock.


    Further up and framing the entire front desk was a mezzanine with curved stairs leading up to it on each side.


    Balthazar noticed a figure of a lady in a dress standing up there by the railing, and their eyes met for a split second, but before he could take a better look at her, the woman had already moved away and out of sight.


    ¡°And that concludes our tour of Marquessa¡¯s Guild House,¡± Suze loudly declared. ¡°Thank you for coming, don¡¯t forget to recommend me to all your traveling friends, and please leave a nice review on the town noticeboard. Bye-bye!¡±


    As soon as the last words left her mouth, the little girl started skipping away from the crab and his friends, heading towards the front door.


    ¡°Wait, what? That¡¯s it?!¡± the baffled crustacean said. ¡°That was the whole tour?¡±


    Suze stopped by the large wooden doors and looked back at the merchant.


    ¡°What did you expect for two crowns?¡±


    Whipping her loose brown hair, the little girl turned and left the building with a smug look on her face.


    ¡°You little¡­¡±


    Shaking his shell and deciding he had enough of getting distracted, Balthazar turned towards the front desk of the guild hall.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± the giant crab said, his eyestalks barely reaching past the top of the counter.


    ¡°Oh, hello,¡± a girl in a blue outfit said, leaning over the countertop with a friendly smile. ¡°Can I help you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Balthazar said, his pincer popping over the edge of the wooden surface, holding a letter. ¡°First, I¡¯ve got this letter here to deliver to¡­ well, whoever is in charge around here.¡±


    The guild house employee took the letter and looked at the signature on it.


    ¡°Ah, I see it¡¯s from Lady Margo,¡± she said with an affected smile. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it gets to the right hands, as all the other ones before.¡±


    ¡°Great, that¡¯s my slice of pie paid for,¡± the peeking pair of eyestalks said. ¡°Now, the other thing I was hoping someone here could help me with is¡­¡±


    With some difficulty, and a fair share of awkwardness, the traveler plopped his open map on the counter for the guild assistant to see.


    ¡°I''m trying to find someone, and I need to find the right way to get to where he lives.¡±


    The friendly smile returned to the girl¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, certainly! We can try to help you with that. Where are you trying to go?¡±


    After stretching one eyestalk as much as he could to see the map, he followed that up with stretching his pincer over it to point at a marked location near the east shore of the continent.


    ¡°Right there, miss. That¡¯s where I need to go.¡±


    She leaned over the piece of parchment to look at where the crab was pointing, and her warm smile faded like a blown candle, replaced with a cold, pale expression.


    ¡°Oh, goodness,¡± the Marquessian girl said, bringing a hand against her collar in worry. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s your destination?¡±


    Balthazar double-checked where he was pointing with his other eyestalk. ¡°Yeah, why? Is there a problem with that?¡±


    A stern and commanding voice came from behind the crab, startling him, ¡°You really don¡¯t want to go there, Mr. Balthazar.¡±

 Chapter 147: Marquessa’s Baroness

    Balthazar looked back and up at who had given him the warning. Standing under the glow of the brass chandelier above the atrium was a woman in a blue dress. Not just any regular blue dress, however. This one was beyond expensive. Not that the crab knew much about tailoring, but he certainly knew about gold, and the glint of the embroidery on her attire was unmistakably that. The golden filigree was finely woven into the fabric in meticulous and complex patterns from top to bottom, making her radiate an aura of royalty.


    Once he was done marveling at the beauty of his favorite metal, the merchant finally managed to look past the blinding glow of the dress and focus on the lady wearing it.


    And he found even more gold.


    Atop her head, framing a perfectly groomed hairdo, was a delicate circlet ending on a tip at the center of her forehead, with a flawless sapphire at its core.


    She wore at least one ring on each finger, most of them sporting opulent gems, and carried a golden chain around her neck, which held a thick golden key hanging from it at the center of her chest.


    Next to this woman, Madame Margo¡¯s jewelry might have even seemed modest.


    Yet, despite the exquisite dressing, the lavish jewelry, and the perfect makeup on her face, there was something that made it all still work without feeling overdone. A simplicity to her complexity that was declared merely by the glare of her piercing blue eyes.


    Perhaps it was just the way she carried herself, a certain air to her presence, but Balthazar could instinctively tell this was no meager pretender, like the Antoines of this world. She was the real deal. What her deal was, however, he did not yet know.


    Or maybe it was just that the crab liked shiny things. Who could say?


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± Balthazar said, trying to keep his voice from cracking at the sight of so much gold.


    Damn, do I miss my golden shell¡­


    ¡°The place you wish to go to,¡± the regal woman calmly stated, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend it.¡±


    The crab frowned one eyestalk. ¡°And you are?¡±


    A coy smile appeared on her face. ¡°Truly a traveler from far away, if you''ve gotten all the way here without knowing who I am.¡±


    Stepping forward, the lady in gold and blue approached Balthazar and offered him the back of her hand.


    For a moment, the merchant wondered if he was supposed to pick one of her rings to take for himself, but then he remembered the human¡¯s strange habit of offering each other their hands as a greeting. A shame, as the large gold band around her index finger really appealed to him.


    ¡°I am Octavia Marquessa, baroness and mayor of this city. Delighted to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, your parents named you after the city? That¡¯s odd,¡± the crab said, while nonchalantly giving the back of her hand a gentle bump with the back of his own pincer.


    The baroness looked down at her hand, where the traveler had just bumped it, and the corner of her mouth twitched for a split second with something that Balthazar could not tell if it was amusement or annoyance.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have it the wrong way around,¡± she explained with a gentle smile. ¡°The city is named after me. Or rather, my family. We founded it generations ago, back when it was little more than a river port surrounded by a few farms.¡±


    ¡°Oooh,¡± said the crustacean. ¡°That makes a lot more sense. Anyway, nice to meet you, I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± Lady Marquessa interjected. ¡°A traveling crab from the west who also happens to be a merchant.¡±


    He froze, taken aback by her statement for a moment. ¡°How do you know that? Aside from the crab part, I mean. That one you don¡¯t need to explain. I meant the rest.¡±


    A sly smile made her lips purse. ¡°You will come to learn I deal in many things, information chief among them. But perhaps some explanation is in order. Walk with me?¡±


    With a smooth sidestep, she extended an arm to the other side of the atrium.


    ¡°Why? Are you afraid to trip and fall?¡±


    ¡°Er, excuse me, baroness,¡± the guild girl behind the counter said. ¡°Before you leave, Mr. Balthazar also delivered this letter for you from Madame Margo.¡±


    The mayor took the piece of paper, but seemed in no rush to open it.


    ¡°See to it that Mr. Balthazar¡¯s companions are treated to a good meal and a place to rest while he and I have our conversation, please,¡± she told the staff member while sliding the letter into her sleeve. ¡°I hope this is acceptable to you, Mr. Balthazar. I¡¯m sure they are quite tired from your journey, and the business I wish to discuss would certainly prove rather dull to them.¡±


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    The crab and his party exchanged a brief glance, and he gave them a nod to go along with the young girl.


    After watching them head towards the cafeteria hall, he turned back to the mayor.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± she said.


    Balthazar nodded and followed Baroness Marquessa as they leisurely strolled through the halls of the guild house.


    ¡°So,¡± he started. ¡°Going to explain what this is about now or¡­?¡±


    ¡°I suppose you wish me to start by explaining how I know who you are.¡±


    The crab shrugged. ¡°I was going to start by asking if the cafeteria my friends just went to serves any pastries, but sure, that works too.¡±


    Lady Marquessa paused for a moment to look through the busy front doors of the guildhall.


    ¡°It is part of my job to know all that happens in this city,¡± she said. ¡°Everyone who comes and goes. And especially those who take the time to aid my niece when she is being bothered by a lowlife in an alley.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, that was your niece?¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Feisty, that one. Not sure she even really needed any help, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, she is,¡± the regal woman said, unable to hide a hint of amused pride in her smile. ¡°And while that girl is more than capable of getting herself into trouble and out of it, the fact that you stepped in to help someone in need makes you stand out in this city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I noticed,¡± the traveling merchant said with a nod. ¡°People here don¡¯t seem very neighborly.¡±


    The baroness resumed her slow stroll down the atrium, and the crab followed.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t always like that,¡± she explained. ¡°The nature of an increasingly larger city, and especially with the less pleasant nature of recent events, people have grown more closed and untrusting. Certainly nothing like what you are used to around the quieter roads of Ardville.¡±


    Balthazar frowned.


    ¡°Now hold on, I never told your niece where I¡¯m from, and so far it didn¡¯t look like anyone around this place knew who I was either.¡±


    Once again, a sly smile curved the corner of her mouth.


    ¡°As sharp as the stories claim, I see.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± the puzzled crab said.


    ¡°You are right, your fame has not yet reached this side of the continent, but once my niece told me about the peculiar talking crab who came to her aid, I inquired my vast¡­ sources about who you might be. It wasn¡¯t long until one of my informants from your region told me all about your fascinating popularity around Ardville.¡±


    Balthazar eyed the baroness, but said nothing. The merchant didn¡¯t like the feeling of her knowing so much about him, while he still knew next to nothing about her, and even more importantly, about her intentions.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye as they walked. ¡°I only heard good things. Mostly. Otherwise we would not be having this conversation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and why are we having this conversation anyway?¡± the crab asked tentatively.


    ¡°Because I took an interest in you, obviously.¡±


    Balthazar frowned at her games. ¡°And why would the mayor of a big and important city take an interest in some crab who is just passing by?¡±


    Stopping by a large window to the outside, she turned to him.


    ¡°Tell me, Mr. Balthazar, since you entered Marquessa, has anything in particular stood out to you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ The mango pies?¡±


    The woman let out a quiet chuckle. ¡°Yes, they are quite good. Anything else?¡±


    Scratching his chin, the merchant pondered. ¡°That people here seem oddly casual about a giant talking crab roaming around?¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± the baroness said. ¡°As a metropolis of trading, Marquessa is used to open borders and ports, with all manner of travelers passing through. You will find that people here are much more open to non-humans than most other places in the continent.¡±


    She gave a gentle nod that told the crab to look around, and he did. He saw people moving about the guild house, across the atrium, through the different halls, different sizes and gear to them, but only when he really started paying closer attention did he notice it.


    The hooded scout in leather armor by the adventurer¡¯s hall, with a little more fur to his face than a regular human typically would have.


    By the merchant¡¯s desk, a bureaucrat in a toga was looking through some documents, and he had a long tail coming out of his garments and nearly touching the floor. Balthazar felt pretty sure humans didn¡¯t usually have those.


    And crossing the atrium with a stack of boxes in his arms was a tough-looking mercenary with green skin and tusks sticking out of his mouth. That the crab knew wasn¡¯t a human, because he had dealt with orcs long enough to recognize one.


    Now that the merchant looked at the crowds moving around him with seeing eyes, instead of just glancing, he finally realized just how mixed the races bumping around Marquessa were.


    ¡°Quite the departure from the populace around Ardville, I take it?¡± the city keeper said with a discreet smirk. ¡°How is Bergen these days, anyway?¡±


    Balthazar turned his attention back to her. ¡°The mayor? Uh, he¡¯s¡­ loud. Why, you know him?¡±


    The baroness chuckled. ¡°I did, long ago. I see he hasn¡¯t changed much then.¡±


    Crossing his arms, the crab exhaled sharply. ¡°Alright, so a non-human walking around is not a big deal in this city, I get that, but it still doesn¡¯t explain then why you are here talking to me, or why you don¡¯t recommend I go to where I want to go.¡±


    ¡°The latter is quite simple,¡± the woman in gold explained. ¡°The coastal cliffs you wish to reach are an extremely dangerous place and the trip there is nearly impossible, even for a seasoned scout. Try to find your way there on your own, and you will surely get lost. Try to find someone to take you there, and you will be looking for a long time.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s mouth scrunched up in annoyance. Of course Tweedus couldn¡¯t just be sitting on a lawn chair by the beach out in the open, waiting for him. He had to be in some unreachable hole up in the middle of nowhere. Things could never be easy.


    ¡°However,¡± the mayor continued, ¡°I do know one person capable of getting you across to where you need to go.¡±


    The crab squinted his beady eyes at her. ¡°Why do I feel like there is going to be a ¡®but¡¯ to it?¡±


    She smirked once more. ¡°There always is, in any good negotiation, as I¡¯m sure you know better than most.¡±


    Moving away from the window, Baroness Marquessa started making her way back to the front desk.


    ¡°Come, let us go into my office,¡± she said. ¡°I have a deal to offer you.¡±

 Chapter 148: Marquessa’s Deal

    Balthazar walked to the side of the baroness and looked toward the staircase to the second floor.


    ¡°Is your office upstairs?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the mayor responded.


    ¡°Can¡¯t go there then.¡±


    The woman¡¯s left brow rose slightly at the merchant.


    ¡°And why is that?¡±


    ¡°Stairs,¡± the crab replied, waving a pincer at the steps. ¡°We don¡¯t agree much.¡±


    Baroness Marquessa placed a hand in front of her mouth as she let out a quiet chuckle of earnest amusement.


    ¡°Fret not, Mr. Balthazar. There is no need for us to use the stairs. Come with me.¡±


    Puzzled, but obliging, the crustacean followed her past the front desk and behind the wall with the large clock.


    ¡°You got ramp accesses too?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No,¡± the amused lady said. ¡°Something much better.¡±


    Turning a corner, they arrived in front of a rectangular gate of iron and brass mesh. With a flick of her arm, the baroness snapped her fingers and the collapsible doors opened.


    Balthazar stretched his eyestalks to peek inside. It was an empty cubicle with barely enough room for the two of them.


    ¡°Is this your office?¡± he said, turning his eyes back to the woman. ¡°Kinda expected more, for a mayor.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°No, Mr. Balthazar. This will take us there. Please, go in.¡±


    Shuffling awkwardly, the crab sidestepped his way into the strange square room, his shell barely fitting through the entrance. Lady Marquessa entered behind him, and once both were inside, the metal gate closed itself again.


    The merchant looked around the bronze-colored interior, with its single light spot above. ¡°So, what do we¡ª¡±


    With a sudden gulp, the words went back into Balthazar¡¯s mouth as he felt his stomach shoot up inside his shell. But just as fast as it happened, it was over, and he felt it drop back to the bottom of his scrambled innards.


    ¡°What the hell just happened?!¡±


    With a ding, the collapsible mesh gates opened again, and the baroness calmly stepped out of the cubicle.


    ¡°We have arrived on the second floor,¡± she stated.


    Stumbling and slightly dizzy, the traveler exited the strange chamber of stomach turning, eyestalks rolling around to scan his surroundings.


    ¡°Wait, this is a different place from where we were a moment ago!¡± he said. ¡°What just happened? Was that a portal you just took me through?!¡±


    Lady Marquessa eyed the crab with a smile.


    ¡°Hardly,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s called an elevator. Amazing the things mages and artificers can make these days with the right metals and a few levitation spells.¡±


    ¡°Levitation spells?!¡± Balthazar said, leaning with one claw against the wall while trying to make the room stop spinning around him. ¡°You should have told me. I have a bad history with that stuff!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you will feel better if you sit down,¡± the woman said. ¡°Let us step into my office.¡±


    Opening a double wooden door, the baroness led the crab into a large room with a huge window opposite to the entrance.


    Forgetting his stomach woes, Balthazar stared in awe at the impressive interior of the mayor¡¯s office.


    Furniture of the finest wood money could buy decorated a room full of imposing portraits of figures the merchant did not know. The floor, varnished and polished to perfection, had several wide rugs with impressive patterns and so soft-looking that the crab felt tempted to nap on them. At least until he looked at the chairs adorning the lounge area of the office. Solid, carved wood with soft cushions for the back and seat that looked even more comfortable as his bedding back home.


    In front of the window stood a dark wooden desk, covered with papers, books, dossiers, and half-used inkwells. Lady Marquessa had already made her way across the room and behind the desk, where she sat down on a chair that would be better called a throne, in Balthazar¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°Please,¡± she told him, while extending a hand towards a stool conveniently placed across the desk, opposite of her. Given the chairs the merchant saw moved aside, and how out of place the bench looked, something told him she had already planned for his presence.


    As soon as Balthazar sat his ample underside on the bench, Octavia¡¯s hands came together in front of her face as she leaned forward, placing both elbows on the desk.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business, Mr. Balthazar,¡± she said, with a penetrating intensity to her gaze. ¡°I won¡¯t insult your intelligence by dancing around the subject, I know just how sharp you are.¡±


    The crab stared at the mayor for a second, utterly confused. ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Most people living this far east may not hear much about what happens on the other side of the continent, but I am not most people. I¡¯ve heard about your feats.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s bewilderment continued to grow. ¡°You have?¡±


    ¡°I must commend your acting skills,¡± the mayor said, blue-eyed gaze peeking over her entwined fingers. ¡°To behave below your real intellect, acting like a distracted and confused animal, takes a lot of wisdom, but is an incredibly clever tactic to keep any possible foes off their guard. I am impressed by how well you play the part.¡±


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    ¡°You are?¡± the completely befuddled crustacean said.


    I can¡¯t figure out if what she¡¯s thinking of me is a good thing, or if I should feel insulted¡­


    ¡°There is no need to keep hiding, Mr. Balthazar,¡± she continued. ¡°You are among like-minded friends in my office. I know all about your feud with Antoine back in Ardville, and I assure you, as the guildmaster of Marquessa¡¯s merchants, I was happy to hear about his arrest. He was a shameful stain to us all.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said the crab, ¡°You¡¯re telling me you¡¯re also the leader of the merchants guild in this city?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I am.¡±


    ¡°Wow, lady, leave some job positions for others, will you?¡±


    The baroness-mayor-guildmaster chuckled in amusement.


    ¡°I must say, I very much enjoy your candid attitude. Most merchants and other figures I meet daily act with such pomp and false niceties, it becomes exhausting. I am glad to see you were perceptive enough to do away with all that around me, despite appearances.¡±


    Don¡¯t know what she means by doing away with it around her, but I¡¯ll just roll with it. Hopefully that cafeteria downstairs has some cookies, and she¡¯ll let me swipe a couple of them for free.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Balthazar started, ¡°When are you going to tell me why you brought me here when all I wanted were directions.¡±


    After regaining her composed smirk, Marquessa said, ¡°You need someone capable enough to guide you to the coastal cliffs in one piece. I happen to know the one person who could do that.¡±


    ¡°Great! So if you could just tell me¡ª¡±


    ¡°But as I¡¯m sure your sharp negotiation senses already told you, we are in the city of trades, and I happen to have a problem of my own that needs solving.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks sagged in frustration.


    Figures¡­


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You have no doubt already become aware of the plight currently affecting our businesses.¡±


    Balthazar looked at her with a cocked eyestalk.


    ¡°You mean the blatantly corrupt guards, or the robbing of mangoes?¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± the gold-clad woman said. ¡°Mangoes are Marquessa¡¯s biggest product. The fields outside the city are mostly dedicated to growing that fruit, thanks to our climate that makes their production so much easier. People from all over the continent come here after the summer harvest to enjoy all the many delicacies we produce with mangoes.¡±


    The traveling merchant nodded. ¡°I know, I tried a mango pie before coming here. Delicious!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, from Margo¡¯s Boutique,¡± the baroness said, reaching into her sleeve and retrieving the letter Balthazar had delivered.


    ¡°That one, yes. She and her husband were complaining about how another shipment had just been stolen.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the mayor said, quickly glancing through the contents of the letter. ¡°As¡­ dramatic as Madame Margo can sometimes be, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that this problem is threatening to grow into a full-scale crisis, if not handled soon.¡±


    She stood up and stepped closer to the window, gazing outside with her hands behind her back.


    ¡°The truth is, Mr. Balthazar,¡± the baroness started, ¡°whoever is behind these recent thefts has managed to infiltrate the previous rather inept and manageable criminal rabble of Marquessa and turn them into a much more organized and efficient threat. What¡¯s worse, they have also gotten a hold on some of our guards, and as much as it shames me to admit, I have so far failed to come up with solutions to this problem.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Balthazar said, eyeing a ceramic jar on a nearby dresser and wondering if it contained any cookies. ¡°And why exactly are you telling me all this?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see you are testing my intentions,¡± the smirking woman said, turning from the window to face him again. ¡°I get it. You¡¯re not fully convinced about my goals yet. A smart precaution.¡±


    The crab stared at her with unblinking eyes.


    What is she on about?!


    ¡°I will lay my cards on the table, then, Mr. Balthazar,¡± the mayor said, sitting back down. ¡°I am running out of options and time. This crime spree cannot continue, but when my own guards have been compromised, it becomes much more complicated to put a stop to it.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried getting some adventurers to look into it and solve the problem for you?¡± the merchant said with a shrug. ¡°They love doing quests, if there¡¯s a reward.¡±


    The city keeper shook a finger in front of her face. ¡°Great minds think alike, my friend. I knew that would be your first thought, as was mine. Especially given your famed history with adventurers back in your homeland. But no, unfortunately, that proved to not be the best option.¡±


    Balthazar frowned. ¡°Why not?¡±


    Lady Marquessa sighed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that this task seems to require a lot more finesse than what can be expected from the common adventurer. I have made some attempts to employ the services of a few aspiring heroes from the guild, but tasks that require anything beyond what can be solved through sword, bow, or spell, are far beyond the reach of their kind.¡±


    ¡°Ahh,¡± the crab said with a nod and a knowing expression. ¡°I think I know exactly what you mean. What you are saying is that most adventurers are as dumb as a door nail. I totally understand your pain.¡±


    The woman threw an exasperated shrug over her desk. ¡°I mean, for goodness¡¯s sake, the last attempt I made to hire an adventurer to investigate this ended with several horses running loose on the streets, a lost shipment of mead barrels, and a barn being burned to the ground. When asked about it, the idiot kept blabbing about how nobody had told him stealth wasn¡¯t optional, whatever that even meant.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, tsk. Typical adventurers,¡± the crab said, while crossing his arms and slowly shaking his shell.


    ¡°So,¡± the guildmaster continued, ¡°you can imagine how hopeful I became when I found out that the one who took down the corrupt slimeball of Ardville¡¯s merchants guild had just walked into my city, and what¡¯s more, had just come to my niece¡¯s aid while she was being harassed by those lowlifes. Someone of your renown cunning and bravery is exactly who I need to solve my mango thieves problem.¡±


    Balthazar kept nodding along. ¡°Right, of course. Not to brag, but I really am¡­¡± His eyestalks suddenly shot up. ¡°Wait, you want me to do what?!¡±


    ¡°I wish to hire your vast skills to dismantle this corrupt operation plaguing my city, and uncover who is behind this dark scheme,¡± Baroness Marquessa declared.


    The merchant stared at her for a couple of very quiet seconds.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure that¡¯s for me. Besides, I¡¯m no adventurer to be taking on quest¡ª¡±


    ¡°Naturally, you¡¯d be very well compensated for any aid you could provide. The Marquessa family always shows great gratitude to its allies.¡±


    The merchant¡¯s antennae suddenly perked up. ¡°What kind of compensation are we talking about here?¡±


    Lady Octavia intertwined her fingers again. ¡°The monetary kind, for starters. But I know a simple payment in coin would not suffice for someone like you¡­¡±


    No, it totally would, but go on¡­


    ¡°I know a prodigal merchant like yourself would surely have an interest in opening trade routes with us. After all, Marquessa is the trade capital of Mantell. Help me solve my problem, and you will find the gates of our guildhall open to you and your business. And as a cherry on top of the cake, I would personally lend you the services of my most trusted right-hand man to guide you to your destination on the coast.¡±


    Balthazar rubbed his chin with the back of his claw.


    I do like cakes¡­


    ¡°What say you to my offer, Mr. Balthazar?¡± the baroness asked, her intense gaze fixed on the crab from across the desk.


    He let out a quiet sigh.


    It¡¯s just one quick side task. How long could it take?


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± the crab declared.


    [Quest accepted: Marquessa¡¯s Mangoes]

 Chapter 149: A Day in the City

    ¡°Is there anything else you require before starting, Mr. Balthazar?¡± Baroness Marquessa asked the crab, as they both crossed the guild house¡¯s atrium.


    ¡°Well, let me see,¡± the traveling merchant said while tapping a pincer on his chin and recounting on his head. ¡°I know the ruffians I already met are involved, I know I can¡¯t count on the guards to help, and I know the only contact I can come to is either yourself or your right-hand man, captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Leander,¡± the city mayor completed. ¡°Anything you need, he will be authorized to provide, within reason. It¡¯s imperative that your involvement in this remains kept under wraps. I am counting on your wildcard factor as an outsider to tip the scales in our favor against whatever mastermind is behind this. So far they have managed to stay two steps ahead of us while growing their influence, but I have no intention of letting this affront continue. My family did not rule and grow this place into a prosperous city for eight generations just for me to let it fall into the hands of criminal scum now.¡±


    Balthazar nodded along as the woman spoke. Mostly because he dared not defy the intensity in her eyes.


    ¡°Right,¡± he said. ¡°I think before I get started, the best course of action is for me to get to know this city better.¡±


    I have no idea where to even start¡­


    ¡°Indeed,¡± said the baroness. ¡°A wise starting point, as is to be expected from such a crafty mind as yours.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ll probably take the day to explore around, get a feel for the streets and whatnot.¡±


    I wonder if they have more than one bakery in town¡­


    Lady Octavia nodded. ¡°Naturally. Understanding the field is a clever first step. I¡¯m certain that with your instincts you will soon pick up a lead on where to get started. Judging by the tales I¡¯ve heard about you, I have no doubt you will make short work of this issue. After all, a gang of fruit smugglers must seem like an amusing joke to you when compared to going up against a powerful political figure as Antoine was.¡±


    Balthazar forced a grin.


    Oh, what am I getting myself into¡­


    The guildmaster turned to the cafeteria area.


    ¡°Ah, I suppose we should check on your companions. You must wish to take them with you.¡±


    Peeking past the gold-clad woman, the crab saw Blue and Druma by a table, enjoying their feast of many kinds of meat that the baroness¡¯s staff had provided. The goblin was happily tossing pieces of meat in the air for the drake to catch with her mouth as he laughed and celebrated every successful catch like a scored goal.


    They seem delighted to be getting some time off the road and finally enjoying a meal that wasn¡¯t dry.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Balthazar said, ¡°if you don¡¯t mind, I think I¡¯d rather let them stick around here for a little while longer. They deserve some time off while I explore the town.¡±


    The baroness bowed her head slightly.


    ¡°Very well. That won¡¯t be an issue. You are my personal guest, and that extends to your companions as well. They can remain here for as long as you need, while you perform your part of the deal. I will have my staff inform them that you will be back later and that they should tend to them like the guests they are.¡±


    With a mutual nod, the woman and the crab split up.


    Exiting through one of the three front doors of the guild house, Balthazar shielded his eyes from the noon sun. Now that he crossed the entrance in the opposite direction, the traveler realized just how impressive the view from the city hall was.


    From its elevated position, he could see how far the rooftops extended, like a whole urban forest surrounding a river running right through its middle.


    Despite his short visit to Ardville, it was clear at a glance that Marquessa was by far the bigger town, both in area, and also vertically, with its myriad of taller houses, towers, and other buildings sticking up into the skyline.


    Skittering back onto the town square, Balthazar placed his claws on the sides of his shell as he watched the crowds passing by, the streets now slightly calmer, likely due to most people having gone indoors for lunch hours.


    There he was, a lone giant crab with a mission, in a big city, free to explore it in any direction.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    He inhaled deeply.


    ¡°I have no clue where to go first,¡± the traveler said to himself.


    As the words came out of his mouth, another sound came from his stomach: a loud, hungry growl.


    ¡°Never mind, I think I know where I need to go.¡±


    And with a pep to his step, Balthazar went on to explore the streets of Marquessa.


    ***


    After a few hours wandering, and as the sun quickly made its way to the hills, the crab arrived back at the town square, a few stones heavier, and wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin.


    He had found no leads on the stolen mangoes case, but his investigation had certainly borne other fruits. Mainly the ones in the many sweets he had consumed through the market district.


    But it hadn¡¯t all been food tourism for the merchant. He also spent a fair share of time performing market research through the many shops of Marquessa.


    Confirming what the mayor had already implied, Balthazar found that the people of this city really were used to non-human races dwelling through their streets and stores. Barely anyone seemed to bat an eye at the presence of a giant crab among their stalls, or browsing through their shelves.


    That refreshing feeling, coupled with all the trading in the air, almost made him wish his little pond had existed next to Marquessa all along, instead of Ardville.


    The crab had visited blacksmiths, apothecaries, jewelers, and even grocery shops around the market, quickly coming to the realization that the one thing Ardville had over that city was its prices. Everything in Marquessa was far more expensive. At the same time, the general population also seemed wealthier.


    Balthazar wondered how much of the higher standard of living had to do with the open trading, or if his little home to the west just happened to be unluckier in its location.


    The baroness had told him mangoes were Marquessa¡¯s main product, and she wasn¡¯t exaggerating. Everywhere the crab went he would notice a mango being used as a symbol for something, as a decoration piece, or simply mixed in with whatever was being sold.


    Mango in every food dish.


    Mango drinks of all kinds.


    Buying a hat? Chances were, it would have a little decorative mango on it.


    Tailors all seemed to favor clothing in yellows, reds, and greens¡ªa mango¡¯s colors.


    Even a statue in the middle of one of the streets was of a man proudly holding a mango in his hand.


    Balthazar found it all a bit tacky. Now, a statue of a crab holding up a slice of pie? That would be another story. Perhaps one day¡­


    Despite the heavy mango influence, one thing quickly became apparent to him: there was a clear lack of the actual fruit around their markets.


    Fruit sellers had some apples, a few bananas, maybe some grapes, but the larger baskets which would have held their main product were empty. People would pass through the stalls, asking for the famed mangoes of Marquessa, only to be turned away by a resigned shake of the head from the farmer or shopkeeper, lamenting their lack of supply.


    Under the buzzing and gossiping of the market, Balthazar caught snippets of conversations, people resenting and theorizing about the disappearing mangoes. After some time spent taking the pulse of the city¡¯s rumor mill, the crab could tell the mayor had good reason to want the problem solved soon, as their impression of her was quickly growing unkind.


    ¡°She sits up in her office all day doing nothing,¡± some claimed.


    ¡°I hear her own guards don¡¯t respect her anymore,¡± another would add.


    ¡°Someone told me she had all the mangoes taken to her estate outside the city so she can have them all for herself,¡± said a woman outside a tea house.


    Kicking back on a park bench near the Marquessian river, Balthazar pondered on his next step while digesting his ample sampling of local delicacies.


    All he wanted was to nap, especially while hearing the soothing sound of running water coming from the river, reminding him of his dear pond, but he knew he had to take his task seriously.


    The mayor¡¯s problem was a pressing matter, that much he understood now, and if he didn¡¯t uphold his side of the deal and come up with some answers soon, he might not get the promised safe passage to the cliffs he needed to reach in order to find Tweedus, and hopefully, an answer to how to repair Bouldy¡¯s core.


    How bringing his friend back to life somehow came to depend on finding some missing mangoes, the crustacean couldn¡¯t really explain. Traveling was apparently just full of weird things like that.


    Finding a guide, however, was not the only reason why he took the quest from the local guildmaster. Balthazar might have been busy traveling the continent for weeks, far away from his pond, but he never stopped being a merchant, and he knew a promising business opportunity when he saw one.


    The baroness seemed to have a very high impression of him¡ªwhich was obviously entirely warranted given his many impressive merits that were in no way ever exaggerated¡ªand her current conundrum presented the merchant with a golden opportunity to fall into her good graces.


    And with that, open trading opportunities with the huge market of Marquessa.


    To do what with? Balthazar wasn¡¯t sure yet. He mostly dealt with random junk from adventurers, but he was ready to step up in life, and if that required him to play quest-taker for a bit, that would be a small price to pay.


    At least this time he wasn¡¯t carrying a decaying zombie through a forest at night.


    As the crab contemplated the dusk sky above with both claws resting over his filled stomach, a sigh left his mouth.


    Problem is, I¡¯m a merchant, not a detective. How the hell am I supposed to figure out who¡¯s stealing mangoes in a city this big?


    He would need a hand. Maybe two. Preferably with thumbs, too.


    Someone who knew the city.


    Someone with street smarts.


    Someone¡­ affordable.


    As the crab tipped his eyestalks forward to stand back up, his gaze spotted exactly who he needed.


    Well, well, look who it is¡­

 Chapter 150: Pie Is Better When Shared

    ¡°Hey, kid,¡± said Balthazar, approaching the little girl he had met earlier in the guild house.


    Suze looked up from her sitting spot on the edge of the dock. She was busy counting the handful of coins in her palm, and cocked an eyebrow at the crab.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you again, Mr. Lobster,¡± said the street urchin. ¡°I don¡¯t have your calipers anymore, if that¡¯s what you came looking for.¡±


    ¡°I told you already, I¡¯m a crab, not a lobster!¡± the annoyed crustacean told her.


    ¡°Tomato, crabo, same thing,¡± Suze said with a nonchalant shrug.


    ¡°And no, I didn¡¯t come looking for the calipers,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I actually came to seek your services again.¡±


    The girl pocketed her money and looked at the crab with both eyebrows now raised.


    ¡°Really? That never happened before. Usually after my tour there¡¯s some yelling and throwing of things while people chase me down the street, but no one ever asks for a second one.¡±


    She stood up from the floor and patted the dust off her legs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t do discounts for returning customers, though. The price is still two crowns.¡±


    The little rascal extended her open hand towards the crab, her nose held high as she waited for payment.


    Balthazar found her attitude vexing but also, in a tiny, deep down way¡­ relatable.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for another tour,¡± he said. ¡°I was hoping you could help me with something else.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡± said the kid, retreating her hand and crossing her arms.


    ¡°How well do you know these streets?¡± the merchant asked.


    ¡°Like the back of my hand,¡± Suze promptly replied. ¡°I have decades of experience in them.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks arched in suspicious confusion. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re like ten, or something?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but living in the streets really ages you, plus I work a lot of extra hours to earn my coin.¡± She gave him a quick shrug. ¡°It adds up.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± the crab said. ¡°The point is, I need someone who knows this city¡¯s streets, and can help me navigate my way through the more¡­ unsavory spots. To reach the less¡­ recommendable crowds.¡±


    ¡°You wanna talk to the bandits,¡± the girl bluntly said, while rolling her eyes.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah.¡±


    ¡°Coulda just come out and said that.¡±


    The merchant frowned in slight annoyance. ¡°Can you help me or not?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I can help you find those mango thieves for the baroness.¡±


    ¡°Great, I was really¡ª¡± Balthazar stopped, and his eyestalks jumped in place. ¡°Wait, who said anything about the baroness?! I didn¡¯t say I was looking for the mango thieves for the baroness!¡±


    Suze tilted her head to the side, giving him the most ¡°really?¡± stare he never imagined a child could give.


    ¡°If you guys wanted to keep your connection a secret then maybe you shouldn¡¯t have been walking around the guildhall together,¡± the girl said. ¡°Shiny mayor strolling around with a giant crawfish next to her kinda stands out. Everybody knows she¡¯s been trying to catch those mango thieves. Even a child can put two and two together, you know?¡±


    Balthazar frowned in double annoyance.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to know that. And I¡¯m not a crawfish!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hate me because I¡¯m smart,¡± said Suze, while throwing her hair back. ¡°And yeah, I can help you, but it will cost you a lot more than two coins.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± the suddenly apprehensive crab asked.


    The little girl paused, counting with her fingers while mouthing silently.


    ¡°At least five coins.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Alright then,¡± the merchant said.


    ¡°Wait, no, you accepted that way too fast,¡± Suze said, pausing again to count in her head. ¡°It will cost you five coins¡­ times five!¡±


    ¡°Hey now, hold on!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°That¡¯s 25 crowns.¡±


    ¡°It is? Dang it, I thought it was 50,¡± said the disappointed rascal.


    ¡°How about I make you a different deal for your help?¡± the crab suggested.


    The kid shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t need more calipers, thanks.¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± the merchant quickly said. ¡°Something much better.¡±


    ¡°Better than coin?¡± asked the skeptical girl, arms still crossed, as she cocked an eyebrow at him.


    Balthazar smiled. ¡°Do you like pie?¡±


    ***Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Daylight was quickly fading, but Balthazar was relieved to find Margo¡¯s Baking Boutique still open.


    With Suze in tow, the crab stepped into the shop, ringing the tiny bell as he pushed the door open. Madame Margo popped her head out from behind a shelf, looking towards the door.


    ¡°Oh, Mr. Balthazar, you¡¯re back already,¡± she said.


    ¡°As I said I would!¡± the gleeful crustacean said. ¡°I was hoping you still have some mango pie left.¡±


    ¡°Lucky you! I have just one,¡± the shopkeeper said, whisking herself to the counter.


    As she crossed the shop floor, her eyes landed on the street urchin behind Balthazar, browsing the displays around her with wide eyes like someone who had never seen so much candy together.


    ¡°Oh, no, no, no,¡± Margo exclaimed, wagging a finger. ¡°Excuse me, young miss, but I think you must be lost. We don¡¯t have anything to give out today, please try a different store.¡±


    Suze frowned as the woman tried to shoo her towards the door, but as she opened her mouth to no doubt give Margo a piece of her outspoken mind, Balthazar intervened.


    ¡°She¡¯s with me, Madame Margo! I brought her along.¡±


    The shop owner froze and turned to him with surprise on her face. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the traveler assertively replied.


    ¡°So she¡¯s with you? And you¡¯re paying for her, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­yes,¡± he responded, with a little more dismay.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Madame Margo said. ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­¡±


    The woman returned to the counter, while Suze threw her tongue out and made a rude gesture towards the back of the baker¡¯s head.


    ¡°Behave,¡± Balthazar muttered while they moved to the counter as well.


    ¡°So, another slice for you?¡± Margo asked, while bringing a plate of pie up to the wooden surface.


    ¡°Yes, please!¡± the bright-eyed crab said.


    ¡°And two for me!¡± the kid next to him exclaimed, somehow even more bright-eyed.


    The baker eyed the girl before her gaze jumped to Balthazar, as if looking for confirmation.


    The crab bounced his shell from side to side as he rolled his eyes up. ¡°Yeah, sure, go on¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, make it three!¡± Suze exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m starving!¡±


    ¡°What?! That¡¯s not what we agreed to!¡± the agitated crustacean said.


    ¡°I agreed to help you if you got me pie. No pie, no help.¡±


    Grumbling, Balthazar nodded at the shopkeeper to proceed.


    As soon as the plate landed in front of her, the little girl pounced on it like a hungry animal on its prey.


    Madame Margo watched on with a scandalized expression, the fork she was about to place next to the plate still pinched between her fingers as the street urchin gobbled up large pieces of the pie with her hands.


    Balthazar stared at her with a small chunk of his own slice held in his pincer, mouth half open in bafflement.


    So this is what Madeleine must feel like whenever she brings me a pie¡­


    ¡°Itsh justsh sho good,¡± Suze said, her mouth full and her eyes glistening.


    The crab smiled and finally remembered to toss his piece of pie into his mouth.


    He had almost forgotten how pies tasted better when eaten with company.


    ¡°So,¡± Margo said, ¡°I trust my letter to our mayor found its way to where it needed to go?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, of course,¡± Balthazar said, between chewing. ¡°I gave it to one of the guild girls at the front desk, and she forwarded it to the baroness.¡±


    ¡°Any clue who¡¯s been taking your mango supply?¡± the little girl with cream all around her mouth suddenly asked.


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks jumped up from his plate. ¡°Suze! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she said. ¡°I thought the reason you wanted to come here was because their supply has been hit by the thieves multiple times and would be a good place to start looking for leads.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the kid for a few seconds, blinking as he thought about it.


    I just wanted to come back here for the pie¡­


    ¡°I mean, of course, that was all part of the plan,¡± the crustacean suddenly said. ¡°But you weren¡¯t supposed to be so obvious about it. People weren¡¯t supposed to know that the baroness asked me to find the mango thieves.¡±


    Suze paused halfway through taking another generous bite onto her second slice of pie.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about that,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°But you just did.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± whispered the traveling merchant.


    ¡°Oh my!¡± exclaimed the Marquessian merchant, leaning forward on her counter. ¡°So the baroness has finally gotten someone to investigate the fiends taking our mangoes?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t confirm nor deny that, Madame Margo!¡± the nervous crustacean said, trying to keep his eyes on the pie.


    ¡°Little late for that¡­¡± Suze said, while nibbling on her slice.


    ¡°Ah, of course!¡± the boutique owner said. ¡°I understand now. Baroness Marquessa must have hired you from far away to maintain a low profile and catch these thieves off-guard. A private investigator who must keep secrecy to perform his investigation. It all makes sense!¡±


    Balthazar stared dumbfounded at the baker, mango cream on both corners of his mouth.


    It does?!


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Mr. Balthazar,¡± the woman said, lowering her voice to an unnecessary whisper. ¡°I will make sure to keep your investigation under wraps.¡±


    She made a zipping motion in front of her lips and leaned back to close the kitchen door.


    ¡°Everybody knows she¡¯s the biggest gossip in town,¡± Suze whispered to the crab.


    ¡°You know,¡± the baker started, still whispering, ¡°there was one thing my Marvin told me earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡± Balthazar asked, leaning closer to her along with Suze.


    ¡°He said that before the guards came and sent him away, he looked inside the barn where the stolen mangoes were, and he noticed a very strong onion smell.¡±


    The crab frowned. ¡°Who stores mangoes next to onions?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± said the shopkeeper, ¡°our supplier doesn¡¯t even produce anything other than fruits. That barn stocks nothing but mangoes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± said the thoughtful crustacean, rubbing his chin full of crumbs.


    ¡°Come on, I know where we need to go,¡± Suze said, quickly shoving the third slice of pie in her mouth with unsettling ease that impressed even the crab.


    ¡°What?! Just like that?¡± he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t even finished my pie yet!¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t mean to be rude or anything,¡± the store owner said, ¡°but I am past my closing hours.¡±


    ¡°Perfect!¡± the little girl said, looking out the shop¡¯s window. ¡°It¡¯s night already. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Go where?!¡± Balthazar asked, hurriedly pulling his money bag while trying to finish his mango pie.


    ¡°Oh, please, no need to pay this time,¡± Madame Margo said. ¡°If you can find those damnable mango thieves, I will be happy to let you have all the free pie you can eat.¡±


    Thrilled, but still in a hurry to keep up with the kid already heading for the door, Balthazar skittered after her, one cheek still full of pie.


    ¡°Slow down!¡± he pleaded. ¡°It¡¯s nighttime, shouldn¡¯t we tuck in and keep looking in the morning?¡±


    Suze turned to him, shaking her head in disapproval.


    ¡°Silly fish. You want to find those bandits, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you think thieves hang around in the open during the day?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The excited girl pulled the door open with a loud ¡°ding¡± of the bell above.


    ¡°It¡¯s time you got to know Marquessa at night!¡±

 Chapter 151: A Night in the City

    Balthazar stepped out of the baking boutique and looked up. The sun was now a fleeting memory on the horizon, barely an orange streak left under the starless night sky.


    Used to living by a pond most of his life, the crab always saw dusk as the time to retreat into the safety of your home, away from the dangers of the dark, until morning came back.


    ¡°It¡¯s late,¡± he said to Suze. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be going back home now?¡±


    The little girl placed her hands on her hips and looked at him with sassy disapproval.


    ¡°Hellooo? I live in the streets, remember?¡± She threw her arms out. ¡°This is my home!¡±


    ¡°Uh, right, yes, but I mean¡­¡± the merchant said. ¡°A kid shouldn¡¯t be out at night, right? It¡¯s¡­ dangerous?¡±


    Balthazar realized he didn¡¯t actually know much of anything about children, but he was certain he was on the right track about how they shouldn¡¯t go out at night. He just wasn¡¯t sure if it was because they should be asleep, or because they¡¯d spontaneously turn into a pumpkin if left out. It was one of those two, that much he knew.


    ¡°Pfft,¡± Suze mocked. ¡°Please¡­ We¡¯re in the city, not out in the woods. There¡¯s no more danger at night than there is during the day. Now come on, let¡¯s go see what dangers we can get ourselves into!¡±


    The street urchin grabbed the crab by the wrist and pulled him behind her up the sidewalk as he protested, not used to being crabhandled so unceremoniously.


    But as the bickering duo made their way up Marquessa''s streets, Balthazar began noticing the differences between nighttime in the wilderness and in a city.


    The sky was dark and moonless that evening. Yet, it wasn¡¯t like the roads around the pond, or the forests he had slept in the past weeks, where once the sun had set, one could not see a thing without a lantern or torch.


    All around the streets there were burning braziers by every corner, and iron lanterns mounted up on the sides of buildings. Some were still in the process of being lit by a town workman carrying a long stick with a flame on its tip.


    There was no sun in the sky, but the roads were still bright and visible, no darkness or shadows left for the imagination to wonder what dangers might lie hidden in them.


    ¡°Where are you even taking me?¡± Balthazar asked the little girl, as she stomped up the street with the determination of someone who knew exactly where she was going.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna visit the guy who stole that lady¡¯s mangoes,¡± Suze said with casual confidence.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± the puzzled crab said. ¡°You already know who did it?¡±


    ¡°Yep! It was Onion Jake.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell is that?¡±


    ¡°The leader of a small bandit gang down in the port district.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s frown grew deeper and more confused. ¡°How do you know he has anything to do with it?¡±


    The street rascal stopped, turned to the crab, and tilted her head while pursing her lips.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± she said, while mockingly stroking her chin. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Why do you think they call him Onion Jake?¡±


    The merchant shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe because he smells like onions?¡±


    Suze snapped her fingers.


    ¡°You got there on the first try!¡± she said with a grin.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Balthazar said. ¡°And because Margo said the place where the mangoes were before being stolen smelled like onions, you think that means that guy was involved? Isn¡¯t that a bit far-fetched?¡±


    ¡°Pfft, no! The scene of the crime smelled like onions, I know a bandit that always smells like onions, that¡¯s as obvious of a clue as there is.¡±


    The crab scratched the side of his face with the tip of his pincer. ¡°I don¡¯t know, kid. I¡¯m pretty sure I read in a book once that correlation doesn¡¯t mean causation.¡±


    ¡°You can read?!¡± Suze said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Balthazar asked back.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°No, ¡®cause I¡¯m co-related to the streets, dummy. Now let¡¯s go, their hideout is down a few more streets.¡±


    Skittering as fast as his legs allowed him, the crustacean followed the skipping child as she headed down the nearly empty streets of Marquessa, now devoid of all the busy crowds flowing through them earlier.


    ¡°How do you even know where a bandit¡¯s hideout is?¡± he asked her, beginning to question the company he had picked.


    ¡°I see lots of things around these streets,¡± she replied, while they continued walking. ¡°You have time to learn lots of stuff when you don¡¯t have to go to school every day!¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like how Onion Jake¡¯s crew are some of the worst bandits in town, who can¡¯t even keep their hideout hidden from a curious kid.¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at her. ¡°If they¡¯re so bad, how would they manage to pull off all these thefts when the mayor herself is trying to catch them?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± the little girl said with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s not my job to figure out. Maybe you should ask Jake that yourself.¡±


    ¡°So, what, we¡¯re just going to stroll into the hideout of a bunch of criminals like it¡¯s nothing?¡±


    Suze rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course not. We¡¯re going to sneak into their hideout.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks curved forward. ¡°We are?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± the street urchin excitedly declared, pointing down an alley.


    The narrow street was much darker, with no lamp or brazier to illuminate it, except for the faint glow from a small window at the other end.


    Balthazar hesitated at the sight of the unknown alleyway, but before he could share his concerns, Suze grabbed hold of his claw again. ¡°This way!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing?!¡± he said, while being pulled into the shadowy passage.


    ¡°Shhh!¡± the little guttersnipe said. ¡°We gotta be quiet.¡±


    As they arrived near the lit up window, Suze let go of the crab and nimbly hopped on top of a wooden crate next to a tall fence.


    With one foot precariously tiptoeing on the box, and another held in the air as she maintained balance, the small girl peeked over the fence.


    ¡°They¡¯ve got a guard,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± the merchant whispered back, trying to stand as high as he could on his legs, but still unable to look over the fence too.


    ¡°He¡¯s guarding, duh!¡±


    Scrunching up his face in annoyance, Balthazar looked around. He spotted a small hole between the planks making up the fence, and placing one of his eyestalks in front of the slit, peeked through to the other side.


    A ruffian was leaning against a wall on the other side, next to a closed door. He was humming to himself while idly cleaning under his nails with the tip of his pocket knife.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re not going in through that door,¡± Suze said, struggling to keep her balance with only one foot on the crate.


    The crab turned one eyestalk up to look at her while keeping the other on the lookout. ¡°Maybe we should go around to the other side and¡ªOw!¡±


    Without warning, the little rascal unceremoniously planted her hanging foot on Balthazar¡¯s shell for support.


    ¡°You know that in crab culture that¡¯s pretty rude?!¡± the crustacean protested, while still keeping his voice down. ¡°The last human that did that to me ended up sleeping with the rocks!¡±


    Suze scoffed. ¡°Yeah, sure, mister tough-shell. Now hold still. If I fall and that guy hears it, we¡¯re both gonna be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Just get down from there!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°We have to look for another way in.¡±


    With a quiet hop, the little girl jumped down from the crate and the crab¡¯s shell. ¡°There¡¯s no other way in, that¡¯s the only door. I know this place, remember?¡±


    The annoyed merchant rubbed the top of his shell while exhaling sharply. ¡°Fine, then maybe we come back in the morning when it¡¯s not so dark and find a way inside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s dumb,¡± the kid bluntly declared. ¡°We gotta sneak in, and that¡¯s better done while it¡¯s dark!¡±


    Balthazar groaned in frustration. ¡°And how do you suggest we do that?¡±


    ¡°Easy,¡± Suze said, pointing her nose up. ¡°Climb up the side window and sneak in that way. That¡¯s how I do it, all the time.¡±


    The traveler shook his shell while pinching the space between his eyestalks.


    ¡°First of all, a little concerned with how you just said you climb through people¡¯s windows all the time,¡± he said. ¡°And second, look at me! In what way do you think I¡¯m built for climbing, let alone stealth?!¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± said the girl. ¡°Can¡¯t you just, like¡­ walk on the tips of your¡­ legs?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?!¡± Balthazar replied. ¡°Kid, have you ever heard the expression ¡®a giant crab in a porcelain shop¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s because it was invented earlier, when I went into one and the owner nearly fainted when he saw me walk between his shelves!¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± the kid said, crossing her arms. ¡°I can get inside, if you can¡¯t, that¡¯s a you problem.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not made for sneaking,¡± the crab said. ¡°I have my own ways to get inside. I just¡ª¡±


    He suddenly stopped talking as they both heard a noise coming from the other end of the alley and turned to it.


    It was dark and hard to see, but the crustacean was certain he heard someone moving.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s someone there,¡± Suze whispered next to him.


    ¡°Yeah, I noticed that!¡± he replied with an exasperated murmur.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a guard, I¡¯m telling him you dragged me here by the hand.¡±


    The crab turned to her with a frown. ¡°Seriously?! You¡¯re the one who dragged me!¡±


    As they bickered, the source of the sound approached, a shadow emerging from the dark recesses of the alleyway, coming closer to the faint light cast from the nearby window.


    Startled, Balthazar¡¯s gaze jumped from Suze to the figure, squinting as he tried to make out who or what was coming towards them, until his eyestalks jumped in surprise.


    ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±

 Chapter 152: Alley Cats

    A young woman stepped into the light, her ocean blue eyes standing out like beacons between the dark clothing covering most of her body, save for her face and hands.


    ¡°What are you doing here?!¡± she said, looking at the crab with surprise.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± asked Suze.


    ¡°That¡¯s Olivia, the mayor¡¯s niece. I met her earlier when she beat the lactose out of a mugger,¡± Balthazar told the younger girl, before turning his attention back to the older one. ¡°Your aunt asked me to look into the missing mangoes problem. We¡¯re following a lead.¡±


    The noblewoman frowned. ¡°You¡¯re looking for Onion Jake too?¡±


    It was Balthazar¡¯s turn to frown. ¡°What do you mean? Why are you looking for him? Did the baroness send you as well?¡±


    Olivia¡¯s frown was quickly replaced with a rise of her eyebrows and a shifty glance away.


    ¡°Well, no, not exactly,¡± she said. ¡°I followed my own leads to get here.¡±


    ¡°So she doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re chasing the mango thieves too?¡± the merchant asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she does, or will soon,¡± the young woman said. ¡°She has informants and spies everywhere. I don¡¯t care. Nobody is doing anything to stop these bandits. They¡¯re embarrassing our family, and damaging the city¡¯s business. Someone needed to step up! I told her I could help, but she wouldn¡¯t let me, so I did what any good Marquessa clan member would do: I did things my own way.¡±


    Balthazar sighed.


    ¡°That¡¯s great that you¡¯re going through your rebellious phase and all, but we were trying to conduct an investigation discreetly over here.¡±


    ¡°A big crab and a little girl?¡± Olivia said with some disdain. ¡°Why are you bringing a street beggar along anyway?¡±


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m not a beggar,¡± Suze piped up. ¡°My name¡¯s Suze and I¡¯m a tour guide who earns her coin fair and square. I even pay taxes!¡±


    The merchant turned to her with a surprised look. ¡°You do?!¡±


    ¡°Not really, but don¡¯t tell her that,¡± the little girl whispered back.


    ¡°Point is,¡± said Olivia, ¡°I followed my own trail leading to the Onion Crew, and I¡¯m not leaving until I see this through.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said the crab. ¡°So the Onion Crew might also be the Mango Thieves? These guys really need to hire a publicist¡­¡±


    ¡°We got here first!¡± the defiant street urchin said to the baroness¡¯s niece.


    Balthazar raised both pincers. ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s calm down. Maybe we could work together, eh? We¡¯re all in this with the same objective anyway, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only in it for the pie,¡± Suze said with a shrug.


    ¡°Very relatable,¡± the crustacean said with a nod.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to protect my family¡¯s name,¡± Olivia declared.


    The traveling merchant nodded again. ¡°Sure, and totally not because you feel you have to prove yourself to your aunt. Either way, we¡¯ll achieve more by figuring out how to reach this Jake fella together than by bickering in an alley all night.¡±


    Approaching the fence quietly, each one of them found a slit in the wood to look through.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look that tough,¡± said the Marquessa girl. ¡°I bet I could go in there and knock him out before he calls anyone.¡±


    ¡°Geez, what¡¯s with you and wanting to beat up bandits?¡± Balthazar whispered.


    ¡°They deserve it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s silly,¡± said the street urchin. ¡°If one of you boosts me over the fence, I could just sneak past him and get in through a window.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. I¡¯m no thief to be breaking and entering into places,¡± Olivia retorted.


    ¡°Yeah? And starting a fight with the guard is a better idea?¡± Suze shot back.


    ¡°Will you two shush?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Someone¡¯s gonna hear us if you two don¡¯t quiet down.¡±


    A shuffling sound nearby made the crab jump in place, worried they were about to be caught by a ruffian. As the trio turned to the source of the noise, they saw a black feline figure against the warm light shining from the nearby window, walking along the edge of a roof.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a cat,¡± Olivia said with a small sigh of relief.


    ¡°Pretty kitty!¡± said Suze, grinning at the creature.


    The black cat stopped for a moment, its big blue eyes observing the sneaky trio below before jumping off the roof and disappearing into the darkness of the alley.


    His feeling of unease subsiding, Balthazar turned to the two girls.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°How about we try it my way?¡±


    ¡°Your way?¡± the two girls said in unison.


    ¡°Yes. We talk our way in.¡±


    Suze and Olivia exchanged a glance before they both covered their mouths in a giggling fit.


    ¡°He wants to talk to the bandit,¡± the smaller one said between stifled laughter.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± said the other. ¡°He thinks they¡¯ll just let him in!¡±


    Scowling, Balthazar exhaled sharply.


    ¡°You two can wait here.¡±


    Leaving them no time to say anything, or more likely, laugh at him again, the merchant made his way around the fence until he found the way through.


    The house on the other side was small and looked like it could do with some maintenance. The front door stood out for being thick and reinforced with iron, something that didn¡¯t seem to match other similar buildings around that neighborhood.


    Seeing the approaching crab, the man standing guard by it bounced forward from the wall he was leaning against and quickly pocketed his knife.


    ¡°Oi, you lost or somethin¡¯?¡± he barked.


    ¡°Evening, good sir!¡± the traveler said, with a wave of his claw.


    The bandit looked left and right, as if unsure what ¡°sir¡± the crustacean was talking to.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s you I was looking for,¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°Me?¡± the man said with a heavy frown. ¡°What you want with me?¡±


    Ah, crap, I didn¡¯t think this far¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a bandit, right?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the thug said. ¡°I mean¡­ no. Ya can¡¯t prove nothin¡¯. I¡¯m just hanging out by a door. Ain¡¯t nothin¡¯ bandit-like or illegal ¡®bout that.¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± Balthazar said, trying to chuckle in a friendly manner. ¡°I¡¯m not here to bring you trouble. I was hoping to talk with you about, uh¡­ your rights.¡±


    The ruffian appeared increasingly confused, and looked at his right fist with a frown.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my right hook?¡± he said. ¡°Someone been trash talking the way I punch again?!¡±


    ¡°No, no, not those rights!¡± the crustacean hurriedly assured him. ¡°I mean your rights as a hard-working bandit. I¡¯m with the¡­ hmm¡­ Bandit Rights Association!¡±


    ¡°The what now?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all about providing support and making you more comfortable!¡±


    The guard¡¯s scowl was growing alarmingly hostile. ¡°Ya messin¡¯ with me or somethin¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all! Lots of fine bandits like yourself are starting to organize and demanding better working conditions from their greedy bandit chiefs.¡±


    ¡°What ya just call my boss, ya little punk?!¡±


    Balthazar waved his pincers apologetically. ¡°Nothing! I don¡¯t even know your boss! In fact, I was hoping you could let me inside and introduce me to him.¡±


    The bandit pulled the switchblade out of his pocket again.


    ¡°How do you know the boss is here? Who you been talkin¡¯ to?!¡±


    The crab gulped quietly.


    Get it together, Balthazar. You¡¯ve dealt with far smarter idiots than this guy.


    He glanced down at the shiny steel blade in the thug¡¯s hand.


    Although they usually don¡¯t have a knife in their hand while negotiating¡­


    ¡°Your fellow Onion Crew bandits, of course,¡± the merchant replied, deciding being bold was the way to go.


    ¡°Who¡¯s been snitchin¡¯?!¡± the guard angrily barked, his blade now held higher.


    ¡°See, that¡¯s one of the problems with the bandit working class,¡± Balthazar calmly said while shaking his shell. ¡°Your bosses convince you that talking and sharing the details about how big your cut is, what privileges you get, and so on, is snitching. Sowing suspicion and discord among you guys.¡±


    ¡°My cut?¡± the criminal said, raising one eyebrow in sudden interest. ¡°What are you talkin¡¯ ¡®bout?¡±


    ¡°You need to keep up with the news, friend,¡± the confident crab stated. ¡°Every day more and more bandits are standing up for themselves and getting the proper fair share from their hard labor of stealing, pillaging, and ransacking. Some are even getting job insurance!¡±


    The puzzled thug scratched above his ear with the tip of the switchblade as he thought long and hard about the barrage of overwhelming words the crustacean was unloading on him.


    ¡°Does that mean, like¡­ more money?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Exactly!¡± replied the merchant. ¡°Among many other things. That¡¯s what the Bandit Rights Association is all about. More profits for you! Now, if you invite me in, we could discuss your rights with your boss and see about improving your work conditions.¡±


    The goon scratched his chin. ¡°I dunno. This whole thing sounds fishy.¡±


    ¡°Of course it does, I am a crab after all!¡± Balthazar said with a wide grin. ¡°But look at me, you can tell I¡¯m a trustworthy crab, can¡¯t you?¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°Oh, alright,¡± the guard said, waving the switchblade around as he prepared to put it back in his pocket. ¡°Ain¡¯t no way they¡¯d send a crab to attack our place any¡ª¡±


    With a dry ¡°bonk¡± coming from the back of his head, the thug fell forward onto the ground, knocked out.


    Dumbfounded, Balthazar looked up to where he stood a moment before, and found Olivia standing there, with a long plank of wood in her hands.


    ¡°What did you do?!¡± the crab exclaimed.


    ¡°I took him out,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°I was about to convince him to let me in!¡±


    ¡°Oh please, he was about to gut you with that knife,¡± said the young woman. ¡°I could see it in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°How?! You were behind him!¡± the exasperated crab said, waving his tensed up arms around.


    ¡°It was implied!¡±


    ¡°You have some aggression issues, you know that, right?!¡±


    ¡°And you must have a loose screw in that shell! Seriously, Bandit Rights Association?!¡±


    ¡°Why is that so funny?! It¡¯s a great name!¡±


    A dry cough came from nearby and they both turned to look at Suze, standing near the reinforced door.


    ¡°No guard,¡± she said, pointing her hands towards the entrance. ¡°Are we gonna go in, or are you two gonna keep fighting like little children?¡±


    Grumbling, the crab and the human headed to the door.


    ¡°That must be embarrassing for you, coming from a kid,¡± Olivia said, as she threw the piece of wood aside and opened the unlocked door.


    ¡°What do you mean?!¡± said Balthazar. ¡°She was clearly looking at you when she said little children!¡±


    The two of them continued bickering as the trio entered the house, stepping through a small corridor and arriving at a large open hall.


    ¡°What matters is that I got us inside, didn¡¯t I?¡± the baroness¡¯s niece said.


    ¡°What do you mean, you got us inside?! I¡¯m the one who¡­¡±


    The crab¡¯s words trailed off as he saw Olivia¡¯s gaze turn to the room around them and widen with realization.


    Finally remembering where they were, Balthazar slowly turned his eyestalks too.


    All around the hall, sitting on tables and frozen in place with their tankards of ale in hand, were about twenty bandits, all staring in disbelief at the two girls and one crab who just came strolling into their hideout.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

 Chapter 153: A Crab Walks Into a Bandit Bar

    Short bandits, tall bandits, skinny bandits, chubby bandits. Bandits of all types and shapes. Some were bald, some had long beards. Most were wearing leather, a few chose steel armor. Everywhere the crab looked, there was another bandit to add to the count.


    The room was awkwardly silent as the goons all stared at the intruders, seemingly in disbelief that someone had just walked in there like that.


    Long tables and benches filled most of the hall, which appeared to have been turned into a clandestine tavern. At the back was an old wooden counter with several kegs next to it, and a mustached man in a white shirt and suspenders behind them, halfway through wiping a tankard with his rag.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hiii?¡± Balthazar said with a pained expression. ¡°We¡¯re, uh¡­ with the¡­¡±


    ¡°I swear,¡± Olivia whispered while leaning closer to the crab, ¡°if you say Bandit Rights Association, I¡¯ll join these guys when they start kicking your shell.¡±


    One of the lowlifes sitting closer to a window stood up, opened the shutter, and poked his head out.


    ¡°Hey, Grog is out there on the ground!¡± he yelled. ¡°They beat him up!¡±


    The quiet room suddenly burst into yelling, shouting, and other loud noises as chairs and tables dragged against the floor, the bandits all standing up and grabbing their weapons.


    ¡°They look mad,¡± the Marquessa girl said with a wince.


    ¡°Yeah, if only someone hadn¡¯t beat up their lookout and instead let me talk my way inside peacefully!¡± the annoyed merchant said.


    ¡°Usually my method works!¡± said the young woman. ¡°Hey, kid, any idea how we can¡ªWhere did she go?!¡±


    Spinning his eyestalks around, Balthazar realized Suze was nowhere to be seen, despite having been right next to them a few seconds before.


    ¡°Did that little rascal just ditch us?!¡±


    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Olivia hurriedly said. ¡°We have bigger problems right now!¡±


    A couple dozen bandits were encircling the woman and crab, with knives, clubs, and chains in hand as they angrily closed in.


    ¡°Oi!¡± a voice loudly yelled from the back of the room.


    A door opened on the opposite side of the tavern hall, and a pungent smell of frying onions wafted into the room like a revolting cloud that made the crab and the girl gag. Through it came a balding man with an unfriendly face, wearing dark leather armor and a short cloak.


    ¡°I take it that¡¯s Onion Jake?¡± Balthazar muttered, trying to grab at something on his face before remembering he didn¡¯t have a nose to pinch.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him,¡± replied Olivia, looking at the crab with watery eyes. ¡°If you still had any doubts about why people call him that.¡±


    ¡°Nobody is laying a finger on ¡®em,¡± the bandit chief said in a heavy accent, stepping through the crowd of ruffians with a mean frown. ¡°They¡¯re mine.¡±


    The other bandits obliged and stepped aside as their leader walked towards the intruders. He looked surprisingly short once up close, with even the baroness¡¯s niece standing a good two or three fingers taller than him.


    ¡°You two,¡± he said to the young woman and the crab. ¡°You coming with me. We gonna us have us a little chat.¡±


    After signaling for them to follow him, Onion Jake turned back towards the door he had come from.


    ¡°But boss,¡± said one of the watching bandits, ¡°they beat up Grog outside. Shouldn¡¯t we at least break a few of their bones?¡±


    Balthazar raised his pincer slightly. ¡°Actually, crabs don¡¯t have bo¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not the time!¡± Olivia muttered between grinding teeth, after elbowing the side of the merchant¡¯s shell.


    The gang leader turned his gaze to the young thug who had spoken up, eyes shooting daggers at him.


    ¡°I decide if and when they get taught a lesson. Got that, ya gormless twit?¡±


    Despite the other bandit being much taller, he shrunk back as Onion Jake stretched his neck up towards his face, beads of sweat rolling down the underling¡¯s forehead as he nodded slowly.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Balthazar wondered how much of the boy¡¯s reaction was fear, and how much was an attempt at holding his breath.


    ¡°What are ya still staring at?¡± Jake barked at the group around him. ¡°One of yous go out there and drag that lazy sod back in before the rats start making a nest in his britches!¡±


    The bandits started moving and mumbling among themselves.


    ¡°We should play along for now, see what happens,¡± Balthazar whispered to the Marquessa girl.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± she replied as they followed the bandit chief into the next room.


    ¡°So,¡± said Onion Jake as he sat down on his chair and placed both feet up on an old desk, ¡°I hear you''ve been sniffing around our business.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t have been me,¡± Balthazar said as Olivia closed the door behind them. ¡°I ain¡¯t got no nose to sniff with, as you can see.¡±


    ¡°Lucky you,¡± the young woman muttered under her breath.


    ¡°Think you¡¯re funny, huh?¡± the bandit said, pulling his feet down and leaning forward on the desk, one finger pointed at the crab. ¡°I¡¯ll give you one warning and one warning only: back off and stop meddling, or you already saw what you¡¯ll have to deal with outside that door.¡±


    Fully aware of his lackluster fighting skills, Balthazar gulped quietly and nodded. ¡°Yep, that sounds totally fair.¡±


    ¡°Hold on just a minute there,¡± Olivia interjected. ¡°How did you even know about us? And why would you even warn us, instead of just kicking the hell out of us like any bandit gang usually would in a situation like this?¡±


    Jake¡¯s already tiny eyes shrunk even more as he squinted at her.


    ¡°Olivia Marquessa,¡± he said in a low and bitter voice. ¡°The mayor¡¯s brat niece. You¡¯ve been a thorn in my boys¡¯ side for a while now.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡± she said in a concerningly proud manner, ¡°all the more reason to ask why you¡¯re sticking to just a warning.¡±


    ¡°Why the hell are you so determined to pick a fight with every bandit you encounter?!¡± the exasperated crab whispered.


    The young woman glanced down at him, but continued talking anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re not really the one in charge.¡±


    Onion Jake¡¯s eyes widened with anger.


    ¡°You must be taking the mick, girl,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m letting you get out of here with a warning, and you turn around and start questioning me authority?!¡±


    ¡°Come on, Jake,¡± the baroness¡¯s niece said in a sly manner that reminded Balthazar of her aunt. ¡°Everyone knows you and your crew are not smart enough to pull off these heists. I think you¡¯re letting us go with just a warning because someone more clever than you told you that was the safest thing to do for now.¡±


    The traveling merchant was about to interject and try to pull her away from starting something bad with the onion-stinking man, but her logic made him pause in thought.


    Wait, she¡¯s kinda making a good point.


    ¡°I¡¯m the boss of this operation!¡± the lowlife declared, firmly planting the tip of his finger on the desk¡¯s surface. ¡°And ya better watch your tone and be thankful for me generosity, before I change me mind and let the boys loose on ya.¡±


    His curiosity piqued, but still wanting to ensure the girl¡¯s hot temper did not clash with the bandit¡¯s nerves and ruin everything, Balthazar stepped into the conversation.


    ¡°Of course you are!¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard so much about the famous Onion Jake, the bandit lord of Marquessa. Your feats are so impressive that they¡¯ve even reached all the way to the west of the continent.¡±


    ¡°They have?¡± the thug said, looking surprised for a second. ¡°I mean, yeah, of course they have. I knew that.¡±


    ¡°So, who¡¯s been pulling the strings, Jake?¡± Olivia asked.


    ¡°Shhh!¡± Balthazar whispered. ¡°Will you put the hammer down and let my chisel work?!¡±


    With a finger threateningly pointed at the girl, the bandit opened his mouth to speak, but the crab was quicker on the draw.


    ¡°What my friend here was trying to say,¡± Balthazar started, ¡°is that it¡¯s clear you are expanding your operation, making big moves, and moving up in the world. That must mean you¡¯re diversifying and teaming up with¡­ others. All these mangoes disappearing, phew, that couldn¡¯t have been an easy job to pull. A lot of planning and moving parts, I bet.¡±


    Seemingly calming down, Jake leaned back on his chair again.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah, of course it was,¡± he said, intertwining his fingers over his protruding belly and nodding slowly. ¡°Ain¡¯t nobody ever thought we could pull something like that off before, ¡®till we proved them wrong, hah!¡±


    Balthazar nodded and continued stroking the bandit leader¡¯s ego.


    ¡°And getting the guards under your thumb and looking the other way? Wow! Masterfully done. Can¡¯t imagine that was simple to achieve.¡±


    Jake shifted uncomfortably on his chair and frowned slightly.


    ¡°Sure. I mean, I wasn¡¯t really involved with that part. Don¡¯t wanna sound like I¡¯m being disrespectful to her work or somethin¡¯.¡±


    The crab¡¯s antennae perked up.


    Her work?


    ¡°Oh, it must be someone really special,¡± said Balthazar, ¡°to match the cunning of the great Onion Jake.¡±


    The man¡¯s expression seemed to turn dreamy, his eyes staring longingly like someone reminiscing over a fond memory.


    ¡°She¡¯s real special, oh yeah. Couldn¡¯t believe a gal like that would ever even look me way before.¡±


    That¡¯s right, keep spilling your onions, Jake. Tell the nice crab everything¡­


    ¡°Ah, I can see in your eyes that you really must have found something else in her. Must be quite the woman! She¡­ got a name?¡±


    A system notification popped up in Balthazar¡¯s vision, but not the one he was expecting.


    [The Gift of the Crab: blocked]


    The crustacean¡¯s eyestalks curled inward.


    That never happened before!

 Chapter 154: Skittering Through the Night

    The bandit lord¡¯s eyes shifted from dreamy to angry in a flash as he smacked both hands on the desk and leaned forward toward the crab.


    ¡°You won¡¯t ruin her plans,¡± he growled. ¡°I won¡¯t allow it, ya hear me?!¡±


    ¡°Who in the world is this ¡®her¡¯ you are talking about?¡± Olivia said.


    Onion Jake¡¯s manic gaze darted to her.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! You already asked too much! I¡¯m not supposed to talk about her. You two need to get out of here before I change my mind!¡±


    ¡°But we were just¡ª¡± Balthazar started.


    ¡°Out!¡± the thug yelled, standing up and pointing toward the door.


    The crustacean frowned. Something was wrong. His dialogue skill had failed before, but it had never been blocked. Whatever that even meant.


    What could have caused that? This guy doesn¡¯t look like the type to have some kind of psychic skills.


    Looking at his erratic attitude and crazy eyes, the crab knew something was off with whom he was sure to be an otherwise delightful bandit chief with a wonderful personality.


    Maybe it was all the onion affecting his mind.


    Leading the intruders out and back to the hall, the man yelled to his crew, ¡°Let them go, but if you so much as catch a whiff of them skulking about anywhere near our turf again, teach them a proper lesson!¡±


    Next thing they knew, the woman and the crab were back outside, under the night sky, as the heavy door slammed shut on their faces.


    ¡°And if I so much as catch another whiff of that onion stench, I¡¯ll probably barf,¡± said Olivia, making a disgusted face.


    ¡°Why does that guy smell so much of fried onions anyway?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Do you really need to ask?!¡±


    The crab shrugged.


    ¡°Either way, there was definitely something wrong with him. Did you notice what happened when he was about to tell me who this mystery person pulling the strings was?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the young woman said. ¡°Very odd. At least now we know there¡¯s someone else orchestrating this whole thing.¡±


    Balthazar looked around. ¡°We should probably not hang around here for too long.¡±


    They walked back to the main street, with its lit lanterns and braziers, but not a soul in sight.


    ¡°Any idea who he could have been talking about?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°Not really,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece responded. ¡°One thing I¡¯m certain of, though. The Onion Crew are the ones stealing all the mangoes, but whatever they are doing with them, it¡¯s not in their hideout. That place is not big enough to store them, and most of it was just the improvised tavern we saw.¡±


    The merchant nodded as they continued up the sidewalk. ¡°True, but then where do you think they¡¯re taking the stolen cargo?¡±


    ¡°Again, no idea,¡± said Olivia. ¡°It could be anywhere. Marquessa is a big place.¡±


    ¡°I know where they¡¯re taking the mangoes,¡± a little girl¡¯s voice exclaimed from between them, startling the human and the crab.


    Suze had suddenly reappeared alongside the two of them, holding a large rolled up piece of parchment behind her back and sporting a cheeky smile on her face.


    ¡°What the¡­ Where have you been?!¡± exclaimed the befuddled crustacean.


    ¡°I snuck around the hall while you two were busy arguing and making the bandits angry,¡± she replied. ¡°Thanks for being good distractions!¡±


    ¡°You little¡­¡± said Olivia, looking more impressed than mad. ¡°And where did you go?¡±


    ¡°I slipped into Onion Jake¡¯s office while he was yelling at you and his crew, and from there into his private quarters to look for something useful.¡±


    Balthazar snapped his pincer in excitement. ¡°Clever girl! And did you find anything useful?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Suze said. ¡°I found this box of matches. Pretty neat!¡±


    The crab looked at the little carton she was shaking in her hand and rolled his eyes. ¡°Something a bit more useful than that?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Hmm, I also found this funny roll of stuff. I don¡¯t know what it is, but it looked interesting, so I took it too.¡±


    The little girl held up a cigar between her fingers for the other two to see.


    ¡°Uh, that¡¯s¡­ not for kids,¡± Olivia said, quickly snatching the roll from her hand.


    ¡°Hey!¡± exclaimed Suze. ¡°Give it back! I stole it fair and square! At least I wanna figure out what it is.¡±


    The child hopped up and down trying to reach the young woman¡¯s hand, which she was holding above her head.


    ¡°This is a¡­ Stick of Unhealth,¡± the baroness¡¯s niece said, struggling to keep the little girl away. ¡°You really don¡¯t want it, trust me.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ sounds¡­ valuable,¡± said Suze, still trying to jump high enough to grab the cigar. ¡°Gimme!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy you a puff pastry roll later instead,¡± the crab said. ¡°Now tell us what that piece of paper you got tucked to your belt is already!¡±


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± said the street urchin, turning and pulling the roll of parchment from her waist like she had completely forgotten all about the cigar in the blink of an eye. ¡°I think it¡¯s some kind of map. It looked pretty important, so¡­ I took it.¡±


    After unfurling the large page, the trio leaned close together to look at its contents.


    ¡°It¡¯s a map of Marquessa and its outskirts,¡± said Olivia.


    ¡°And what are these marked locations around it?¡± Balthazar asked, using his pincer to point the little X¡¯s dotted throughout the paper.


    The mayor¡¯s niece stroked her chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°I know some of these places. Some are abandoned farms, mines, and old storage barns. They¡¯re all in pretty remote areas most folk wouldn¡¯t pass through.¡±


    The crab smacked one claw against the other. ¡°One of these places must be where the bandits are taking the stolen mangoes!¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the young woman agreed. ¡°This must be a map of their stash locations. It makes sense.¡±


    Suze held the map open, her head snapping from left to right as she looked up at the crab and human while they talked.


    ¡°It does?¡± she said. ¡°Why would anyone keep a map of their secret spots if they¡¯re secret? Are they dumb?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah?¡± Olivia said. ¡°They¡¯re bandits.¡±


    ¡°We need to show this to the baroness,¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°What we need is to investigate these places soon before Jake realizes the map is missing and they have time to move anything,¡± the Marquessa girl said.


    ¡°Alright, either way, we won¡¯t be doing much more tonight,¡± the crab said. ¡°I say we get some rest and pick things back up tomorrow when there¡¯s sunlight again. I¡¯ll report this in the morning.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll scope out some of these closer locations,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece added. ¡°How about we meet again by the guildhall entrance around lunchtime?¡±


    Balthazar nodded. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°Heeey,¡± Suze said. ¡°What about me? You¡¯re not thinking of leaving me out, are you?¡±


    The young woman and the merchant exchanged a glance.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who led you to the Onion Crew¡¯s hideout!¡± the little girl said to the crab. ¡°And if it wasn¡¯t for me, you guys would have walked out of that place empty-handed. I¡¯m the one who got the map!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not wrong,¡± Olivia said to Balthazar, tilting her head slightly.


    The crab crossed his arms and tapped a few of his feet while pondering.


    ¡°You have been pretty useful¡­¡± He rolled his eyes and threw his pincers up. ¡°Oh, fine! You can come along with us tomorrow.¡±


    Suze threw her arms up in celebration. ¡°Yay!¡±


    After lowering her arms, the little girl smiled and threw her tongue out. ¡°I would have followed you tomorrow even if you didn¡¯t agree anyway.¡±


    ***


    Balthazar made it back to the city hall just as the big clock at the end of the town square was about to strike midnight. Luckily for him, it seemed the guilds never closed their doors and kept some staff members by the counter all day and night.


    After asking one of the nice girls by the front desk where his two companions had gone, the crab found that the baroness¡¯s people had arranged a room for him and his crew in the inn next door.


    Skittering out of the hall and into the other building in a hurry, the traveler was more than ready to tuck in for the night and get some sleep. The day had been long and eventful enough for a creature used to the quietude of a peaceful pond out in the middle of nowhere.


    After being told which room his friends were in, Balthazar opened the door quietly, finding inside what he already expected.


    Both the goblin and the drake were already fast asleep. Blue was sprawled on the floor, her entire body moving up and down slowly as she breathed in and out. Druma was lying on his back over a stack of hay the crab had no doubt he asked the innkeeper to provide, as the goblin seemed unable to sleep on anything else. The protruding belly on the little green guy also told him his two companions must have had a busy day filling themselves up with an all-you-can-eat buffet provided by the mayor¡¯s people.


    Heh. They deserved it.


    A little envious, but also happy for them, the crab crept his way to the other side of the room, where a large, comfy cushion waited for him. Knowing his loyal assistant, Balthazar was certain it had been Druma who carefully instructed the staff on what kind of bedding his boss preferred.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the merchant to make himself comfortable and feel his eyestalks growing heavy. The warm glow of the streetlights coming in through the glass window grew blurry as the crab gently drifted to the land of dreams, his mind filling with images of all the many mango pies he¡¯d get if he solved the mayor¡¯s case, and the faces on everyone back home when he returned with a big trade deal from the other side of the continent.


    As he stared out the window at the night sky and envisioned how he¡¯d soon find the wizard and learn how to bring Bouldy back, how he¡¯d somehow find a way to rescue Madeleine, and then everything would be great and back to normal, a small shadow suddenly appeared on the other side of the glass.


    A black cat had hopped onto the windowsill and sat on it, staring inside with its big blue eyes fixed on the crab.


    Nearly gone into a slumber, Balthazar observed the feline through his blurry vision as a growing feeling of uneasiness crept into him.


    Where have I seen you before?

 Chapter 155: Bread and Breakfast

    Morning came and Balthazar woke up to the sounds of people on the streets, their chattering, the wagon wheels rolling against the cobblestones, and the horses neighing on their way to the markets.


    He yawned and stretched as he peeked outside the cat-free window with groggy eyestalks. He missed his pond and its peaceful quietude, where he could sleep without the rude awakening of humans and their noisy city life. Except when some adventurer decided to show up at his bazaar as soon as the day dawned, begging for the supplies they¡¯d forgotten back in town.


    He almost missed those too.


    Still trying to snap himself properly awake, the crab wondered what the strange nightmare he had was. All he could remember was the smell of burnt hair, and the rest escaped his memory like sand through his pincers.


    Probably nothing¡­


    After much effort, the merchant got Druma to wake up from his food coma and, along with Blue, the trio exited their rented room to find the main hall of the inn much more lively now that it was daytime.


    The small dining area off to a corner near the kitchen had a few patrons sitting at their tables, enjoying a quick breakfast before leaving back to their travels or a day of shopping in town.


    Balthazar could tell this place was on the upper-end of what Marquessa had to offer in terms of bed and board both because it was right at the center of town, next to the city hall, and because the renters occupying it all looked like wealthy travelers. Just like himself.


    After the man who owned the inn told them to have a seat by a table they¡¯d saved for the trio, his wife came out of the kitchen with a large platter. Apparently, the mayor¡¯s office had already arranged for a full breakfast to be provided, sweets included.


    A note accompanied a box of almond baklava pastries from Madame Margo¡¯s Baking Boutique. In it, she apologized for not being able to send any of her many signature recipes with mango due to the ongoing supply issues, but that she hoped Balthazar would enjoy those as well.


    The crab got the hint that it was in his pincers to solve the problem, but he was too busy drooling to feel the weight of responsibility for now.


    He devoured the contents of the box in no time, thankful that neither Druma nor Blue cared much for sweets and were busy digging into their own meaty breakfasts.


    While Madeleine¡¯s baking still remained unmatched in its cozy, home-like charm, the fancy and elaborate work of Marquessa¡¯s boutique was quickly growing on Balthazar.


    Thankfully, the crab had enough room in his heart for both. As did his stomach.


    He could not wait to tell Madeleine all about his pastry findings during his travels once they found and rescued her. Someday very soon, he hoped.


    Sweets were not the only thing that Marquessian breakfast had to offer, however. Alongside the box of pastries also came a few loaves of beautiful, crispy bread, still steaming as the crab broke them open, pinching small pieces from inside it with his pincer as he reveled on the new form of baking he had picked up a taste for during his visit to Ardville.


    After a full and filling breakfast, the fulfilled crustacean walked out of the inn and headed back to the guildhall next door.


    As per their agreement, Balthazar was to come by and report on his findings, something he found slightly annoying¡ªhim having to report to anyone¡ªbut that he would oblige if it meant plentiful mango pie and prosperous trading in the future.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± the merchant said as he reached the frustratingly tall counter at the center of the city hall.


    The young woman behind the desk looked around confused at first, until she noticed the two eyestalks peeking up from behind the counter.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you again, Mr. Balthazar,¡± she said as a friendly smile appeared on her face. ¡°What can I help you with today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a¡­ Captain Leander?¡± the crab said, trying his best to project his voice from behind the wooden obstacle in front him. ¡°I was told to come and ask for him here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course,¡± the guildhall worker replied. ¡°You will surely find him in the training room of the adventurer¡¯s hall at this time of the day, providing his tutoring to them. I¡¯ll show you the way.¡±


    After telling his companions to wait for him there, Balthazar followed the girl into the section of the building dedicated to the Adventurers Guild, pondering the last part of what she had just said.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Providing tutoring? Could he be one of these tutors the system mentioned could teach skills like the scrolls?


    With his curiosity piqued, the traveler stepped through a screen door leading into a room with padded floors and several weapon racks lining the walls.


    After pointing him in the right direction, the young staff member gave a slight bow and closed the door before returning to her station by the front desk.


    On the other side of the training room, near some practice dummies made of wood and straw, was a man in robes, talking to a young adventurer.


    ¡°And remember, keep your mind calm, keep your feet moving, and use your weight to counter it,¡± the older man was telling the younger one as Balthazar approached. ¡°Keep practicing and come see me again next week.¡±


    With a friendly pat to the shoulders, the man sent the boy away and turned to face his new visitor.


    ¡°Ah, hello there,¡± Captain Leander greeted, placing both hands behind his back and standing with a straight posture that reminded Balthazar of the guardsmen standing to attention whenever Abernathy, the official from Ardville, had visited his pond.


    He appeared to be in his fifties, perhaps even older, but to say he was a man past his prime would have been doing a disservice to his shape. His gaze looked as sharp as his jawline, which looked as if carved from the same polished marble of his bald head. If the merchant had to describe the veteran in one word, it would no doubt have been ¡°stoic.¡±


    Despite his average height and physique, the sections of his arms that were visible under the sleeves of his robe, as well as the part of his chest showing around his collarbones, revealed tight, toned muscles. No doubt tempered through a lifetime of hard work and most likely battle, judging by the several scars covering them.


    ¡°Hi. I¡¯m Balthazar,¡± the crustacean told him.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Leander replied with a tilt of his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been informed by our mayor that you¡¯d be coming to see me soon. Have you made any progress with your investigation?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the traveler said while reaching into his backpack for the rolled-up map Suze had borrowed without asking the previous night. ¡°We figured out the ones stealing the mangoes are probably Onion Jake¡¯s crew, and went to their hideout to investigate.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± the captain said, cocking an eyebrow as a slight smirk formed in one corner of his mouth.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± said Balthazar.


    He knew the mayor¡¯s right-hand man would almost surely be aware that his companions had been feasting at their hall all night and hadn¡¯t come along with him. And confessing that a little girl from the streets had been helping him after so easily figuring out what was supposed to be his secret investigation into the stolen mangoes would not exactly look good.


    ¡°I¡­ made some allies, we could say,¡± the crab declared.


    Leander¡¯s smirk grew. ¡°I hope Olivia¡¯s temper isn¡¯t causing you much trouble.¡±


    Balthazar frowned. ¡°Wait, she told you about what we were doing?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯ve known that girl since she was born and even trained her myself,¡± the man said with a knowing smile. ¡°I¡¯m well aware she would not let her aunt¡¯s command to not pursue this stop her.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the crab said, slightly annoyed for having been so easily tricked into confirming their teaming up. ¡°Anyway, long story short, we think Jake¡¯s not the brain behind the operation, someone else is pulling his strings. We don¡¯t know where they¡¯re taking the stolen cargo, but we found this map in his quarters. It looks like it marks several of their secret locations. There¡¯s a good chance one of them contains the stolen fruits.¡±


    The captain examined the map carefully.


    ¡°Not bad, for one day on the job,¡± he said, his gaze still on the parchment. ¡°You should continue investigating this. I believe you are on the right track.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°You¡¯re not going to do anything with that? Look into those locations yourself? Send men to search these places?¡±


    Captain Leander returned the map to the crab and placed his hands behind his back again as he inhaled deeply.


    ¡°I would very much like to do that,¡± he said, eyes forward, emptily staring at the weapons on the racks nearby. ¡°But unfortunately, the baroness has instructed me to remain on the sidelines this time. My face is too well-known in this city. Any previous attempts at investigating this matter have led to nothing, as whoever is behind this has always seen my every move coming. It¡¯s part of the reason you are doing this now. You¡¯re an outsider.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I hope this isn¡¯t going to lead to some resentment and eventual betrayal later,¡± Balthazar muttered.


    The veteran chuckled quietly.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t you worry. I hold no grudge. My failings are my own, and I would never dare question Lady Marquessa¡¯s commands.¡±


    Taking a few steps across the empty room, Leander stopped in front of a display holding several swords and axes.


    ¡°As for sending the guardsmen to search these locations,¡± he continued, running a finger along one of the blades as he talked. ¡°Shamefully, it seems even our own men have been compromised, as I believe you¡¯ve already learned. Any order given would no doubt be quickly relayed to whoever is behind this scheme, and they would once again evade us.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± the crab said quietly.


    ¡°So it seems it falls on you, brave crab,¡± the captain said while turning back to face him, ¡°to get to the bottom of this and uncover the truth. Only then can we fully root out this problem from our city. An achievable task, I¡¯m sure, for the one who took down Ardville¡¯s corrupt kingpin all by himself.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Balthazar said while avoiding Leander¡¯s intense gaze. ¡°So I guess I¡¯ll keep at it until I can figure out who¡¯s behind all the mango snatching.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. You do that,¡± the mayor¡¯s right-hand man said. ¡°And if there is anything I can do to assist, please let me know.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks perked up.


    ¡°Actually, there was one thing I was wondering. The girl from the front desk mentioned something about you mentoring adventurers. Are you by chance a¡­ skill tutor?¡±


    Leander looked at the merchant with a slightly intrigued expression.


    ¡°Indeed, I am,¡± he replied. ¡°Were you interested in my skills?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s smile grew.


    ¡°Very much so!¡±

 Chapter 156: Not Quite Fit

    ¡°You do understand that my tutoring is not free and that I charge money for it, do you not?¡± Captain Leander said with one skeptical eyebrow raised halfway up his forehead.


    ¡°Alright, slightly less interested now¡­¡± Balthazar muttered.


    ¡°So you¡ªa crab¡ªare interested in the skills I can tutor on?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes?¡± the merchant responded. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    The veteran crossed his arms. ¡°Not necessarily, but usually it¡¯s only adventurers who take an interest in what I can teach. Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever been inquired about them by a crab. Or any other animal, really.¡±


    The crustacean chuckled.


    ¡°Talk to a lot of animals, do you?¡± he said. ¡°Let me worry about the whole not-an-adventurer thing. If I wanted to, would you be willing to teach me any skills?¡±


    Marquessa¡¯s captain squinted, focusing his gaze onto the crab like a magnifying glass focusing sunlight on an ant.


    ¡°The question is not whether I¡¯m willing to teach them, it¡¯s whether you¡¯d be willing to learn them. My skills and techniques are not for just anyone. Do you have what it takes to master them?¡±


    Despite being used to standing at waist level of most people, the giant crab felt even smaller under Leander¡¯s glare.


    ¡°I, uh¡­ I think so,¡± Balthazar said with a slight voice crack before clearing his throat and continuing. ¡°What skills can you teach anyway?¡±


    ¡°I mainly specialize in martial art skills, as well as military combat techniques, since those are what I¡¯ve dedicated most of my life studying,¡± the captain explained as he started calmly pacing in front of the weapon racks. ¡°For the fresh-faced adventurer, I usually start by teaching them my ¡®Two-Step Sword Thrust¡¯ skill as a good introduction to counter-attacking.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks twisted sideways looking at the man.


    ¡°Mate, really?¡± he said, showing him both of his claws. ¡°Do you see me holding a sword with these?¡±


    Leander stopped pacing, looking at his pincers as he rubbed his chin. ¡°Fair point. I suppose weapon skills are not really an option.¡± He resumed his pacing as he pondered. ¡°Perhaps a different kind of martial arts skill. My ¡®Double-Spin Flying Kick¡¯ is quite popular among my apprentices.¡±


    The crab exhaled sharply and opened his arms, displaying the pinnacle of evolution that was his glorious body. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the tutor said, side-eyeing the crustacean with an almost embarrassed expression. ¡°No kicking for you either.¡±


    Facing one of the many practice dummies spread all around the training room, the man crossed his arms, the leather-like skin around his muscles tightening as he thought long and hard.


    ¡°Maybe the ¡®Shield Bash¡¯ skill?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m good at bashing, but not so much at holding a shield,¡± replied the merchant.


    ¡°What about the ¡®Turtle Shell Defense¡¯ technique?¡±


    ¡°Wrong kind of shell, pal.¡±


    ¡°A Multi-Shot Bow Strike?¡±


    ¡°Do I even need to explain that one?¡±


    Uncrossing his arms and sighing, the captain turned to the traveler with a defeated frown.


    ¡°It would seem you are not quite fit for martial arts, Mr. Balthazar.¡±


    The crab shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t need you to tell me that. Don¡¯t you have any skills that don¡¯t involve holding weapons or big acrobatic moves?¡±


    ¡°I am a martial arts veteran. Physical combat skills are my specialty,¡± Leander said. ¡°There is a court mage who comes by the guildhall frequently, if you¡¯d prefer tutoring on spell-related skills.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, no,¡± Balthazar quickly said. ¡°No, thank you. I don¡¯t mess around with magical stuff. Good way to end up accidentally floating up to the sky and I don¡¯t like heights. Or to fall to my death.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, there is one more,¡± the old veteran said, his face looking statuesque. ¡°It is my most prized skill, and one I only teach to those most talented and deserving of such a technique.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The merchant¡¯s eyestalks perked up with interest once again.


    ¡°Oh? Go on, tell me more.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a skill I reveal to many,¡± Leander continued. ¡°In fact, it has been many years since I last used it in combat, given how powerful and devastating it is. I hold it close to my heart, a secret passed down from my own mentor. I could only ever share it with someone truly deserving of my trust.¡±


    Balthazar rolled his eyes. ¡°And let me guess, someone willing to pay a large sum of money too?¡±


    Captain Leander turned, placing his hands behind his back again as he looked up and closed his eyes, soaking up the sunlight shining on him through the skylight above.


    ¡°Usually, yes, that would be the case too,¡± he said. ¡°But in this special case, if you were to come through for Lady Marquessa and uncover the truth about these thefts, corruption, and who¡¯s behind them, I can confidently say I¡¯d consider you worthy of sharing this secret skill with.¡±


    The traveler threw his pincers up and started skittering to the exit. ¡°Great, so all the more reason to get this done as soon as possible. I just hope this secret skill of yours is worth it.¡±


    ¡°It most certainly is, I assure you.¡±


    The crustacean shrugged. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not getting any more help here so I¡¯ll be off now.¡±


    As he reached the sliding door and placed a claw on it, Balthazar paused, his eyes catching a glint from a side room next to the training hall.


    Through the doorway, he could see a small anvil mounted on a large wood log, with several bladed weapons and unsorted pieces of armor scattered around it on tables and racks. Past all that, on a shelf, were a few metal ingots, shining under the warm light of the lit coals inside the modest forge next to them.


    ¡°Hold on. What¡¯s that?¡± the crab asked, taking a detour toward the other doorway.


    ¡°That¡¯s our repair room,¡± said Leander, calmly following the crab, hands still behind his back. ¡°We use it to repair damaged training equipment and also as a way for apprentices to practice their repair and crafting skills.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure, but what about¡­ this?¡± Balthazar asked, pointing a pincer at a metal bar on the shelf in front of him.


    The tutor raised both eyebrows as if puzzled by the crab¡¯s sudden interest in a hunk of metal.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ just an iron ingot.¡±


    ¡°Can I have it?¡± said the merchant, turning both eyestalks to the man with a snap.


    ¡°A bar of metal?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Would this somehow help you with your task?¡±


    Balthazar paused for a moment before responding. ¡°It¡­ might.¡±


    Leander rubbed his sharp jawline, thinking.


    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no reason not to let you take one, if you really think it could be of use. Go on, take it.¡±


    Excited, the crab touched the metal with the tip of his pincer and the system notification in his eyes justified his enthusiasm.


    [Imbuing ¨C Use Iron Ingot?]


    Aha! I knew it!


    Picking up the solid ingot carefully with both pincers, Balthazar stored it in his Backpack of Holding, knowing to save it for later use, given the temporary nature of that skill¡¯s effect.


    Doubting that the practice room would have any gold or silver ingots too, or that the guild would just let him have such precious materials as easily, the merchant took his freebie and headed back to the exit.


    ¡°Well, off to finding the baroness¡¯s mangoes again, I guess,¡± he said. ¡°Tell her I said hello!¡±


    ¡°See you soon, and good luck,¡± Captain Leander said with a wave as the crab left the training room.


    As he returned to the main atrium, Balthazar passed by the common room of the Adventurers Guild, where a few humans were hanging out, either resting while going through their packs or simply chatting it up over a warm drink.


    Skittering by, the crab picked up something out of a conversation that made his antennae twitch.


    ¡°So yeah, I told the guy to get lost, I¡¯ve got plenty of water already,¡± an adventurer sitting by the counter was telling another one next to him. ¡°Don¡¯t need no ¡®Potions of Hydration¡¯ or whatever scam he was trying to pull on me.¡±


    Balthazar paused, listening closer.


    Heh, I guess LaTan is still at it out there.


    ¡°And then, get this,¡± the human by the counter continued, ¡°he tells me that that¡¯s not just some regular old water. It¡¯s pure, mineral spring water from Boulders Point!¡±


    What the¡­


    ¡°That pond all the way to the west, where the dragon showed up?!¡± exclaimed the other.


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    That son of a mule is using my trademark pond to sell his junk!


    Outraged¡ªand slightly impressed¡ªBalthazar started pacing toward the chatting adventurers, fuming and ready to set the record straight about how no one was selling precious water from his pond.


    But suddenly, the crab stopped, thinking, and good merchant sense came back to him.


    Wait a minute¡­


    Ideas flooding through his shell like the warm water of his pond during a summer bath, the crab took off in a sprint in the other direction, returning to the front desk.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he said, stretching himself as best he could to look over the tall counter. ¡°Which way to the courier¡¯s guildhall?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello again,¡± the girl by the desk said. ¡°Over that way. It¡¯s a small room to the right.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± the merchant said while quickly skittering in the direction she pointed.


    Finding the door with the right plaque next to it, Balthazar walked into the much smaller hall dedicated to the couriers.


    Please tell me he¡¯s still around. Please¡­ Aha!


    Across the room, the crab found the one he was looking for, reading through the job offers on a notice board.


    ¡°Rob! Glad you¡¯re still in town,¡± Balthazar enthusiastically said as he approached the courier. ¡°I¡¯ve got a job for you!¡±

 Chapter 157: Wet Rag

    ¡°Oh, hey Balthazar,¡± Rob said with surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve got a job for me? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain on the way!¡± said the hurried crab, turning back to the exit as he gestured for the human to follow him. ¡°No time to waste!¡±


    ¡°Woah, what¡¯s with the rush?¡± the adventurer asked, doing a little jog to catch up. ¡°Are we tending to a fire or something?¡±


    ¡°The opposite!¡± the merchant said, pushing the front door open. ¡°Water!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    As they both exited onto the town square, Balthazar explained. ¡°I just found out there¡¯s this guy out on the roads selling bottles of what he claims to be water from my pond. Obviously, they¡¯re not.¡±


    Rob shook his head. ¡°He¡¯s gotta be a charlatan then, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡±


    ¡°So what do you plan to do about it?¡±


    ¡°Sell my own bottles of pond water!¡± the grinning crab replied.


    The courier sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not even surprised at this point¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I need your services,¡± the merchant continued. ¡°Unlike LaTan, I intend to sell genuine, one-hundred percent legitimate Boulders Point pure spring water. And I¡¯ll need you to go back to Ardville and retrieve my first batch.¡±


    ¡°Wow, wait, hang on,¡± the human said, trying to keep up with the skittering crab as they weaved through the morning crowds. ¡°You want me to haul a bunch of water all the way across the continent?! You realize I¡¯m a courier, right? I deliver letters, small packages, not a whole shipment of bottles or a cask full of water.¡±


    Balthazar chuckled with amusement. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, Rob. I know how low your Strength must be. That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to see this guy I saw around here yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What guy?¡±


    ¡°Aha! There he is,¡± the crab exclaimed, pointing a pincer forward and running toward a nearby fountain surrounded by two horse statues.


    A man in shorts and suspenders sat on the edge of the fountain, hunched over his boxes and bags, looking defeated as he wiped his soaked face and hair with a towel.


    ¡°Rob, meet, uh¡­ Roberto,¡± the crustacean said, raising one eyestalk higher than the other. ¡°Huh. Funny coincidence. You guys aren¡¯t related, are you?¡±


    ¡°Hello, gentlemen,¡± the man sitting down said. ¡°I remember you. You were the talking crab in the crowd yesterday. Can I help you with something?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this guy?¡± asked the courier. ¡°And why is he all wet? Did you do this, Balthazar? Are you one of those squirting crabs I¡¯ve heard about?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± the eight-legged merchant said before turning to Roberto. ¡°But why are you all soaked, anyway?¡±


    The deflated man sighed as his shoulders slumped down and his gaze dropped to the ground.


    ¡°I was presenting my sponges to the crowd as usual,¡± he explained. ¡°Then some funny guy among them asked to see one up-close. I obliged, of course, excited that someone took interest in my item. Hopeful to finally make a sale. But all he did was throw the soaked sponge back at my face while the crowd laughed and hollered.¡±


    ¡°Oh, man¡­¡± Rob said, expressing empathy for the sponge merchant.


    Roberto wiped his face with a towel again. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think coming to this place was a mistake. Maybe these stupid sponges were a mistake. I can¡¯t seem to sell a single one of them!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got good news for you,¡± Balthazar said, giving the human a quick pat on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re about to make your first sale.¡±


    The street salesman lifted his gaze to the crab, eyes wide. ¡°Are you being serious? You¡¯re not just pulling my leg here so you can toss a wet sponge at my face too or squirt water on me, are you?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I would like to purchase one of your magical sponges, good sir!¡±


    With a sudden beaming smile, Roberto stood up and reached into his wares to grab a sponge. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it! A real client, finally!¡±


    ¡°And not just any client,¡± the traveler said, propping himself up in a slightly pompous manner. ¡°How much for the sponge, by the way?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re 50 crowns a piece,¡± the man in suspenders replied. ¡°And what do you mean, not just any client?¡±


    ¡°Well, you surely noticed I am a crab. A talking crab¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± the sponge seller said, his eyes widening even more. ¡°You couldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± Balthazar said, closing his eyes smugly.


    ¡°Holy Crea! I can¡¯t believe it! The famous merchant crab himself is all the way on this side of the continent and buying one of my sponges?! I can¡¯t wait to tell this story back home!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, indeed,¡± the self-satisfied crustacean said while nodding. ¡°Now, how about you get me two of those sponges and instead of money, we make a trade?¡±


    ¡°A trade of goods with you?¡± the other merchant said, his jaw slightly dropped. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d be honored!¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Balthazar said while pulling his backpack off his shell and digging through it. ¡°Let me see if I can find something that would be of use to you and¡­ Ah, here we go!¡±


    Pulling his pincer from the backpack, the merchant brought out a long object wrapped tightly by a leather strap.


    The sponge seller looked in awe at it, his mouth open in wonder. ¡°Amazing! What¡­ is it?¡±


    ¡°This is a¡­ stick,¡± the traveling crustacean said, awkwardly shuffling with the thing as he tried to work it out. ¡°It¡­ unfolds and¡­ will keep you from getting wet when open. Like a protective barrier against water. Bet you could have used one of those a few moments ago. A very handy artifact. Like a¡­ Staff of Water Repelling, yes, that¡¯s it.¡±


    Rob watched on, his arms crossed and his eyebrows frowning. ¡°You mean¡­ an umbrella?¡±


    The crab finally found the right spot to press with his claw, and with a sudden click, the item opened itself, revealing a wide leather surface in a slightly domed shape.


    ¡°Yes, an umbrella,¡± Balthazar said, holding the portable shelter over his shell. ¡°That¡¯s what they call them where Rob here comes from. I prefer Staff of Water Repelling. A much more fitting name, as I¡¯m sure you will agree.¡±


    He passed the open umbrella to the salesman, who admired it with starry eyes.


    ¡°Woah, fascinating. I¡¯ve never seen such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Where has this guy come from that he¡¯s never seen an umbrella?!¡± the courier behind Balthazar muttered.


    ¡°My goodness!¡± Roberto exclaimed as he pulled on the shaft of the staff. ¡°And it closes again, too! What a fascinating magical item!¡±


    ¡°Glad you like it. So, do we have a deal?¡± the crab said while the adventurer behind him shook his head and placed his face on his palm.


    Without hesitation, the salesman put the umbrella down and reached into his bag with both hands to retrieve a few sponges. ¡°Of course! Have a third one on the house, in fact! May I say, it is such an honor to just meet you, let alone make a deal with you. I¡¯m a great admirer of your work.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course¡­¡± the pompous crab said as he grabbed the sponges. ¡°It was nice meeting you too, but we really must be going now. Very busy, lots to do! Good luck with your sales.¡±


    Roberto nodded frantically to every word from the other merchant. ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much! I¡¯m sure my sales will go through the roof now that you¡¯ve purchased these from me. This is all so very exciting! Oh, I should worry about getting more sponges now, to keep up with demand¡­¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Leaving the excited man to his own monologue, Balthazar and Rob slipped through the passing crowd, heading back to the city hall, this time at a slightly less rushed pace.


    ¡°What did he mean?¡± the courier asked. ¡°Admirer of what?!¡±


    ¡°My work,¡± the crab replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear him?¡±


    ¡°Alright, but¡­ what work?!¡±


    Balthazar shrugged. ¡°Weren¡¯t you watching?¡±


    ¡°You mean how you just traded a common umbrella for three magical sponges?¡±


    ¡°He was happy and I got what we needed. What else matters?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, we?¡±


    ¡°This, my slippery friend,¡± the crab said, holding a sponge in each pincer, ¡°is how you will retrieve some water from my pond for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Rob said as he grabbed the two sponges the merchant was offering him.


    ¡°You will soak up some water with these, which shouldn¡¯t weigh too much on you, and then find me again, so I can start selling real Boulders Point hydration. I¡¯ll just have to procure some bottles, but those should be easy to find anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I guess I can do that¡­¡± the courier said. ¡°It¡¯s still a better job than picking pockets and locks for small change like I used to.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Balthazar said as they reached the entrance to the guildhall again. ¡°That reminds me. You could maybe help me with something else.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    The crab lowered his voice. ¡°I¡¯m working on this¡­ thing. Investigating something. All very hush-hush, can¡¯t really talk much about it.¡±


    ¡°You mean looking for the stolen mangoes for the mayor?¡± the former thief said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Wait, what?! How do you know about that?¡±


    Rob shrugged. ¡°Once the biggest gossip in town knows, everybody knows.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± the annoyed merchant sighed. ¡°Either way. You used to be a thief, would you happen to still have any contacts with that guild? Specifically here in this city?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see. You¡¯re hoping to find something about stolen merchandise from them. Makes some sense, but¡­¡±


    Balthazar frowned at the hesitating adventurer. ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°I left that life behind, man. I really don¡¯t wanna delve into it again. It¡¯s tricky enough to leave, if I start poking my head back in¡­ who knows what could happen. Besides, don¡¯t you want me to go get this water for you as soon as possible?¡±


    ¡°Fine. Fine!¡± the crab said. ¡°But couldn¡¯t you at least point me in the right direction?¡±


    Rob winced for a moment. ¡°Look, man¡­ You didn¡¯t hear this from me¡ªI don¡¯t want any trouble¡ªbut if you really want to talk to someone from the Thieves Guild, you won¡¯t find them hanging out here at city hall like all the others. You need to go somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Where?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a tavern in the south district,¡± the human continued. ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®The Rat¡¯s Tail¡¯ and it¡¯s where all the shady types usually hang. There¡¯s this guy there every night, Moe Fingers. He¡¯s the one you wanna talk to, but he won¡¯t talk to you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Balthazar said with a mix of confusion and annoyance. ¡°What then?¡±


    ¡°You need a passphrase, so he knows you were sent by someone in the circle. When you find him, ask him where he got his boots, because you used to have a pair just like them.¡±


    ¡°Rob, come on!¡± the crustacean exclaimed. ¡°You know damn well I¡¯m a crab. I can¡¯t wear boots!¡±


    The courier rolled his eyes. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! It doesn¡¯t need to make sense. It¡¯s just a passphrase for him to know you¡¯re good to talk with. Just¡­ say it. He will understand.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright! I¡¯ll try to remember that if I can find the guy,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Good. Now I think I should get going. I''ve got some water to fetch, apparently.¡±


    After saying goodbye and splitting up from the adventurer, Balthazar went back through the atrium, looking for Druma and Blue.


    It didn¡¯t take him long to find them in the cafeteria area where they had been the previous day. Apparently, they had made some friends and became quite popular with the staff there, judging by the attention they were getting.


    ¡°And they let you have all that meat for free?¡± the crab said, after sitting next to Druma for a few minutes and catching up with him.


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡± the happy assistant confirmed. ¡°Misses in here are very nice. Druma like it here! Shiny lady from upstairs tell misses to let Druma and Blue eat all we wants!¡±


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you guys lucky,¡± the merchant said with a chuckle. ¡°Glad all my hard work up and down this city is affording you some good treatment. Speaking of which, I need to go out again. I¡¯m supposed to meet with some locals again here at lunchtime, but until then I didn¡¯t want to let the morning hours go to waste.¡±


    Reaching into his backpack, the crab retrieved the map Suze had acquired from the bandit hideout the night before.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a list of places that need to be scouted out,¡± he continued, ¡°and I¡¯ve noticed some of them are inside town and nearby. I¡¯m sure I could pass by and check them without much danger. Still, probably more conspicuous if it¡¯s the three of us rolling through those places. You guys can stay here like yesterday while I justify all the food you¡¯re eating.¡±


    The goblin turned to look at the drake, who was sniffing the bowl she had just finished, and then looked back at the crab.


    ¡°Druma want to help boss!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Blue too!¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at his assistant. ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡± the goblin said with one of his usual vigorous nods, nearly causing the tip of his wizard hat to dip into the bowl of meat stew sitting in front of him.


    ¡°And you do, too?¡± the skeptical crustacean asked, leaning forward to look at the azure drake on the other end of the table.


    She glanced lazily at him from the corner of her eye without much confirmation.


    ¡°Blue want to help Druma help boss!¡± the green assistant said. ¡°Druma promise!¡±


    The merchant let out a small sigh. ¡°I guess if you really want to help, there¡¯s no harm in letting you. We could cover more ground that way, and it¡¯s better than leaving you two stuffing yourselves all day. Can¡¯t have you getting too used to all this food. I¡¯d go broke paying for meals like this every day.¡±


    After staring at his assistant¡¯s excited and hopeful expression for a little longer, the crab finally made his decision.


    ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯ll go check this building here like I planned to.¡± He placed the tip of his pincer over a marked spot on the map. ¡°And you two should be fine to check this other storeroom over on this side here. Just remember, stay safe, don¡¯t start any trouble. I only need you to look, see if you can spot any signs of a big shipment of mangoes anywhere inside.¡±


    Druma nodded along as Balthazar explained.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Druma understand. Boss can count on Druma to find mangoes for boss!¡± He paused, looking up at the brim of his hat. ¡°What is mangoes, boss?¡±


    The merchant rolled his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fruit, Druma. Smaller than a melon. Sorta¡­ yellow? Orange-ish?¡±


    He looked around, looking for a visual aid. It didn¡¯t take long to find an embroidered image of a mango on a towel nearby.


    ¡°There. It looks like that. You get it now?¡±


    ¡°Oooh!¡± said the goblin as he nodded.


    ¡°Well, there you go. Look for fruits like that. If you see any in that place you just get back here and wait to tell me. Make sure you two don¡¯t get into any trouble while you¡¯re alone. I¡¯m trusting you with something very important here.¡±


    Balthazar glanced at the drake, who was casually nibbling on the contents of her bowl without paying much attention to the crab.


    ¡°And make sure Blue doesn¡¯t set fire to anything,¡± he said. ¡°Or fly. I¡¯m not sure the people of this city would take well to a draconic creature gliding over their heads with all the talk about dragon attacks going on.¡±


    Soon after, the trio exited the domed building, the crab going one way and the goblin and drake the other.


    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t attract any attention!¡± Balthazar said as he waved them goodbye.


    The crab watched on as the excited goblin hopped away next to the sauntering drake.


    I¡¯d better not have to come rescue them from any trouble later¡­


    ***


    After a few minutes walking through several streets, Balthazar reached his marked destination: an old, rundown building in a less than pleasant part of town with nowhere near as much traffic as the commercial districts he had come from.


    ¡°This must be it,¡± he whispered to himself as he poked his eyestalks over a low fence. ¡°Totally looks like the place bandits would hide too. Pfft, these guys are so conspicuous.¡±


    Across the alley he could see a window low enough for him to peer through. Looking around, the crab saw no one nearby.


    ¡°Alright, just a quick peep, if I don¡¯t see any mangoes, I¡¯m out.¡±


    Skittering his eight legs to the other side in his best attempt at being sneaky (which is to say, not very stealthy at all), the investigating crustacean passed under an old tree standing on the ground next to the building. Under it was a large patch of old, decayed leaves, shed by the tree above during that autumnal season. Not thinking twice about it, the crab walked over them in his dash for the window when something snapped under him.


    ¡°WOOOAH!¡± he yelled as the world around him turned upside-down.


    ¡°Hah! Got one!¡± a voice shouted from nearby.


    Confused, Balthazar tried looking up. Or down. It depended on the perspective. The main concerning point being, he was hanging from the tree by a thick rope tied around his leg.


    He had stepped on a snare trap.


    ¡°Darn it!¡± he grumbled, trying to reach his restraint but failing.


    Too many pastries, too few pull-ups in his life, it would appear.


    ¡°Alright, you tie him up and I¡¯ll get him down,¡± a rough-sounding man said.


    Looking around, the captured merchant saw two bandits approaching. Onion Jake¡¯s men, he was sure.


    ¡°Err, hey fellas,¡± the crab said, trying to think fast. ¡°So glad you guys were passing by to help a traveler in need. I was¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oi, shut him up, will ya?¡± the rough one said to the other. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna hear a word out of this crab¡¯s mouth.¡±


    Before he could utter another word, the bandit who had just wrapped a rope around all of his limbs shoved a wet rag into Balthazar¡¯s mouth, leaving him unable to do more than produce muffle noises of protest.


    Oh, crap! They¡¯ve taken away my best weapon. My mouth!

 Chapter 158: Druma and Blue’s Little Adventure

    ***


    In a different part of the city, a peculiar pair of tourists navigated up a street looking for their destination.


    The goblin was not used to being allowed inside cities, but for whatever reason he did not understand, people in this place seemed perfectly fine with his presence.


    Maybe it was because everyone was too afraid to say something since he was accompanied by a mean drake?


    Or perhaps it was because everyone was aware of his important boss and knew not to mess with his loyal assistant?


    No, surely it was because they saw the hat on his head and the staff on his back and knew he was no savage goblin like all of his cousins out in the wilds.


    Druma was a civilized goblin wizard, and people respected that.


    Nodding to himself, the little green guy continued examining the piece of paper he had scrawled a rudimentary map on, based on the larger one his boss had.


    To anyone else, the squiggles and chaotic lines on the parchment would have been indecipherable as directions, but to Druma¡¯s unique intellect, they made enough sense to get around, and that¡¯s all that mattered.


    ¡°Blue!¡± he said, turning back to his travel partner. ¡°Druma think he find right way!¡±


    The azure drake eyed him with her usual lazy and uninterested gaze, but carried on following behind.


    Druma didn¡¯t mind it. He knew her better than most. She acted cold, but the goblin knew she was warm on the inside.


    Especially when she breathed out those pretty, magical flames.


    Druma wished he could do that too.


    Scratching his head under the wizard hat as he turned the piece of paper upside-down with the other hand, the goblin tried to make sense of the crossroads in front of them.


    A sign with street names stood right by one of the corners, but that was of no help to him.


    He did not know the streets of Marquessa.


    Or how to read signs.


    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± said the goblin, tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth as his eyes darted up and down between the map and the forked path.


    Blue let out an impatient growl behind him as she rolled her golden eyes.


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± the crab¡¯s assistant said. ¡°Druma know where we go. We go¡­ this a-way!¡±


    With confident steps, the goblin carried on through the street to the left.


    That part of town was nowhere near as busy as the main commercial districts they had come from, but there were still a few people passing by here and there. Most paid the two outsiders no mind, but some paused to look at the colorful visitors.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± a lanky figure wearing a hooded cloak said as they crossed paths, his face semi-covered by the shade of the hood, revealing only a greeting smile.


    Druma waved back and returned the smile, noticing the passerby had no skin but rather shiny green scales. Looking back as the stranger continued walking in the opposite direction, the goblin also realized he had a long tail dragging behind.


    The more he saw of Marquessa, the more Druma thought that place was pretty neat.


    If only the town near home was as welcoming to non-humans¡­


    After a couple more turns and twists through the streets, the two town explorers came to a stop in front of a dilapidated building.


    It was an old storeroom with high windows, most of them with missing or broken glass. Their frames and the front metal door were covered in rust and grime, like a place that had been abandoned for a long time.


    ¡°This it!¡± exclaimed the excited goblin. ¡°Druma find place boss want Druma and Blue to check!¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    With one brow raised higher, the drake looked at the unassuming building. With a nod, she then eyed the windows high up near the roof¡ªthe only openings that would allow looking inside.


    Her green partner followed her gaze up and quickly shook his head. ¡°No, no! Boss say Blue can¡¯t fly. People can get scared.¡±


    The winged creature clicked her tongue with a scoff and spread her wings, preparing for take-off.


    ¡°Please,¡± the goblin pleaded. ¡°Druma no want to make trouble for boss.¡±


    She paused and looked at him from the corner of her eye.


    ¡°Druma really want to do job right.¡±


    Blue stared at the goblin¡¯s sad, puppy-like eyes for a moment before letting out a smoky sigh and folding her wings back in.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you!¡± the happy assistant said, hopping from side to side.


    Skipping toward the door, Druma stuffed his sketched map in the pocket of his burlap pants and crossed his arms, carefully observing the rusty door in front of him.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Druma can¡¯t see inside¡­¡±


    Then, glancing up, he spotted a transom window above the door.


    ¡°Aha!¡± the goblin exclaimed as he snapped his fingers. ¡°Druma can get in if Blue boost Druma up!¡±


    The drake cocked her brow at her green friend but obliged. With a swift hop, the goblin jumped up from her onto the ledge of the window.


    Holding his large hat in place, Druma pushed the window open and squeezed through the tight space.


    Blue winced as she heard a loud crash behind the door, from the goblin¡¯s clumsy landing.


    ¡°Druma is fine!¡± his voice said from the other side.


    Shuffling, rummaging, and things falling could be heard from inside the building as the drake frowned at the metal door.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Druma will¡­ find way¡­ to let Blue in,¡± the struggling assistant yelled.


    Blue took a sniff at the door and rolled her bright yellow eyes with a groan. With a soft headbutt, the winged creature pushed the unlocked door open with little effort.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said Druma, standing on the other side with a broom in his hands and one foot inside a bucket. ¡°Druma not know Blue can pick lock!¡±


    Exhaling a small puff of smoke, the drake walked past her partner in adventure and entered the storeroom proper.


    ¡°Look empty to Druma,¡± the goblin said, hopping behind her while pulling his foot out of the bucket.


    Stretching her neck up, Blue sniffed the air, as if searching for any useful scents. Meanwhile, the other crab companion looked around the room while rubbing the back of his still-sore neck from the tumble he had taken coming in.


    ¡°Is this mangoes?¡± he asked, standing up from looking under a table while holding out a slightly moldy orange.


    The drake looked at the fruit with a skeptical frown and gave it a quick sniff before pulling her head away with a snarl of disgust.


    ¡°No, Druma no think it is,¡± the slightly deflated goblin said, throwing the spoiled fruit behind his back. ¡°Druma no think what boss want is here.¡±


    They looked around the large room, filled with little more than several layers of dust and the appearance of a place that hadn¡¯t been used in a long time. Unlikely to be where anyone had stored a large shipment of mangoes¡ªor anything else¡ªrecently.


    ¡°Blue and Druma should go back. Boss will be waiting, and Druma no has anything to tell boss.¡±


    Slumping his shoulders, the small goblin walked to the exit, dragging his feet as he went. The drake, glaring at the back of his head with a mildly disapproving scowl, followed him out, giving his arm a playful bump as she passed him.


    A short time later, and after a couple of games of catch on the way there, the slightly more cheerful goblin and the drake arrived back at the central square where they were meant to meet the crab.


    ¡°Boss not back yet?¡± he said. ¡°Druma and Blue wait for boss then.¡±


    Hopping on the ledge of a fountain, the assistant sat down, watching the passing crowds while idly bouncing his hanging feet back and forth.


    Time passed, but no sign of the crab.


    ¡°Druma hungry,¡± he said, jumping off the ledge and back onto his feet.


    Holding his hat in place, the goblin looked up at the clock tower at the other end of the avenue.


    Unfortunately, the goblin did not know how to read a clock either.


    Fortunately, the sun was out, and that he knew how to read.


    ¡°Hmm, time for lunch soon. Where is boss?¡±


    As he turned around, he found his winged friend walking in the opposite direction they had come from while sniffing the ground.


    ¡°Oh, Blue can smell boss?!¡± Druma said, running up to her side.


    The drake offered no obvious response, other than to continue following her nose, swerving and dodging the crowds as they exited the square and went through more streets.


    After several minutes of sniffing and walking in circles a few times, the two companions reached a much more slummy part of the city.


    ¡°Blue smell boss here?¡± Druma asked, looking worried as he eyed a ruined building with a single old tree next to it.


    The drake gave him an affirmative nod, and they walked around the low fence, toward a low window on the side of the building.


    ¡°Trap,¡± the goblin whispered as he stopped and placed his arm in front of the drake.


    Druma pointed at the snare rope haphazardly hidden under some leaves in front of them.


    Carefully, the pair walked around the obvious trap and reached the window.


    Popping their heads up, they peeked through the dirty glass.


    Inside, they saw two bandits with knives in their hands, and between them, hanging upside-down from the ceiling by a rope tied to his legs and claws, was a giant crab.


    Druma gasped. ¡°Boss!¡±

 Chapter 159: Timely Rescue

    Blue huffed, fogging up the glass of the window in front of her. There were two humans inside that place, and they had Balthazar tied up and hanging from the ceiling.


    The drake was not happy at all.


    Who did these men think they were to be tormenting the crab?


    No one was allowed to do that but her.


    Next to the angry beast, Druma was frantically tapping his feet back and forth.


    ¡°Boss is in trouble,¡± the panicking goblin whispered to her. ¡°Druma and Blue must help.¡±


    The drake frowned, her golden eyes fixed on the pair of bandits inside. She agreed that they needed to do something. Those men looked pathetically weak, and if she allowed them to harm her alleged paternal figure, that would be an unacceptable humiliation to her.


    They would have to intervene, for the sake of her pride. Rescuing the merchant was secondary, obviously.


    The azure creature looked around. She knew the window they were peering through was too small for her.


    ¡°Druma look for door!¡± said the small goblin before creeping around the building.


    Sniffing the air, Blue felt confident there were no more bandits in the area save for those two inside. A shame. She wouldn¡¯t have minded a bigger challenge and an opportunity to snap a few more of them.


    The goblin popped his head around the corner, holding his hat with one hand. ¡°Druma find door!¡±


    The drake followed him to the back of the building, where the goblin stood in front of a large metal door, scratching his head as he stared at it.


    ¡°Blue can pick lock again?¡± he asked her.


    She looked at him and sighed before giving the door a try with her head. It was locked.


    While she was certainly powerful, Blue knew she did not have enough strength to bring such a sturdy adversary down by ramming it. If only the door had been made of wood, then she could easily burn it down. But alas, her opponent was instead made of solid metal, and even if her flames could melt it, that would surely take far too long.


    The draconic creature stared the door down as if expecting it to open out of fear, but the big hunk of metal remained immobile.


    Facing a foe worthy of a stalemate, the drake decided to just walk away and go back to the window. She would let the petty door live this time.


    ¡°Druma don¡¯t know how to get in!¡± the small assistant bemoaned as he joined her behind the glass. ¡°Blue have idea?¡±


    She peeked inside again. The crab was still tied, and the bandits were talking to each other, one holding the backpack Balthazar had been carrying on his shell. Neither of the merchant¡¯s companions could hear whatever was being said inside, but the thugs certainly seemed agitated.


    Glancing up, Blue spotted something that made her narrow eyes widen: a glass skylight, letting natural light shine into the room.


    Druma followed her gaze and accompanying smirk.


    ¡°But¡­ boss say no fly,¡± the conflicted goblin muttered.


    The drake stared him in the eye, a frown of determination to her expression as she made it very clear to the goblin that this was the time to break rules.


    ***


    Inside the building, Balthazar had been hanging upside-down from the ceiling for a while, but that wasn¡¯t what bothered him. Had he been a human, he might have started feeling dizzy from all the blood rushing to his head. But as a crab, he had no head, only his shell, which had plenty of room for his blood no matter the position. He could also twist his eyestalks in order to see things the right way, so that was no big deal either.


    What really bothered him wasn¡¯t even the being tied up, it was the gag in his mouth. Preventing the merchant from speaking was like keeping him from breathing.


    Now what? Can¡¯t talk these idiots into letting me go, can¡¯t really snip anything with my claws tied, and nobody knows I¡¯m here.


    As Balthazar tried to come up with a plan, his two captors discussed their next move.


    ¡°Looks like Jake was right, the crab did come sniffing ¡®round,¡± the larger one said.


    ¡°Of course he was,¡± said the smaller bandit. ¡°But what do we do with him now?¡±


    The other thug eyed the crab¡¯s backpack that they had tossed to the floor while tying him to the ceiling.


    ¡°Dunno. But for now let¡¯s see what this crab is carrying.¡±


    The smaller one snorted like a greedy pig. ¡°Yeah! He a merchant, so I bet he got a lotta goodies in there.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    No! They¡¯re going to loot my stuff! I need that to trade!


    The crab struggled and groaned from behind his gag, protesting against the humans looting his bag. At least Balthazar had always performed the courtesy of looting others after they were no longer alive, unlike those mannerless bandits.


    The Marquessian ruffian grabbed the Backpack of Holding and shook it a few times before opening it.


    ¡°Well?¡± his partner in crime asked with a rotten smile. ¡°What¡¯s he got?¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± said the other, cocking an eyebrow at the inside of the bag. ¡°The hell is this?¡±


    Putting his hand into the leather backpack, the man rummaged inside what sounded like a very empty container.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a few loose pieces of junk and small trinkets. There ain¡¯t even any food here, just a piece of moldy bread.¡±


    What the hell?!


    The smaller bandit scowled angrily at the crab.


    ¡°Oi! What¡¯s this about? You not a merchant?! Where¡¯s your stuff at?¡± His eyes went to the coin purse tied to the side of Balthazar¡¯s shell. ¡°Maybe he sold it all. That money bag¡¯s lookin¡¯ real fat.¡±


    No!


    The fiend walked up to the crab with his greedy eyes shining as he reached for the Bag of Holding Money.


    Panic hit Balthazar. They were going to take his coins. His precious life savings.


    He grunted and wriggled in his bonds, struggling to break free. They could not take his first love.


    All those shiny, beautiful coins he had collected over the past months.


    The several thousand crowns in his magical coin purse.


    That he had been carrying on his waist that whole time.


    Because that was obviously the safest way to carry a small fortune. Right where he could see it at all times.


    ¡°Argh, I can¡¯t get it off him,¡± the bandit complained as he tried to fiddle with the money bag. ¡°It¡¯s tied real tight.¡±


    Once again, the eight-point pincer knot proved its worth to the crab in a tight spot.


    ¡°Just cut it off,¡± the other bandit groaned.


    ¡°Right!¡± the sniveling coward exclaimed, pulling his knife and bringing it closer to the coin bag as Balthazar wriggled and grunted in protest from behind his gag.


    No! Away with you, fiend! Get your filthy paws off my money! I earned that!


    Just as the blade was about to touch the rope tying the purse to his shell, a noise of something crashing on the floor came from the outside, making both bandits freeze, listening with eyes wide.


    ¡°What was that?!¡± the smaller one murmured.


    ¡°Dunno, but it came from outside,¡± said the bigger one, gripping his own knife tightly. ¡°Go check it out.¡±


    ¡°Why me? You go!¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m telling you to, and I¡¯m bigger than you,¡± the other said with a slightly threatening tone. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here guarding the crab, just in case.¡±


    Grousing with discontent, the smaller ruffian let go of Balthazar and headed to the door, kicking dust bunnies as he went.


    The merchant breathed out with relief. His beloved coin was saved by the bell. Or crash. Whatever noise that was. Could someone really be out there?


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s just you and me now,¡± the remaining bandit said, approaching the crab with his knife still in hand.


    The crustacean gasped with concern. His beloved coin was at risk again.


    To his surprise, however, the human reached not for the purse, but for his gag instead.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna take this off to ask you something, but you better not try anything funny.¡±


    Was Balthazar about to be tortured for information? The crab just nodded.


    ¡°It was the mayor!¡± he blurted out as soon as the rag came off his mouth. ¡°She had me look into the missing mangoes!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the baffled thug said. ¡°What are you talking about? I don¡¯t care about any of that.¡±


    The merchant arched his eyestalks further to look at the man straight. ¡°You don¡¯t? Then¡­ what do you want?¡±


    Coming a little closer, the bandit lowered his voice. ¡°I was wondering¡­ I heard some stuff about this¡­ bandit rights¡­ something¡­¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks jumped.


    ¡°Oh! The Bandit Rights Association!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, yeah, that!¡± the man said, nodding. ¡°I was wondering¡­ could you tell me more about it?¡±


    The crab stared at him for a moment, unblinking.


    Is this guy serious?


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± the ruffian added, bouncing his knife back and forth as he spoke. ¡°Weird circumstances to be askin¡¯, but that¡¯s the point. I¡¯m real tired of this life, you know? All these bad hours, tying people up, acting tough all the time. Sometimes I find myself longing for something else. Something¡­ better.¡±


    After a moment of being baffled, Balthazar finally snapped back into it.


    ¡°Of course! I totally get it. We all want better. We all deserve better. That¡¯s what the Bandit Rights Association is all about. Why should only the chiefs get to enjoy all the perks of banditry while guys like you have to live in squalor in dumps like this all day, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, exactly!¡± exclaimed the excited bandit, using the knife to point at the crab in agreement. ¡°I been havin¡¯ this real bad toothache lately, and I heard somethin¡¯ about this¡­ what was it¡­¡±


    ¡°Dental?¡± the merchant said. ¡°Right, yes. Our movement fully supports full coverage for dental stuff. Going around mugging people with bad breath is just shameful for your entire class! But wait until I tell you about the six-day bandit work week.¡±


    The thug¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oooh! Tell me more!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± the crafty crustacean said, rolling his eyestalks. ¡°You know, it would be a lot easier to chat if I wasn¡¯t hanging upside-down and all tied up.¡±


    The bandit frowned slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ The boss would be real mad if I let you escape.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come now,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°We were just starting to talk about your interest in your rights as a bandit, why would I want to leave now? Of course not! In fact, I very much would like to talk to Onion Jake about this now.¡±


    Come on, you big oaf, just cut me loose.


    ¡°Really? You mean it?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said the crab. ¡°My word is golden!¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°Oh, alright!¡± the enthusiastic thug said with a smile as he brought the knife up to the rope tying Balthazar to the ceiling.


    Just as the blade started chewing through the fibers, a noise came from above, like the sound of something cracking.


    ¡°Huh?¡± said the bandit as he took a few steps back to look at the skylight above them.


    Glass shattered loudly as a large blue blur dropped from the ceiling, crash-landing right on top of the man.


    ¡°Ahhh! We here to save boss!¡± the goblin riding on the back of the drake shouted.

 Chapter 160: Criminal Crab

    Balthazar winced as the pieces of broken glass hit the floor, followed shortly by the bandit¡¯s chin.


    Blue¡ªwith Druma on her back¡ªhad come in through the skylight above like a mage whose levitation spell had just run out, the weight of both of them dropping right on top of the man holding the crab captive.


    The thug let out a loud oof as the air was forcibly pressed out of his body under the pressure of Balthazar¡¯s rescuers and he passed out from the blunt force.


    Jumping off the drake¡¯s back with his staff tightly gripped in both hands, Druma started hopping around with a menacing look on his face¡ªor at least his best attempt at one.


    ¡°Arrrgh!¡± he yelled, shaking his staff around at nobody. ¡°Let boss go or Druma magics you!¡±


    With a slight frown, Blue looked around and then down at the unconscious man under her. With a small growl, she called the goblin¡¯s attention to her before nodding at their defeated foe.


    Druma looked at the bandit, staff still at the ready and confusion on his face.


    ¡°You got him already,¡± Balthazar finally said.


    ¡°Yay!¡± the assistant cheered, holding his staff up horizontally above his head and doing a little celebratory dance. ¡°Blue and Druma beat bandits!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­¡± the crab started with some annoyance to his tone. ¡°He was already about to cut me loose, so¡­¡±


    The goblin ceased his dance. ¡°Is boss mad at Druma? Blue and Druma shoulda waited outside?¡±


    His expression had quickly shifted to sad and apprehensive, his ears shagging like a dog who had just been caught chewing the cushions.


    ¡°No. No, no. It¡¯s fine!¡± Balthazar hurriedly said. ¡°You guys did good! Who knows what would have happened if you hadn¡¯t shown up? I might have had to actually offer that guy an insurance program or some other nonsense.¡±


    Druma¡¯s expression changed back to joy and he resumed his victory dance, while Blue awkwardly climbed down from her bandit landing pad.


    ¡°But we can celebrate later,¡± the merchant warned. ¡°Now get me down before the other bandit comes ba¡ª¡±


    With a sudden slam, the backdoor into the storeroom flew open.


    ¡°What was that noise?!¡± the smaller bandit who had gone outside yelled as he rushed inside. ¡°Grug, are you¡ª¡±


    His eyes widened as they met his comrade¡¯s body sprawled on the floor, a drake standing over it alongside a goblin frozen halfway through his dance.


    ¡°What the hell?!¡± the man exclaimed as he reached for the knife attached to his belt.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± the hanging crab shouted.


    But his companions were already ahead of his warning.


    With a high-pitched yell, Druma pointed his staff forward at the ruffian, unleashing a volley of small green bolts at him. The projectiles hit him straight in the chest and stomach, making the man stumble back and grunt in pain.


    Before the bandit had time to know what hit him¡ªa spell from an unlikely wizard¡ªBlue had already leaped forward, using her tucked back wings to glide smoothly over the room, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. As her claws landed on the floor in front of the dazed human, she spun around for a massive hit with her tail, sending him flying several paces into a pile of wood panels and pallets over by the corner.


    Seeing their second foe down and out for the count too, the goblin and the drake cheered loudly at each other, Druma hopping in circles around Blue as she nodded with a toothy grin that Balthazar couldn¡¯t remember seeing very often.


    [Bandits defeated. Assist experience awarded.]


    [You have reached level 20!]


    ¡°This is nice and all, but can I get down from here now or¡­¡± the party-crashing crab said from his least favorite hangout spot.


    As if suddenly remembering his presence, Blue quickly put away her grin and resumed her more serious and uncaring expression, looking at the second bandit with a raised brow and a few sniffs, checking if he was really out.


    Meanwhile, Druma rushed to his boss after grabbing the knife the bandit had dropped before going for his impromptu nap time.


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡± he said. ¡°Sorry, boss! Druma get boss down now!¡±


    ¡°Ow! Watch the antennae!¡± complained the crustacean as his assistant unceremoniously climbed up his upside-down body to reach the rope, placing one foot on his shell and the other awkwardly close to his face.


    With a swift swipe, the goblin sliced the rope from the ceiling beam and immediately hopped off the crab right before he landed on his shell.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°That hurt.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry, boss!¡± the green creature exclaimed as he hurried to cut the ropes holding the merchant¡¯s legs and claws together.


    ¡°It seems Onion Jake knew I was coming to check this place,¡± said Balthazar as he stood up and shook the dust off his shell. ¡°So that must mean the other places are being watched too. We need to find Olivia and Suze to let them know, before they get in trouble as well.¡±


    Druma shook his head vigorously to every word. Even if he didn¡¯t fully understand everything that was going on, he was more than happy to oblige and just glad to go along, and that was good enough for Balthazar.


    ¡°My backpack,¡± the crab said, looking around the room. ¡°Let¡¯s find it and get out of here before any more bandits show up.¡±


    The goblin looked around until he spotted the bag nearby on the floor. He hurriedly grabbed and handed it to his boss with a big grin on his face. ¡°Druma find bag!¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Balthazar said as he took the Backpack of Holding into his pincers, eyestalks frowning slightly. ¡°Now why was that guy saying there was nothing in here?¡±


    Putting one claw into the magical bag, the crab rummaged for a moment.


    He searched, pinched, and grabbed. At every turn his pincer found exactly the stuff he expected. Trinkets, baubles, and other unsorted junk. Various bottles, some empty, some filled with potions. A few books and pieces of parchment. Even his recently acquired iron ingot was there.


    Was that bandit just stupid?


    Shrugging his shell as he realized the obvious answer to his question, Balthazar closed the backpack again. He had no time to waste worrying about that. He and his friends needed to leave. Both to avoid more bandits and also to go find Olivia and Suze before they ran into an ambush of their own.


    ¡°Alright, help me put this back on quickly and let¡¯s skitter on out of here,¡± the merchant said to his assistant.


    As the goblin prepared to pull the backpack¡¯s straps through the crab¡¯s arms, a rumble of footsteps echoed from outside, several pairs of boots rushing closer to the building while the trio inside looked at each other with wide eyes.


    Before any of them could react, two city guards kicked open the double doors at the front while another two rushed through the still open backdoor, all of them with their weapons out and helmets fully strapped.


    ¡°Everybody freeze!¡± the one at the front shouted, spear firmly pointed at the crab¡¯s party. ¡°We got reports of a scuffle inside this place. What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Druma immediately dropped the backpack and threw his hands up.


    Blue simply looked at the men surrounding them with a displeased glare.


    Balthazar, on the other pincer, showed some relief.


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness it¡¯s you guys,¡± he said, wiping the top of his shell with the back of his claw. ¡°For a moment I thought you were more bandits rushing in.¡± He pointed his pincer at the two knocked-out men behind him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my companions and I already took these guys out. All nice and ready for you to take them in.¡±


    The guard pulled his weapon back and looked at the full scene in front of him with a deep frown.


    ¡°They¡¯re Onion Jake¡¯s men,¡± another one of the guards said to the first after getting closer to check their pulses and look at their faces.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± said the leading guard, exhaling sharply as he shook his head. ¡°The boss isn¡¯t gonna be happy about this.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what do you mean¡ª¡± the confused crab started.


    ¡°You two,¡± the guard said to the two remaining guardsmen, ¡°arrest these creatures. At least we can deliver them to him to appease his anger.¡±


    Oh, crap! Corrupt guards!


    As the humans pointed their spears forward at the group and started coming closer, Blue assumed a ready stance and bared her fangs with a threatening snarl, while Druma readied his staff again, despite his apprehensive expression.


    ¡°No,¡± Balthazar said to his two companions. ¡°Don¡¯t attack them. We¡¯re outnumbered and fighting the town guards could land us in even worse trouble. Let me try to talk this out.¡±


    Holding his pincers up, the merchant stepped forward to the approaching guardsmen.


    ¡°Hey, fellas, there¡¯s no need for all this. Let¡¯s just¡ªWoah!¡±


    ¡°Zip it, crab!¡± the guard in command said as the other two pushed the crustacean against the floor and started putting a pair of shackles on him. ¡°We had very specific orders to bring you in if we caught you sticking your nose where it doesn¡¯t belong again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even have a nose!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, his face pressed against the dusty floor. ¡°Hey, watch the moneymaker, will you? I just got out of some ropes, must you really bind me again?!¡±


    A few steps away, the drake stretched her wings open and roared angrily as a dangerous blue glow started forming from inside her open mouth.


    ¡°Blue, no!¡± the crab shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt them! It will make things worse! Just get Druma out of here, don¡¯t let him get put in chains!¡±


    Balthazar had little hope of her doing as he said. She hardly ever did. But to his great surprise, the winged creature looked him straight in the eye¡ªher golden gaze as if piercing straight into his¡ªand the fire building up inside seemed to subside as she turned to the goblin.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± the commanding guard shouted to the remaining man not currently holding the crab down. ¡°Seize them!¡±


    The guard held his spear in front of himself, looking scared to come too close to the fire-breathing beast as she nudged the goblin onto her back.


    ¡°Boss!¡± the anguished assistant called. ¡°Druma no want to leave boss!¡±


    ¡°Just get yourselves out of here!¡± yelled the merchant. ¡°Go and find help. And call my lawyer!¡±


    The goblin finished climbing onto the drake and she wasted no time beating her wings forcibly, kicking up a cloud of dust toward the nearby guard as she took flight.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Druma yelled from atop the azure creature. ¡°What is lawyer??¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Balthazar yelled back. ¡°I just keep reading that¡¯s what you should get when arrested!¡±


    ¡°Shoot them down!¡± the first guard shouted as he pulled out his own bow.


    ¡°Go!¡± the crab yelled.


    With a powerful thrust upward, Blue flew out through the broken skylight, disappearing from sight before the guards could ready their arrows.


    ¡°Argh!¡± said the guard. ¡°Whatever, we got the crab. That¡¯s what matters. Pull him up and let¡¯s take him in.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± Balthazar exclaimed, struggling against the attempts to close the shackles around his claws.


    ¡°You are under arrest,¡± one of the guards said. ¡°Now stop resisting!¡±


    ¡°For what reason? What is the charge?¡± the indignant crab said. ¡°Eating pie? A succulent slice of mango pie?!¡±


    The guard in charge came in between the other two, putting his knee against the merchant¡¯s carapace as he tried to help with the chains. ¡°Just¡­ stop¡­ struggling!¡±


    ¡°Get your hand off my gills, sir!¡± Balthazar shouted with profound outrage.


    Despite his protesting and resistance, he was no match for the guards, and soon after, the crab was being hauled in shackles to the Marquessian dungeon.


    The guards unceremoniously threw him into a cell, locking up the door and leaving Balthazar seeing the sun through a set of iron bars, like a common criminal.


    Ah, crabapples¡­ What do I do now?

 Chapter 161: Prisoner Crab

    Balthazar languished in jail. His cruel captors had thrown him into the depths of a prison cell on the ground floor, left with only a small clay mug of water, hardly enough for a crab to submerge himself in. Abandoned to his own luck with not even a pastry to eat.


    Hunger threatened to soon finish him, if despair didn¡¯t claim his mind first.


    The crab could see the end coming. All hope had long since left him. He knew he wasn¡¯t going to make it this time.


    He wondered if his friends missed him or had moved on with their lives since his disappearance.


    The sweet taste of pie was barely a remnant of a memory in what felt like a lifetime ago.


    Balthazar sighed.


    It had been about forty-five minutes since his arrest.


    ¡°Hey! Is someone out there?¡± he shouted to the empty corridor, pressing his eyestalks between the iron bars of his cell. ¡°I know my rights! I¡¯m allowed one courier!¡±


    Isolation was driving him crazy. Crabs were not meant to be trapped in one place, unable to leave. At least not this one. Not anymore.


    The worst was the stench. Foul sewage odor permeated the air all around that catacomb, overwhelming the senses until they were numbed. The merchant had met necromancers who smelled better than that place.


    He grabbed the bars with his pincers, frustrated at the metal keeping him from his freedom. If only he still had his backpack. Maybe he could use the iron ingot he had gotten from Captain Leander to imbue his pincers and bend the bars.


    Balthazar twisted his eyestalks, peeking at an old wooden shelf right before the corner at the other end of the corridor. The guards had thrown his Backpack of Holding there when they brought him in. So close yet so far away.


    The crab bounced back from the jail door with a sigh, letting his bottom drop to the floor as he sat under the striped sunlight coming in through the barred window of his cell.


    It would have been of no use anyway. I¡¯m nowhere near strong enough to bend them.


    Something popped into his mind at the mention of strength.


    Hey, that¡¯s right, I leveled up right before being arrested.


    Pulling up his system screen, the merchant checked the familiar prompt.


    [You have reached level 20]


    [Choose a base stat to increase by 10]


    [Health: 210/210]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 20/20]


    He let out another sigh.


    None of these help me with getting out of here.


    With a flick, the crab increased his health to 220. He saw little use to increasing the other two, and at least with more life maybe he¡¯d have a better chance of living long enough to see the outside again. If his growling stomach didn¡¯t do him in first.


    Ugh, it¡¯s so past my lunchtime.


    [You have 3 unspent attribute points]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 13]


    [Charisma: 61]


    Hmm, why was I increasing my Intellect before?


    With another flick of his eyes, Balthazar looked at his list of skills, particularly the most recent one.


    [All-Tongue]


    [Skill - C tier]


    [Requirements: 40 CHA, 20 INT]


    [Cost: 5 mana]


    [For 5 minutes, your tongue can reach anyone¡¯s ears. No, gross, not like that. Sentient beings will understand your words no matter their language.]


    Ah, that¡¯s right. Because I need 20 on it to use this one.


    Too filled with despair to care or think any further on it, the imprisoned merchant simply bumped his Intellect up to 16.


    It¡¯s not like investing in Strength now would let me bust that wall down.


    As he browsed through his list of traits and skills, regretting how none of them were of any use to escape a prison cell, something appeared outside, blocking the sunlight the crab was sitting under.


    A small blob of black fur was on the other side of the iron bars on the window. Balthazar squinted against the bright light until he could fully make out what it was. Just a cat.


    Oh¡­


    With yet another sigh, the merchant dismissed his system screen.


    None of this stuff helps me right now. I need someone else to get me out of here.


    He glanced up at the window again, where the feline figure still was, sitting with its back to the warm sunlight as it looked at the crab.


    Heh. If I was already able to use that All-Tongue skill, maybe I could ask you to go find me someone.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Grabbing the water container at the corner of his cell, Balthazar took a small sip from it.


    ¡°Bleh! How do you manage to make water stale?¡± he grumbled. ¡°If only I could have some water from my precious pond¡­¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks perked up with a start as he heard a loud metal noise nearby.


    He glanced at the window as he skittered toward the cell¡¯s door, but the cat was gone, likely scared away by the noise, he figured.


    A man walked down the corridor to the crab¡¯s cell with a plate in his hand. The merchant recognized him as the guardsman who had been too afraid to approach Blue before her escape. Not because Balthazar had gotten any better at telling humans apart, but simply because he had noticed the human¡¯s armor was slightly shoddier when he was getting arrested. He always keeps an eye out for the details that really matter.


    ¡°Hey, you,¡± the guard said. ¡°I figured you might be hungry. Here.¡±


    The young man passed the plate through the slot between the iron bars. It had a pretty sad and stale-looking loaf of bread on it.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± the hesitant crab said, taking the plate into his pincers.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t make that face,¡± said the human. ¡°It¡¯s not like they give us guards the best bread every morning. You¡¯re lucky I could even get you that.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re all taking bribes? So you can buy better bread?¡± the frowning crustacean replied. ¡°I mean, not that I wouldn¡¯t kinda get it, bread is pretty great¡­¡±


    ¡°Bribes?¡± the young guard said with a hint of indignation. ¡°You think guys like me are getting paid any bribes?!¡±


    ¡°Why else are you going around being shamelessly corrupt and arresting the innocent while letting bandits go free then?¡±


    The guard shook his head. ¡°Nobody¡¯s paying squat to grunts like me.¡±


    ¡°What then?¡± Balthazar asked while nibbling on a piece of bread. ¡°Are you doing it for her too? Whoever that is?¡±


    ¡°Man¡­ I thought people said you were smart for a crab,¡± said the disappointed human. ¡°I don¡¯t even know who the hell that is. All that stuff is way above my pay grade. Most of us low-ranks are just trying to go along with whatever the commander says to not get on his bad side. If that means turning a blind eye here and there then that¡¯s just what you gotta do to keep your job.¡±


    His curiosity now piqued, the crab put down the plate with bread¡ªit was far too stale to enjoy anyway.


    ¡°So wait,¡± he started. ¡°You¡¯re telling me the problem comes from the top? It¡¯s not guards working alongside bandits for their own gain?¡±


    ¡°Hell no! Most of us hate it, but when your boss tells you to play ball, what choice do you have? Whoever that ¡®her¡¯ you mentioned is, she has all the right people wrapped around her finger. You think little fish like me are gonna play hero against corruption? No way!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Interesting,¡± Balthazar said, tapping his chin as he thought. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, tell me¡ª¡±


    The loud clang of the door at the top of the corridor opening echoed through the cells, startling both crab and human.


    ¡°Crap, the commander is back!¡± said the scared guard. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even be here.¡±


    The young man ran up the corridor, reaching the corner just as another figure appeared.


    ¡°What are you doing down here?¡± a harsh, displeased voice asked.


    ¡°I-I was double-checking that the prisoner was well secure, sir!¡± Balthazar heard the nervous guard reply.


    His superior groaned loudly before barking his next order. ¡°Get out of here, kid. I want to talk to the crab. Alone.¡±


    The merchant pushed his eyestalks through the bars as he heard the footsteps of the younger man running out of the dungeon and closing the door behind him. As soon as the bolt slammed closed, a new set of slower, heavier footsteps echoed down the corridor and Balthazar saw the commander of the guards walking toward his cell.


    He was a tall, robust middle-aged man with a face of someone who didn¡¯t enjoy making new friends very much. His red and brown uniform was like the one from the other guards, except much higher quality and spotless, lacking the dust and wear from those doing the beat duty daily.


    Balthazar found his facial expression to fit perfectly with the rotting aroma lingering in the air around that place.


    The crab also knew he was more influential because he carried a set of larger pauldrons on his shoulders and wore a cape. Humans seemed to love capes to show off they are important.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one, huh?¡± the mean-faced man grumbled as he reached the crab¡¯s jail cell.


    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± Balthazar replied, unfazed by yet another human with poor manners. ¡°I would say nice to meet you, but then I saw your face, so¡­¡±


    The commander¡¯s mouth twisted with spite. ¡°Acting really smug for someone behind bars.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you know, it¡¯s only temporary,¡± the merchant claimed, attempting to sound confident. ¡°I¡¯m sure Mayor Marquessa or Captain Leander won¡¯t be too pleased when they hear that an important trader from across the continent has been arrested on bogus charges.¡±


    The sour-faced man suddenly let out a loud laugh.


    ¡°Hah! Who says they¡¯ll hear anything?¡± the man exclaimed. ¡°Leander¡¯s time is long gone, he¡¯s a relic of the past with no real power. He should stick to lecturing kids at his hall and reminiscing over his ship days.¡±


    Balthazar frowned at the boastful man as he came closer to the bars.


    ¡°And Marquessa,¡± the commander continued with a hateful smile, ¡°needs to stick to her job of being a shiny figurehead, because those with real power are those down in the trenches, commanding the men.¡±


    The crustacean clicked his tongue as he shook his head. ¡°Tsk, you really are very stereotypical, you know that? Too bad I already know you¡¯re just a puppet.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± the suddenly irate man exclaimed, grabbing one of the bars and bringing his face closer. ¡°Watch your tone! I¡¯m nobody¡¯s puppet!¡±


    Balthazar gave him the side-eye and a smirk. ¡°Not even her puppet?¡±


    ¡°You shut your mouth!¡± the commander barked. ¡°You don¡¯t know her! I¡¯m her favorite! All these other fools like Onion Jake are the puppets, a means to her ends, waiting to be discarded.¡± His tone suddenly shifted to a less bitter one and his thick eyebrows twisted as he looked up at the ceiling with a glint in his eyes. ¡°When her plan is through, I¡¯ll be the one standing by her side, basking in her gratitude for everything we have achieved.¡±


    The crab did his best to keep his eyestalks from rolling all the way around the prison cell.


    Oh, sweet pie of mine. This guy has it even worse than the onion fella.


    ¡°And you think you¡¯ve got what it takes to see that plan through?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°I talked to Onion Jake too, you know? And it seemed like he was the one doing all the heavy-lifting and feeling pretty confident about her gratitude toward him.¡±


    The commander¡¯s eyes widened and bulged out as he pressed his face between the iron bars.


    ¡°What?!¡± he yelled. ¡°That lowlife isn¡¯t worthy of even kissing the ground she walks! A disgusting bandit like him would stink up her beautiful presence! Just the idea of her heavenly scent being overpowered by his stench¡­ outrageous!¡±


    The man pulled the edge of his cape to the front of his face and gave it a strong sniff, his eyes closing as he smiled like someone revisiting a fond memory.


    What the¡­


    ¡°Just the lingering memory of our last encounter fills me with joy¡­¡± the commander said in a dreamy tone.


    Getting a little closer, Balthazar picked up on the smell from the human¡¯s cape, like some kind of perfume the crab doubted belonged to the brute in front of him.


    It was very faint and difficult to fully capture, but it made him feel slightly lightheaded on the first whiff. Even stranger, the merchant felt like that smell was vaguely familiar and that it reminded him of something in particular, he just wasn¡¯t sure what.


    ¡°Get away! Her scent is not for your nose!¡± barked the angry man, pulling his cape away from the jail door.


    ¡°Again, I don¡¯t have a nose. I thought you guys had enough eyes to see that¡­¡± the crustacean said with a roll of his own eyes. ¡°Either way, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a bit rude of you toward her?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed the confused human.


    ¡°It¡¯s always ¡®her¡¯ and ¡®she¡¯ when talking about¡­ her,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°A proper gentleman would refer to a lady by her name, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean¡­¡± the suddenly flustered man said. ¡°I guess I¡­ I would never mean to offend her¡ªI mean, lady¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± the crab said with great anticipation. ¡°Go on, lady¡­?¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: blocked]


    What?! Not again!


    ¡°Ah, you crafty creature!¡± the commander exclaimed. ¡°You were trying to use me, weren¡¯t you? Trying to squeeze information out of me. It won¡¯t work! My loyalty to her is impenetrable.¡±


    With a twirl of his cape, the commander turned to leave.


    ¡°You can rot in that cell until she decides what to do with you, crab.¡±


    Balthazar grasped the iron bars again. ¡°Hey, come on! You can¡¯t just leave me in here, without a pie, or at least a cushion! Can''t you bring me an air freshener for the sewer stench?¡±


    The bolt of the door above echoed again as the young guard from before ran down the corridor, meeting his commander halfway.


    ¡°What is it?¡± the superior said.


    ¡°Sir,¡± said the other guard. ¡°There¡¯s someone outside, saying they¡¯ve come to free the crab.¡±


    The irate man puffed up in anger. ¡°Who?!¡±

 Chapter 162: Fugitive Crab

    ¡°Excuse me, coming through,¡± a girl¡¯s voice said from around the corner. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me letting myself in.¡±


    Pulling on the iron bars with his pincers, Balthazar stretched his eyestalks out of the cell to see Olivia Marquessa joining the young guard and his commander in the dungeon corridor.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be down here, young lady!¡± the commander exclaimed.


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece responded. ¡°And that crab over there shouldn¡¯t be here either, so let¡¯s get him out of that cell and we¡¯ll be out of your dungeon in no time.¡±


    The tall man in a cape scowled and stretched his neck forward at the young woman. ¡°Get him out? That crab is under arrest at my command, and in this place, I call the shots.¡±


    Olivia stretched her own neck up at the commander and placed her hands on her hips defiantly, despite being much smaller than him. ¡°Arrested under what charges?¡±


    ¡°Multiple!¡± the commander said. ¡°Disturbing the peace. Trespassing on private property. Breaking and entering with his accomplices who are still at large. And above all that, assault on two innocent citizens!¡±


    ¡°You mean two bandits?¡± the girl said, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Do you have any proof to back your slander, Ms. Olivia?¡± the spiteful man said with a snarky smile.


    ¡°None you¡¯d care to take seriously,¡± she replied. ¡°But you don¡¯t have any proof against Balthazar either, so we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± exclaimed the crab from behind the bars. ¡°I still don¡¯t know what a lawyer is, but I want her to be mine!¡±


    Turning a couple of shades redder, the commander exhaled sharply before raising his voice. ¡°This is my prison! You have no authority to release anyone here.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± said Olivia, her eyes rolling briefly and her voice hesitating a moment before continuing, as if her next sentence felt painful to say. ¡°But my aunt does, and she ordered Mr. Balthazar¡¯s release immediately.¡±


    The young woman pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment with a red ribbon around it and held it up in her hand for the other two to see.


    ¡°What?!¡± the commander barked, his face turning another few shades redder. ¡°Why would the mayor interfere with my¡­ with the guardsmen work?! This should be none of her concern!¡±


    The niece of the baroness simply shrugged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯m just the messenger, here to deliver the orders.¡± She turned to the younger guard. ¡°So let¡¯s hurry up with it. Go on, unlock his cell and let him out already.¡±


    The visibly nervous young man jumped in place, as if startled by the acknowledgement of his presence there. He quickly grabbed the large metal ring attached to his belt, fumbling with the many keys on it as he looked for the correct one.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing,¡± the commander commanded from his commanding position of command.


    Balthazar groaned from his spectator spot. That man was starting to really annoy him. Who could this mysterious ¡°she¡± figure be that had him so ferociously determined to keep him locked up in there?


    ¡°I¡¯m still your superior,¡± the caped man continued, ¡°and in here you do as I say.¡±


    The nervous young man looked back and forth between the girl and his commander, visibly conflicted over what he should do.


    ¡°Sure, he¡¯s your commander,¡± Olivia said. ¡°But may I remind you that you owe loyalty to this city above all else? The city, which is represented by the mayor, Baroness Marquessa herself, who expressly ordered the release of this innocent crab from the city¡¯s jail. So I recommend you let him go now, unless you want me to inform the mayor¡¯s office of your treason.¡±


    The young guard gulped, his eyes wide as he rushed down the corridor to Balthazar¡¯s cell, which he quickly unlocked and opened with trembling hands.


    ¡°This is an outrage!¡± shouted the commander. ¡°She will¡ªI mean, I will not stand by this! The mayor interfering with the execution of the law is an absolute breach of power. On what basis would she undermine the authority of this city¡¯s guardsmen? Let me see that decree!¡±


    ¡°Be my guest,¡± the young woman said in an uncaring tone as she handed the scroll to him. ¡°Now come on, let¡¯s go Balthazar, we have urgent business to tend to.¡±


    ¡°We do?¡± the surprised crab said as he walked out of the cell to a very hurried Olivia who promptly started pulling him toward the exit.


    ¡°Oh yes, lots!¡± she replied, walking fast past the younger guard and the commander, who was unfurling the piece of parchment with a frown.


    ¡°Wait, my backpack!¡± Balthazar said, stretching his pincer to grab his baggage as they passed the shelf at the corner.


    ¡°Eggs and flour?!¡± the caped guard muttered as his eyes squinted at the paper he was reading. ¡°Wait just a minute! This is not a decree from the mayor. This is a shopping list!¡±


    Olivia pulled the merchant harder through the door. ¡°Really? Must have been a mix-up. Feel free to check in with the mayor¡¯s office in the morning. Gotta go now, bye!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± yelled the commander. ¡°Seize them!¡±


    But by the time his yell finished, the young woman and the crab were already skidding out of the guardsmen office and onto the open street.


    ¡°How did you mix up a decree from the mayor with a shopping list?¡± Balthazar asked with a bouncing voice as he ran up the sidewalk, dragged behind the girl by his claw.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± she replied, glancing back at the group of guards rushing out of the barracks.


    ¡°What then?¡± said the merchant.


    Olivia rolled her eyes as she sped up to a sprint. ¡°I was sending the commander to do my grocery shopping, obviously.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Really?¡± the crab said. ¡°That¡¯s a bold power move, Olivia.¡±


    ¡°No, of course I wasn¡¯t, Balthazar! I was being sarcastic! I thought you were supposed to be clever.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think very well when I¡¯m hungry,¡± the crustacean said as the girl dragged him around a corner. ¡°Or when I¡¯m running!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way my aunt would sign a decree interfering with the law,¡± the young woman said, stopping under the archway of a building and pulling Balthazar out of sight as she watched the main road. ¡°If I went to her for help, her stupid bureaucracy would take days to get you out, if it even did at all. When your friends found me I just had to improvise. So¡­ I bluffed.¡±


    ¡°Oooh,¡± said the panting crab. ¡°Bluffing. I get it now. I like your style, girl. Well done.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, you can thank me later,¡± she said, peeking around the corner. ¡°Because now you, me, and your friends are all being hunted by the city guard, on top of all the bandits who already wanted your hide.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I only have chitin. Much better. And come on, your aunt is the baroness, the very mayor of this place. Surely she can clear us out and make the guards stand down, no?¡±


    ¡°As things are right now? I¡¯m not so sure,¡± Olivia said with a worried expression. ¡°Not all guards are dirty, but with whoever is pulling the strings having control of the commander, it¡¯s hard to know who is choosing to be loyal to him and who would stand for the city and its mayor. Titles only really mean something if you retain control of whatever gives you power.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± the crab said. ¡°I only came into this place for directions! How does stuff like this keep happening to me?!¡±


    ¡°Must be the mango pies. They¡¯re a real tourist trap.¡± Olivia pulled her head back against the wall as two guards ran down the previous street. ¡°Alright, I think we¡¯re clear for now.¡±


    Balthazar poked his eyestalks out of the doorway, looking both ways. ¡°And what do we do now? I¡¯m way too good-looking for prison. I¡¯ll end up being dropped into someone¡¯s soup!¡±


    ¡°I know a place where nobody will find us, not too far from here,¡± the young woman said. ¡°Your friends are waiting there already.¡±


    Through alleys and side streets, the crab and the girl fled through the city, dodging the guards at every turn while trying to remain inconspicuous.


    Or as inconspicuous as a giant crab carrying a backpack can look in a city.


    Which is not much.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, that woman was totally staring at me,¡± Balthazar said to Olivia as the pair rounded another corner.


    ¡°Yeah, because you had your eyes fixed on her the whole time,¡± the niece of the baroness responded. ¡°You really need to work on how to not act suspicious.¡±


    The merchant threw his arms up in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m a giant crustacean that can talk, my entire existence is suspicious!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Olivia said with a loud sigh.


    She pushed open the backdoor of a small house at the edge of the city, away from the large crowds and busy commercial areas. Inside, Balthazar found a mostly empty home, seemingly uninhabited for a while, judging by the thickness of the dust on every surface.


    Passing through the kitchen and into an empty living room, they found Blue and Druma waiting for them.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± the excited goblin exclaimed, hopping from the wooden bench he was sitting on. ¡°Boss is alright!¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks to you,¡± the crab said to his assistant. ¡°Good job on finding Olivia.¡±


    The small goblin swelled up with pride and his green cheeks turned slightly rosy as he smiled.


    ¡°And¡­¡± Balthazar hesitantly said, turning to Blue, who was sitting very straight next to the bench. ¡°Thanks for getting Druma out of there when I asked. You know¡­ instead of staying and burning stuff up like you wanted to.¡±


    The drake¡¯s brow flicked briefly with what seemed like surprise, but she quickly replaced it with her usual haughty expression while giving the crab a short nod of recognition.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, fools?¡± a young voice said from nearby.


    Balthazar turned to see a little girl coming down the stairs, casually chewing on a lollipop as she joined them.


    ¡°Suze?!¡± he said with surprise. ¡°What are you doing here too?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I was sitting by the big fountain when I saw those three run by earlier. I was bored so I followed them here.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Olivia exclaimed. ¡°That was reckless! What if someone followed you here?!¡±


    The little girl pulled the piece of candy from her mouth with a loud smack of her lips. ¡°You mean like I was following you without you noticing?¡±


    Olivia scowled at the street urchin and opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out.


    ¡°Little girl keep Druma and Blue company after miss leave to get boss!¡± the goblin said, cheerfully hopping from side to side. ¡°She bring food too!¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks perked up. ¡°She did?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Suze said, pulling a large paper bag from the alcove. ¡°I went to that fancy bakery you took me to before. Told the lady you asked me to pick up an order of a bunch of pastries and sweets and said you¡¯d drop by later to pay.¡± She held the heavy bag up proudly. ¡°And she believed me!¡±


    ¡°You said what?!¡± the crab exclaimed, but the smell of fresh baked goods quickly reached him, changing his tone. ¡°Actually, never mind. I¡¯ll worry about that later. I¡¯m starving. Let me see what you got there!¡±


    As the hungry crustacean dug into the paper bag, Olivia checked the windows, peeking to the outside through the blinds.


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here forever,¡± she said, horizontal lines of sunlight hitting her face as she scanned the street. ¡°Sooner or later we will have to leave, and now we¡¯ve got the city guard after us on top of the mad bandits we already had.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, the guards are after you?¡± Suze said, hopping up to sit on a counter. ¡°Did you do something bad?¡±


    ¡°No, the guards are just in on it with the bandits and arrested Balthazar unjustly,¡± the older girl explained.


    ¡°Yeah, totally unfair,¡± the crab added, his cheeks full of carrot cake. ¡°And the accommodations were awful. Not even a proper pillow. And don¡¯t get me started on their bread!¡±


    ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t even be here!¡± Olivia said to Suze. ¡°This is getting way too dangerous. Go back home!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± the little rascal responded, biting on the stick left by the lollipop. ¡°I was bored and you guys are having all the fun. Besides, I don¡¯t got a home anyway.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Olivia is right,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting into trouble because of me.¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± the girl scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to get into trouble. Plus, you¡¯re not my dad.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that,¡± Suze muttered, giving the crab the stinkiest of side-eyes.


    ¡°Alright, enough arguing,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece said. ¡°They¡¯re probably already looking for her too anyway, since she¡¯s been hanging around us so much. Best we keep her close. What we need now is a plan.¡±


    Balthazar nodded in agreement, his mouth too stuffed to speak. Suze just shrugged as she reached into the bag and retrieved a piece of toffee. Druma and Blue just watched on, clearly having little idea of what was going on, but glad to go along with it.


    ¡°They¡¯ll definitely expect it and see me coming if I try to reach my aunt,¡± Olivia said. ¡°What I need is to get to Captain Leander. I trust him with my life. If someone can help us, it will be him.¡±


    ¡°It was tricky enough to get here from just a few streets away,¡± said the crab. ¡°How do you plan to get all the way across town without getting caught?¡±


    The young woman nodded. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, but if I wait for nighttime and go alone, I know this city well enough to squeeze my way through the guards. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Balthazar said, wiping his chin as he pondered. ¡°I also got a lead on how to contact the Thieves Guild in some place called ¡®The Rat¡¯s Tail¡¯ in the south part of town. At this point, I¡¯m willing to turn to almost anyone to sort this situation out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know where that place is!¡± said Suze. ¡°I can show you how to get there through places the guards will never find us.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then that¡¯s the plan,¡± the crab said. ¡°We wait for the sun to go down and then Olivia will try to reach Captain Leander while we go seek out the Thieves Guild.¡±


    Everyone nodded in agreement and settled down to wait for night, while Balthazar shoved his claw back into the paper bag for a second serving of carrot cake.


    It was deliciously moist.

 Chapter 163: Going South

    The hours passed and night came, the paper bag from Margo¡¯s Baking Boutique long since empty on the counter as Balthazar sat back against it with a satisfied expression.


    ¡°Oh, if I could wear a belt, I¡¯d be unbuckling it right now,¡± he said, tapping a claw on his belly.


    Suze groaned as she emerged from behind the counter separating the living room and the kitchen.


    ¡°Ow, my tummy hurts,¡± she said with a pained expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you ate too much sugar,¡± Olivia chided from her chair by the window.


    ¡°No such thing!¡± the little girl leaning on the counter and the crab sprawled belly-up on the floor said in unison.


    The niece of the baroness rolled her eyes and went back to checking the outside as the other two grinned and pointed fingers and pincers at one another in approval.


    ¡°Alright, the sun has gone down and the streets look quiet enough,¡± Olivia said as she stood up. ¡°Time to get moving.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking way too much of me right now,¡± the merchant said, trying to roll back onto his feet.


    ¡°Come on, you old lobster. I¡¯ll help you,¡± said Suze, walking around the counter and pushing Balthazar¡¯s shell from the side.


    ¡°Oof, watch the joints, kid!¡± the crustacean said. ¡°And I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m not a lobster!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave first, discreetly,¡± said Olivia. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to slip by unnoticed and reach Captain Leander. You guys wait for me to be gone and then leave too. If we don¡¯t bump into each other again at some point, we will meet again here at the end of the night. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Think so,¡± the stuffed crab said, struggling to stand up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ms. Olivia!¡± the little girl next to the crab said, standing very straight and giving her a mocking salute. ¡°I¡¯ll get Balthazar to his destination and make sure we stay out of trouble.¡±


    After cracking the door open just enough to peek outside, the young woman pulled it back with a quick gesture and slipped out, closing it behind her as she quietly left.


    Balthazar squinted his eyes at one of the slits of the window shutters, watching the girl cross the empty street and disappear into an alley.


    ¡°Alright, she¡¯s gone,¡± he said, turning around. ¡°Druma, Blue! Wake up you sleepyheads. It¡¯s time to leave.¡±


    The two companions, who had fallen asleep leaning against each other next to the empty fireplace, bolted awake with a start at the crab¡¯s words.


    ¡°Woo-hoo! Time to get into some trouble!¡± Suze exclaimed, stretching her arms up in excitement.


    With a frown, Balthazar asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just tell her we would stay out of trouble?¡±


    As usual, the Marquessian rascal simply shrugged without a care. ¡°Yeah, but she¡¯s gone now, so we can have some fun.¡±


    The peculiar quartet exited through the backdoor, sneaking their way to a narrow passage heading south as the moon bathed the streets with its pale glow. The poorer parts of town seemed to have fewer lamps and braziers to illuminate them at night than the richer and busier commercial districts, which would work in their favor for staying out of sight.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you know how to get us to this tavern?¡± Balthazar asked the girl as the group moved in single file behind her through the space between two buildings.


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Suze whispered back. ¡°Everyone knows The Rat¡¯s Tail in the south side of town. It¡¯s the hangout spot of every thief in Marquessa.¡±


    Trying to set aside his concerns over why a little girl would be so familiar with such a place, Balthazar focused on the more pressing matter.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we at risk of running into some of Onion Jake¡¯s men in a place like that?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± she replied as they crossed a wide cobblestone road into another alley. ¡°Bandits and thieves don¡¯t usually mix.¡±


    The crab frowned with confusion. ¡°What?! Aren¡¯t they all the same thing?¡±


    ¡°Shhh!¡± she suddenly said, crouching down behind a large wooden barrel. ¡°Guards ahead.¡±


    The crab ducked behind her and his two companions did the same behind him.


    Up ahead, two men in uniform patrolled down a sidewalk, lanterns in hand, looking around at the quiet street as they went.


    ¡°They¡¯re still looking for me,¡± the eight-legged merchant whispered.


    ¡°Alright, they¡¯ve turned the corner,¡± said Suze. ¡°Let¡¯s bolt it!¡±


    After a few more twists, turns, and with some close calls due to patrolling guards, the group exited another alley onto a different neighborhood. The street was narrower and somewhat crooked in its build, the houses far less aligned with each other as the other parts of the city Balthazar had seen so far. Loose cobblestones dotted the path ahead, with potholes and trip hazards all over the place.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Looking up, the crab could see a chaotic web of clotheslines crossing from every direction between windows and buildings, old, washed-out sheets and other pieces of simple clothing hanging from them and blowing in the chilly wind of the night.


    The lights on the street were even fewer and further apart from each other than in the neighborhood they had come from. Mainly torches placed on the walls next to the door of some tiny establishment or another, under the hanging signs that simply said things such as ¡°inn,¡± ¡°butcher,¡± or ¡°smith¡± on them, without even a name given to the shop.


    Relaxing her shoulders and standing up straight, Suze started walking more casually up the street, no longer worried about sticking closer to the wall and the shadows.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± the merchant whispered from behind a cart full of hay. ¡°Someone might see us!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she responded in a normal tone of voice. ¡°This is the south district. The slums of Marquessa. Guards barely ever come here and nobody who lives in this place is going to rat on anyone.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Balthazar said, slowly standing up and stepping onto the middle of the street along with his companions.


    ¡°Come on,¡± the street urchin said. ¡°The tavern is this way.¡±


    They continued on through the poorly lit street as the crab took in the stark differences between the front part of that city, with its well-maintained gardens, clean streets, and exuberant establishments, and the shadier ghetto of the lower districts.


    ¡°I like your dragon,¡± Suze said as they walked. ¡°She¡¯s pretty.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± said Balthazar, pulling his eyes away from a small group of rats scurrying away into a sewer grate. ¡°Oh, you mean Blue? She¡¯s not a dragon, she¡¯s a drake.¡±


    The young girl cocked an eyebrow at the winged creature walking a few steps behind them. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°Why does no one ever get they¡¯re completely different?¡± the crab said. ¡°Dragons are much, much bigger, they can usually talk, and have legs, arms, and wings. Drakes are smaller, smart but not usually enough to communicate through the common tongue, and have wings and legs, but no arms.¡±


    ¡°Can she breathe fire, though?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Balthazar responded.


    ¡°Awesome¡­¡± the little girl said, looking at the drake with starry eyes and a smile. ¡°You think I could ride on her back sometime?¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± the crab guffawed. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind, but good luck convincing her. That one is feistier than a honey badger. You¡¯d have to earn her trust first so that you don¡¯t risk getting¡ªSuze?¡±


    The merchant looked to his side, confused as to where the girl had disappeared to.


    ¡°Woo-hoo!¡± Suze cheered a few paces behind. ¡°This is fun!¡±


    Turning to her, Balthazar found the child sitting on Blue¡¯s back, waving her arms up with great joy as the drake trotted forward and flapped her wings for the girl¡¯s amusement.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± the miffed crab muttered as he glared at the two of them.


    After traversing a couple more streets with the annoyed crustacean in silence, the group finally arrived in front of what seemed to be the only establishment open around those parts.


    ¡°Is this it?¡± Balthazar asked, having gotten over the ease with which everyone who wasn¡¯t him seemed to get along with his drake.


    ¡°Yep!¡± Suze said, hopping off Blue¡¯s back. ¡°That¡¯s The Rat¡¯s Tail.¡±


    The dingy place had two torches on sconces outside¡ªa luxury of lighting, given what Balthazar had seen of that neighborhood so far¡ªand unlike every other place of business around, its dangling sign had its name written on it.


    ¡°Alright, probably best if we don¡¯t all walk in there together,¡± said the crab, turning to his two companions. ¡°This place could be dangerous, so I also want to be ready if something goes wrong. Blue, take Druma up to that rooftop over there. You guys will keep an eye out for any trouble coming from the outside and will be ready to intervene if we find any trouble inside.¡±


    After a vigorous nod from the goblin, he and the drake ran off to their lookout spot above, while the crab and the girl walked up to the front door of the tavern.


    The heavy wooden door was closed, despite the hum of chatter and the loud clinking of glasses coming from the inside. Looking up, Balthazar saw a peephole hatch on the solid wooden surface, and under that, a framed piece of parchment with a warning written on it.


    ¡°What does it say?¡± the curious girl next to the crab asked.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± said the crustacean, stretching his eyestalks to read it. ¡°It reads¡­ Outsiders are not welcome. Oh¡­¡±


    Suze placed her hands on her hips and scoffed. ¡°Good thing I can¡¯t read then!¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk at her. ¡°But I can.¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re a crab. If you claim you can¡¯t read, it¡¯s not like anyone would question it!¡±


    Without further hesitation, the little rascal reached forward and knocked on the door.


    ¡°Suze!¡± exclaimed the merchant.


    The hatch on the door swung open with a thud, and a scowling pair of eyes peeked outside.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± a brutish voice asked.


    ¡°We are!¡± the young girl said, stretching her hand up in front of the bouncer¡¯s field of view and waving. ¡°We wanna come in!¡±


    The man¡¯s scowl deepened. ¡°You must be lost, kid. This place ain¡¯t for you. Take your pet and get outta here.¡±


    With a loud thud, he slammed the hatch shut before Suze could make a retort. Which she very clearly intended to make.


    The little girl gave the door a couple of kicks. ¡°Hey! Come back here!¡±


    Light appeared through the peephole again as the bouncer opened the hatch again, his angry gaze fixed on the girl.


    ¡°I told you to get lost, kid,¡± he said. ¡°You have no business coming in here.¡±


    ¡°You¡ª¡± the seething little girl started, but Balthazar stepped forward and signaled her to stand down with his pincer.


    ¡°Let me try my way,¡± he told her, before turning to the bouncer. ¡°Good evening. Don¡¯t mind my aide here, she¡¯s new at this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re what?!¡± the kid murmured with a frown.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are,¡± the man said, looking down at the crab. ¡°But I don¡¯t know you, so you can get lost too.¡±


    ¡°I believe you¡¯re wrong,¡± Balthazar said, reaching into his Bag of Holding Money. ¡°I do have business with someone there.¡±


    The merchant showed two golden coins to the bouncer and rubbed them together between his pincer.


    ¡°Plenty more where those came from,¡± he said. ¡°If you let us in to spend them.¡±


    The doorkeeper¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of shiny gold. If there was one thing Balthazar knew most humans shared with him, it was the love for shiny gold. Even just the mere promise of its existence was enough to entice them. He didn¡¯t even have to spend it, just show it off. It was his favorite way of using gold.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said the bouncer. ¡°If you¡¯re so desperate to do away with your coin, come on in.¡±


    Several bolts slammed behind the thick wood as he unlocked the door, until finally it opened, the light from the inside hitting the crab and the girl along with the intense smell of ale and wine.


    ¡°Welcome to The Rat¡¯s Tail.¡±

 Chapter 164: The Rat’s Tail

    Balthazar¡¯s eyes squinted as they adapted to the brightness coming from inside the tavern. The buzzing of different conversations happening between the patrons within mixed with the scent of stale drinks and burning herbs as the crab glanced at his present company.


    ¡°Uh, maybe you should wait out here too, Suze,¡± he hesitantly said.


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± the girl said with great sass. ¡°I¡¯ve been in far worse places. Stop worrying so much, you old lobster.¡±


    With her nose held high, the street urchin marched into the tavern as the scowling bouncer held the door open.


    ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m still not a lobster¡­¡± muttered the crab as he stepped inside as well.


    The door slammed shut behind them, making the crustacean jump in place.


    ¡°Do your business,¡± the doorkeeper said, ¡°but remember our house rules: if you wanna fight, take it outside, and if you think you recognized someone you see here¡­ you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Balthazar said as he turned away.


    The bouncer cleared his throat loudly. ¡°Ahem!¡±


    Glancing back, the crab saw him holding out his hand, palm up, and giving him a stern look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Balthazar!¡± said Suze. ¡°I still have something left from the bakery. I got this.¡±


    Reaching into her pocket, the little girl retrieved a mint and placed it on the man¡¯s palm with a big smile on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± she proudly said with a nod, before turning away and grabbing the crab by the arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The pair left the bouncer behind as he stared down at his own hand with a bewildered look on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Suze whispered to the merchant, ¡°I don¡¯t like peppermints anyway.¡±


    As they stepped out of the entrance hall, the crab and the girl encountered a tavern lit by tin chandeliers on the ceiling and oil lanterns on the tables, giving it a moody ambience of secrecy and danger, reflected by the appearance of its patrons.


    Men and a few women filled the place, some huddled up on their tables conversing in hushed tones, others drowning their sorrows over a tankard by the counter. Some turned their glances discreetly to the new arrivals, but nobody dared make any fuss.


    Balthazar felt like no one in that place wanted to be noticed or to notice anyone. Which was problematic for the giant crab, as it was very difficult for him to go unnoticed.


    Sometimes being so charismatic had its downsides.


    Clutching his coin purse, the merchant leaned closer to the girl. ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re safe here?¡±


    ¡°From the guards? Oh yeah, for sure,¡± she replied before walking further into the room.


    ¡°Not sure if I like the fact you felt the need to specify just the guards,¡± Balthazar said, following her.


    Rubbing her chin, Suze scanned the people in the tavern with little care for discretion.


    ¡°Maybe don¡¯t make it so obvious? I don¡¯t think these people appreciate being seen too much,¡± the crab whispered. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to find someone called Moe Fingers. Maybe I¡¯ll go ask the guy at the counter while you¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that guy over there,¡± the rascal declared, pointing at a figure sitting by a corner table on the other side of the tavern.


    ¡°What?!¡± the hushed crustacean said, trying to lower her arm as he looked around nervously. ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± she responded. ¡°Never heard of him.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you know that¡¯s him?¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± Suze scoffed. ¡°Come on, look at him.¡±


    The puzzled merchant followed her gaze toward the hooded figure across the room.


    ¡°Sitting in the corner, alone, nobody else near him, keeping his face hidden under a cowl, a single drink in front of him that he doesn¡¯t even touch. This guy might as well have a big sign saying ¡®secret connection¡¯ above his head.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± the slightly impressed crab said, noticing how, for whatever reason, the table the man was sitting at even had a particularly brighter lantern hanging above him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go talk to him,¡± the street urchin said, pulling him behind her.


    As they reached the mysterious figure¡¯s table, he glanced discreetly at them from under his cowl without saying a word.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hi,¡± Balthazar said awkwardly, realizing how little idea he had about what he was doing. ¡°Are you Moe?¡±


    The man under the hood spoke with a raspy voice. ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Confused, the crab looked around.


    ¡°Well¡­ I am. I know a talking crab isn¡¯t exactly common, but surely you could tell it was me who asked, right?¡±


    A quiet grunt came from under the cowl. ¡°And who the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Right. I¡¯m Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know no Balthazar,¡± the man said. ¡°I ain¡¯t got no business with you.¡±


    The merchant frowned at the idea that someone wouldn¡¯t know who he was. Simply preposterous.


    Suze nudged the crab with her elbow to get his attention while giving him a disapproving glare.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right!¡± he said. ¡°I was supposed to say a passphrase.¡±


    The man shifted uncomfortably in his seat and grumbled quietly.


    ¡°Well?¡± the impatient girl muttered.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m trying to remember what it was,¡± Balthazar said, vigorously rubbing the space between his eyestalks.


    The kid rolled her eyes with a groan, a sound the crab could swear had also been echoed by the hooded figure.


    ¡°It was something about¡­ gloves, maybe?¡± the merchant said. ¡°Yeah, I think that was it. I really like your gloves, pal!¡±


    The man sat motionless, his baffled stare apparent despite the cowl obscuring his face.


    ¡°Balthazar, he¡¯s not even wearing any gloves!¡± Suze exclaimed with annoyed frustration.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± said the crustacean, looking at the human¡¯s hands. ¡°My bad. What was it then¡­¡±


    The crab racked his brain trying to remember the secret phrase Rob had given him to get in contact with the Thieves Guild. He was certain it had something to do with a type of apparel, one he himself was unable to equip. Gloves would have made sense. No gloves would ever fit his massive claws.


    Argh! What was it?


    The man at the table leaned back and signaled toward the bouncer.


    ¡°I think you got the wrong person. And the wrong place,¡± the hooded figure said as the doorkeeper approached. ¡°Get them outta here.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait! I know I can remember it if you just give me a moment!¡± said the merchant. ¡°It was something about your¡­ hat? Wait, no, you don¡¯t have a hat either, damn it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, time to go, pipsqueaks,¡± the bouncer said, grabbing the crab by the backpack and the girl by the back of the collar.


    ¡°Hey! Lemme go!¡± yelled Suze, kicking and struggling as she tried to grab his hand.


    ¡°Hold on! I can¡¯t go yet!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, gripping the edges of the table with his pincers. ¡°I really need to talk to the Thieves Guild!¡±


    The hooded man stood up as the table in front of him shook vigorously due to the crab¡¯s struggle against the brute trying to pull him away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know nothing about that, stranger,¡± the scruffy man said. ¡°There ain¡¯t no Thieves Guild here.¡±


    ¡°Come on! I know you guys hang out here, I got it from a trustworthy source! I just can¡¯t remember your stupid passphrase!¡± The bouncer pulled harder and Balthazar¡¯s pincers slipped off the wet table. ¡°I need to talk to your boss about the mango thieves!¡±


    As the doorkeeper dragged the kid and the crab halfway across the room, the whole tavern now openly staring at the whole scene, someone came from the back, stepping in front of them.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± the black-clad man in front of the bouncer said. ¡°Don¡¯t kick them out yet. I want to talk to him.¡±


    The tall brute cocked an eyebrow but obliged without hesitation, letting them both go. ¡°If you¡¯re sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Boots!¡± the crab exclaimed, standing back up. ¡°I like your boots!¡±


    The man in the cowl by the corner stared at the crustacean with a weirded out expression.


    ¡°I used to have a pair¡­ just like¡­ them,¡± Balthazar awkwardly finished, realizing the whole room was now staring at him.


    ¡°Never mind that, friend,¡± the patron who had intervened said, placing a hand on his shell. ¡°I think we¡¯re past passphrases now.¡±


    The crab looked up at him while instinctively grasping his money bag again. He was a man with a dashing smile and a well-groomed black beard. His also black leather armor reminded Balthazar of what Rob used to wear before becoming a courier. Except the materials were much higher quality and it had multiple extra add-ons attached all over, such as extra pockets and small hooks.


    ¡°Nothing else to see here, fellas,¡± he said to the onlookers while pulling the girl and the crab to the back of the counter, away from the open view. ¡°Just a crab who had a little too much to drink, haha.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not drunk¡­¡± the merchant muttered with a scowl.


    ¡°So,¡± said the man. ¡°I believe you said something about the mango thieves?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡­ Wait. Are you Moe Fingers?¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Haha, no, that would be my charming friend over there that you were trying to talk to,¡± the dashing human said. ¡°Good job spotting him out, even if you fumbled the passphrase part.¡±


    ¡°That was me!¡± exclaimed Suze. ¡°The spotting, I mean. The fumble was all on Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the famous merchant crab,¡± the dark-clad man said with a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯ve heard much about you, Mr. Balthazar.¡±


    The crustacean frowned. ¡°I still don¡¯t know who you are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one you seek,¡± he simply stated. ¡°I believe we can help each other. Let us go talk somewhere more¡­ private.¡±


    The man signaled for them to follow him toward the back. Looking at each other and shrugging, the crab and the kid decided to just go along.


    ¡°I must say, big fan!¡± the human said, turning the corner into the back of the tavern. ¡°The way you took down your guildmaster rival in your neck of the woods? Magnificent!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Thanks, mister¡­?¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°You can just call me Clovis,¡± he said, stopping in front of what appeared to be a broom closet at the end of the narrow corridor.


    With a pull, the man swung it open. Save for a bucket, there was nothing inside.


    ¡°Are you lost?¡± Suze asked.


    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not,¡± he told her with a wink.


    Clovis ran his fingers across the back of the closet until a sudden click came from behind it. The panel slid to the side and the entire closet turned into a doorway.


    ¡°Ta-da!¡± he said with a grin.


    ¡°Oooh!¡± said the impressed little girl.


    ¡°Huh, not bad,¡± the crab said. ¡°I gotta ask my carpenter for a closet like that.¡±


    Entering the secret passage, the three of them continued through winding corridors full of twists and turns. Balthazar noticed how at every turn they were descending slightly below ground level.


    ¡°Not to be rude or anything,¡± the merchant continued. ¡°But we came here seeking the Thieves Guild. Are you taking us to them?¡±


    Clovis chuckled.


    ¡°My friend, you already found them,¡± he said as they arrived in front of a heavy steel door. ¡°Or rather, I found you.¡±


    The man in dark armor inserted a key into the door and multiple bolts slammed within it. As he pushed the door open, a blinding golden shine came from within, making Balthazar¡¯s eyes widen.


    ¡°I am the guildmaster of the Marquessian Thieves Guild,¡± Clovis declared with a pearly white smile. ¡°And I already know who you seek in your quest.¡±

 Chapter 165: Marquessian Thieves

    Clovis held the heavy door open for Balthazar and Suze as they stepped inside the circular underground chamber. The windowless room was a vault. Not only because of its underground nature, shape, or reinforced door, but because of its contents.


    The merchant marveled with shiny eyes at the even shinier wonders around him as he walked in. Shelves full of gold statuettes and other pieces of art lined the walls alongside large paintings. Large hardcover tomes filled a bookshelf by the opposite side of the room, near a glass cube containing a crown-like helmet. There was even a display case with dozens of flawless precious gems sitting on a velvety pillow.


    But despite all those riches and eye-catching treasures, nothing quite widened the crab¡¯s eyes as much as the desk near the center of the room.


    Several columns of golden coins sat on the wooden surface, neatly arranged in stacks on one side, and disorganized piles on the other. Barely visible behind the wall of money, a woman in thick glasses sat at the desk, counting and sorting them under the light of a lamp.


    As convenient as his Bag of Holding Money was, Balthazar missed the pleasure of marveling at his own coins out in full view in front of him like he used to back at his pond. Seeing those stacks of money like that filled his stomach with butterflies and plastered a big smile on his face. They were almost as impressive as his own money hoard. Almost.


    ¡°Woooah¡­¡± the young Marquessian girl accompanying the crab marveled as she looked around the vault of treasures.


    With her nose nearly touching the glass, Suze eyed a display full of delicate necklaces and rings, her jaw half-dropped at the sight of how big the jewels on some of the pieces were.


    ¡°Trust me, I understand the temptation,¡± Clovis said, walking to the girl¡¯s side. ¡°But I really wouldn¡¯t if I were you.¡±


    He picked up a quill from a nearby table and brushed it lightly against the surface of the glass. A small spark crackled on the feather, setting it ablaze instantly.


    Suze¡¯s eyebrows jumped at the sudden flame and she gulped loudly.


    ¡°But as with most things, there¡¯s always a trick to it,¡± the thief said with a smirk as he shook the flame out. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll teach it to you one day.¡±


    ¡°Clovis,¡± the woman sitting behind the stacks of coins said as she stood up. ¡°How many times have I asked you to stop burning my quills? And why in the world are you bringing strangers into our vault?¡±


    ¡°Ah, this is Penny, our lovely bean counter and professional worry wart,¡± said the guildmaster, extending an arm toward the woman. ¡°Fret not, my dear. These are Balthazar and¡­ I¡¯m afraid I didn¡¯t catch your name yet, young lady.¡±


    ¡°No, and I won¡¯t let you steal it either, Mr. Thief,¡± the child said. ¡°You can call me Suze.¡±


    Clovis chuckled. ¡°I like you! As I was saying, dear Penny, these are Balthazar and Suze, and I¡¯ve cleared them already. I brought them down here so we could discuss business somewhere safe.¡±


    ¡°Fine. Do as you wish,¡± the woman replied. ¡°You always do anyway. So long as they don¡¯t interfere with my counting, I¡¯ll just keep working.¡±


    The accountant put her glasses back on as she sat down¡ªa pair of thick spectacles with one side adorned by a smaller magnifying lens attached to the rim¡ªand resumed her counting.


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s a darling, really. Just a little uptight about her job,¡± Clovis said as he threw himself onto a throne-like chair. ¡°Let¡¯s talk business now?¡±


    ¡°Right, let¡¯s do that,¡± said Balthazar, doing his best to pull his eyes away from the beautiful, shiny coins on Penny¡¯s desk. ¡°So why exactly did you bring us down here?¡±


    The thief sat with his legs over the chair¡¯s arm and began counting with his fingers.


    ¡°Well, other than to impress you with a sample of what our operation has, and to give you a show of trust by bringing you to one of our secret locations? Maybe it was because you are now wanted by the guards and the bandits and are on the run from both? Perhaps it was also so we could talk privately without the risk of some sneaky cat eavesdropping on our conversation.¡±


    The crab rolled his eyes. ¡°Alright, fine, I get it. Still, why trust me at all and bring me here? You just said so yourself, the bandits have no love for me. Aren¡¯t thieves and bandits basically cut from the same cloth?¡±


    With a dramatic flair, the guildmaster stood up from his cushioned seat and placed a hand on his chest while expressing wounded pride.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Same cloth?! How could you ever think that? Theirs would be dirty burlap used as sacks for potatoes, while we would be like smooth satin made to touch only the finest of skins.¡±


    The crab and the girl exchanged a slightly embarrassed glance at one another. Words weren¡¯t necessary to express their shared thought: ¡°A bit over-dramatic.¡±


    Clovis dropped into the chair again. ¡°No, I assure you that we are nothing like bandits, and that we share no love for each other. A bandit will corner you in an alley and take your coin by force. A thief will take your coin the proper way, by picking it from your pocket in the middle of a busy market without you even noticing it. A bandit brute would kick the door down and pillage a poor farmer¡¯s house for a cabbage and two turnips. A proper thief will sneak into a baron¡¯s mansion like a shadow and work their safe to extract profitable riches. We are not the same.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all still kinda just¡­ criminals,¡± Balthazar said with a shrug.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± the larcenist said with not a hint of shame or offense at being called a criminal. ¡°But we set ourselves apart by having morals, and above all else, higher standards. We¡¯re professionals, bandits are just common rabble.¡± He punctuated his statement with another shiny smile. ¡°Which is why I want to help you.¡±


    ¡°So you can help yourself,¡± the crab said.


    ¡°You got it!¡± exclaimed Clovis. ¡°There is usually a balance to these things. Bandits stay in their lane, doing petty crimes and being their usual unwashed selves, while we remain at the top of the criminal food chain, where we belong. Lately, however, someone started disturbing this natural order.¡±


    ¡°Her,¡± Balthazar said with disdain.


    ¡°Bingo, my eight-legged friend! Suddenly bandits were pulling off heists they never did before, getting way too bold, and¡ªas much as I hate to admit this¡ªeven achieving feats the Thieves Guild never could. The biggest one being them getting the city guard on their side. We knew there was no way common bandits were behind all that.¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks rose as the conversation developed, anticipation growing in him. ¡°So you started looking into who was behind it, like I¡¯ve been doing?¡±


    ¡°Sure did,¡± the human said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, and took a lot of digging, but eventually we found the source.¡±


    ¡°So you found who was behind all this?! Who is she?¡±


    Clovis¡¯s smile faded slightly and his eyes wandered around to the ceiling as he answered. ¡°That¡­ we don¡¯t know yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± the exasperated crab said, throwing his pincers up.


    ¡°Unfortunately, whoever this mysterious woman is, she¡¯s very good at staying in the shadows, even by our standards. But we did manage to find her lair.¡±


    Some hope reignited in Balthazar and he quickly reached into his backpack for the map Suze had borrowed from Onion Jake¡¯s place.


    ¡°We got this from the bandit leader,¡± the crustacean said, showing Clovis the map. ¡°It seems to mark a lot of their secret locations. We¡¯ve checked a few, but so far no sign of the stolen mangoes. Is any of these locations the place you found?¡±


    The guildmaster looked at the map with interest. ¡°No, but that¡¯s unsurprising.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They are not taking the stolen cargo to any of their stashes. Remember, they are all working for someone else. An external figure. They are taking the product to her place.¡±


    ¡°Oooh,¡± the crab said with a nod. ¡°But if you already know where that is, why haven¡¯t you done anything?¡±


    ¡°Like what? Report it to the guards?¡± the thief said with a sassy smirk. ¡°Or maybe break into the place and steal several tons of mangoes? Not exactly our kind of target. I honestly wouldn¡¯t even know who to sell them to, which is one of the things that¡¯s been puzzling me this whole time¡ªwho is ordering the stealing of all these mangoes, and what for?¡±


    ¡°But then why are you telling me all this?¡± the merchant asked. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±


    Clovis smiled once again. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We want the bandits back in their lane. You and the mayor want this mango issue resolved. I provide you with the information, you take care of it, we all win.¡±


    Balthazar pondered for a moment. He wasn¡¯t one to usually trust thieves, but his reasoning was sound. If nothing else, the merchant could trust the guildmaster¡¯s self-interest.


    I guess the enemy of my enemy is¡­ another client.


    ¡°But wait,¡± said the crab, ¡°I take care of it? You¡¯re not going to help?¡±


    ¡°Haha, my friend, we¡¯re thieves, not warriors or mercenaries. I¡¯m helping by providing vital intel. The rest is up to you. I don¡¯t get my hands dirty.¡±


    The crustacean frowned. ¡°What kind of thief doesn¡¯t get his hands dirty?¡±


    ¡°A very clever one,¡± the guildmaster said with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°You know what? Never mind. Just tell me where the mangoes are, so I can be done with this mess and get my reward.¡±


    Clovis placed a finger on the map, pointing at a spot outside the edge of town.


    ¡°Damask Manor. That is where you will find the mangoes. And the one behind their theft.¡±


    ¡°So that is where we¡¯ll go,¡± Balthazar said with a nod. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I can convince you to help us at all, can I?¡±


    ¡°If it involves my guys interfering directly? No. But everything else? I¡¯m willing to consider it, if it will help you rid our dear city of this bandit uprising so that we can return to the usual way of things.¡±


    Balthazar eyed a particular display sitting at the top of a shelf behind the guildmaster¡¯s chair. It held a pristine piece of rolled-up parchment that the crab knew all too well. A Scroll of Potential.


    It was the merchant¡¯s turn to smirk.


    ¡°There might be something you could do to help¡­¡±

 Chapter 166: Escape Plunge

    Suze lay fast asleep on Clovis¡¯s chair as the guildmaster and the crab both stood on opposite sides of a table covered with papers and all sorts of random items.


    ¡°You drive a hard bargain, but you¡¯ve got yourself a deal!¡± the thief declared with a smile and a slap on the table.


    For the past half hour, the two of them had been enthusiastically discussing a trade deal for the Scroll of Potential that Balthazar had spotted in the vault. Offers and counteroffers were presented, arguments over what would be a fair trade for it were given, and plenty of tongue wagging was made before reaching an agreement.


    Clovis had proven a skilled negotiator, and as much as Balthazar would not willingly admit it, the crab was greatly enjoying the verbal sparring he had been lacking since leaving the pond.


    ¡°Great! Glad we got to an agreement,¡± the merchant said as he used his claw to push the piles of bottles, papers, and a few kitchen utensils back into his backpack.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be taking this to my people. We will put it to great use,¡± said Clovis as he rolled up the map of the Onion Crew¡¯s stashes.


    The guildmaster seemed very interested in the locations marked on it, and Balthazar was more than happy to trade it away, since it was of no use to him now that he already knew where the stolen mangoes were.


    In the end, the merchant managed to walk away with the scroll and even got Clovis to share a map of the floors of Damask Manor that he had one of his agents ¡°procure¡± from the local building offices under the cover of night. All in exchange for the Onion Crew¡¯s stash locations and a bottle of the extremely rare ¡°Oceanic Essence Perfume.¡±


    The bottle was actually just full of fish liver oil. But since the thief lord seemed delighted enough with its smell and certain that all the ladies would fall head over heels for his new scent, who was the crab to deny him what he desired? He was more concerned with wondering why someone back home had packed a flask of fish oil of all things in his backpack.


    ¡°Penny, dear, please make a dozen copies of this when you get a chance, will you?¡± the man said to the woman still counting coins at her desk.


    She glanced up at the stash map he was giving her. ¡°Sure, sure. Just put it there on the pile. I¡¯ll get to it when I¡¯m done with the other fifty things you already asked me to do.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you¡¯re a doll,¡± the charming thief said as he went back to the negotiation table. ¡°What would I ever do without you!¡±


    Penny rolled her eyes behind the thick magnifying lenses of her spectacles before returning to counting coin stacks.


    ¡°I hope whatever adventurer you got working with you will put that to good use,¡± Clovis said, pointing at the Scroll of Potential in the crab¡¯s pincer. ¡°It was of little use to me, but I still liked it as a collection item. Still, if it means knocking those bandits back into their gutter, it¡¯s worth the cost.¡±


    ¡°Heh, right,¡± Balthazar said with a slightly nervous chuckle as he stored the scroll in the backpack. ¡°I¡¯ll save this to give it to my¡­ adventurer friend later, yes.¡±


    The crab approached Suze and gave her arm a shake.


    ¡°Hey, kid, wake up. It¡¯s time to go.¡±


    Her groggy eyes opened with difficulty and she looked around. ¡°Huh? Wha¡­ Where am I?¡±


    ¡°In the secret vault of the Marquessian Thieves Guild, young lady,¡± the guildmaster told her with a grin. ¡°And I¡¯d recommend you don¡¯t try to leave with any of its contents.¡±


    He stood over the chair, staring into her eyes with a mischievous smirk and an open hand.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± the street urchin grumbled as she reached into her pocket and retrieved a shiny silver ring with a sapphire.


    ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Clovis said after she placed it on his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset. I¡¯m not mad. Slightly impressed, in fact. After this whole ordeal is over, come find us again, if you want to learn a few new things.¡±


    ¡°Alright, calm down, thief lord,¡± Balthazar said with a slight frown. ¡°The deal was for the map, not for a new apprentice too.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± the knave exclaimed with mocked surprise. ¡°I did not realize the young miss was something to you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s my uncle Balthazar from my cousin¡¯s side, thrice removed,¡± the girl lazily said as she hopped off the chair. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. I¡¯m tired of the stuffy air in this place.¡±


    The vault door rumbled open and the man Balthazar had tried to deliver the passphrase to earlier appeared.


    ¡°Moe?¡± said the guildmaster. ¡°Something happened?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. But just thought I¡¯d let ya know I¡¯ve spotted some bandit-types lurking around outside the tavern. They look like they¡¯re searching for someone.¡± The rough rogue eyed the crab and the girl. ¡°Probably these two.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Clovis said, rubbing his scruffy chin. ¡°They should know better than to come into the tavern to start trouble with us. Then again, they might be feeling emboldened as of late.¡±


    ¡°You want me to call the rest of the boys?¡± asked Moe.


    ¡°No. At least not yet. Go back up, keep an eye on things. I¡¯ll see our guests out and then come up there myself.¡±


    The other man nodded and disappeared through the vault door again, locking it behind him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Please, follow me this way,¡± said the guildmaster. ¡°As a parting gift, allow me to escort you out through our escape tunnel, so that nobody sees you. It seems you are fugitives now.¡±


    The crab tilted his shell. ¡°I guess we are¡­¡±


    From reputable merchant to crab on the run from city guard and bandits alike. And all because he was looking for directions and stopped for some mango pie.


    My stomach will be my undoing one day.


    Moving a bookshelf aside and pushing a heavy black door open, the thief led them through a tight tunnel with a torch in hand.


    ¡°Bye, Ms. Penny!¡± Suze said with an energetic wave of her hand at the woman barely visible behind the stacks of money.


    ¡°This will take us a couple of streets away from the tavern. Once you¡¯re out, try to move swiftly and stay out of sight. I will go back up to the tavern and do what I do best.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± asked the crab.


    Clovis smirked with all of his pearly whites as he cracked open an old wooden door.


    ¡°Be my radiant and charming self to keep all of their attention on me while you two escape. Farewell and good luck, Mr. Balthazar and Ms. Suze.¡±


    With a flowery bow, the thief and his torch retreated into the tunnel, leaving the crab and the girl in a dark and cluttered alley.


    ¡°Alright, you heard him, let¡¯s move,¡± the merchant said, heading to the only visible way out ahead.


    ¡°Wait, what about Blue and Druma?¡± Suze asked as she followed him.


    ¡°They were safe up on the roofs,¡± Balthazar responded as he peeked out of the alley. ¡°I¡¯m sure they spotted the bandits lurking around. They know how to handle themselves if needed, and I¡¯m sure Blue will be able to sniff her way to me.¡±


    ¡°Eww, maybe you should bathe more often then,¡± the young rascal remarked as they skittered down the street.


    The crab grumbled as they turned a corner. ¡°That¡¯s not¡ª¡±


    His words were cut short and his eyestalks stood up as they saw a pair of bandits with torches up ahead.


    ¡°There!¡± one of them said. ¡°It¡¯s the crab the boss wants!¡±


    With his pointy feet skidding on the polished cobblestones, Balthazar turned around to run in the other direction.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not!¡± he shouted. ¡°Totally different giant crab! I can¡¯t even talk! I mean¡­ blub blub!¡±


    The ruffians started running after the crab and the girl, torches held high as they shouted their location to other bandits nearby.


    ¡°Through here!¡± said Suze as she pulled the crustacean into a passage between two houses.


    ¡°This place is too narrow!¡± Balthazar exclaimed as the girl led him by the arm through the increasingly tighter space.


    Just as they were about to exit onto the next street, the sides of the crab¡¯s shell hit the corners and he became stuck.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have eaten all that carrot cake!¡± the little girl said as she used all her might to pull him out by the arm.


    ¡°That¡¯s got nothing to do with this!¡±


    A bright flare of light appeared at the end of the street and a lone bandit shouted, ¡°I see them!¡±


    ¡°Argh! Hurry up, pull!¡± Balthazar exclaimed as he kicked all his legs.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± said Suze.


    ¡°Gotcha!¡± the rushing bandit yelled as he put his hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder.


    Balthazar reached forward with his free arm and wrapped his pincer around the man¡¯s wrist. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± the thug screamed in pain as the crab twisted his arm.


    The bandit let go of Suze and dropped the torch to grasp his injured wrist as he stumbled back, tears of pain rolling down his ugly face.


    Letting go of the merchant for a moment, the street urchin gave the man a quick kick to the shin, making him fall on his back with even louder cries of pain.


    ¡°Come on, pivot, you oversized clam!¡± Suze yelled as she grabbed hold of Balthazar¡¯s arm again.


    ¡°Just¡­ a little¡­ more! And I¡¯m not a clam!¡± the merchant said right as his carapace scraped through the corners and he fell forward.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go! They¡¯re coming!¡±


    The pair ran down the street, weaving and dodging as they saw the lights and heard the shouts of more bandits quickly surrounding their location.


    ¡°We¡¯re running out of options here, kid!¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Look!¡± the girl exclaimed, pointing up.


    A goblin on the back of a hovering drake waved frantically at them from above.


    ¡°Haha, Druma! I told you they¡¯d find us. I think they¡¯re trying to guide us from the sky. Let¡¯s follow them!¡±


    Running through alleys and across streets, the crab and the girl dodged and swerved as they avoided the incoming bandits chasing them from every corner, following the path flown by the drake above them until they exited onto the edge of the city canal.


    ¡°Crap! What now?¡± Balthazar said as they both looked down at the long drop into the water. ¡°There¡¯s no bridge to the other side here.¡±


    The voices and lights were getting closer when suddenly a bell rang, making the crab and the girl look upstream.


    A ship was sailing down the river, with its sails down and a man at the wheel.


    ¡°It¡¯s Captain Leander!¡± exclaimed Balthazar.


    ¡°Get on!¡± shouted a young woman from the bow.


    ¡°And that¡¯s Olivia!¡± said Suze.


    Blue landed on the deck of the ship and Druma hopped off her back, running to a coil of rope on the side.


    ¡°I cannot slow down, you will have to jump,¡± The captain yelled as he brought the boat closer to the edge of the canal.


    With Olivia¡¯s help, the goblin threw the rope over to shore, its tip dragging on the ground as the ship passed the two fugitives.


    ¡°Go on!¡± Balthazar told Suze as he glanced back at the streets behind them.


    Flame sprites popped from every direction as the chasing Bandits exited onto the dock area.


    ¡°There they are! Grab¡¯em!¡±


    ¡°Come on, grab it!¡± the mayor¡¯s niece shouted as she helped the smaller girl onboard and Druma threw the rope down again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t got any hands!¡± the crab shouted as he ran after the ship and its dragging rope.


    ¡°Just jump!¡± shouted Suze.


    Skittering as fast as he could, Balthazar saw the end of the pier up ahead, and with a glance back, the bandits closing in on him.


    ¡°Ah, crabapples!¡±


    Out of time or options, Balthazar put his all into a leap, reaching for the rope with the grace of a jumping giant crustacean¡ªwhich is to say, none at all.


    ¡°Oof!¡±


    His pincers closed around the rope just as the tip was about to go out of reach.


    ¡°He¡¯s got it! Now climb!¡± Olivia said as the merchant¡¯s friends watched the crab flapping about in the wind behind the fast-moving ship.


    Tightening his grip to pull himself up, Balthazar felt the rope snap between his pincers.


    Foiled by his own mighty claws.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡±


    With a yelp, the group aboard the ship watched as the crab plunged into the river¡¯s depths below.

 Chapter: Not a Chapter

    Happy holidays, fellow crabbers!


    Just interrupting your regularly scheduled story reading to let you guys know that since I''ll be off for the holidays this coming week, the usual chapter schedule will be a little different. Not taking a full break with it, but instead of three there will only be one new chapter next week. After New Year''s, the regular schedule of three chapters a week goes back to normal. So, the next chapter, 167, will be out Christmas morning, Wednesday 25th. The one after that will then be out January 1st and we return to the usual releases.


    Thank you for another great crabbing year and here''s to another one with even better things! Book 2 is quickly approaching its end on Patreon, with book 3 already peeking over the horizon, and I''m also really excited to share more news on Merchant Crab''s audiobook release coming soon. But shhh, I can''t say much about that yet for fear of being severely pinched.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    While I''m here, and because ''tis the season, Merchant Crab''s Patreon</a> is currently 50% off until the end of the year. If you enjoy this silly crab story and ever wanted to show your appreciation with some coin, now''s a good opportunity for it!


    Still reading this far? Impressive. You deserve a reward, adventurer. Here, have a quest so you can get out of here. Take this link</a> and travel to the lands of Patreonia. Once you''re there, tell them the crab sent you. They won''t ask you to pay anything, this one''s on me. Once they let you in, read everything you can for the next month and then report back. Your reward will be a slightly stale raisin muffin and a free one-month subscription to Merchant Crab''s Patreon with 20+ advanced chapters. I can see you salivating over that muffin already.


    (If it wasn''t clear enough, the link in the previous paragraph is for a limited-time offer to a free Patreon subscription. Merry Christmas!)


    Thank you for reading my silly crab nonsense, you''re all awesome! ??

 Chapter 167: Dip Thoughts

    ***


    Up on the ship, the two girls, the goblin, and the drake watched helplessly as Balthazar fell into the running river below, his legs flailing along with his pincers as the remnants of the cut rope scattered in the wind.


    With a big splash, the crab vanished into the dark depths of the water and the four of them gasped.


    ¡°He fell!¡± exclaimed Suze with shock.


    ¡°We noticed,¡± Olivia said as she pulled away from the railing. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?!¡±


    Holding his hat with one hand, Druma started climbing over the ship¡¯s bulwark.


    ¡°Druma save boss!¡±


    ¡°Get back here!¡± the girl said as she rushed to grab the goblin¡¯s arm. ¡°Do you even know how to swim in those waters?!¡±


    The assistant looked at her with eyes full of panic and concern. ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then get back in before we have two overboard instead of one!¡±


    ¡°But boss need help!¡± Druma cried as the young woman pulled him back in.


    ¡°Is Balthazar going to die?¡± Suze asked as she looked over the railing at the river below, with no signs of the crab anywhere.


    ¡°No, of course not!¡± said Olivia as she turned to the winged creature next to them. ¡°Hey, why doesn¡¯t she fly down there and try to pick him up?!¡±


    Blue cocked her brow as she glanced down at the dark, murky waters below. The tip of her pointy tongue stuck out of her mouth as she made an expression of disgust.


    ¡°Oh, come on, seriously?!¡± the taller girl exclaimed in frustration.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see him coming up,¡± the smaller girl said with an increasingly concerned tone as she leaned over the railing. ¡°Is Balthazar gonna die?!¡±


    ¡°No, damn it!¡± Olivia said. ¡°I already said he won¡¯t. Just¡­ help me find another rope.¡±


    ¡°But boss break rope already,¡± Druma said as he rubbed his hands nervously.


    ¡°Argh,¡± the young woman said in frustrated agreement.


    Suze continued scanning the water with a worried frown. ¡°I don¡¯t see him. What are we gonna do? Is Balthazar gonna be alright?!¡±


    Olivia looked around as if searching for something. ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You kids¡­¡± a man¡¯s voice said from atop the stairs to the ship¡¯s bridge.


    Captain Leander, carrying a large coil of chain, walked down the steps shaking his head.


    ¡°Have you all forgotten what Balthazar is?¡± he said.


    The others looked at one another with puzzled gazes and a few shrugs.


    ¡°Stubborn?¡± said the street rascal.


    ¡°That too,¡± the old man said as he started unspooling the chain. ¡°But I was referring to him being¡­ a crab.¡±


    ¡°Oooh¡­¡± the girl said.


    ***


    As the rope snapped under the sharp pressure of his mighty pincer and Balthazar¡¯s grip on it slipped, he was reminded of how much he did not like heights.


    Now falling shell-first through the cold night air, the merchant wondered why he kept finding himself flailing around in the wind when he knew well enough that crabs were never meant to fly.


    As he saw the sight of the ship and his friends above pulling away in what felt like slow motion, Balthazar also wondered why it seemed like things always had to be four steps forward, eight steps back with him.


    Every advance in the last couple of days seemed to always be followed by another setback.


    How did I even end up in this situation? The falling crustacean asked himself as his shell was dropping toward the river.


    Oh, right. The mangoes.


    All he wanted was to get some directions when he first arrived in that city.


    Of course, there was little he could do once he stumbled upon a bakery and a brand-new flavor of pie. Certain things are just impossible to ignore, such as the delicious allure of baked goods.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, then Marquessa had to tempt him further with the other thing the crab could not resist: the appeal of coin.


    Sure, Balthazar was on a mission to save his friends, but he was still a merchant. What was he supposed to do? Ignore a business opportunity?


    He had no leads on the dragon¡¯s whereabouts, and the only lead on how to restore Bouldy was the wizard Tweedus, whom he knew where to find, but not how to get there.


    It was entirely out of his pincers if the baroness in charge of that city decided to use the way to the wizard¡¯s lair as a bargaining chip to solve her own problems.


    His claws were tied, he had no choice but to help her if he wanted to get to where he needed to go. The juicy trade deal in exchange for taking on the quest was merely a bonus.


    As were the many pies promised to him by the owner of the baking boutique.


    I wonder if this is what adventurers spend their days doing. Getting sidetracked nonstop until they lose track of any and everything.


    Balthazar¡¯s carapace finally hit the water¡¯s surface, sending a big splash in every direction like a rock dropped into a pond.


    Ah, darn it. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m taking so long, Bouldy.


    The water was cold, but he did not seem to mind it much. Shivering was for skin-having creatures, not sturdy crustaceans.


    As his body sank into the murky waters, the merchant also wondered about Madeleine. It had been so long since she was taken. He knew that if the dragon wanted to harm her, it would have just done it on the spot back at the pond. Taking her meant the creature had other plans for her.


    Still, it had been so long. What if something had happened to her?


    No, he could not think such things. Perhaps Rye went on to find her after they split up in Condor?


    It was of no use to dwell on things he could not change. He needed to focus on what he could act on.


    What was that again?


    Finding whoever was behind the stolen mangoes.


    Strange objective, he felt. But somehow, in a very roundabout way, everything leading up to reviving his rocky friend hinged on finding some stolen fruits.


    The pensive merchant continued sinking to the bottom of the river, the lights from the lanterns above slowly fading into the murky darkness of the waters.


    Despite that, Balthazar was experiencing a slight feeling of nostalgia. It was like being back home, dipping into his beloved pond.


    Except for all the trash.


    Sludge and debris polluted the stream flowing around him, and occasionally a large piece of garbage would smack him in the face as it was pushed by the current.


    ¡°Pffah!¡± the crustacean exclaimed as a pair of tattered undergarments brushed past his eyestalks.


    Maybe after this is all over, I¡¯ll talk to the baroness about keeping this river clean. This is no way to treat your local body of water!


    His feet finally touched the rocky riverbed, the weight of his giant shell anchoring him to the bottom against the pull of the current.


    Dang, this place is filthy. The merchant mused as he looked around, seeing practically nothing through the murky water and the cloud of garbage floating by.


    Nothing like the pure waters of my pond. Well, except for that one time when something nasty fell into it and the water turned all black because of¡­


    His eyestalks frowned as something in his brain clicked.


    Wait a minute¡­


    Like the waters around him, connections rushed through his thoughts as a sneaky suspicion in the back of his mind broke the dam holding them.


    Could it be? Her¡­


    Feeling the ball of yarn that was the whole mango case unraveling with his sudden theory, Balthazar looked up. The introspecting break was over, it was time to go back up and put an end to it once and for all.


    But how do I get back up?


    Glancing at the corner of his field of view, he noticed an active skill on his system


    [Aquatic Breather]


    [As the pinnacle of evolution, your race can freely breathe both in and out of water.]


    Lost in thought as he was, the crustacean finally realized he hadn¡¯t been drowning that whole time.


    Oh! That¡¯s right. I¡¯m a crab!


    Smacking the front of his shell with the back of his claw, Balthazar shook off his meandering thoughts to focus on doing something he was naturally talented at¡ªother than eating and talking.


    Flexing all of his eight legs, the crab pushed against the riverbed and propelled himself upward, using all of his body to swiftly swim up like he hadn¡¯t done in so long.


    Balthazar smiled with determination. He had almost forgotten how much better and faster he was at swimming than walking. Another reason why he missed his home pond.


    I¡¯ve been spending too much time out in the dry air. I should do this more often.


    Rushing through the murky waters like an arrow, the crab soon spotted the lights of the hanging lanterns from Leander¡¯s ship again.


    With redouble effort, Balthazar paddled his back legs harder to catch up.


    Go, go, my swimmerets!


    His shell broke through the surface and he took a deep breath of the bone-chilling air.


    Thankfully for him, crabs have no bones, so that bothered him little.


    As his eyes adapted to being out of water again, the merchant saw a chain being dropped into the water right in front of him.


    After looking up at the crew leaning over the ship¡¯s railing, Balthazar grabbed the iron chain firmly with both pincers, this time with no fear of snapping it like with the rope.


    ¡°Go on, pull!¡± Captain Leander told the others as the group lifted the crab from the water and onto the deck. ¡°Almost done!¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ is he¡­ so heavy?!¡± Suze struggled to say from the end of the chain, between Druma and Blue¡ªwho gripped the chain tightly with her teeth.


    ¡°You brought him all the carrot cake, remember?!¡± exclaimed Olivia from behind the captain, sweat forming on her forehead as she struggled to keep a grip on the metal links.


    With one final pull, the group brought the crab on board.


    Soaked and covered in little pieces of trash and algae, Balthazar stood up and looked up at Leander.


    ¡°Welcome aboard the Marquessian Dame, Mr. Balthazar,¡± the man said.


    Breathing fast but with a determined look on his face, the merchant nodded at the man.


    ¡°Thank you, captain. Now set a new course. I know where we need to go to finish this charade.¡±

 Chapter 168: Cabin Retreat

    Through the silent night and the misty air over the bay, the Marquessian Dame sailed toward a small pier on the outskirts of town.


    ¡°Are you certain they didn¡¯t follow us?¡± Balthazar asked as he finished picking off bits of algae from his joints.


    ¡°Those bandits would have to be incredible swimmers or rowers to keep up with the Dame,¡± Captain Leander responded. ¡°And even if they went out to the harbor and got on a ship to follow us, trust me, they don¡¯t have the skills to navigate the canal at night. We¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°For now, at least,¡± the crab added as he twisted his eyestalks back. ¡°Ah, darn it, there¡¯s a piece of gum stuck to my underside!¡±


    As the ship neared the dock, Balthazar noticed a couple of human figures with torches approaching it.


    ¡°Crap! Are those town guards?!¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± the mayor¡¯s right-hand man said. ¡°They are my guys. They might be a minority now, but there are still a few good guards left in this city.¡±


    The men on land helped dock the Dame and lower the gangway while Leander furled the sails.


    As the crab¡¯s group left the ship and walked the pier, Suze pointed up at a small house atop the winding road ahead of them. ¡°What¡¯s that place?¡±


    ¡°Leander¡¯s little retreat,¡± said Olivia. ¡°It¡¯s his secret spot to take some time off and do some fishing. Nobody should find us here, and if they did, we¡¯d see them coming from up there.¡±


    ¡°Hey, by the way,¡± Balthazar quietly said to the young woman. ¡°Thanks for the rescue. Again.¡±


    ¡°You should thank the cap,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece said. ¡°By the time I finished telling him everything, he was already on his way out to the ship. Honestly, I think he was just excited to have an excuse to bring her out again on a daring escape mission. Retirement doesn¡¯t suit him.¡±


    The crab chuckled as they climbed the path up the hill. ¡°Heh, still, just like earlier with the commander, you showed up just in time, so¡­ appreciate it.¡±


    Olivia nodded with a smirk. ¡°I thought my aunt made a deal for you to solve this mess, but it seems like I¡¯m the one who has to keep bailing you out from the ones you keep getting tangled up in, eh?¡±


    The group had reached the old cabin¡¯s door and Balthazar exhaled sharply.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m going to uphold my end of the bargain soon. I think I finally got enough to crack this case.¡±


    The girl glanced down at his claws and her eyebrows rose slightly. ¡°I believe you.¡±


    ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Go on inside,¡± Captain Leander said as he caught up to them. ¡°Just make sure to wipe your feet on the mat first. I dusted the floor just this morning.¡±


    The cabin was small but cozy, with a fire pit already burning by a corner and a few salted fish sitting on a grill next to it, just waiting to be put to cook. With wooden walls all around, the many trophies, mounted fish, and even a few medals hanging from them told the story of a life full of achievements by the seasoned veteran. Even his wooden floors said a lot, with all the animal pelt rugs covering them. Thankfully Balthazar saw no mounted shells anywhere.


    ¡°Make yourselves at home and rest,¡± the man said. ¡°After the day you all had, you must need it.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t waste time, though,¡± Balthazar quickly said. ¡°I know where the stolen mangoes are, as well as the one responsible for all of this. We must head there immediately.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Must we, now?¡± the smiling captain said.


    ¡°Balthazar is right,¡± Olivia exclaimed. ¡°If he knows where this¡­ her that is controlling the bandits and turned the city guard is hiding then we have to¡­ to act¡­¡±


    A big, overpowering yawn forced its way through the girl¡¯s words, making her involuntarily open her mouth and stretch her arms.


    ¡°You all need some rest, that¡¯s what you need before anything else,¡± the old man said.


    ¡°But¡­¡± started the crab.


    ¡°All of you,¡± the other insisted, nodding to the sofa closest to the fire pit.


    Balthazar looked in the direction he was pointing with his head and he saw Druma, Blue, and Suze already falling asleep near the warm glow of the flames, with the girl and the goblin both nestled up against the drake¡¯s body.


    The crab sighed. He didn¡¯t have it in him to wake them up and say they had to go running out again.


    Not because he cared, obviously.


    They just might demand extra pay for overtime, and there was no way the merchant would risk that.


    More importantly, the crab¡¯s body was starting to ache with a fury now that he had stopped for a moment after the whirlwind that was his day.


    ¡°Alright, fine,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°We rest for now, but tomorrow we set out to finish this.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± said Leander. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before the sun is up anyway. I¡¯ll set my men up around the area to make sure no one sneaks up on us, and then I¡¯ll take the Dame to a hidden grotto nearby so that nobody spots it out there once morning comes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you to help,¡± Olivia enthusiastically said, heading back to the door.


    The captain opened his mouth to argue, but his face told that his wisdom knew better than to bother.


    After the door closed behind them, the merchant found himself alone in the cabin, his three fellow troublemakers now fast asleep near the warmth of the burning logs.


    Balthazar sat back against another sofa close to the fire. Some sleep sounded nice, but there was one more thing he needed to do.


    Reaching into his Backpack of Holding, the crab retrieved the Scroll of Potential he had negotiated from the Thieves Guild master.


    Now that we finally have a moment alone, let¡¯s see what you¡¯re hiding, little scroll.


    He unfurled the piece of parchment with both pincers as a white glow grew over his eyes.


    Please be something useful. I¡¯m going to need all the help I can get tomorrow.


    Lines and glyphs appeared across Balthazar¡¯s eyes as words formed on his system screen.


    [Revealing skill¡­]


    [Copycrab]


    [Skill - B tier]


    [Requirements: 40 CHA, 15 INT]


    [Cost: 10 mana]


    [Be a little more like those around you. For 5 minutes, gain the properties of a unique trait from a nearby ally.]


    [Would you like to learn this skill?]


    [Yes] [No]


    Huh¡­ Interesting.


    Staring at the flames of the fire pit through the letters in his eyes, the crab pondered the skill revealed to him.


    I guess it could be useful. I¡¯m just not sure how I¡¯d use it right now. No reason not to take it, though.


    With a flick, he confirmed the prompt and learned the skill, making the scroll glow more intensely before furling itself back and dropping to the floor, plain and unlit again.


    Allies¡­ Balthazar mused as he looked at the moon outside the cabin¡¯s window.


    I guess I¡¯ve been amassing a collection of those lately, haven¡¯t I?


    As his eyes grew heavier, the crab recalled a time not so long ago when he would have disliked the mere presence of another being in the vicinity of his pond. And now there he was casually running around a city with a pack of misfits in tow, wheeling and dealing, causing trouble and interacting with all manner of strange new characters.


    He was not just a long way from his home, he was also a long way from the anti-social crab he once was.


    Even if he still found other people to be annoyances most of the time.


    His body relaxed under the comforting warmth of the crackling fire nearby, and his gaze wandered to the sleepy heads on the other sofa.


    I suppose some of them are alright. Sometimes.


    A long sigh escaped the merchant as the dancing flames of the roasting pit lulled him to sleep.


    Tomorrow we will rescue those poor, delicious mangoes from her evil clutches¡­ Oh, the pies they will make¡­ Hmm¡­


    With a smile on his face, the crab drifted off into a slumber filled with dreams of pies and golden coins.

 Chapter 169: Heist Plan

    After what felt like way too short of a rest, Balthazar had woken up to the noises of pans and grills as the captain and the others moved around the cabin, preparing a meal to soothe their roaring stomachs.


    While his body wasn¡¯t aching as much anymore, the crab still felt like he could have slept for another half a day if he was allowed. But just like when he had a trading post to open in the early hours of the morning, duty called him there too, and there was a quest to be finished.


    And more importantly, rewards to be claimed once he did.


    This crab hadn¡¯t gone totally soft yet. Helping out someone in need and righting some wrongs with new friends might be all nice and good for most adventurers, but Balthazar was still a merchant looking out for a good trade deal¡ªand a glutton looking for free pie.


    Reminded of what really motivated him, the crustacean¡¯s stomach grumbled with a furious hunger. As it turns out, leaping, swimming, and climbing were great at working up an appetite, especially after a night¡¯s sleep without some proper supper first.


    The smell of cooking fish enveloped the crab as he got up, reminding him that while humans might have a lot of strange habits that baffled his understanding, placing fish over a fire was certainly not one of them.


    Golden brown meat sizzled against the grill over the lit coals of the fire pit as white smoke billowed out and filled the cabin with a tantalizing aroma that made Balthazar¡¯s mouth water.


    Druma was carefully handling the grill, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth while keeping full focus on maintaining a perfectly even heat distribution on both sides. Blue sat on the other side of the pit, helping him by using her nostrils as a bellows, blowing air into the fire whenever the goblin gave her the signal.


    Balthazar quietly chuckled with amusement as he watched their teamwork.


    Over by the side door of the cabin, Leander sat on a stool over a bucket full of freshly caught catfish, gutting and cleaning them before passing them over to the two girls bouncing around the small kitchen area.


    Olivia was trying to show Suze how to properly season the fish, gently pouring a mix of herbs over the next plate about to be handed over to Druma for cooking.


    Balthazar stretched his eyestalks above the counter, his eyes jumping at the beautiful array of seasonings sprinkled over a large filet. A generous dose of rock salt covered the rosy meat, accompanied by a few touches of black pepper and more herbs than the crab could count. A little thyme, a fair amount of parsley, some leaves of basil, dried oregano, and even a few touches of garlic.


    Balthazar¡¯s stomach growled even harder as he pushed down a loud gulp.


    ¡°And then you top it all off with a good squeeze of lemon juice,¡± Olivia said to the observing little girl while holding a lemon half over the fish and pressing it in her hand.


    ¡°This is a lot more work than I thought,¡± Suze said with some skepticism.


    ¡°A fisherman¡¯s daughter should know how to clean and prepare a fish, young lady,¡± Leander casually said from his seat by the open door as his knife split another catfish open.


    The street rascal frowned at him. ¡°You knew my dad?¡±


    ¡°By reputation only, but yes,¡± the captain responded, eyes focused on his task. ¡°He was a fine and brave seaman. Was a sad day when I heard his boat went down in a storm.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was¡­¡± the little girl said with a hint of glum.


    ¡°I also heard about how you ran away from the orphanage five times before they just decided to stop bothering taking you back,¡± the man said, giving her a side glance as he casually wiped his blade on the towel draped over his knee.


    ¡°Not my fault their windows didn¡¯t lock properly,¡± Suze responded, the morose expression suddenly replaced with her usual sass. ¡°They were holding me back anyway. There was business to be had out on the streets!¡±


    Olivia cocked an eyebrow at her as she handed another plate to Druma. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not related to Balthazar in some way?¡±


    Both the crab and the kid gave the young woman an identical scowl at the same time, making her crack a smile before breaking into amused laughter.


    ¡°Fishy is ready!¡± Druma proudly announced, hopping from side to side with the grill in his hand.


    Shortly after, all of them huddled together at the only table the old cabin had, which was far too small for the six occupants.


    Plates were passed around, along with some cutlery, for those who needed it. Balthazar tried to teach Suze how crabs skillfully use their pincers to cut and eat fish, but the little rascal seemed more interested in Druma¡¯s method of eating with his hands. Even Blue seemed to be impressed by the delicacy presented to her, gobbling it down with as much enthusiasm as she did red meats.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Sitting at the top of the table, Balthazar looked over the group with contentment.


    He had always eaten by his lonesome back at the pond, back when he was just a lone crab snatching little fish by the water. The idea of having a meal with others, especially humans, would have sounded insane to him. Yet now, sitting there watching his friends¡¯ faces smiling, laughing, and joking around as they had a hearty breakfast together¡ªand despite their current predicaments¡ªit all felt so¡­ right.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m really enjoying having this meal with you guys¡­¡± the merchant said.


    Olivia smiled and nodded at him. ¡°That¡¯s actually very¡ª¡±


    ¡°But we should discuss how we¡¯re going to get those mangoes back now,¡± Balthazar added.


    ¡°Aaaand never mind, the moment is gone,¡± the young woman said, rolling her eyes.


    Pulling at his backpack, the crab retrieved a large roll of paper from it and started unceremoniously opening it over the already cluttered table, knocking over a salt shaker and making Suze scowl at him as she retreated her plate to safety.


    ¡°Alright. Oops. Mind the corner there,¡± he said as he finished unfurling the map. ¡°Here we go. These are the floor plans I got from the guildmaster of the thieves last night.¡±


    ¡°You met Clovis?¡± Leander asked from the other end of the table.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°And¡ª¡±


    ¡°You know he¡¯s a criminal, right?¡± Olivia interjected.


    ¡°Yes, I could deduce that from the fact that he¡¯s the leader of a guild of thieves, Olivia,¡± the merchant said with a roll of his eyestalks. ¡°Can we get on with it now?¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you who is controlling the bandits and the guards?¡± asked the captain.


    ¡°No, not even they have managed to find that out yet. I do have a suspicion, involving someone I met before, but I need more to back that feeling first.¡±


    ¡°Oooh,¡± said Suze, with a devious smile on her parsley-covered lips. ¡°Is she a former girlfriend of yours?¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be silly!¡± the flustered crab said. ¡°But I learned where they are most likely taking the stolen cargo, which is also the mystery figure¡¯s hiding spot. It¡¯s called Damask Manor.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that old house?¡± the seasoned man said, biting on a second serving of fish. ¡°I thought it had been abandoned for ages.¡±


    ¡°Well, she seems to have taken residence there,¡± Balthazar continued. ¡°So we need to come up with the best way to get in, find the stolen mangoes, and confront the string puller.¡±


    Captain Leander eyed the manor¡¯s map with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°Shame the river does not pass near there, or we could set a naval assault.¡±


    ¡°I say we just kick the door down and start dishing out some hurt until we get to the bottom of it,¡± Olivia declared.


    ¡°Oh! Oh!¡± Suze said between a mouthful of catfish filet. ¡°Or I could sneak in through a window, past any bandits, tie their shoelaces together, and find the mangoes before anyone notices anything!¡±


    ¡°Maybe Druma fly over roof with Blue!¡± the goblin enthusiastically suggested.


    Balthazar smacked both eyestalks onto the table. ¡°You¡¯re all terrible at this, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Well, excuse us, Mr. Genius Crab,¡± said the flippant Marquessa girl. ¡°Do you have any better ideas?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± He pointed at the manor¡¯s blueprint with his pincer. ¡°There are four floors¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, how come these maps didn¡¯t get all soaked when you fell into the river last night?¡± Suze suddenly asked.


    ¡°Magical backpack,¡± the crab said with a flat stare.


    ¡°Oh. Alright then.¡±


    ¡°As I was saying¡­¡± Balthazar continued, returning his gaze to the paper. ¡°There¡¯s the ground floor, two more above, and one below. The lowest one seems to be a large cellar and the most likely place for the mangoes to be. The floors above appear to be living spaces, with the master bedroom at the very end of the third floor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the boss will be,¡± the street urchin said with a knowing nod as the others looked at her with raised eyebrows. ¡°Come on, guys. It¡¯s obvious!¡±


    ¡°This is all nice and good,¡± Olivia said, ¡°but what about the part where we get in? You got a plan for that?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡­ Uh¡­¡± the thinking merchant started. ¡°We could have Suze climb in through a window and unlock the door for us. She seems pretty good at that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now that idea isn¡¯t terrible anymore?¡± the young woman said.


    ¡°Balthazar is right,¡± said the smaller girl. ¡°He just knows when to recognize someone has a better idea than what he could come up with.¡±


    The crab nodded. ¡°Thank you, Suze. I was¡ªHey, wait, what?!¡±


    ¡°Kicking the door down works just as well or even better!¡± exclaimed Olivia.


    ¡°Flying! Flying! Flying!¡± Druma started chanting over the discussion while flapping his arms.


    A sudden sharp whistle echoed through the cabin, making the ruckus cease as the group looked at Captain Leander with wide eyes.


    ¡°Alright, enough,¡± he calmly said, bringing his fingers down from his lips. ¡°You guys have been working well together, but you clearly still need to work a lot on your team communication. If you were my crew, I¡¯d be sending you off to scrub the deck right now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Leander,¡± said Olivia, her eyes going down to the floor. She seemed genuinely upset about the captain¡¯s disapproval.


    ¡°But,¡± he continued, ¡°you are not my crew. Mr. Balthazar here is technically the one in charge of this operation, so let''s go with his gut. From what I understand, it tends to serve him well.¡±


    The crab looked at the veteran with a hint of surprise but nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Well, my gut is telling me two things right now,¡± Balthazar.


    ¡°Is it saying you want dessert?¡± asked Suze.


    ¡°Alright, maybe three things then,¡± the merchant conceded. ¡°But the other two are that this place is likely going to be crawling with bandits and guards. No floor plans are going to show us that. So the other is that we need to get eyes on the building before we figure out how to enter these rooms.¡±


    Balthazar stood up and placed the tip of his pincer on the center of the blueprint as his friends around the table looked at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go finish this, get those mangoes back, and reveal who¡¯s behind this whole mess. Tonight we strike at Damask Manor!¡±

 Chapter 170: Assault on Damask Manor

    ***


    The sun had set and an eerie quiet now enveloped the edge of the woods, the pale silver light of the full moon glistening through the droplets of dew hanging in the air like tiny sprites.


    It was quiet. Way too quiet.


    The kind of quiet that would make one prone to dozing off when idly vacant.


    Or at least it would, if it wasn¡¯t for the manor.


    The dark, haunting house looming over the hill not too far away from the edge of the forest.


    Its foreboding presence felt as if a watchful eye observed everything around it with malicious intent, sending a sense of unease down the spine of those dwelling around its grounds.


    The young man couldn¡¯t wait to leave that place.


    He had been given the duty of patrolling the outer fence of the property all day because he was the youngest of his unit. What the novice town guard still did not understand was what business they had protecting such a creepy place all the way out there, far away from the city.


    He did not openly question it, of course. He knew better than to make himself a target, being of the newer recruits of Marquessa¡¯s prestigious city guard.


    But it still felt wrong that after months of training and preparation to take on the job, and after finally getting it, they would be sent there to guard that place, despite nobody knowing who exactly lived there.


    The young man couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was amiss with that whole situation. He signed up because he wanted to serve his city, to help protect the people. Not stand in the middle of some woods keeping watch over some strange house all night with no idea if he should be more worried about what might come out of the woods or whatever lived in the manor itself.


    But he also knew it was not his place to question the commander. The orders were coming straight from him, and to challenge his instructions would be treason. He had not spent years working to become a Marquessian guard just to fall into dishonor because he couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut.


    Not to mention he still had a few payments left on his new horse carriage. It was definitely not the time to be out of a job.


    The recent visitors to the manor weren¡¯t making it any easier, however. At first the young Marquessian chalked it up to paranoia, too many shifts spent around that creepy place making him imagine things. But now he had little doubt the rough-looking individuals he had spotted coming in and out of the cellar in the late hours were in fact bandits.


    Why would the commander have city guards stationed at a property way out of the city and then allow bandits to come and go from it? What reason could the city guard have to be collaborating with lowlifes like that?


    The novice did not know, but if his fellow guards were not speaking up either, why should he? Best to keep his head down and follow orders like he learned at boot camp. That was his job after all. Just a grunt. A cog in the machine.


    Whatever bigger design was happening there was clearly above his pay grade anyway. Surely the commander knew better. Maybe he was under specific instructions from the mayor herself. Maybe this was all a very clever undercover operation because of all the stolen cargo cases recently.


    Yes, that had to be it. It certainly made him feel a lot better, so that was the conclusion he would be sticking with.


    Just another half hour and his shift would be over anyway. Best to put all those paranoid thoughts away.


    There was nothing nefarious happening between guards and bandits behind the scenes. There was no evil figure living in that old manor. And definitely no danger was going to emerge from those dark woods while he was patrolling.


    Everything was fine and soon someone would come so he could finally go get some shut-eye.


    A twig snapped somewhere behind the bushes and the young man jumped in place.


    ¡°W-who goes there?¡± the guard asked with a crack in his voice, nervously tightening his grip on his spear.


    No answer came, and he tried to control his breathing, assuring himself that it was just an animal. Or the wind. Or maybe nothing at all.


    ¡°Just my imagination¡­¡± he muttered.


    As he was about to turn away, leaves ruffled nearby and a large bush shook with movement.


    The novice guardsman nearly dropped his spear in fright, but bravery or merely training kicked in, and he stood his ground, ignoring the initial instinct to run away.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Reveal yourself!¡± he loudly called, trying to sound commanding.


    But nobody responded.


    Fighting his better judgment, the novice slowly approached the bushes, spear pointed forward.


    As he got closer, the guard could hear what seemed to be breathing from behind the foliage.


    Reaching forward with a hesitant hand, he moved aside some shrubs to look behind them.


    ¡°Boo!¡±


    With a gasp, the young man fell back on his bottom as a skinny green creature with big eyes poked its head out of the bushes with a big smile on its face. For whatever strange reason, it was wearing a wizard hat on its head.


    As he fumbled to stand back up, the guard realized something else stood behind the goblin.


    A larger creature lurked from the darkness of the woods, rearing itself over the other, its eyes two piercing yellow slits fixed on the human with an intensity that made his legs tremble.


    ¡°Oh mama, I¡¯m not getting paid enough for this!¡± the young boy cried as he dropped his spear and started running away toward the manor.


    As he tripped and staggered through the branches and bushes in his mad dash for help, he suddenly saw a human figure appear from around a large tree.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he called, running toward the man. ¡°Over here! There¡¯s¡­¡±


    The runaway guard came to a stop in front of the taller man and his expression turned into a frown.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not a guard. You¡¯re¡ª¡±


    With a quick blow to the neck using the side of his hand, the older man sent the young boy sprawling limply to the ground, his eyes rolling as he lost consciousness.


    ¡°Sorry, son,¡± Captain Leander said. ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal, but we just can¡¯t have you sounding the alarm on us.¡±


    ***


    ¡°He looked tired anyway,¡± said Balthazar, stepping out of the woods with Olivia and Suze. ¡°He deserved some nap time.¡±


    Captain Leander dragged the young guard behind a tree and carefully sat him against it before searching his pockets.


    ¡°Here, catch it,¡± he said, tossing a large iron key at Olivia, who caught it in her hand. ¡°That must open the side gate.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± the girl said as she turned the key and the small iron gate unlocked. ¡°Let¡¯s go, before someone else comes and finds him.¡±


    Balthazar hung back for a moment as the others marched into the manor grounds. Looking up through the dark wrought iron bars of the fence, the crab saw Damask Manor against the moonlit night sky.


    It was an imposing place, its black roof shingles like a sinister crown over a haunting facade with more windows than the merchant cared to count. One in particular stood out for being lit. It was the window at the very top of the last floor, the one the blueprints showed as the master bedroom.


    She¡¯s home.


    ¡°Come on, Mr. Balthazar,¡± Leander said, heading to the gate. ¡°No time to dawdle now.¡±


    With one last glance at the creepy manor up on the hill, the crab followed the old captain into the gardens.


    ¡°Whoever lives here,¡± Suze said, ¡°they¡¯re not big on gardening.¡±


    The group navigated through a dense mess of branches and vines, tall grass covering most of the ground where they stepped, with not a flower in sight, only weeds.


    ¡°Maybe she likes it this way,¡± Balthazar muttered as he focused on where he stepped.


    Arriving at an unkempt hedge by the end of the garden, the crab¡¯s team crouched behind it¡ªexcept for Balthazar, who was already at the perfect level to peek over it.


    They could see the front door across the open area of the driveway. It was a short distance away, but there was no cover to hide them from watchful eyes.


    ¡°No guards here,¡± Leander observed.


    ¡°They must be inside,¡± Olivia whispered. ¡°Probably don¡¯t like being out here after dark. I still don¡¯t get why you wouldn¡¯t bring your men from the cabin to help us, Lee. It would make this a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°Strategic thinking, my impatient girl,¡± the captain responded. ¡°Not enough men to mount a proper assault, but too many to carry an efficient stealth approach. I¡¯d rather have them watch over your aunt until we can finish this here tonight.¡±


    ¡°That key we got from the guard won¡¯t work on that door,¡± the little girl next to the crab said.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± asked Olivia, looking at the kid with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°I can see from here that the keyhole is totally different,¡± the other responded with confident sass. ¡°Trust me, I know locks.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going to need another way to get inside then,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°We could just kick the door open and jump them,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece said. ¡°We already have the surprise factor, let¡¯s just use it before we lose it!¡±


    ¡°Or you could boost me through one of the windows and I unlock it from the inside,¡± Suze suggested.


    ¡°My idea is better,¡± said Olivia.


    ¡°No it¡¯s not!¡±


    Balthazar sighed. ¡°Both of your ideas are bad.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Leander started while scanning the building carefully, ¡°we could check one of the backdoors first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± the crab said with a nod. ¡°I could have Druma check¡ªHey, where¡¯s Olivia?!¡±


    The group looked around, searching for the young woman, when they realized she had already made a run across the driveway and was by the front door of the manor.


    ¡°What is she doing?!¡± Balthazar muttered with exasperation.


    The niece of the baroness looked at the door with a frown and then tried the handle.


    Captain Leander let out a tired sigh. ¡°This girl¡­¡±


    ¡°Get back here!¡± the crustacean tried to call in a hushed tone.


    Olivia eyed the handle and the lock placement on the door before taking a few steps backward.


    ¡°Is she gonna¡­¡± said Suze.


    Leander dropped his shoulders. ¡°She is.¡±


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Balthazar mouthed.


    Breaking into a sprint, the Marquessa girl ran toward the entrance, putting all her weight into a kick that hit the wood right under the handle, sending splinters flying as the door broke open.


    ¡°Come on, you scumbags, let¡¯s rumble!¡±

 Chapter 171: Entry Hall

    Balthazar and the rest of the group abandoned the cover of the bushes and ran to the manor at full speed. The time for stealth was over, now that the mayor¡¯s niece had decided to make her big entrance.


    ¡°Is she always this¡­¡± the crab said to Leander as they hurriedly crossed the driveway.


    ¡°Feisty?¡± the captain responded. ¡°Ever since she was younger than your friend Suze over there. I always tried to teach her how to turn that fire into something productive, but sometimes you just have to accept that something will get burned.¡±


    The running crab rolled his eyestalks. ¡°Hopefully it¡¯s not us. I already have enough with one drake.¡±


    Reaching the front door, they barged in to find Olivia alone in a large entry hall, looking around with a mix of surprise and confusion.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ no one here,¡± the young woman said.


    The manor¡¯s foyer was long, with several doors on both sides and a staircase leading up to the next floor at the very end of it. The place was illuminated by two chandeliers above and multiple candelabras spread all around on the dark mahogany furniture, giving the hallway a heavy and slightly creepy mood.


    What a fire hazard. And the time it must take to light all of these up every night! Not to mention how much wax they must go through. Ooh, maybe I should start selling candles¡­


    Blue sniffed the air around, looking with suspicion at the many orange flames of the candles surrounding them, while Suze¡¯s interests seemed to be centered on the drawers of the dressers and other pieces of furniture everywhere.


    ¡°Strange,¡± the old captain said. ¡°No guards outside the house. No guards in the entrance. Where is everyone?¡±


    Something slammed at the other end of the hallway and everyone turned their heads with a start. A light was shining in a doorway off to the side of the staircase. The stairwell past it seemed to lead below, and they could hear steps approaching from there now.


    ¡°Be ready,¡± Leander said, putting his fists up.


    Balthazar put his pincers up as well, despite having no idea what he would do with them from that far away.


    Two men emerged from the stairwell. One was wearing a city guard uniform, minus the helmet, which he was carrying under his arm. As for the other, the merchant immediately recognized him as a bandit named Brig. Despite Balthazar¡¯s difficulties with telling human faces apart, not even he could forget that mean-looking mug and the scar that went with it.


    The pair staggered through the doorway and into the entry hall with unsteady steps, leaning on each other for support as they tried to keep a straight march¡ªand mostly failing.


    They were both drunk as skunks.


    ¡°Oi! Mickey!¡± the guard yelled as his hazy eyes struggled to focus. ¡°We¡ªhic¡ªWe told you to keep watching that per¡­ that perim¡­ per-he-meet-her¡­ To watch that damn fence until someone else comes to replace you!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± exclaimed the larger goon next to him, waving a tankard around. ¡°We¡¯re all busy downstairs¡­¡± He paused to giggle with a wheeze. ¡°Discussing important matters.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the uniformed man said, slapping the back of his drinking partner. ¡°Like who was the vile criminal who cracked open that keg of¡ªhic¡ªvintage.¡±


    Brig¡¯s red cheeks bunched up as he smiled like a naughty boy¡ªa very robust, ugly, and drunk naughty boy.


    ¡°Uh-oh. I hope nobody calls the city guard to arrest me!¡±


    ¡°Haaaahahaha!¡± yelled the guardsman as they both pulled on each other, trying not to fall to the floor from all the cackling.


    Balthazar and his group looked at each other with awkward gazes.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°I guess they weren¡¯t expecting visitors?¡± said Olivia.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not get complacent,¡± the captain said. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many more guards and bandits are in this place.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I could distract them,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve got a bottle of rum around here somewhere that I could sell to them.¡±


    ¡°Heeey, wait a minute,¡± the drunk guard said, squinting at the intruders across the entryway. ¡°I know I¡¯m seeing double, but that¡¯s still way too many people to just be Mickey.¡±


    The bandit goon next to him scrunched up his face trying to focus on the group too.


    ¡°Oi! That ain¡¯t your guard! I¡¯ve seen that crab before! He¡¯s the one the boss wants!¡±


    The other man dropped his helmet and turned to the stairwell, struggling to keep his pace straight. ¡°Ah, crap, we got intruders! Get the guys!¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± said Suze. Without Balthazar noticing, she had already sneaked her way around the hall and was now in front of the doorway to the staircase the two men had come from.


    She shut the door and turned the key in its keyhole.


    ¡°Hey, gimme that, you little¡ª¡± yelled the guard, before tripping on his own feet and introducing his chin to the carpet below.


    Swift as a mouse, the little street urchin zipped back around with the key in her hand.


    ¡°Come back here!¡± Brig shouted, tossing his tankard aside and rushing to the girl with a bit more steadiness than his drinking partner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, friend,¡± Captain Leander exclaimed as he ran to intercept the goon. ¡°Stick to someone your own size!¡±


    Just as the bandit was about to block Suze¡¯s path, the mayor¡¯s right-hand man stepped in front of him.


    ¡°Get outta my way, old man!¡± Brig barked as he made a fist and wound up a punch with the same grace as a bear trying to walk on a tightrope.


    ¡°Please,¡± the veteran said, swatting the thug¡¯s hand away with ease. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be a worthy opponent even if you were sober.¡±


    With an uncanny speed for a man of his age, Captain Leander struck a quick jab to Brig¡¯s throat, making him choke up and bring both hands to his neck.


    As the bandit¡¯s eyes bulged out, the martial arts tutor used his fist to deliver a devastating blow to his gut, which, despite its ample size, could not dampen enough of the shockwave to keep him on his feet.


    ¡°Blargh!¡± Brig blurted out as the contents of his drunken stomach made a forceful escape through his mouth and onto the burgundy carpet under his knees.


    ¡°There, that will sober you up right quick,¡± Leander said as he looked down at the barfing bandit.


    After there was nothing left for him to throw up, Brig let out a final burp as his eyes rolled back and he dropped unconscious.


    ¡°Hey!¡± exclaimed the guard, rubbing his chin as he tried to get up from his crawling position. ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this!¡±


    With a running start, Olivia ran at the manor guard and landed a spinning kick right on his chin, knocking him out on the floor again.


    ¡°Sleep it off,¡± she said with snark.


    ¡°Great form, Liv!¡± the captain complimented, giving her a thumbs-up.


    Balthazar skittered forward and placed the back of his pincers against the sides of his shell.


    ¡°Well, no turning back now. The crab¡¯s out of the bag, so we¡¯d better move. We¡¯re on a timer until everyone realizes what we¡¯re doing.¡±


    Leander nodded. ¡°Agreed. It sounds like most of their forces will be downstairs, where the mangoes are. We should make that a priority.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± said Olivia, ¡°what about the mystery woman orchestrating this whole thing? She¡¯s probably upstairs. We can¡¯t risk her getting away!¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anyone else on this floor,¡± Suze told them after a quick run peeking through every door in the hallway.


    ¡°As much as I don¡¯t like it, we should probably split up,¡± said the merchant.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the captain said. ¡°I take it you will want to confront this figure yourself, Mr. Balthazar. I will take the cellar and recover what has been stolen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going up too,¡± said Olivia. ¡°I¡¯m not letting whoever made all this mess get away any longer.¡±


    Suze popped up in between them. ¡°Dibs on going up too! I wanna know who she is so bad!¡±


    Balthazar shrugged. ¡°We can¡¯t just let the captain go down there all alone. If most of the men are there, he¡¯s going to need some backup. Druma, Blue, you two go with him.¡±


    The crab¡¯s companions nodded.


    ¡°While I would welcome the challenge,¡± said Leander, ¡°I¡¯m not so prideful I¡¯d refuse the help. Thank you, Mr. Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem, just make sure those mangoes are unharmed, will you? I plan on eating lots of pies made with them.¡± The crab glanced down at the passed out bandit and guard. ¡°Maybe you should take one of their weapons before going down?¡±


    Captain Leander roared with laughter before holding his closed fists up.


    ¡°If you haven¡¯t noticed already, I¡¯ve got all the weapons I need right here. Good luck!¡±


    Taking the key from Suze, the old master headed to the door with Druma and Blue following behind.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move too,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece said, running to the staircase leading up with Suze in tow.


    Balthazar skittered toward the bottom of the stairs and suddenly stopped, his eyes slowly rolling up to the top of the stairs.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a problem.¡±

 Chapter 172: Ballroom

    ¡°What is it, Balthazar?!¡± Olivia asked, running to his side and following his gaze up the stairs. ¡°Did you see someone?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said the deflated crab.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Stairs,¡± he plainly stated, pointing at the steps in front of him with his pincer. ¡°It seems whoever lives here knows my one true weakness. Very crafty.¡±


    The young woman looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure these just come by default in houses with more than one floor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got legs,¡± said Suze. ¡°Can¡¯t you just¡­ walk up the steps?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that!¡± the miffed crustacean said. ¡°Crabs and stairs just don¡¯t work together. Trust me.¡±


    The little girl rolled her eyes. ¡°What then? We just turn around and go home?¡±


    ¡°Look!¡± said Olivia, pointing past Suze¡¯s shoulder. ¡°A dumbwaiter.¡±


    ¡°Hey, no need to call the kid names,¡± Balthazar quickly said.


    ¡°No,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece groaned, moving past them and standing next to a square shutter door built into one of the walls. ¡°A dumbwaiter.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you call your servants back home, rich girl?¡± the sassy street urchin said.


    ¡°Argh! It¡¯s like an elevator!¡± Olivia explained, pulling the shutter open and revealing a small cabin. ¡°It¡¯s typically used by the staff in big houses like this to take meals and other things up and down the floors without having to use the stairs.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, rich people¡­¡± Suze sneered.


    ¡°I¡¯m not getting in that!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s way too cramped for me!¡±


    ¡°Oh come on, you whiny scallop,¡± the child said. ¡°Get in. I bet it will be fun. I¡¯d go too, if there was room.¡±


    Olivia raised the shutter all the way to the top. ¡°It¡¯s either this or the stairs. Do you not want to put an end to it tonight, Balthazar?¡±


    After some mild grumbling, the crab walked up to the dumbwaiter.


    ¡°Go on, lift that leg. No, not that one,¡± the young woman said, trying to help him climb into the cabin. ¡°No, not that one either!¡±


    ¡°Oof, why is he so heavy?!¡± said Suze, trying to help by pushing his shell from behind.


    ¡°Ouch! Watch the antenna!¡± the crustacean bemoaned. ¡°This is so humiliating.¡±


    After some twisting, turning, and an uncomfortable amount of shoving, Balthazar found himself crammed into the cabin of the lift, partially upside-down, with half of his legs over his face.


    ¡°The sardine has been canned!¡± Suze told Olivia, giving her a thumbs-up.


    ¡°For the last time, I¡¯m a crab!¡± Balthazar protested.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going up to pull it now. Close the shutter,¡± the Marquessa heir replied.


    The younger girl shut the dumbwaiter on Balthazar¡¯s face as the older one ran up the steps to the next floor.


    Locked in a small dark cubicle, the crab realized he disliked tight spaces almost as much as he did heights.


    How do I keep getting myself into these situations?! He asked himself. I just wanted directions!


    With a sudden whiplash, the merchant felt his innards shoot up inside his shell as the sound of cranks and gears whirred all around him for a moment, before coming to an abrupt stop.


    The shutter opened again and the crab fell forward, tumbling onto the carpeted floor as his eyestalks spun around.


    ¡°Ow,¡± he cried, legs sprawled as he tried to focus his blurry vision. ¡°I liked the fish from this morning, but I don¡¯t want to see it again.¡±


    ¡°Stand up!¡± a man¡¯s voice that Balthazar didn¡¯t recognize said as he felt his shell being lifted back onto his feet.


    ¡°Huh?¡± the dizzy crab said, looking up to find a lanky bandit thug standing above him.


    ¡°Move!¡± the goon barked, shoving him forward.


    As his senses settled back into place, Balthazar felt a strong smell of onion reach him. He looked around to find another man across the room, holding Olivia by the back of the neck with one hand and a dagger in the other.


    ¡°How was the ride up¡ª¡± said Suze as she rushed up the stairs. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s¡ªWoah!¡±


    A third bandit caught her by the back of the collar as she turned the corner and saw everyone else, lifting her off the floor with ease as she kicked and thrashed.


    ¡°Hey! Put me down!¡± the girl exclaimed as the stocky fiend brought her next to Olivia and tied her hands together.


    ¡°I told ya to stay out of our business, but ya just had to keep sticking your nose in, didn¡¯t ya?¡± Onion Jake said with a bitter tone as he held the mayor¡¯s niece in place.


    Balthazar stood up straight as the dizziness from the dumbwaiter ride passed. ¡°I keep telling you, crabs don¡¯t have no¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just grab him and bring him here already!¡± the bandit chief barked at the goon who had opened the shutter.


    As he stepped toward the merchant, Balthazar skittered back and put his pincers up. ¡°Hey now, hands off the merchandise, pal!¡±


    The skinny bandit hesitated, small rusty knife in hand, his gaze meeting the crab¡¯s claws.


    ¡°What are ya doing, you prat?!¡± Jake yelled. ¡°Tie him up already!¡±


    ¡°The crab¡¯s got some real big claws, boss,¡± the other said.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Quit being a wuss! He¡¯s all talk, he ain¡¯t got no fight in him!¡±


    Balthazar looked around, trying to find a way out of their situation.


    The second floor appeared to be some kind of ballroom, with mostly open space and a shiny waxed floor, all bathed in the light of four opulent chandeliers. Tapestries of all colors and patterns lined the walls, giving the room a stuffy feeling that the merchant found rather unpleasant.


    Or maybe that had more to do with the unavoidable stench of onion filling the air.


    ¡°Alright, fella, I¡¯m just going to say it,¡± Balthazar declared, putting his pincers down, much to the goon¡¯s surprise. ¡°How do you guys put up with that smell all day, every day?¡±


    The lean bandit with the rusty knife stood speechless between the crab and his boss, giving the other man who was holding Suze a glance as if looking for help. The shorter goon looked back at him with wide eyes before glancing at their boss from the corner of his eye.


    ¡°I¡ªI don¡¯t know what you mean¡­¡± the lanky bandit stuttered.


    ¡°Oh, come on!¡± exclaimed the crustacean. ¡°You know damn right what I¡¯m talking about. Everyone who has come within the same district as him knows! What is up with that onion stench?!¡±


    Both bandits gulped loudly as they averted each other¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re funny, huh?¡± Jake said, his face red and his expression fuming with anger. ¡°You must think you¡¯re all that, don¡¯t ya? You probably thought you¡¯d waltz in here, go upstairs, and win her over with your charms. Well, ya ain¡¯t! She only has eyes for me!¡±


    ¡°Hopefully she doesn¡¯t also have a nose for you!¡± Suze yelled from the other bandit¡¯s grasp, still struggling to get free from him.


    ¡°Hah! Nice one, Suze,¡± Balthazar said from across the room, clacking his pincers in her direction.


    ¡°Shut up! Boths of ya!¡± Onion Jake shouted. ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of hearing people snickering around, talking behind me back about me smell. I don¡¯t smell like onions!¡±


    ¡°Well, boss¡­¡± the stockier bandit sheepishly started. ¡°We actually been talkin¡¯ recently about how we¡¯d bring this up, and you know¡­ we thought maybe we¡¯d all pitch in and surprise you with a paid visit to that fancy bathhouse in the north district. They got these nice soaps and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ya think I stink too?!¡± the outraged bandit chief blurted out, his eyes bulging out at the other man.


    ¡°No, no, boss! It ain¡¯t like that!¡± the skinnier bandit said.


    ¡°Oh yes it is,¡± Olivia muttered as Jake kept her hands restrained behind her back. ¡°Honestly, just stab me at this point. Maybe it will take my focus away from how much you reek.¡±


    The fiend¡¯s face looked as if he was about to explode.


    ¡°Hey, come on, boss,¡± the taller bandit said. ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ you know¡­ sometimes we don¡¯t notice our own smell like other people do and¡­¡±


    ¡°To hell with the lot of ya!¡± Onion Jake spat, a manic look on his face. ¡°You two-faced, ungrateful good-for-nothings. She was right. None of ya deserve me. She¡¯s the only one who really appreciates me!¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Who is she? Just tell us already!¡± the restrained street urchin said with frustration.


    Seeing everyone so distracted, Balthazar tried to quietly sidestep away from the skinny bandit.


    ¡°Hey! Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± the man exclaimed, raising his rusty knife at the crab again.


    The merchant stopped and looked down at the blade. Rusty or not, it was still a knife. Despite his act and two mighty pincers, Balthazar knew he wasn¡¯t much of a fighter. Getting into a scuffle could be dangerous for him. What if the bandit got lucky and nicked him with that? He could get rust all over his pristine chitin. Or worse, scratch it lightly.


    That would be horrible. Who would want to do business with a crab with a scar on his shell?


    ¡°Really?¡± Balthazar said, tilting his shell slightly. ¡°Have you even looked at that knife?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± the confused bandit said, glancing down at his old, rusted out blade.


    ¡°Look at his dagger,¡± the merchant continued, pointing at Jake¡¯s pristine steel blade. ¡°He has that fancy-schmancy weapon while you guys have to go around using stuff that belongs in a scrapyard.¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI mean¡­ he is the boss.¡±


    ¡°A boss who stinks, treats you poorly, insults and abuses you, and then clearly doesn¡¯t even properly pay for your work. Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ This is why you guys need the Bandit Rights Association.¡±


    ¡°Oh, not this again¡­¡± Olivia groaned from Jake¡¯s grasp. ¡°Seriously, just stab me now.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ what?¡± the skinny bandit asked.


    ¡°Hey, I think I heard about that from some of the guys back at the hideout,¡± said the stockier bandit. ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ a movement for bandits to get better pay and work conditions or somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all bloody idiots!¡± Jake yelled. ¡°Just grab the crab already so I can bring him upstairs to her!¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± the goon in front of Balthazar said. ¡°I wanna hear more about that.¡±


    ¡°You see?¡± said the crab. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even care about you. It¡¯s all ¡®do this¡¯ and ¡®do that¡¯ for him so he can impress some woman upstairs. That¡¯s all he cares about, while you guys get paid breadcrumbs and have no proper gear. Look at your boots! They¡¯re practically falling apart!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I mean¡­ we never even saw this lady the boss keeps gushing over,¡± the bandit said, scratching his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re not worthy of setting your filthy eyes on her!¡± Jake shouted, waving his dagger around like a maniac while keeping Olivia down.


    ¡°Hey, boss,¡± the one holding Suze said. ¡°No disrespect, but how come you takin¡¯ orders from this lady now? I thought you was the boss.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± added the other bandit. ¡°And how come she lives in this fancy house but we keep getting paid peanuts?¡±


    ¡°Shut your trap!¡± the chief exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re all grunts! Nothing more than goons, and you¡¯ll keep doing your job if ya know what¡¯s good for ya!¡±


    The other two men recoiled at the bandit leader¡¯s outburst, but Balthazar knew a deal ripe for the taking when he saw one.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys,¡± he said, ¡°but it seems to me like your boss doesn¡¯t much care for any of you.¡±


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know, boss. The crab¡¯s kinda got a point,¡± the man holding Suze said. ¡°You ain¡¯t actin¡¯ like yourself lately, all you talk about is this broad you got upstairs. We never even seen her. I think she might be doin¡¯ your head in or somethin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ya dare talk like that about me muse!¡± Jake shouted, pointing the dagger at his own men.


    The other two bandits exchanged nervous glances.


    ¡°Alright,¡± the lanky one said, taking a few steps closer. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time we went up there and talked to this chi¡­ I mean, this lady, and cleared some stuff out, maybe discuss our pay and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ya ain¡¯t going up there!¡± the bandit chief warned, taking a few steps back with Olivia still held in front of him. ¡°You¡¯ll have to go through me first!¡±


    ¡°Hey now, boss,¡± the shorter bandit said, putting Suze down on the floor and slowly approaching him too. ¡°It¡¯s us. Your pals. Your boys. We been nabbin¡¯ old ladies¡¯ purses since we was just kids, remember? Come on, put the dagger down, do like the crab was sayin¡¯, discuss things.¡±


    The deranged man shook his head, a manic gaze in his eyes as he switched between pointing his dagger at one bandit and then the other.


    ¡°He¡¯s gotten into your head,¡± Onion Jake said. ¡°That¡¯s what he does, with his smooth talk. Not me, though! He ain¡¯t getting into mine! I¡¯m clear, focused. She made¡ªOof!¡±


    Seizing her opportunity, Olivia sank her heel into the bandit¡¯s foot, followed by a quick elbow to the groin, making him bend over his stomach as she escaped his grasp and spun around behind him.


    It was like watching a choreographed dance performance. If her dance partner was completely unaware of the moves.


    Moving with impressive swiftness, the mayor¡¯s niece grabbed a large flower pot from a nearby table with both hands.


    ¡°Ow, my jewels!¡± Jake grunted with a strained voice, keeling over in pain. ¡°I¡¯m gonna¡ªWait, what are you¡ª¡±


    Without a hint of hesitation, Olivia stood over the kneeling bandit and shattered the ceramic pot over his head, sending shards, flowers, and water flying everywhere.


    ¡°Maybe that will cool you off,¡± she said, looking down at the soaked and knocked-out bandit on the floor.


    The other two bandits stared at her with dumbfounded expressions at what had just happened.


    In fact, so did Balthazar and Suze.


    ¡°What?¡± the young woman exclaimed, blowing a strand of hair from her eyes. ¡°I was sick of the stench.¡±


    The goons looked at one another.


    Olivia grinned.


    ¡°Alright, who wants to go next?¡±

 Chapter 173: Mezzanine

    ¡°Nah, screw that,¡± the taller bandit said. ¡°The crab¡¯s right. We don¡¯t get paid enough for this.¡±


    ¡°Forget it,¡± said the shorter one, turning around and heading to the stairs. ¡°That girl¡¯s crazy. I shoulda stayed downstairs drinking with the others.¡±


    Balthazar watched, flabbergasted, as the two bandits walked toward the stairs.


    ¡°What? You guys are leaving already?¡± Olivia yelled from across the room. ¡°We were just starting to have fun!¡±


    The skinnier man brushed her off with a hand as he started going down the steps.


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t even going to tend to your boss?¡± the perplexed crab said, looking at the wet lump that was their boss lying on the polished floor.


    ¡°Bah! You was right. He don¡¯t care about us,¡± the stocky bandit said. ¡°Let his ¡®muse¡¯ come help him.¡±


    ¡°Byeee! Don¡¯t forget to sign up for the Bandit Rights Association!¡± Suze said as the two men disappeared down the stairs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t encourage it,¡± Olivia told her as she walked around the knocked out bandit to join them.


    ¡°It worked out in the end,¡± the street urchin said as she pulled the rope around her wrists loose with her teeth.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not waste any more time,¡± the Marquessa girl said. ¡°We¡¯ve got one more floor to go.¡±


    ¡°Do we just¡­ leave him here?¡± said Balthazar, staring at the passed out Jake.


    ¡°Do you want to carry him with us?¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re right. Let him stink up this room with onion.¡±


    The trio ran to the bottom of the stairs leading up and came to another stop.


    ¡°Oh, great, more stairs,¡± Suze said. ¡°Can¡¯t we just send Balthazar up through the dummy waiter again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a dumbwaiter,¡± the other girl said. ¡°And no, we can¡¯t. I was poking my head in to check when Jake caught me by surprise. The pulleys were removed past this floor. Seems whoever lives up there didn¡¯t want any meals delivered.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good,¡± said the crab. ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking forward to another ride in there. Way too cramped for my taste.¡±


    ¡°Then how will we get him up?¡± the smaller human asked. ¡°His fish brain can¡¯t figure out how to work steps, and I¡¯m not pushing up the stairs either.¡±


    ¡°I have an idea,¡± Olivia said with a smirk, looking past the other two.


    Going around them, the young woman pulled some curtains and tapestries aside, revealing a chain wrapped around a metal hook on the wall.


    ¡°Here, hold this tight, please,¡± she told the crab.


    Slightly confused, Balthazar obliged, grasping the chain with both pincers. ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll see in just a moment,¡± the girl said as she started releasing the chain from the hook.


    The merchant¡¯s frowning gaze went up, following the chain he was holding.


    It went up straight, past the mezzanine on the floor above, to another round hook on the ceiling. Balthazar¡¯s eyes continued following along the horizontal line of the chain, widening as he realized what it was connected to: one of the chandeliers hanging above the ballroom.


    ¡°Olivia, why are you un¡ªAhhhh!¡±


    Experiencing a sudden jolt of whiplash again, the crab¡¯s feet left the floor as the chain unwound, pulling him upward toward the ceiling, pincers holding on for dear life as he screamed all the way there.


    On the reverse, the chandelier at the other end of the chain came crashing down onto the polished mahogany boards of the ballroom with a loud shattering, sending glass and metal bits flying all across the dance floor.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks squished against the ceiling as his shell slammed onto it, making him let go of the chain and tumble forward, flailing desperately to fall on the mezzanine instead of all the way back down to the floor below.


    ¡°Ooow¡­¡± the crab moaned, lying upside down on the carpet of the third floor.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Great, you made it!¡± said Olivia, rushing up the stairs to meet him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even warn me!¡± Balthazar protested as she helped him back onto his feet.


    ¡°Would you have grabbed the chain if I did?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    A joyful bout of laughter came from below.


    ¡°That was awesome!¡± Suze shouted from the dance floor underneath. ¡°Do me next!¡±


    ¡°No, that would be dangerous,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece responded over the railing of the mezzanine. ¡°Use the stairs.¡±


    ¡°But you did it for Balthazar!¡± the little girl grumpily responded as she walked up the staircase, arms crossed and a pout on her face.


    ¡°The kid¡¯s right,¡± the crustacean exclaimed with annoyance. ¡°You had no concerns about the danger when you did it to me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, listen to Balthazar!¡± Suze said. ¡°You should do it with me too!¡±


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks jumped. ¡°Hey, hold on, that¡¯s not what I meant!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shush, you two,¡± said Olivia, rolling her eyes and walking to the double doors of the third floor. ¡°He has a hard shell, you don¡¯t. I knew he¡¯d be fine. Probably. Let¡¯s keep going. We¡¯re almost to the master bedroom we saw on the floor plans. It should be just across a corridor through the guest wing of the house.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice that ¡®probably¡¯ there, miss,¡± Balthazar muttered as he begrudgingly followed her.


    The young woman pressed down on the two handles and pushed the doors open, revealing a long corridor.


    Its mood was gloomy, despite the plentiful lighting from an unreasonable amount of lit candles spread over the many pieces of dark wood furniture.


    The floor was covered on its entire length by a long rug with strange patterns woven into it, similar to the ones on the tapestries hanging over the walls.


    ¡°Whoever decorated this place really liked these ugly patterns,¡± Balthazar commented as they stepped into the hallway.


    Olivia ran a hand through the fabric of one of the tapestries. ¡°Oooh, I get it now. Damask Manor.¡±


    Suze let out an impressed whistle. ¡°Check out these curtains. So smooth.¡±


    The young girl was rubbing the silky and plushy fibers of a pair of black curtains on the opposite wall while nodding gently in approval.


    ¡°So smooth. I never felt anything like it. Is this what you rich people call satin?¡±


    Olivia came closer to inspect the curtains too.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not satin. I think it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    The sound of a door closing at the other end of the corridor made the trio turn their heads¡ªand shell.


    A tall man in uniform had just stepped out of the master bedroom, helmet on his head, cape draped behind his back, and a fierce gaze peering through his visor.


    ¡°The commander of the guard,¡± Olivia muttered.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± asked Suze, wiping her hands on the curtains before letting them go.


    Balthazar frowned. ¡°He was the one that ordered my arrest the other day. He¡¯s under her influence too. That¡¯s why all those guards are doing her bidding.¡±


    The commander grabbed a thick wooden baton with a set of metal spikes lining the end of it from his waist and pointed it straight at the crab.


    ¡°You,¡± he said, ¡°will go no further.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ did you bring any more flower pots from downstairs?¡± Balthazar whispered to Olivia.


    ¡°No,¡± she responded. ¡°And he¡¯s also wearing a helmet, so I¡¯m all out of ideas.¡±


    ¡°You really need to diversify your moveset,¡± Suze chimed in.


    The commander took a heavy step forward, making the floorboards vibrate under the weight of his armor.


    ¡°You will not reach her,¡± the man said in a gravelly tone as he pulled a large round shield from his back. ¡°I won¡¯t let you. I will protect her. I will keep her safe. I¡¯m the only one who can. She told me so herself. I will do my duty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright, this guy has lost his marbles,¡± said the crab.


    ¡°We noticed,¡± the street urchin said. ¡°But what do we do about it? He doesn¡¯t look like he wants to talk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I usually just wing it at this point, but I¡¯m not really seeing a way around this right now!¡± Olivia said with a note of growing concern in her voice as the guardsman kept heading toward them.


    ¡°You¡¯d better think of something fast, Balthazar,¡± Suze warned. ¡°Because he¡¯s coming fast and he looks really mad at you.¡±


    The merchant looked around, searching for a solution he couldn¡¯t find. ¡°Ah, crabapples! Why does everyone want a piece of me lately?!¡±


    ¡°Must be your natural charm!¡± Olivia exclaimed as she grabbed a candlestick from a nearby dresser and held it up like a weapon.


    ¡°She¡¯s mine, you hear?¡± the commander yelled while breaking into a sprint, his baton held high in one hand, the shield held up in front of him as he charged forward. ¡°I won¡¯t let you hurt her!¡±


    ¡°Hurt her? I just wanted the mangoes so I could get some directions, you lunatic!¡± Balthazar exclaimed as he hurriedly pulled his backpack down and reached into it. ¡°I was trying to save this, but I guess I gotta try it now.¡±


    Pulling his claw out of the magical pack, the crab revealed an ingot of solid iron, the same one he had gotten from Captain Leander when they first met.


    ¡°Oh, great, you¡¯re gonna toss that at his head?¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°Not exactly.¡±


    Sliding the system text into his view as the armored guard kept charging at him, Balthazar selected his chosen skill.


    This better do what I think it should, or I¡¯m about to turn into crab pulp!


    [Imbuing activated: Iron Ingot absorbed]


    He looked down at his pincer with anticipation, but a sharp sting came from within his shell instead.


    ¡°Ow! What is going on?!¡± the crustacean groaned as a strange feeling took over his body.


    The commander roared as he reached the crab, bringing his spiked baton down on him with furious force.

 Chapter 174: Guest Wing

    Olivia gasped and Suze let out a yelp.


    The commander groaned in confusion.


    But Balthazar didn¡¯t make a sound.


    The sudden burst of discomfort that had run through him was now replaced with a feeling of extra weight.


    Part of it came from his body feeling much heavier than usual, but also because of the pressure being applied by the baton pushing down on his shell.


    Huh¡­ Why isn¡¯t it hurting?


    Twisting his eyestalks around, the crab saw the tip of the weapon pressed against the top of his shell, its spikes scratching fruitlessly on it but unable to pierce his chitin.


    Not his usual chitin, however.


    It was still gray as his carapace usually was, but with a shinier finish. A metallic texture to it.


    His shell was iron.


    ¡°What is this?!¡± the bewildered commander exclaimed, still trying to push the baton down on the crab, unsuccessfully.


    Balthazar looked at himself with almost as much bewilderment. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ an iron crab.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± said the human. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s illegal!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you do that?!¡± exclaimed Suze, a few paces behind them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± the metallic crustacean said. ¡°I was hoping it would imbue my claw with iron, not my whole body.¡±


    The frustrated guardsman finally pulled his weapon away and took a couple of steps back, breathing fast as he scowled at his suddenly sturdier opponent.


    Balthazar checked his system status.


    [Imbuing - Iron]


    [Duration: 5 minutes]


    [Effect: +5 physical defense. +5 unarmed damage. -5 speed.]


    Hmm, that¡¯s new. It¡¯s not just an iron claw with extra damage anymore.


    Feeling confident about his new buff, the crab stepped forward to taunt the human, but his legs faltered under the extra weight of his iron shell, dragging his pace.


    Ah, damn it. Not a fan of the reduced speed, though.


    ¡°Al¡­ alright, pal,¡± Balthazar said to the commander, trying to remain cocky as he slowly rolled forward. ¡°I¡¯ll overlook the¡­ oof, this is heavy¡­ the fact that you tried to dome me right there on account of you not thinking straight right now. I¡¯ll let¡­ let you get out of here unscathed if you start running now. Go on, shoo.¡±


    The fuming man tightened his grip around the baton until his knuckles turned white, baring his teeth as he responded. ¡°You want her all to yourself. I will never let you take her away from me!¡±


    ¡°Oh, for the love of¡­¡± the merchant sighed.


    Yelling an overly dramatic war cry, the armored guard charged at Balthazar again, shield held forward as he brought the spiked weapon down on him once more.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Oh! Ow! Stop it!¡± the crab exclaimed as the human delivered thuds and clunks over his shell one after another, causing a barrage of system notifications to assault Balthazar¡¯s vision.


    [1 damage taken!]


    [1 damage taken!]


    [1 damage taken!]


    [1 damage taken!]


    [1 damage taken!]


    ¡°Just. Crack. Already!¡± the exasperated guardsman yelled between strikes.


    As nice as his new iron shell was at reducing physical damage, Balthazar knew he couldn¡¯t stand there taking hit after hit forever, even with all the extra points he had invested in Health.


    Unfortunately, fighting someone head on wasn¡¯t something he had much experience with. Not unless that someone was a tiny fish trapped in a puddle. Or the fight was a verbal one over the price of a pair of used boots.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got claws, Balthazar!¡± Olivia shouted from the sideline. ¡°Put ¡®em up!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, I¡¯m a crab!¡±


    Thrusting his pincer forward, the metallic invertebrate tried to reach for the man¡¯s ankle¡ªBalthazar¡¯s signature move when it came to dealing with pesky humans bothering him.


    Unfortunately, the local guardsman wasn¡¯t as easily felled as some overburdened adventurer skipping rocks over a pond.


    With trained reflexes, the commander blocked the crab¡¯s strike with his round shield, hitting the tip of the pincer with a forceful bash.


    ¡°Ow! Right in the funny joint!¡± Balthazar cried, pulling his arm back.


    The barrage of baton strikes resumed as the merchant did his best to shield himself with the other claw.


    It wasn¡¯t working out too well for him. While the iron provided him with increased defense and even some extra offensive potential¡ªassuming he could make it connect¡ªthe speed penalty also made him a sitting duck for the man¡¯s attacks.


    And if there was something Balthazar couldn¡¯t stand was being likened to any kind of bird. Sitting or otherwise.


    [Health: 198/220]


    That isn¡¯t good either. I can¡¯t just keep taking this forever until I hit zero.


    The merchant tried to ponder his options amid loud bonks to the top of his shell. None of his skills seemed all that useful for his current situation, and after activating the imbuing skill it was not like he had much mana left to work with anyway. His Backpack of Holding was still dropped on the floor a few paces back and out of reach. Even if he could search it, he couldn¡¯t think of anything in there that would rid him of the bothersome human trying to get to his soft insides.


    ¡°At least try hitting a different spot for a bit!¡± Balthazar exclaimed as another strike of the baton connected with his iron chitin. ¡°I¡¯m starting to go numb there!¡±


    ¡°I will never stop protecting my dame!¡± the tall man loudly declared as he brought his right arm up once again. ¡°She will¡ªHuh?!¡±


    The commander spun around sharply as he felt a figure coming up behind him.


    ¡°Shut up already, white knight!¡± Olivia exclaimed as she hurled a teapot at his head.


    It hit the front of his helmet straight on and shattered into countless ceramic pieces, but it wasn¡¯t enough to knock him down, merely making him stumble back.


    Until Suze appeared out of nowhere next to Balthazar and popped down on her hands and knees behind the man¡¯s heels, making him trip and tumble back.


    The commander fell on his cape and his helmet flew off his head, but his grip on the baton and shield remained strong.


    Balthazar looked at Olivia with a baffled expression. ¡°How do you keep finding all these things to smash on people¡¯s heads?!¡±


    ¡°What?! There was a tea cart right outside one of the bedrooms over there!¡± the young woman exclaimed. ¡°Would you prefer I hadn''t smashed it on his head?¡±


    Angry grunting interrupted their argument over the girl¡¯s affinity for ceramic pieces as the commander stood back up onto his feet.


    ¡°Come here, you little brat!¡± the man yelled as he set his sights on Suze.


    He raised his right arm, bringing the baton over the little girl as she scrambled to stand up.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes widened. His shell was iron, her skin was not. He strained to reach forward, but before his heavy legs could take the first step, the crab felt a gust of wind zip past him as Olivia rushed to the other girl.


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    She tackled Suze out of the way just as the furious baton of the commander came down hard on the floor where she stood a second before, cracking the wooden floorboards under the rug.


    The two girls tumbled and rolled on each other, both ending up sprawled with their backs on the floor, still within reach of the mad man.


    ¡°Fine,¡± the guardsman growled. ¡°I¡¯ll rid myself of the two of you in one go.¡±


    The raised baton cast a shadow over Olivia¡¯s face as her eyes widened, her back and elbows still on the floor.

 Chapter 175: Master Bedroom

    ¡°Balthazar!¡± Suze called, pointing at the man¡¯s feet. ¡°His shoes!¡±


    The merchant, still moving forward slowly, looked at the boots.


    His shoelaces were tied together.


    Balthazar did not know how she did it, but the girl sure had quick fingers.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± the commander exclaimed, looking back at the crab and then down at his own feet.


    As if realizing that his boots were tied together suddenly made it more real, the man staggered back while trying to take a step to the side.


    His momentary loss of balance was the opportunity the armored crustacean needed.


    Putting all his power into it, Balthazar took a jab at the commander.


    The guardsman still managed to bring his shield forward to block, but this time it wasn¡¯t enough to stop the mighty pincer of justice.


    The iron claw punched right through the wood of the round shield, shattering it into a thousand splinters and making the human lose the already precarious balance he still had.


    Unfortunately, and in a bizarre twist of fate, losing his balance and falling backward as Balthazar¡¯s strike pierced through the shield also made him go just slightly out of reach of the crab¡¯s pincer.


    The claw grazed past the man¡¯s belt just as Balthazar closed it, snapping the buckle clean off.


    What felt like a disaster playing in slow motion sped back up to normal speed as the commander fell back, rolling into a tangled heap along with his cape.


    His baton had gone flying off his hand.


    What remained of his shattered shield fell to the floor.


    And also, his pants had dropped to his ankles.


    ¡°Oh! What the hell!¡± Balthazar blurted out as his eyes met the consequences of his unintentional belt snipping.


    ¡°What is¡ªOh, goodness gracious!¡± exclaimed Olivia as she stood up and quickly averted her eyes.


    ¡°What happened?!¡± Suze asked as she got back up behind the older girl.


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Balthazar hurriedly exclaimed as he moved in front of the little girl and placed his claw in front of her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡±


    As if on a terribly timed cue, several steps came rushing up the stairs to the third floor just as the dazed commander started staggering back onto his¡ªstill tied together¡ªfeet.


    A group of city guards appeared on the other side of the double doors to the corridor, seemingly coming to the commander¡¯s aid.


    ¡°Chief! We just came from town when we saw the front door busted open. Is everythi¡ªOh!¡±


    The guards all skidded to a sudden stop as their gazes met the embarrassing heap of a man hopping back up onto his feet with his pants down and his undergarments on full display.


    ¡°Aw, man, I didn¡¯t need to see that!¡± one of them said as he turned his head.


    ¡°That just ain¡¯t right,¡± said another with a pained expression.


    ¡°Did the crab do that?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Are those¡­ heart prints?¡±


    ¡°Why is there a yellow stain?!¡±


    The commander stood awkwardly in the middle of the corridor, eyes darting between the crab¡¯s group and his guardsmen, his cape still caught over his shoulder, ensuring he had no modesty no matter the angle.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± he muttered in a suddenly much higher pitched voice. ¡°This is like the recurring nightmare I had every day before school!¡±


    Tears began to well up in the man¡¯s eyes as his expression turned into an ugly cry face.


    ¡°This is so embarrassing!¡± he cried out. ¡°I can¡¯t look her in the eye after this! I¡¯ve made a fool of myself outside her bedroom door! She¡¯ll think I¡¯m a joke!¡±


    Breaking into a sobbing mess, the commander ran¡ªor rather, awkwardly hopped¡ªaway, hands covering his face and pants still around his ankles, disappearing down the stairs after the guards stepped aside to let him pass.


    [Bewitched Commander of the Marquessian City Guard defeated]


    [You have reached level 21!]


    Bewitched, eh? Interesting. Still, no time to be pondering stats right now. I¡¯ll have to do it later.


    With a flick of his eyestalks, Balthazar swiped the notification aside.


    Meanwhile, the group of guardsmen stood around exchanging glances at one another.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I can ever look at the commander the same way again,¡± one of them commented.


    ¡°I used to fear that man, you know?¡± added another. ¡°Kind of hard to take him seriously after this.¡±


    Their gazes met the crab and his group.


    ¡°So, uh¡­¡± Olivia started. ¡°We¡¯re gonna fight or¡­ are we good?¡±


    The men mumbled and awkwardly averted their eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Uhm, no, no,¡± one of them finally said with a concerned frown. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, Ms. Marquessa. We were just following our superior¡¯s orders before, we have no issue with you. Or your friends. Or anyone else, really. We¡¯re just grunts, you know? I¡¯m sure you will tell your aunt that. Right?¡±


    The mayor¡¯s niece placed her hands on her hips and scowled at them.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky we¡¯re busy right now,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯d probably be smart of you to get out of here before I have time to memorize your faces.¡±


    The guardsmen bumped on each other a few times as they quickly turned back to the staircase, trying to leave as quickly as they could.


    ¡°Of course, Ms. Olivia! Right away! Thank you, Lady Marquessa!¡±


    As they also left down the stairs, the crab and the girls were once again alone in the long corridor.


    ¡°Well, that was somehow even weirder than the previous floor,¡± said Olivia.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Suze said. ¡°The commander, Onion Jake¡­ What is wrong with all those guys? Do all grown boys act that stupid over a woman?¡±


    The older girl clicked her tongue. ¡°Oh, sweetheart, you have no idea¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a witching charm,¡± Balthazar said with a sigh.


    ¡°What?!¡± Olivia said.


    ¡°Or at least I think it is.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡±


    The iron crab turned¡ªslowly¡ªto the curtained windows.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it a while back,¡± he explained. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure before, but the signs keep pointing to it. ¡®She¡¯ is a witch, and her signature move is charming others with some kind of hex to get what she wants while their common sense is clouded.¡±


    ¡°Bleh, I don¡¯t like witches,¡± said Suze, sticking her tongue out in disgust.


    Balthazar glanced at her from the corner of his eye. ¡°Heh, you reminded me of someone just now. You two would probably like each other.¡±


    ¡°Well, witch or not, that doesn¡¯t change much,¡± Olivia said. ¡°We¡¯re here now, a few steps away from that door, and we¡¯re going to put an end to this, are we not?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the crab said as he stiffly put his backpack back on with Suze¡¯s help. ¡°Just don¡¯t leave me alone in the room with her and it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Scared?¡± the young woman asked with a cocked eyebrow.


    ¡°Pfft, no, of course not!¡± the slightly embarrassed crustacean exclaimed.


    Slowly stomping forward, the iron-clad crab reached the double doors that¡ªaccording to the blueprints he got from the Thieves Guild¡ªwould lead into the master bedroom.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said, taking a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s face that witch.¡±


    Pushing both handles down with his claws, the merchant flung the doors open and confidently stepped into the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s over, Velvet! We have¡­ Huh?!¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s triumphant entrance died down as his eyes scanned the bedroom.


    The place looked perfectly normal. It had a big bed, windows, curtains, more rugs and tapestries, dressers, a mirror, some chairs, and even a crackling fireplace off to the side.


    But there was no woman there.


    Just a gentle thrum coming from the armchair in front of the fire.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±

 Chapter 176: Out of the Bag

    ¡°There¡¯s no one here?¡± said Suze with a disappointed look on her face.


    Olivia looked around the room with suspicion. ¡°The windows are all locked from the inside, so it¡¯s not like she could have gotten out that way either.¡±


    ¡°I was so sure she would be here,¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Well, I see no witch,¡± the mayor¡¯s niece exclaimed, throwing her arms out in exasperation. ¡°Just a cat.¡±


    The crab stared at the feline creature sitting on the armchair in front of the fireplace, purring and lazily cleaning its black fur. Its piercing blue eyes attentively observed Balthazar as he racked his brain for answers.


    I¡¯ve seen that cat before, haven¡¯t I?


    ¡°Maybe we came too late, and she was never here to begin with?¡± the street urchin suggested.


    ¡°No, she had to be,¡± the merchant said. ¡°The commander came out of this room to make sure we couldn¡¯t get to her, remember? As out of his mind as he was, I¡¯m still sure he wasn¡¯t defending an empty room.¡±


    Suze cocked an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m gonna check under the bed!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look around too,¡± the other girl said with a sigh. ¡°There¡¯s got to be some clue around here to help us.¡±


    Balthazar scanned the room as well, keeping an eyestalk on the cat the whole time.


    The light of the fireplace paired with the mostly dark palette of the decoration gave the room a moody atmosphere that made the very air around them feel heavier. Thick black curtains adorned most of the windows, while dark brown rugs made of soft bear fur covered the mahogany floor. The king-size bed was made with black covers of a soft and lush material¡ªvelvet.


    ¡°So soft,¡± Suze said as she got up from checking the underside of the bed and placed her hands on the covers.


    ¡°This witch¡¯s name is Velvet and she decorates her whole place with velvet stuff?¡± Olivia commented with a disdainful eyebrow cocked. ¡°A bit of an egomaniac, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Also completely nuts,¡± Balthazar added. ¡°When I first met her, she wanted me to sell one of my legs for her to use in one of her concoctions.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t consider the offer?¡± asked the smaller girl as she rummaged through the drawers of the nightstand.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± the crab immediately exclaimed. ¡°Alright, maybe just for a moment. But that¡¯s not the point. This witch can¡¯t take a no for an answer, and she can¡¯t be trusted. The next time I saw her, she tried to cut off my leg with a sickle! I would probably be a seven-legged merchant now, if it wasn¡¯t for Blue setting her hair on fire.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Olivia. ¡°I thought crabs could grow back their limbs.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± the crustacean responded. ¡°But I never lost a leg before and don¡¯t want to find out if that¡¯s true or not. I¡¯m very attached to my legs, thank you very much.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the room again for a moment. He was so certain he was about to find the witch there. Hopeful, even.


    Not because he felt any pleasure in encountering the wretched woman, of course.


    But because it would be an opportunity to uphold the promise he made Henrietta before leaving the pond.


    That he would find Velvet and get her to reverse the curse she placed on the former innkeeper, turning her into a toad under Antoine¡¯s command.


    Stumbling upon that adventurer there could have been a stroke of good luck, but now it seemed those hopes were for nothing. All they found in that room was a house cat, warming itself as it watched them search the room for clues.


    The merchant still couldn¡¯t shake the sense that the black feline felt weirdly familiar.


    Something clicked from a nearby dressing table that Suze was searching and both the wooden surface and the round mirror above it flipped, revealing a set of previously hidden items.


    ¡°What did you do?!¡± Olivia asked the kid.


    ¡°Nothing! I just¡­ poked around.¡±


    They all came closer to look at the contents on the table.


    ¡°Woah. That¡¯s a lot of hairbrushes,¡± the young girl said.


    ¡°And tonic ampoules,¡± the other said.


    The assortment of beauty essentials all surrounded the central piece on the dresser: a mannequin head with a wig of long and lush black hair resting on it.


    ¡°Is your witch bald?¡± Suze asked.


    ¡°No?¡± Balthazar said. ¡°At least I don¡¯t think so. Maybe¡­¡±


    The crab thought back to his last encounter with her. Back home, by the shore of his pond. How she had him under her hex, numbed to the fact that she was about to slice away at his leg with a scythe. It was Blue who stopped her with her fire breath, sending the witch screaming into the water with her long black hair partially on fire. It didn¡¯t seem that bad at the time, but he hadn¡¯t seen her again since that day.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    He glanced at the wig on the display and almost felt bad for her.


    Almost.


    A low and soft growl came from the other side of the room and the merchant turned to look at it.


    The cat had jumped from the armchair and was now sitting on the bed, still watching them like it had just moved to get a better view of what they were doing with the things on the table.


    ¡°Oooh, what¡¯s this?¡± Suze excitedly said while grabbing and twisting a small lipstick that was¡ªunsurprisingly¡ªblack.


    ¡°Put that back!¡± Olivia exclaimed. ¡°Don¡¯t take stuff that belongs to a witch. Who knows what¡¯s in it.¡±


    The little girl rolled her eyes and dropped the shiny stick container back into the drawer she found it in while Balthazar eyed the strange feline creature quietly observing them.


    I remember now. The alley. It was dark, but I¡¯m pretty sure this is the same cat I saw there on the fence the night we went to the bandit hideout.


    The fur ball lazily licked the back of its paw and continued its grooming, all without taking its eyes off the group¡ªespecially Balthazar.


    And that night, at the inn. There was a cat outside the bedroom window too. Black and with blue eyes. That can¡¯t be a coincidence!


    With the pebbles connecting in the crab¡¯s mind, the candles of his brain slowly lit up as he pieced together what his gut was telling him the whole time.


    ¡°Alright, this is a waste of time,¡± said Olivia. ¡°She clearly slipped through our fingers. We should get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± said Balthazar, looking at the crackling fireplace. ¡°But before we go, we should make sure she won¡¯t get the last laugh if she comes back here.¡±


    The crab gathered a pincerful of hairbrushes from the dressing table as the two girls watched on with confused frowns.


    ¡°What are you going to¡ªOh.¡±


    Balthazar walked up to the fireplace and unceremoniously dropped the brushes into the flames, which roared as they flared up, causing the cat to hiss from the bed.


    Olivia crossed her arms in disapproval. ¡°Well, that just seems immature and completely unhelp¡ª¡±


    ¡°Me next! Me next!¡± exclaimed Suze, as she gleefully grabbed the black lipstick and ran to the mantel, tossing the small piece of makeup into the fire.


    ¡°Oh, fine!¡± the Marquessa heir said, uncrossing her arms and snatching a fistful of cosmetics and tonic vials.


    With an expression of vindication on her face, Olivia dumped them all into the flames too. ¡°This is for taking our city¡¯s mangoes, you rotten witch!¡±


    Balthazar glanced at the cat from the corner of his eye.


    ¡°Yeah, rotten, ugly witch,¡± he said. ¡°Look at all this crap she has to wear to hide how ugly she is underneath.¡±


    The metallic crustacean went back to the table.


    ¡°Imagine how mad she will be,¡± said the merchant as he lifted the black wig from the display head, ¡°when she finds out her new hair burned up like the previous one too.¡±


    As the agitated feline paced back and forth on the bed, Balthazar walked across the room, holding the long black curls up on his claws, like a procession. A procession to a cremation.


    ¡°Too bad she¡¯s not here to stop me from destroying this expensive hairdo, right, girls?¡± the merchant loudly declared as he held his pincers over the fire, the flames nearly licking the tips of the long locks of hair.


    ¡°Fine!¡± a resounding voice shouted, making Olivia and Suze jump in place as they saw the black cat jump off the bed.


    As the creature soared through the air, its shape changed in a blink, the limbs growing into human arms and legs while the fur became a black gala dress. The cat head morphed into a woman¡¯s face, the dark fur giving way to pale white skin, leaving nothing of her previous form save for the piercing blue of the eyes.


    ¡°You certainly know how to rile a girl up, you silver-tongued crab,¡± the witch said with a sly grin as she landed gracefully on the bear rug.


    ¡°Velvet,¡± the crustacean said bitterly.


    ¡°Hello, Balthie. Missed me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the witch?!¡± exclaimed Suze. ¡°She¡¯s a talking cat?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, shush, you runt,¡± the black-clad adventurer said. ¡°Of course I¡¯m not a cat. It¡¯s just a little shapeshifting incantation. Let the adults talk now.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one who¡¯s caused all this trouble for my aunt and our city,¡± Olivia said with fire in her voice and a searing glare in her eyes as she stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m going to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll do nothing, girl,¡± Velvet interrupted, her smile vanishing from her face as she flicked her wrist toward the windows.


    The black curtains draped over them suddenly undulated to life, ripping themselves off the rails and flying through the room like textile spirits.


    Before any of them could react, the velvet drapes wrapped around the crab and girls like a snake enveloping its prey.


    Suze and Olivia were pulled back against the wall, arms and legs tightly packed against their bodies like an insect trapped in a spider¡¯s web.


    Balthazar, however, would not go down so easily. While he was not much of a fighter, he was an expert at using his pincers to cut things.


    Dropping the wig on the floor, the crab quickly snapped at the charging curtains with his deft scissor-like appendages, imagining pesky birds to fuel his momentum.


    Against the evil drapes that the wicked hag conjured, the iron crustacean sent unto them his claws, ripping and tearing until it was done.


    The shredded pieces of fabric fell to the floor, defeated and lifeless as the gleaming crab stood victorious between the woman and the two girls.


    ¡°Haha, take that, witch!¡± the street rascal shouted with glee from her velvet bonds.


    ¡°A little too early to be celebrating, Suze,¡± said Olivia as she struggled against the curtains trapping her. ¡°We¡¯re still not free, and the witch isn¡¯t beaten yet.¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± Suze scoffed. ¡°We¡¯ve got an iron crab on our side. He¡¯s got this! Kick her butt, Balthazar!¡±


    His confidence boosted by the girl¡¯s words, the metallic crustacean puffed himself up, pincers held up as he stepped forward.


    ¡°Damn right!¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re done for, Velvet. I¡¯m going to¡ª¡±


    A large crack appeared over the crab¡¯s shell, splitting his iron chitin down the middle. With just enough time to look down at himself, Balthazar saw the entire metal finish crumble to pieces that vanished before reaching the floor, leaving just his regular old chitin behind.


    [Iron Imbuing: 0 seconds left]


    The system line disappeared as the crab stood in the middle of the bedroom, suddenly feeling strangely naked for someone who had never worn clothes in his whole life. The iron was gone, and with it all the physical bonuses as well.


    ¡°Oh, crabapples¡­¡±

 Chapter 177: Gloating

    ¡°Oh, dear,¡± said Velvet with a mischievous smirk. ¡°How embarrassing.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s face scrunched up at the witch as the last bits of iron rusted off his chitin.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s perfectly normal,¡± she continued. ¡°I have that kind of effect on men all the time.¡±


    ¡°Men like that commander outside your door, or Onion Jake?¡± the crab said with a frown.


    He didn¡¯t exactly have a plan before, but at least he had the confidence of a body covered in iron. Now that he had lost that, suddenly the merchant felt a lot more exposed and in need of a new plan. Keeping the adventurer talking was the beginning of one.


    ¡°Those two fools?¡± Velvet replied with laughter. ¡°Please, they were practically begging to be manipulated.¡±


    The crab and the witch started walking slowly in a circle around each other as if in a standoff. Balthazar carefully measured each step and kept his distance from her, while Velvet casually sauntered with unburdened grace.


    ¡°What for?¡± asked the crab. ¡°Why go through all this trouble? What was your big plan?¡±


    The woman in the black dress stopped on the spot where Balthazar had stood a moment before.


    ¡°Oh, you devious crab,¡± she said with a smile and a disapproving wag of her finger. ¡°You¡¯re trying to get me to monologue about my scheming, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Ah, damn it, she got me¡­


    ¡°But,¡± the witch continued, ¡°I don¡¯t see why I shouldn¡¯t indulge myself for a moment. A girl deserves her gloating from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Is that a type of candy?¡± Suze asked from the back of the room, where she and Olivia were still bound by the animated curtains.


    Velvet ignored her and instead picked up the wig Balthazar had dropped on the floor moments before.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± she said, contemplating the strands of black hair draped down from the wig. ¡°Your pet really did a number on my hair back when we last met. For a while I could barely stand looking in the mirror. But now? I think I¡¯m growing used to it. Maybe I should even ditch this thing. What do you think?¡±


    Using her other hand, the woman touched up the sides of her natural hair, which was now much shorter, cropped around the sides and back, the tips of its locks barely touching her neck.


    Balthazar found it quite suited her, for some reason.


    ¡°I¡¯m a crab, what do I know or care about hair?¡± the merchant claimed, making an effort to sound extra crabby.


    ¡°Looks good!¡± Suze shouted from the back. ¡°You¡¯re rocking that pixie haircut, lady!¡±


    ¡°Suze!¡± Olivia grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to compliment the bad guys!¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± the little girl said. ¡°Your hair sucks, lady!¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Velvet scoffed, rolling her eyes at the two girls while keeping a confident smirk. ¡°The people of this city are just so¡­ rude. That¡¯s how it started, you know?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Balthazar inquired, still trying to think of a way to defeat the witch that wouldn¡¯t involve getting too close to her and her nasty witchcraft.


    ¡°I entered Marquessa a while back, not too long after our fiery encounter,¡± the black-clad woman said. ¡°I was still looking for a solution to my hair¡­ problem. I went straight to the city hall building, but everywhere I turned I could see them, the locals, the dirty peasantry. Staring, snickering, whispering, pointing at my head¡ªthey all mocked my misfortune.¡±


    ¡°All of them?¡± the skeptical crab said with a cocked eyestalk. ¡°Most people I passed on the streets barely slowed down to look at me. And I¡¯m a giant, talking crustacean. Are you sure you weren¡¯t just being paranoid?¡±


    ¡°Quiet!¡± the dark witch yelled, her eyes widening as she raised her voice.


    The flames of the candles flickered for a second at her outburst, and a wind chill ran through the stuffy bedroom despite all windows being closed.


    ¡°I am regaling you with the tale of my accomplishments in this city,¡± she continued, her smile and calmer demeanor settling back onto her expression. ¡°Do not be rude by interrupting it to call me paranoid.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Yeah, sure, monologue away, don¡¯t mind me,¡± Balthazar sheepishly said, the bristles on the back of his shell still standing from the sudden chill that passed through him at the witch¡¯s command.


    ¡°The worst of all was that¡­ baroness,¡± the adventurer said, with bitter contempt dripping from her every word. ¡°Atop those stairs, looking down at me. I could see her eyeing my hair. The very face of mockery. Thinking herself superior, with her overly bright dress and excessive jewelry. So¡­ gauche.¡±


    ¡°You wish you had half my aunt¡¯s class!¡± Olivia exclaimed from her restraints.


    ¡°I warned you to be quiet while the grown-ups talk, girl.¡±


    With a flick of her wrist, Velvet commanded the curtain to wrap around the young woman¡¯s mouth too.


    ¡°So, what, you decided to steal the city¡¯s harvest because the mayor looked at you the wrong way?!¡± Balthazar quickly asked, trying to take the witch¡¯s focus away from Olivia and back to himself.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± the woman responded.


    ¡°You¡¯re very petty, you know that, right?¡± the crab said.


    ¡°Thank you, darling. It¡¯s good to be appreciated from time to time.¡±


    The smirking adventurer tossed the wig onto the bed and started circling around again, making the crab do the same to keep his distance.


    ¡°I simply took it upon myself to knock that pretentious woman down a few notches,¡± Velvet said with a tone of haughty disdain. ¡°And what better way to take down a mayor than to undermine her control over the city? It was all so simple, so easy. Practically child¡¯s play. Fun, too. I should have started doing this kind of stuff a lot sooner!¡±


    Balthazar had circled all the way back to where he started, between the window and the fireplace.


    ¡°So, who came first, the bandit chief or the commander?¡± he asked, still trying to buy more time.


    ¡°Neither,¡± Velvet responded. ¡°It was a city hall office worker. So pathetically easy. A single drink one night at the tavern and a few sweet words and he spilled all the information I needed about this city. Who was who, the ins and outs. Even told me all about this wonderful abandoned manor for me to take over.¡±


    The crab listened to the woman¡¯s gloating while his mind raced for a way out of that predicament. If he tried to free the girls, the witch would surely react faster than he could cut. If he charged at her that would mean getting close, and he did not want to risk falling to her charms again. The hex kind of charms. Not her natural charms. Not that Balthazar thought she had any, of course. She was a despicable witch. And her new haircut definitely did not look good on her.


    Damn it. Focus, Balthazar!


    ¡°From there it was just a matter of finding some muscle to do the dirty work for me,¡± Velvet carried on. ¡°That disgusting bandit chief was hard to stomach, but a girl does what she must to reach her goals. The only good part about his stench was it made it easy to mask my own perfume.¡±


    That explains it! That¡¯s what blocked my attempt at convincing him. And if it wasn¡¯t for his strong onion smell I would have probably noticed that damn perfume on him when we first met and figured this out a lot sooner!


    ¡°But those bandits were just so incompetent!¡± the witch bemoaned. ¡°I had to step in to clear the way for them. So finding a guardsman commander was my next move. Poor, lonely man. Practically threw himself at my feet as soon as I approached him. I honestly think I could have just done it without a hex. He got enough guards to fall in line to clear the road for my new bandit playthings, and I got an extra set of men at my beck and call. So wonderful.¡±


    And I probably didn¡¯t notice the smell of her perfume when I met him because that prison stank of sewage!


    The crab frowned. ¡°And to top it all off, you got yourself a whole shipment of mangoes to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Those disgusting fruits?¡± Velvet said. ¡°Bah! I hate their taste. And the things these people make with them? Repulsive. Just the smell of those mango pies that Margo woman makes nearly turned my stomach when I first passed her bakery.¡±


    Balthazar gasped. She¡¯s a monster!


    ¡°I¡¯ve just been leaving them to rot in the cellar,¡± the woman continued. ¡°I only cared that the people of Marquessa wouldn¡¯t have them, to expose their mayor as the incompetent leader she is. Just in time for the next part of my plan.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± the merchant asked. He knew he couldn¡¯t keep her talking forever, and no idea had yet sprung to mind. Reaching into his backpack would take way too long. Even if he found something else to use his Imbuing skill on, his measly mana pool hadn¡¯t recovered enough yet to activate it again.


    ¡°I will swoop in and save the day, of course!¡± Velvet triumphantly declared. ¡°The people will cheer for the hero who found their stupid fruits, the guards will back me up, and the bandits will conveniently retreat. I¡¯ve always wanted a city to rule over. It¡¯s going to be simply wonderful!¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± Suze scoffed, next to Olivia¡¯s muffled protests. ¡°Your girlfriend isn¡¯t very clever, Balthazar. She just told us her whole plan. We can just expose it now.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± the suddenly flustered crab exclaimed. ¡°She¡¯s not my¡­¡±


    His words trailed off as his eyes caught a glimpse of something over the witch¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°And who says, child,¡± Velvet whispered, ¡°that you will leave this place?¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes squinted, focusing on something outside the bedroom window behind her. Something hovering in the dark. Like two glowing lights. Two golden eyes.


    Blue!


    The merchant couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile at the sight of his drake.


    ¡°But now,¡± said the adventurer, taking a step toward the crab, ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we finish our more intimate chat from last time. I haven¡¯t forgotten about the leg you owe me¡­¡±


    The witch¡¯s figure loomed over the crab, the shadow cast on her face making her wicked smile all the more sinister.


    But as her eyes met his, her gaze flickered. She had caught a glimpse of the smile on his face.


    Glass shattered with thunderous clatter as a blue-scaled beast flew into the room through the window, screeching and charging talons-first at the witch.


    ¡°Not this time!¡± Velvet ferociously yelled.


    With a swift twirl, the wicked woman dodged out of Blue¡¯s way, a purple glow erupting from her fingers as she weaved magic around her hands and aimed them at the drake.

 Chapter 178: Disarming Charm

    Blue¡¯s charge missed its target and her talons closed on nothing but the air where the witch had stood a moment before.


    Swerving to the side in order to avoid hitting Balthazar, the drake crashed against the bed, causing the wooden frame to break on impact.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this,¡± Velvet hissed with malice, purple arcana swirling rapidly around her fingers and palms.


    Blue struggled to get back on her feet, wings tangled in a mess of sheets and bed covers, but the witch gave her no time to recover.


    The mana took shape in Velvet¡¯s grasp, and she formed a glowing whip of pure magic in her hand. With a swing of her arm, the witch sent the arcane whip at the winged creature, hitting her directly on the torso with a loud snap that made Balthazar wince and clench his pincers.


    ¡°Blue!¡± Suze shouted from the wall she was still restrained against. For once, the crab detected real concern and panic in her voice, instead of her usual carefree and breezy demeanor.


    Balthazar prepared to throw caution out the same window Blue had crashed through and just run to her, when the purple glow retreated to its caster and the merchant realized the drake¡¯s state.


    She appeared completely fine. Her azure scales where the whip had connected were unmarred, and the drake stood back up with no signs of any damage taken.


    Of course! Her natural magic resistance.


    Just like Balthazar realized it, so did the witch.


    ¡°Hah! You think I can only rely on direct magic in a fight?¡± she said with a boastful grin.


    Blue¡¯s pupils narrowed with fury at the woman. When she started opening her mouth and taking a deep breath, the crab knew what would come next.


    ¡°Blue, no!¡± Balthazar shouted. ¡°The girls!¡±


    The drake¡¯s gaze followed the direction he was pointing. Unleashing her fire breath in that room, so close to the two bound humans, would risk catching them in the blast.


    Blue held back from attacking, but Velvet showed no such restraint.


    Cracking her glowing whip in the air, the witch called more of the textiles in the room to life.


    The velvety covers of the bed closed around Blue like a Venus flytrap catching an insect, before the mattress underneath wrapped around the confused drake, trapping her within. As she struggled to break free, the bear fur rug on the floor swept over her, tightening around the whole arrangement and pressing the creature down against the floor and the remains of the broken bed.


    With wings and legs tightly pushed against her bound body and only her head sticking out of the restraining fabrics, the azure creature could do little more than move her neck.


    ¡°Blue!¡± the merchant exclaimed, running forward with pincers open and ready to cut.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast!¡± Velvet said, cracking her whip on the floor between the crab and his drake as a warning. ¡°We still have unfinished business, Balthie.¡±


    The witch started walking toward the merchant, whip in hand and ill intent in her eyes.


    Balthazar gulped nervously. ¡°Uh, say¡­ weren¡¯t you telling me about your ingenious plan? I¡¯d love to hear more!¡±


    [Gift of the Crab: failure. Insufficient Charisma]


    ¡°You may be charming, Balthie,¡± Velvet said, ¡°but you¡¯re still not charming enough to trick me.¡±


    The back of the crab¡¯s shell bumped against an armchair as he tried to back away from her. He didn¡¯t want the witch coming closer to him, as he knew that she could affect him with her witchery long before she came close enough for his claws to reach her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± said the devious adventurer as the magical whip disappeared from her hands. ¡°I¡¯m not going to damage you¡­ much. I need those legs in pristine condition for my recipe.¡±


    Reaching for the pendant on her neck, Velvet pressed the jewel at its center, which produced a droplet of a thick liquid against her fingertip.


    ¡°You will understand soon. Once I complete my formula, you will see how much it was worth it. You and everyone else.¡±


    The witch reached forward with her hand, moving it as if she was about to cast a spell, but no words were said or mana weaved. Instead, Balthazar felt a sweet and overwhelming aroma wash over his antennae, numbing every sense in his body and making his leg joints feel weak.


    With his chemosensory setae flooded with the witch¡¯s bewitching perfume, the merchant¡¯s worries and cares slowly started slipping away as he was lulled into a sense of comfort by the cozy smell of freshly baked pie.


    Hey, maybe this isn¡¯t so bad after all¡­ She just smells so nice¡­ and wow, her eyes look even shinier up close. So shiny, so pretty¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Balthie,¡± Velvet whispered, tracing a black nail between his eyestalks. ¡°Just focus on the nice scent. Doesn¡¯t it smell just like your favorite thing in the whole world? Everything will be fine¡­¡±


    As the witch came closer and got her clutches around the witless crustacean, the drake over by the remnants of the bed growled and struggled against her restraints, trying to get free¡ªbut to no avail. Her wings were too tightly pressed against her body, and her talons unable to claw their way out.


    ¡°Blue,¡± Suze whispered from her own bindings. ¡°Get her dress!¡±


    The azure creature followed the little girl¡¯s nod to the tail of the witch¡¯s gala dress, dragging on the floor behind her.


    Sticking her neck out as much as she could, the drake breathed in, doing her best to aim as precise of a jet of flames as she could in order to avoid hitting Balthazar too.


    A small spout of blue fire shot out of the drake¡¯s mouth and onto the distracted adventurer¡¯s dress, setting it alight instantly.


    ¡°What¡ª¡± Velvet screeched as she looked back, the flames on the tail of her dress quickly spreading up through the fabric.


    ¡°Woah, velvet sure is flammable!¡± the street rascal on the other side of the room said.


    The witch screamed and yelled, trying to put the fire out by swatting it, which only caused the frilly ends of her sleeves to be scorched as well.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Finally smothering the flames by stomping on the lower end of her dress with her boots, the fuming woman turned her irate gaze to the drake.


    ¡°You little¡­¡±


    Swiftly moving behind the creature, Velvet called another curtain to life and commanded it to wrap around Blue¡¯s mouth with her hands.


    The drake protested with muffled growls, but the tight muzzle around her jaw and snout prevented her from opening her mouth again.


    Meanwhile, Balthazar stumbled slightly where he stood, still dazed by the effects of the witch¡¯s hex, but drifting in and out of his full senses now that she had moved some distance away.


    Ow. I could swear I was about to get my pincers on a delicious slice of pie. Wait¡­


    His foggy vision focused on the drake across the room, bound and gagged by the witch standing above her, clutching her fingers as the drapes tightened around her victim.


    Blue! Balthazar thought. Damn it, I need to do something, but I can barely think straight when that witch is near me. Because of her witchcraft. Not because she makes me nervous or anything.


    Velvet stepped over the drake and started making her way back to the crab.


    Ah, crap. If only I had the magic resistance Blue has.


    His spinning eyestalks frowned slightly.


    Wait a minute¡­


    Rushing through the menus of his system as his vision bobbed from side to side, the merchant found the screen for the members of his party, specifically the part with Blue¡¯s natural traits.


    [Mind Scales]


    [Trait]


    [Owners of strong personalities, sturdy wills, and well-balanced minds, draconic creatures show great resistance to all manner of illusion or mind-altering magic. Has the ability to resist most psychic effects.]


    Mind-altering magic! That¡¯s it!


    With the witch coming closer and closer, Balthazar navigated back on his system as quickly as he could, every sense in his body growing numb as the scent from the medallion began reaching him again.


    The screen with his skills scrolled up into view and focus began fading as the lull of the charm grabbed hold of the crab once more.


    [Copycrab]


    [Skill - B tier]


    [Requirements: 40 CHA, 15 INT]


    [Cost: 10 mana]


    [Be a little more like those around you. For 5 minutes, gain the properties of a unique trait from a nearby ally.]


    Putting what little focus he could still muster into his drake, Balthazar hoped he had recovered enough mana since using his Imbuing skill in the corridor. Because if he hadn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°Enough playing around. Time for me to collect that leg, Balthie,¡± Velvet said as she leaned down in front of the merchant and caressed the top of his shell.


    ¡°Blub blub,¡± the crab said, making tiny bubbles with his mouth as he looked at her with an empty gaze.


    ¡°Good,¡± the witch said with a devious smile. ¡°That¡¯s how I like my prey. Docile and very agreeable.¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Balthazar muttered as the woman stood at eye level with him. ¡°You¡¯re not really that charming without this.¡±


    Velvet¡¯s expression turned into a frown, but as realization hit her and she attempted to pull away, it was already too late.


    [Charm of the Witch resisted by Mind Scales Mind Chitin]


    With a swift jab forward, Balthazar snapped the fine strand necklace holding the charmed medallion around the witch¡¯s neck.


    ¡°No!¡± the woman exclaimed as she pulled away from the crab and clutched her neck.


    With a crunchy pinch of his pincer, the merchant cracked the amulet and the jewel in it. A purple liquid dripped from within but evaporated into nothing before even hitting the floor.


    ¡°My charm!¡± Velvet screamed, horror overtaking her expression as she stumbled back.


    ¡°Lady, you never had any to begin with,¡± Balthazar said before dropping the broken medallion.


    The witch grabbed her face with both hands and started groaning in what appeared to be pain. The front of her hair started rapidly turning gray and then white as the skin on the back of her hands dried out and shifted a few shades darker.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± the perplexed crab said.


    ¡°My dame! I will save you!¡± a booming voice yelled.


    The bedroom doors burst open and the commander of the Marquessian guards heroically rushed in, baton in hand, cape flowing behind him, and heart-print pantaloons still on full display.


    Balthazar, the girls, even the drake, all turned to look at him with weirded out faces.


    As the man looked around the room, his expression changed and he blinked rapidly a few times before shaking his head.


    ¡°Wha¡­ What am I doing?!¡±


    Dazed and confused, the commander suddenly looked down at his own legs.


    ¡°What in the name of Crea!¡± he suddenly yelled.


    His cheeks turned several shades redder and he ran out of the room, trying to wrap his cape around himself as he shuffled away.


    ¡°I really wish you¡¯d have covered my eyes again, Balthazar¡­¡± Suze said from the other side of the room. ¡°I¡¯m never going to unsee that now.¡±


    Unfortunately for them, Velvet did not let the sudden distraction go to waste.


    ¡°Hey!¡± the crab shouted as he turned to see her running for the window.


    Still covering her face with her hands, the rapidly shriveling witch threw herself over the windowsill, shifting back into a cat midair as she vanished past the parapet.


    Balthazar ran to the window, but he saw no signs of either cat or witch in the pitch black of the outside.


    Damn it! I still needed her to reverse Henrietta¡¯s curse!


    Muffled grunting and protesting came from behind him, reminding the merchant that he still had other friends in more urgent need.


    ¡°Yes, alright, I¡¯m coming, Olivia,¡± he said, skittering across the room.


    With a few skillful snips, the crab freed the young woman, who fell to the floor and quickly removed the gag around her mouth.


    ¡°She got away!¡±


    ¡°Yes, we all noticed,¡± Balthazar begrudgingly said. ¡°Cut Suze loose while I get Blue, will you?¡±


    With the precision of a surgeon, the crustacean began cutting the bonds restraining his drake.


    Loud steps came from the corridor outside, quickly approaching the room.


    Oh, great. What now? A shirtless bandit sobbing for his maiden?


    Captain Leander rushed into the room, fists up, with Druma right behind him, staff at the ready and wizard hat falling over his eyes.


    ¡°Are you guys all right?¡± the veteran asked. ¡°Your winged companion flew out of the cellar door so suddenly that we thought she might have sensed something terrible happening. And why did we just pass a half-naked commander on the way here?!¡±


    ¡°Trust me, Lee,¡± said Olivia, ¡°That¡¯s one long story that I¡¯ll have to tell you later.¡±


    ¡°What about our mystery woman? Did you not find her?¡±


    The young woman scowled as she pulled the last of the now lifeless curtains off Suze. ¡°We found the witch, but she managed to escape. I¡¯m going after her.¡±


    ¡°No, you are not,¡± Balthazar said as Blue stood back up and stretched her wings. ¡°It¡¯s my fault she slipped away. Again. I¡¯m the one who has to find her again. But don¡¯t worry, I have a feeling we won¡¯t be seeing her for a while, especially not around Marquessa.¡±


    ¡°You should listen to Mr. Balthazar,¡± said Leander. ¡°Besides, I need your help here.¡±


    ¡°The mangoes,¡± Olivia said as if only now remembering what started the whole ordeal. ¡°Did you find them?¡±


    The captain smiled.


    ¡°They¡¯re down in the cellar, along with several unconscious bandits and a few rogue guards. Some of the fruits have gone bad, but I think a large portion of the harvest is still salvageable.¡± He looked down at Druma and gave him a pat on the back. ¡°Couldn¡¯t have done it without the help of our goblin friend here and Ms. Blue over there. Quite the companions!¡±


    The green assistant grinned with great pride at the captain¡¯s words, clutching his staff with both hands. ¡°Druma happy to help captain!¡±


    ¡°And of course, can¡¯t forget the key piece in all of this,¡± the man said, looking at the crab. ¡°You¡¯ve successfully solved our mango crisis, Mr. Balthazar.¡±


    The merchant looked at him with a slight frown. ¡°But¡­ I let the witch slip right between my pincers.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± said the captain. ¡°You uncovered the ongoing conspiracy, those involved in it, where the stolen cargo was, helped us recover it, and it appears that the one behind it won¡¯t be daring to set foot on our city again after your confrontation here tonight. Quite the list of feats!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Take the credit for the win, my crab friend. You¡¯ve definitely earned it.¡±


    [Quest completed: Marquessa¡¯s Mangoes]


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks perked up as he saw the system notification, but it was what the captain said next that really put a smile on his face.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s time we talk to the mayor about your rewards.¡±

 Chapter 179: Marquessa’s Key

    It was morning and a timid autumn sun peeked from behind a cloudy sky over the Marquessian town square, where the townsfolk were quickly gathering by the front of the city hall.


    The murmuring and gossiping filled the air. News tended to spread fast in the city of Marquessa, even more so when it involved something that impacted the lives of so many of its citizens.


    After the successful assault on Damask Manor the night before, Captain Leander wasted no time getting word to the mayor and bringing some of his men over with carriages to take the mangoes back to their rightful owners.


    The good workers of Marquessa wasted no time getting to work once the good news arrived.


    Fruit sellers were setting up their stalls before dawn was even a twinkle in the horizon, eager to make up for lost business that harvest season.


    The owners of inns, taverns, restaurants, tea houses, food stands, and every other possible establishment that sold mango-related foods¡ªwhich was nearly all of them in Marquessa¡ªwere already hard at work in their kitchens by the time their share of the recovered fruits reached their doors.


    And inside the bakeries across town, ovens were hot, doughs were already kneaded, and bakers were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the city¡¯s main delicacy, so that they could turn them into many other forms of culinary delight.


    The heart of Marquessa was beating strong again, and its stomach roared for its mangoes.


    Balthazar stood around by the side of the city hall, occasionally peeking over the corner at the increasingly larger crowd gathering in the town square, and looking for any signs of the mayor.


    He had been instructed to meet the baroness there, but the crab was quickly growing impatient¡ªand somewhat nervous.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± the pacing merchant mumbled to his own nonexistent buttons. ¡°It''s a bit rude to leave the one who just saved your reputation waiting outside like this.¡±


    Druma and Blue stood nearby, waiting along with him and just watching the crab pacing from side to side, equal parts amused and confused by their friend¡¯s anxious behavior.


    After the manor, they had split up from the others, everyone going their own ways.


    Captain Leander remained at the manor, ensuring the place was completely clear and overseeing the return of what had been stolen.


    Olivia set off back to town as soon as she could, eager to finish the job of ridding Marquessa of its corrupt guard and any remnants of Onion Jake¡¯s crew.


    And Suze¡­ Well, that little rascal simply vanished from the manor while nobody was looking, along with a couple of golden candlesticks and a crystal decanter from the dining room.


    Balthazar didn¡¯t blame her. He was starting to see the merit in just grabbing your own rewards for the job and taking off.


    ¡°I¡¯m a busy businesscrab,¡± the grumbling crustacean continued, pacing even faster.


    The chattering crowd around the corner continued to grow larger and louder, and no signs of the mayor yet.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she realize I might have things to do, places to be? I can¡¯t waste my time around here forever!¡± the adventuring merchant who had just spent practically a week doing a side quest complained.


    ¡°Please come with me. Lady Marquessa would like you to join her now.¡±


    Balthazar jumped in place at the words of the young woman who had just appeared around the corner.


    ¡°Finally!¡± he said, following the city hall staff member.


    The large doors of the domed building opened and Baroness Marquessa stepped out of the city hall, shiny and resplendent in a silver and blue dress, her many gems and jewels sparkling all over under the sunlight. The crowd let out a collective gasp of awe at the sight of their mayor, before diving into whispers and hushed gossip.


    ¡°Mr. Balthazar,¡± the mayor said, giving the crab a nod as he arrived next to her.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hi,¡± the merchant said, his eyes blinking erratically at the shimmering refractions from the countless jewels.


    ¡°I needed to address my citizens, and this seemed like an opportunity to take care of two things at once,¡± said the woman, resuming her walk forward, toward the crowd.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I get it,¡± Balthazar said, following her along. ¡°I¡¯m just here to get my reward and those directions, lady.¡±


    ¡°Marquessians,¡± the baroness called, projecting her voice and arms forward at the populace gathered before them. ¡°It is with great joy that I come to you today with good news. The fruits of our labor, the symbol of our very city, the mangoes we all love and cherish, have been saved!¡±


    The crowd erupted into cheering, a small sea of arms being thrown up, along with a few hats, and what Balthazar could swear had also been at least one walking cane.


    ¡°The bandits responsible for taking them from us have been caught,¡± she continued. ¡°And the disgraceful guardsmen who have tarnished the honor of our watch are currently being rooted out from our ranks. I promise you, after this process is over, we will come out of it far stronger and more secure than we were before.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The people all clapped vigorously at the mayor¡¯s words, nodding and commenting positively to the fellow citizens next to them.


    ¡°This is nice, but I¡¯m still not sure why I needed to be here for this¡­¡± Balthazar muttered under his breath.


    Lady Marquessa glanced at him from the corner of her eye and a faint smirk the crab remembered well from their first encounter appeared on her thin lips.


    ¡°Of course,¡± the baroness announced loudly, raising her arms again to quiet the crowd, ¡°none of this could have happened without the priceless assistance from a guest into our city, Mr. Balthazar.¡±


    The mayor turned to her side, presenting the crab standing a few steps behind her, and practically shoving him to the front without so much as laying a finger on him. She was good at her game, that much Balthazar was certainly learning.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Hello,¡± the traveling crustacean said with an awkward wave.


    The merchant experienced no trouble with crowds these days. He had grown used to being around large groups of people and standing his own ground when necessary. Whether it was a tough negotiation with a group of adventurers or simply shoving people¡¯s knees out of his way on a busy road, he could handle it all.


    Yet, there and then, Balthazar was very much feeling like a crab out of water. But not on land either, because crabs do fine there too. Perhaps more like a crab high in the sky, where they definitely do not belong.


    Maybe it was the fact that the crowd of Marquessian citizens in front of him weren¡¯t customers, or that they were actively paying attention to him as he was being lauded. Either way, it was a good thing that chitin couldn¡¯t blush.


    The baroness carried on with her speech. ¡°Mr. Balthazar came to our city from very far away, and right away his sharp wits put him on the scent of our town¡¯s troubles. This valiant crab managed to sniff out the bandit plague festering in our streets.¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyestalk. Was that a pun on the bandit¡¯s leader?


    ¡°He single-handedly exposed the corruption sneaking its way into our ranks.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do that alone,¡± he whispered to her from behind his pincer. ¡°Couldn¡¯t have gotten there without the help of Suze and your niece.¡±


    ¡°Optics, my friend,¡± she murmured back, before addressing the crowd again. ¡°And in the end, Mr. Balthazar faced off against the twisted witch behind all our recent woes and defeated her in combat. This crab is more than just a kind and helpful traveler. He is a hero!¡±


    Once again, applause erupted from the ecstatic crowd.


    ¡°Hey, you do know that I didn¡¯t get to that manor on my own and that Velvet is still out there, right?¡± the merchant grumbled to the woman.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Lady Marquessa said quietly. ¡°But people who have been through troubling times need a hero to celebrate and a happy ending, not paranoia about the bad witch that might still come back to steal their livelihood.¡±


    Balthazar scowled. He was all for embellishing the truth when it came to selling junk at a slightly higher price if it didn¡¯t mean anyone getting hurt, yet he wasn¡¯t feeling entirely comfortable with that version of the facts.


    It would seem traveling the continent and experiencing new things was having many effects on the merchant. Growing new principles being one.


    ¡°However,¡± the mayor proclaimed, ¡°our new hero could not have done what he did without the aid of his loyal companions.¡±


    She signaled back to one of the staff girls, who ushered Blue and Druma to come forward and join the crab.


    ¡°They proved vital to Mr. Balthazar¡¯s efforts, with their unwavering loyalty and brave deeds. Which is why I am proud to announce I am bestowing upon our new heroes the Marquessian Mark of Honor.¡±


    One of the city hall girls moved next to the mayor and handed her two elegant blue cases with golden latches. Flipping one open, the baroness retrieved a golden medal from within.


    His eyes widening, Balthazar suddenly felt much better about accepting all the laurels the woman was bestowing upon him. If it meant receiving new shinies, the crab was in complete agreement that his valiant efforts were everything she had said.


    It would seem certain things could not change no matter how much he traveled. Mainly the fact that the crab loved shiny objects.


    Standing nervously with his hands behind his back and clearly clueless about what was happening, Druma accepted the medal the baroness placed around his neck with a shy smile and a bow that nearly dropped his wizard hat at the woman¡¯s feet.


    When it came to Blue¡¯s turn, Balthazar expected trouble to come from the feisty creature. To his surprise, it seemed she was somehow quite aware of the ceremony taking place and calmly allowed the human to place the ribbon and medal over her head and around her long neck. Her expression and gaze cast down upon the crowd convinced the crab she was not only aware of the praise she was being given but also certain it was entirely deserved.


    ¡°Hey, wait, why are there only two medal cases?!¡± the crab asked, concerned about his expected new shiny.


    ¡°For you, my friend, I have something even better and far more valuable,¡± Lady Marquessa said, her hand reaching toward her cleavage.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Is that where you keep your money pouch? I¡¯ve seen some lady adventurers pull theirs out of there back home, but I never really¡ª¡±


    The mayor grabbed the large key hanging around her neck and pulled it over her head before offering it to the merchant.


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the surprised crustacean.


    ¡°To Mr. Balthazar,¡± she loudly announced to the people, ¡°for his great services to us, I offer the Key to the City of Marquessa.¡±


    The increasingly larger crowd exploded with resounding applause, cheering and hollering for their mayor and their new heroes.


    The crab looked at the massive key the woman was presenting to him. It was golden and finely crafted, with each edge perfectly finished by either an incredibly meticulous blacksmith or an unusually versatile jeweler.


    ¡°The key to the city? For me?¡± he said, still baffled. ¡°What if you ever end up locked outside the city and can¡¯t get back in?¡±


    Octavia Marquessa laughed discreetly, like a prim and proper lady of her rank does.


    ¡°Worry not, Mr. Balthazar. I have spares in my office,¡± she replied, apparently not realizing the crab was being entirely serious with his concern.


    Balthazar took the heavy key into his pincers, his eyes gleaming at its golden beauty.


    As if the simple fact that the key was shiny and golden wasn¡¯t already enough to make the crab happy, the system appeared in his eyes with a description of what possessing that item offered him.


    [Marquessa¡¯s Golden Hero]


    [Item Trait]


    [While in possession of the Key to the City of Marquessa, its inhabitants will treat you with great respect and be more likely to agree with you. Marquessian traders will offer you better prices and more unique deals. Note: item is purely ceremonial and using it on any of the city gates will not actually open them.]


    The baroness waved at the cheering crowd as she spoke to Balthazar.


    ¡°There are a number of important traders and other figures in this city who¡¯d very much like to talk to you, Mr. Balthazar.¡±


    The crab realized that maybe fame and fortune did go well together, and if the former was another way to gain more of the latter, he was definitely not going to shy away from it.


    A grin grew across his face as he too waved at the populace.


    ¡°Finally, time to do some merchanting!¡±

 Chapter 180: The Fruits of Your Labor

    Balthazar sat on a cushioned stool behind a large table with a couple of chairs on the other side. The mayor¡¯s staff had arranged a spot for him inside the building, near the hall of the Merchant¡¯s Guild, for the crab to meet and negotiate with all the traders, merchants, suppliers, and other important figures who wished to meet the city¡¯s new celebrity.


    And there were many of them.


    When he started early in the morning, Balthazar saw a line extending over the hall¡¯s atrium and taking several turns around corners. It was filled with local nobles, extravagant merchants, rich businessmen, and even the occasional adventurer who saw a long line and had joined in thinking there was free stuff being given at the end of it.


    ¡°Next!¡± the crustacean called after sealing yet another deal with a local supplier of nighttime freshwater mango-shaped fishing bobbers.


    A less visionary merchant might have considered a deal to receive and sell that supplier''s stock at their establishment a waste of time and resources, but not Balthazar.


    Sure, he had no idea why anyone would ever buy those things, but he also knew that he could sell anything to a dumb enough adventurer if he really set his mind to it. And with those suppliers practically throwing their products at him for nearly free just to say they¡¯re in business with the merchant crab, the mark-ups on those nighttime freshwater mango-shaped fishing bobbers were surely going to be huge.


    And so he kept striking deal after deal.


    ¡°So it¡¯s a deal, Mr. Balthazar!¡± a young man with a big smile said, extending his hand to the crab.


    ¡°Sure is!¡± the crustacean replied, along with a nod. He wondered if people would ever start realizing how silly they looked offering a handshake to a crab.


    The young man was the nephew of Marquessa¡¯s most famous jeweler. What stood out the most to Balthazar was that, unlike all others that morning, the jewelry trader hadn¡¯t come to see the merchant crab in person, instead choosing to send an emissary in the form of the young man.


    Despite what the crab could have easily taken as an affront¡ªsomeone thinking themselves too important to bother meeting him in person¡ªhe decided to let his merchant instincts speak louder.


    Their pieces were famous in Marquessa and sold at high prices. Becoming the exclusive reseller of Marquessian jewelry on the other side of the continent was certainly going to be a profitable deal. Adventurers, much like crabs, also loved to collect shiny things.


    If the jewel-maker didn¡¯t want to meet him, so be it. Balthazar valued making coin a lot higher than meeting new people anyway.


    ¡°Next!¡± the merchant called.


    They were just a means to an end. Whether that end was money, trading experience to level up, or even pastries.


    ¡°Mhmm, sure, mhmm¡­¡± Balthazar idly mumbled as he continued chewing on a slice of mango pie and another local salesman waxed lyrical about what an honor it was to meet him.


    Madame Margo had dropped by earlier, right after the mayor led him inside to meet the Marquessian nobles, with several boxes of mango delicacies. According to the baker, she and her husband had been hard at work in their boutique¡¯s kitchen since before the sun came up to put the returned mangoes to good use.


    They decided the very first batch of pie and other mango goodies needed to go to the city¡¯s new hero, the traveling crab that¡ªas Madame Margo apparently had established¡ªhad come all the way from the other side of the continent just to try her baking.


    A marketing strategy Balthazar was more than fine to let her have, so long as it meant he¡¯d keep getting free pastries.


    The crab then proceeded to spend the morning negotiating with Marquessians while stuffing himself with all manner of mango sweets. Mango mousse, mango puddings, mango delights, even a mango ¨¦clair. Each one more delicious than the last but still none better than the simplicity of a slice of mango pie.


    It was simple pleasures like these that Balthazar missed most from home. Sitting on a comfy seat, stuffing himself with sweets while making deals and trades.


    Yet, one thing was bugging him. The more hours that passed, the less satisfied he felt. The greater his disinterest. The more bored he became.


    Perhaps it was his new key to the city making it all too easy and unrewarding? Every trader and merchant he met practically tripped over their own feet trying to please him and offering the best items and deals they had. There was no arguing, no haggling, no satisfaction of finally coming out on top like when dealing with the adventurers back home.


    Or maybe he had just spent too much time on the road, seeing the world, experiencing so many new things in his life. His mind had opened up to so many new perspectives. Could it be that what once was enough for the old crab living by a pond next to a small road was now simply unfulfilling for the more experienced crustacean who had been matured by his travels?


    In the end, Balthazar went with the more likely answer to that existential crisis: he was just feeling drowsy from stuffing himself with so many desserts.


    All things considered, that was probably the more reasonable answer.


    Crabs don¡¯t change anyway. They¡¯re already the perfect form.


    Thankfully, his nagging feeling of unfulfillment was finally struck down after finishing a trade deal with a local seller of hand painted seashell candleholders with a little chain to hang them from the windowsill. While the product name was quite the mouthful, the crab was certain it was a market about to go big and that he¡¯d do well to get in early.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    As the deal was sealed for him to become the sole reseller of hand pai¡­ of the seashells, a new notification appeared in front of Balthazar¡¯s vision.


    [You have reached level 22!]


    Oh! He thought, suddenly perking up on his seat. I leveled up again already! I haven¡¯t even had time to assign the points from the previous one. It makes sense, with all this trading and dealing I¡¯m making. Lots of experience.


    The crab frowned slightly. There was another notification after the level up one.


    [1000 sales completed! You have gained the rank of Expert Merchant.]


    [As an Expert Merchant, your clients are more likely to accept your deals, and you will always have a natural advantage when negotiating with lower rank merchants.]


    Woah! A thousand?! It feels like a lifetime ago when I reached one hundred and became an adept merchant.


    Feeling quite pleased with himself and his new achievements, Balthazar decided to pull up the stats screen before calling the next person over. They were there for the honor to meet him, they could wait a few more minutes for the city''s hero.


    First thing to do was pick what base stats to increase.


    Hmm, can never go wrong with more health. He thought, recalling his repeated encounters with the commander¡¯s baton.


    He increased his health by 10, but still had another 10 points to use.


    Right, two level-ups. Could just do more health¡­


    Balthazar thought back to how he had almost failed to activate his Copycrab skill the night before due to having used most of his mana to activate the Imbuing one earlier. Things would have gone a lot differently with Velvet if that had happened. With a growing list of skills in his arsenal, perhaps investing on a little more mana wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    Rolling his eyes at the idea of skipping on more health, the merchant placed the other 10 points into his mana begrudgingly.


    [Health: 230/230]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 30/30]


    Next up were his attribute points. With six of them to distribute, Balthazar remembered his other new skill he hadn¡¯t been able to use yet.


    [All-Tongue]


    [Requirements: 40 CHA, 20 INT]


    He groaned. I only have 16 Intellect. Do I really spend four out of six points into it just for a skill I don¡¯t even know I¡¯ll use?


    His immediate instinct was to put them all into Charisma. After all, his encounter with the witch proved that despite how high that attribute already was, it still wasn¡¯t high enough to beat her when his special trait failed against her.


    But the crab also knew that the moment he chose not to unlock that new skill, he¡¯d find himself in a situation where he needed it desperately. That was always how those things went, and he had learned better by now.


    Fine, just these four and then it¡¯s Charisma all the way.


    Adding four to Intellect and two to Charisma, Balthazar nodded in approval at the attributes list.


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 20]


    [Charisma: 63]


    He dismissed the system text in front of his eyes just as a delicate hand touched his shell.


    ¡°Mr. Balthazar,¡± Lady Marquessa called. ¡°I¡¯ve made the arrangements I mentioned earlier. Would you like to come with me now?¡±


    ¡°Ah, great! Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, hopping off the cushion he was sitting on. ¡°I¡¯m done talking to stuffy people for the day. I need to stretch my legs.¡±


    The few dozen people still left in line watched as the crab left with the baroness, disappointment all over their faces.


    ¡°Sorry, folks,¡± the merchant said loudly. ¡°Time is coin, and I¡¯ve got other business to tend to. You will have to find me some other time, maybe back home. Balthazar¡¯s Bazaar is the name of the place. All the way across the continent, next to the town of Ardville. A bit of a stretch, but if you¡¯re really determined to do business with me, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure Bergen will be too thrilled to see so much trade from Marquessa passing right by his front door,¡± the baroness said as they headed out the Merchant¡¯s guild hall.


    ¡°The mayor of Ardville?¡± said the crab. ¡°What makes you say that? You seem to know him well.¡±


    She smiled as she looked ahead. ¡°As I told you before, we used to know each other. Long ago, when we were both much younger. Let¡¯s just say we used to¡­ clash a lot. He¡¯s quite stubborn, as you probably noticed. Might also still hold a bit of a grudge against the Marquessa name, by the way. Just so you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to remember that,¡± the merchant said. ¡°But my business is my own. I¡¯m not beholden to Ardville or his mayor. I¡¯ll trade with whomever I want.¡±


    Lady Marquessa looked back at the plaque by the door as they exited the hall to the atrium.


    ¡°Shame the guildmaster of our Merchant¡¯s Guild is out on a business trip. I think you two would have liked to meet each other.¡±


    Balthazar remembered the only other merchant guild master he had met before, Antoine, and felt a hefty amount of doubt about her words.


    ¡°Say, I¡¯ve made lots of deals this morning,¡± the crab started, ¡°but I¡¯m still missing the biggest one. Who do I talk to in order to arrange an export route for mangoes from here to my pond?¡±


    The finely-dressed lady looked down at him with a slightly raised eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid what you are asking for is not really possible, Mr. Balthazar. Mangoes only keep well for a few weeks and that¡¯s under ideal storage conditions. A carriage taking them across the continent would take several weeks to reach Ardville. All you would be getting is a pile of rotten fruit.¡±


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re right,¡± the disappointed crab said. ¡°But I¡¯d really love to be able to enjoy fresh mango pies back home. And¡­ to hopefully show them to someone very special someday soon so she could use them in her baking too.¡± He let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll have to figure out another way.¡±


    ¡°I did arrange for that other item you requested earlier, if that brings you any consolation,¡± the mayor said as they crossed the atrium toward the exit.


    ¡°The gold ingot?¡± the excited crustacean asked.


    ¡°No,¡± the woman replied. ¡°That one I¡¯m afraid is a big ask on such short notice, even for the city¡¯s new hero. There are no gold mines near Marquessa, and while there¡¯s plenty of gold to go around, solid ingots of pure gold are hard to come by. I did get you an ingot of silver, however.¡±


    One of the guildhall¡¯s workers was waiting for them by the door, with a box in her hands.


    ¡°Ah, well, that¡¯s still pretty good,¡± Balthazar said as he opened his backpack to let the girl place the ingot inside. ¡°Thanks!¡±


    ¡°And finally,¡± Lady Marquessa continued. ¡°I believe I promised you safe passage to where you wanted to go, off by the coastal cliffs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! That was the whole reason why I came here in the first place. I just wanted some directions.¡±


    ¡°Well then, as promised¡­¡±


    The baroness extended her arm to the front door just as Captain Leander stepped through it.


    ¡°Ready to go, Mr. Balthazar?¡±


    The crab smiled with determination. It was finally time to get back on track and find the wizard that could help him bring Bouldy back.

 Chapter 181: Shell Away

    ¡°More than ready!¡± Balthazar said to the captain.


    ¡°Great,¡± said the veteran. ¡°Come with me then. I only need to sort out a few more things and then I can take you to where you want to go.¡±


    After saying goodbye to the mayor, the crab followed the man down the city square and through the busy streets of Marquessa. The people no longer rushed past him without so much as a glance, instead noticing his presence and greeting him warmly or nudging each other from a distance as they pointed at the famous crab who saved the city¡¯s mangoes.


    Not the way he had envisioned becoming famous in a new city, rescuing a bunch of fruit, but if it meant people recognized and respected him¡ªand more importantly, gave him free pastries¡ªhe was more than happy to take it.


    ¡°Going to skip town without saying goodbye, are you?¡± a young woman¡¯s voice said from nearby.


    Olivia, wearing a studded leather tabard and her neck-length hair tied into a ponytail, came out of a side street with a wide grin on her face and her hands on her hips.


    ¡°No, I just thought you would be too busy breaking pieces of pottery over some poor sap¡¯s head to come say goodbye to an old crab,¡± Balthazar replied, throwing his pincers up.


    The niece of the baroness chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m already on thin ice with the milkman, so I¡¯m staying away from his jugs for the time being.¡±


    Joining the crustacean and the captain, the young woman walked alongside them up the street.


    ¡°You like my new threads?¡± she asked, running her hand down the sturdy leather she was wearing.


    ¡°Not bad. I could probably sell you something better if you ever visited my bazaar, though.¡±


    ¡°Hah, maybe one day I¡¯ll come visit you, but for now I have my hands busy here.¡±


    Balthazar eyed her up and down. ¡°Going to be slapping bandits around, are you?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± replied Olivia, a big grin brightening her face. ¡°My aunt convinced old Leander over here to take a break from his retirement to help her clean house after kicking that pantless commander out from the city watch. And I will be helping him.¡±


    The crab rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°So that makes you the right-hand man¡¯s¡­ right-hand¡­ finger¡­ woman?¡±


    Captain Leander laughed. ¡°I figured that if I couldn¡¯t keep her away from trouble, it would be best to at least keep her close.¡±


    ¡°There are still a bunch of guards that need straightening out,¡± the girl said. ¡°And that¡¯s what my job will be, rounding them up and keeping them in line.¡±


    ¡°If you bring a ceramic pot or two with you, I¡¯m sure that won¡¯t be difficult!¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Hey, whatever happened to Onion Jake, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we caught him,¡± the Marquessa girl said. ¡°He was trying to escape the city hidden inside a crate of onions in the back of a carriage. Would have been easy to miss his stench there, but it seems a couple of dissatisfied bandits ratted him out. Apparently they want new management in their so-called organization, after their leader¡¯s witch-induced embarrassment.¡±


    ¡°And after someone told them about their bandit rights!¡± the smug crab cheekily added.


    Olivia groaned and rolled her eyes as the trio arrived at the docks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll grab a few things and be back for you shortly, Mr. Balthazar,¡± said Captain Leander.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you, old man. Wouldn¡¯t want you pulling your back or something,¡± Olivia said jokingly.


    As they left, Balthazar looked around, trying to pass the time as he waited.


    dockworkers moved around, carrying ropes and boxes. The smell of fresh fish was in the air as the fishermen carted pallets to the markets. Down there, where people were busy working hard, they seemed to notice the newest local celebrity a lot less.


    Off by a pillar, the crab noticed a man in dark leathers reading a book. Or at least pretending to. His eyes were not on the pages of the copy of ¡°The Historical Tale of Semmel, vol. 1¡± in his hands, but rather fixed on the crustacean.


    Noticing the crab¡¯s gaze, the man lifted his face from the book and gave him a discreet nod of acknowledgement.


    After a moment of hard thinking, Balthazar finally realized who it was. Clovis, the guildmaster of the local Thieves Guild.


    ¡°Hello!¡± a cheery voice suddenly exclaimed from behind the merchant.


    Balthazar turned to find Suze standing there with a big grin and her hands behind her back.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Suze!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°I thought I¡¯d leave without seeing you again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I was pretty busy, but lucky for you, I found a little bit of free time to come say bye,¡± the cheeky rascal said.


    ¡°Oh, right, busy doing lots of guided tours, are you?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± the girl said. ¡°I¡¯m moving up in life after our little adventure.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Got yourself a job helping the mayor¡¯s staff, maybe? I tried to put in a good word with them and let them know how much you helped.¡±


    ¡°Olivia told me. She also said I could come help her with her new job, but nah, I turned it down. I¡¯m a freelancer, my own boss. I don¡¯t want to be held down by anyone.¡±


    ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± the curious crab asked.


    ¡°Like I said, freelancing work.¡± She paused and looked past Balthazar, to the man reading his book by the pillar. ¡°I got an apprenticeship offer to work on my natural talents.¡±


    The crab looked back at the thief. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea? You know, maybe a bit of a bad influence¡­¡±


    ¡°Pfft, don¡¯t worry, you old lobster,¡± Suze said with a cheeky smile. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to try and not influence them too badly. No promises, though. I can¡¯t help it if I rub off on people.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly what I meant, and I¡¯m still not a lobster, but alright¡­¡± Balthazar said with a scowl that quickly changed to a friendly expression. ¡°Well, if you somehow ever decide to travel to the other side of the continent, come visit my bazaar. I¡¯m sure everyone there would like to meet you, and Blue and Druma would be happy to see you again.¡±


    ¡°But not you?¡± the rascal said with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow.


    ¡°If you bring me a box of mango treats from Madame Margo¡¯s Boutique¡­ maybe,¡± Balthazar replied with a flick of his eyestalks.


    After a few minutes chatting, Druma and Blue joined them, coming from the city hall where they had been filling their bellies all morning while Balthazar negotiated with the locals. Apparently, the crab¡¯s companions had gained their own share of popularity with the staff there, and everyone wanted to say their goodbyes to the goblin and drake before they left.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got everything ready and set for our departure, Mr. Balthazar,¡± Captain Leander said as he rejoined the crab.


    ¡°Excellent!¡± the merchant said. ¡°When do we get on the road?¡±


    ¡°Roads?¡± the veteran said with a hearty chuckle. ¡°Where we¡¯re going, we don¡¯t need roads.¡±


    Taking a few steps toward one of the piers, the old sailor pointed to the ship docked next to it.


    It was the captain¡¯s vessel that they had used before to escape the bandits. The Marquessian Dame.


    ¡°The shores you wish to reach are far too treacherous to reach on foot, Mr. Balthazar,¡± the man explained. ¡°That¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t find a way there. If you want to get to your destination in one piece, you need an experienced navigator who can sail there. Luckily for you, I am one of very few who can.¡±


    ¡°Oooh,¡± said the merchant, finally realizing why he couldn¡¯t find a way to reach the destination marked on his map by Ruby and the Birdwatchers.


    After saying their goodbyes to Suze and Olivia, the crab, goblin, and drake followed the captain to the gangway.


    ¡°The trip shouldn¡¯t take more than a couple of days,¡± Leander said as he untied the ship¡¯s ropes from the dock. ¡°While we¡¯re out in the sea I will hold my end of our agreement and teach you my secret technique, as promised.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± said the crab. ¡°I look forward to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mr. Balthazaaaaar!¡± a high-pitched voice called from the other side of the dock.


    No¡­


    The crustacean turned his shell slowly, knowing already who that voice belonged to.


    He had only heard it once, back in Ardville, several weeks before, but that had been enough for its irritating pitch to leave a mark on the crab¡¯s brain.


    ¡°Mr. Balthazar! Please wait for me!¡± Taffy yelled. ¡°I¡¯ve been on the road searching for you for so long! I can¡¯t believe I finally found you!¡±


    The ginger-haired boy was running down the docks, toward the pier, a travel bag bouncing on his back as he shouted for his idol, causing everyone else around to turn their heads to look at the source of commotion.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Balthazar!¡± he kept repeating in a euphoric state to everyone he bumped into. ¡°I¡¯ve been chasing rumors of his sightings for weeks! I can¡¯t believe I finally found him! He¡¯s so awesome! I¡¯m finally going to travel with him!¡±


    ¡°Oh no, no, no¡­¡± the merchant muttered as he saw the annoying human approaching the pier they stood on.


    As the boy made his way through the dock, bumping and bothering the workers and people going about their business, loudly proclaiming his excitement for finding the crab, something else started happening.


    One by one, the workers started putting down their tools, the sailors abandoning their tasks, the market people leaving their crates of fish behind, and they started coming closer to the fanatic.


    ¡°Balthazar? The merchant crab?¡± a man among the crowd said.


    ¡°The one that defeated that dragon?¡± said another.


    ¡°You mean the same one that saved our city¡¯s harvest?¡± someone else in the back asked.


    The people started gathering around the incoming fanboy, joining him in his excitement to meet the crab, their calls growing into roars and chants.


    ¡°Balthazar! Balthazar! Balthazar!¡±


    ¡°Not this again!¡± The merchant nervously exclaimed before turning to the mayor¡¯s right-hand man. ¡°Captain, we need to set sail, right now!¡±


    They all rushed up the ramp to the Marquessian Dame as fast as they could, the mob of people quickly running down the pier close behind.


    ¡°No, please, Mr. Balthazar! Don¡¯t leave me behind! Take me with you!¡± Taffy shouted from below as the frenzied people around him started piling up on the edge of the dock.


    ¡°Go, go, go! Row if you have to!¡± Balthazar desperately shouted to the others as he watched townsfolk start to spill over and fall into the water below. ¡°Let¡¯s get the hell out of here!¡±


    And so the crab and his friends sailed away from Marquessa, leaving the city behind and heading to the dangerous rocky cliffs where Tweedus resided.


    ***


    All the way on the other side of the continent of Mantell, a lone adventurer sat behind a couple of boulders, attentively watching the pond across the road.


    ¡°I finally found your lair, merchant,¡± Ren bitterly muttered as he peered through a spyglass. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now, Balthazar.¡±

 Chapter 182: Balthazar’s Lair of Evil

    After weeks of traveling and training, the Champion-class adventurer had finally reached the quaint little town of Ardville. Hardly comparable to the busy metropolises he was used to in his previous life, the town had little to offer to the now much higher level human.


    The local smith only sold iron and low-quality steel weapons, which the adventurer was able to easily outclass with his own smithing skills. The eyes of the old blacksmith almost popped out of his skull after seeing Ren turn a lump of rusty metal full of impurities into a flawless dagger with nothing but a couple of strikes from a dull hammer. A blade so perfect it could cut through stone like butter and turn butter into delicious ice cream on contact.


    After trading the blade to the man for the entirety of his life savings, the adventurer tried the local apothecary, but all the concoctions the lady who owned it had to offer were ridiculously basic. Disappointed, Ren had no option but to brew his own potion refills using some of her very limited stock of ingredients along with his own supply.


    The woman nearly fainted when she saw him crush a handful of roots together with toenail clippings from a swamp serpent. The produced result was a golden liquid with the combined properties of a health, stamina, and mana potion, along with the bonus effect of curing twenty different common ailments. And it also provided minty fresh breath for up to twelve hours.


    After restocking his own supply, the adventurer sold the leftover bottles to the woman until she ran out of money on hand. At which point she simply started trading away her entire stock of ingredients, her books, and even the very tools of her trade for as many bottles as the young man had.


    Leaving behind the practically empty apothecary, Ren still paid the local leatherworker a visit to try to sell a few more of the rabbit pelts he had been carrying since his first few levels. Unfortunately, the poor man was left completely penniless after the champion sold just three pelts to him. With hundreds of the animal skins still left, the champion would just have to keep finding others to offload them to. A less wise adventurer would have considered simply dumping them somewhere, but not Ren. He knew that would be a waste. Every potential gain needed to be maxed out. Efficiency was essential for success.


    As the champion continued exploring Ardville, it didn¡¯t take long until he heard the name Balthazar pop up around town. Gossip about how rich he was. Rumors about how powerful he must be to take down a dragon on his own. Tales about the epic deeds that happened down in his domain.


    His home. A bazaar at the edge of town, under the nearby Semla Mountain.


    Ren knew he was close. He had finally found the lair of the villain who brought him into this strange world and stripped him of his memories. Who took away who he was. And for what vile reason? The young man did not know, but he intended to find out soon, once he confronted the merchant.


    Sitting on a rock, the adventurer ran a sharpening stone down the blade of his longsword as he continued watching the trading outpost on the other side of the road.


    Like he had learned all those years ago when he took a summer job as an investigative journalist, patience is key when staking out a case. He couldn¡¯t remember who the story was about, or much else about the case, but he knew he won a journalism award for his work during those two months, all thanks to his instincts and investigation skills.


    Skills which he was employing now, watching that strange bazaar¡¯s routine.


    He had already considered the possibility of a trading business being merely a front, a cover for the champion¡¯s antagonist to hide his true evil deals, whatever they really were. But it still came as a surprise when all he saw at that bazaar was a toad, green and rugged, hopping around on a counter, busily tending to the place.


    He soon realized that was no mere wild animal. She¡ªas he learned when other passing adventurers called her Henrietta¡ªwas fully sapient and capable of verbal communication.


    A villain with intelligent beast slaves as his servants. It all made so much sense, the more that Ren learned about Balthazar.


    At one point during his reconnaissance, around midday, the adventurer¡¯s eyes widened as he thought the fiend himself had finally shown his face around the outpost.


    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for him to realize that was not his nemesis yet.


    The graying man who arrived from town, walking with a wobbly pace and a foolish expression coupled with a distant gaze, could in no way be the powerful figure who had brought Ren¡¯s soul into that world. He could tell at just a glance that the man was weak and in no way a threat.


    And also because he overheard the toad call him Tristan.


    All day, he watched and waited. Other adventurers came and went, stopping by to purchase supplies from the bazaar, or simply browse and have some chit-chat.


    Hours passed and Ren grew impatient. He had traveled in circles around that world for weeks, learning and improving himself, becoming stronger so that he could face the one who dared take away his past. And now that he was right outside his lair, the evildoer simply wouldn¡¯t show up?


    Could he somehow be aware of the champion¡¯s presence?If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    No, surely not. Ren took all the precautions to make sure he left no tracks, no trace, nothing that would arouse suspicion. He was perfectly concealed somewhere no one would see him. He used all the same skills he gained from years going on fox hunts with aristocrats and CEOs in the forests back in his world. Plus a camouflage potion he had personally brewed that morning.


    ¡°Where are you, Balthazar?¡± the young man whispered as he looked through his spyglass yet again.


    The sun was quickly disappearing over the horizon, and Ren¡¯s hopes to get his answers that day were quickly fading along with its light.


    As darkness set, the toad and the man moved around, closing shutters and lighting braziers.


    The keen-eyed adventurer rubbed his chin in thought. ¡°Why are you lighting up the bazaar if you¡¯re closing for the day?¡±


    Smelling something suspicious happening, Ren continued to observe the outpost as the moon rose in the sky and the pile of empty potion bottles grew next to his feet.


    Finally, he spotted a figure coming down the road and toward the bazaar. The strange man skulked his way to the gate like someone who did not want to be seen, carrying a sack over one shoulder and a dim lantern on a stick over the other.


    He knocked on the door, and the man called Tristan opened it for him. Ren¡¯s eyes widened as he saw the light from inside hit the visitor.


    He was no man. The traveler was a skeleton, his face a pale skull and his hands merely bones wrapped around a walking stick.


    The adventurer shook his head slowly. Just when he thought this Balthazar figure couldn¡¯t prove any more villainous.


    ¡°Consorting with foul undead,¡± Ren muttered. ¡°It makes so much sense now.¡±


    But as the young man tried to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside after Tristan let the skeleton in, more movement came from up the road.


    The flickering light of three torches moving about in the darkness made Ren crouch down further behind the rocks as he tried to make out who carried them.


    Three large humanoid figures walked up to the gate of the bazaar. Under the light of their torches, the champion could only make out that whoever they were, they definitely had flesh on their bones. And muscles. Lots of muscles.


    It was only when the human inside the trading outpost opened the door again to receive the new visitors and the brighter light from the braziers shone on them that Ren saw what they were.


    Tall, muscular, and green. With large protruding tusks coming out of their mouths. They were orcs.


    ¡°Only a tyrant would have dealings with savage orcs,¡± the adventurer said to himself as he continued watching through the spyglass.


    He needed to know what was happening inside that bazaar. Was Balthazar going to join them? What were they discussing? Perhaps something that would give him a clue on what they were bringing innocent people into that world for?


    He needed to get closer.


    Sneaking around the boulders, Ren slipped his way between the tall grass to the other side of the road, using his unrivaled stealth skills to approach the wooden building without making a sound.


    As he got closer, the adventurer heard the door open again. Could they have realized he was out there?


    He peeked over a boulder and saw Tristan welcome another visitor inside.


    ¡°Jor¡¯gath!¡± the man greeted. ¡°Good to see you. Come in.¡±


    The champion only managed to catch a glimpse of the slender figure stepping through the door, but he had no doubt what he saw was also no human.


    Dark green scales, an angular head, and a long tail told him it was some kind of lizard humanoid who had just joined the gathering of fiends inside.


    ¡°More beasts,¡± Ren whispered with disdain. ¡°Tell me who your friends are, and I¡¯ll tell you who you are, Balthazar.¡±


    Slowly and carefully, the young man reached one of the bazaar¡¯s shutters and peeked inside.


    Tristan sat on a stool by the counter, where the toad Henrietta was. The animated skeleton was sitting on a nearby crate, rubbing his knee joints. Across the room, the three orcs stood by some shelves, the larger one with his muscular arms crossed while the other two leaned against a pillar in wait. Off by a corner, partially concealed in the shadows, the lizardman stood in silence.


    ¡°Well, good to know that about the centaurs,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°Thanks for letting us know, Khargol.¡±


    The apparent leader of the orcs nodded to her.


    ¡°Any news on when Balthazar will be back?¡± the skeleton asked. ¡°Everyone back at the dungeon would love to have him visit us again. They still talk about the way he took out that high-level adventurer every day, heh.¡±


    Ren squinted through the hole in the wooden shutters, feeling disgusted by the wretched hive of scum and villainy before him, reveling in the murderous acts of their leader.


    ¡°No, nothing yet, Tom,¡± said Tristan. ¡°Last we heard, he was somewhere on the other side of the continent. Hopefully chasing a good lead.¡±


    Ren brought his ear closer to the opening on the shutters. So his nemesis wasn¡¯t even there. He had come so far, and it all had been for naught?


    Frustration built up inside the young man. He just wanted to remember. Where exactly had he come from? Who were the people in his previous life that he could not remember? Why was he there, in that strange new world?


    He needed answers, and the only one he knew could give them to him was Balthazar. He needed to find him, no matter the cost.


    Overtaken by frustration, the adventurer grasped the handle of the longsword strapped to his back.


    If he could not get answers from his nemesis directly, he would get answers from his underlings instead.


    Chugging a couple more potions to buff himself up, Ren eyed the figures inside. They might outnumber him seven-to-one, but the champion was confident in his skills. He had been meticulous ever since arriving on Heartha. Took no risks and always overprepared. Now, after weeks of training and learning, the level 30 adventurer was certain he could handle a group of minions.


    From rabbits to ogres, goblins to bandits, none had yet presented a challenge to him. Every foe he met on his journey had proven underwhelming against his might.


    These fiends inside would be no different. His danger sense skill told him they were all below his own level, even the bigger orc. He could easily take them out, and then he would finally know how to find Balthazar.


    Activating every combat skill he had, Ren broke the shutters open and with a mighty roar charged into the bazaar, Runesteel Longsword held high and ready to strike.

 Chapter 183: Low-Level Monsters

    ¡°What the¡ª¡± Tom the skeleton exclaimed, bolting up from the crate he was sitting on.


    ¡°Burznarfuogol, Yaturwurtguthvarbu!¡± the orc chieftain shouted to his companions. ¡°We are under attack. Cover our hosts.¡±


    The other two orcs rushed to the counter without a moment of hesitation, standing in front of Henrietta and Tristan with their blunt weapons at the ready.


    Ren already knew the orcs would have to be his first targets, as they posed the biggest threat, but even he was impressed by how fast and well they reacted to his surprise attack.


    ¡°Tell me how to get to your master and we can make this end a lot faster,¡± the champion said.


    ¡°Master?!¡± the shaken toad said from atop the counter, peeking past one of the orc¡¯s elbows. ¡°What in the world is he talking about?¡±


    ¡°I know not whom you speak of,¡± Khargol said with a threatening scowl. ¡°We serve no master, and if you came here looking for an easy battle, you would do well to flee now.¡±


    ¡°Flee?!¡± Ren repeated, a bout of arrogant outrage flaring up inside him.


    Those creatures were not only trying to fool him about the one they served, but they were also insulting him by implying he would have turned tail and fled from a battle. An easy fight was not what he had come there for, but now he was certainly feeling like getting an extra level or two out of it.


    Whether it was information on Balthazar or just plain experience, he would get something out of that encounter with those monsters.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you who is going to be fleeing,¡± Ren said bitterly as he stepped toward the orc, sword pointed forward.


    Using his keen senses that kept him fully aware of his surroundings at all times, the adventurer realized that the lizard was gone from the dark corner of the room. Impressive speed and stealth, but still no match for the champion¡¯s prowess.


    Changing his stance at the last second, Ren switched his strike from the orc to the lizardman rushing at him from the side with a spear.


    With a clink of metal, the skilled swordsman disarmed the reptilian being in the blink of an eye, but before he could utter a victorious one-liner, the orc chieftain took advantage of the opening.


    The orc¡¯s loud roar shook the young man¡¯s ribs from the inside as Khargol sent a mighty punch forward, which was met by Ren¡¯s Deflecting Palm skill he acquired from an abandoned monastery the week before.


    Surprised by the ease with which the human dismissed his attack, the orc stumbled a few steps to the side.


    ¡°Forfeit now and I¡ª¡±


    Ren¡¯s eyes widened as his acute sense of hearing picked up a rattling of bones coming up behind him.


    ¡°Clickety clack, get into my sack!¡± the skeleton yelled as he pulled his bag over the adventurer¡¯s head.


    The human turned his blade up as the bag descended upon him, turning everything dark.


    It took less than a second for him to feel the orc chieftain taking advantage of the undead¡¯s trick by pummeling him with powerful punches to the stomach over the burlap bag. They would no doubt be dealing massive damage to his health, were it not for the high defense rating provided by the armor plates he was wearing.


    ¡°Quick, fetch us some rope, Tom,¡± the young man heard Jor¡¯gath say.


    They were going to capture him. Probably planning to serve him right up to their master, Balthazar.


    Ren had no intention of letting that happen, however.


    Activating the enchantment on his longsword, the champion ripped the bag open with a glowing slash of the blade, followed by a second swing aimed straight at the leader of the orcs.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got you now, beast!¡± the bloodthirsty adventurer said.


    And then the unthinkable happened. Something that Ren did not see coming shot out from a shadowy corner of the room and hit him in the back of the hand, disrupting his strike and nearly making him drop his weapon.


    ¡°What?!¡± he exclaimed in disbelief, looking at the feathered dart lodged right between his tendons.


    It was laced with some kind of poison, but that was quickly neutralized by his boosted resistances.


    All he managed to see was a blurry figure of a second, female lizard creature vanishing into the shadows just as the lizardman, Jor¡¯gath, brought the tip of his spear down on him.


    ¡°No!¡± Ren shouted as he dived to the side.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t see my watcher coming, did you, human?¡± the slender lizard hissed.


    Huffing with anger at how much trouble a bunch of simple monsters were giving him, the champion decided it was no time to hold back. Even if he would get no answers that night, he would at least send a strong message to his nemesis.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Grabbing his longsword with both hands, Ren started charging his mana into the most powerful skill in his arsenal. A devastating area of effect attack that would wipe out the entire room and anyone within it.


    ¡°Tell Balthazar I am coming for him!¡± he yelled as his sword began glowing and a circle of wind took shape around him, making the monsters hold back.


    ¡°Balthazar?¡± Tristan said, poking his head out from behind the counter. ¡°Is this guy like an unsatisfied customer or something?¡±


    ¡°Your master will rue the day he summoned me on that beach! I will find him, and I will get what he took from me.¡±


    ¡°What in the world are you talking about, son?¡± Henrietta shouted over the increasingly louder noise of the wind blowing around the room. ¡°Balthazar is just a merchant!¡±


    ¡°His lies don¡¯t fool me!¡± Ren¡¯s voice echoed over the storm charging around his blade.


    ¡°I think you must be confused,¡± said the toad. ¡°Please, just put the sword down and let¡¯s talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please listen to Henrietta,¡± Tristan said.


    ¡°I will hear no lies from monsters,¡± the adventurer said with bitterness to his tone. ¡°You can all serve as experience to make me stronger.¡±


    ¡°Is no one gonna do anything about that big glowy attack he¡¯s charging?!¡± Tom yelled over the deafening wind, holding his hat to his skull.


    ¡°Be vanquished, fiends!¡± the champion shouted as he lifted the longsword, preparing to strike the floor below and release the charged attack.


    ¡°Oh, for the love of Crea¡­¡±


    Out of nowhere, something slimy and sticky jumped on Ren¡¯s face.


    ¡°A bunch of big men standing there and none of you is going to stop him?!¡± the toad desperately shouted as she held onto the adventurer¡¯s face with all she had. ¡°Do something!¡±


    The champion let out several muffled grunts as he took one hand off the sword and tried to remove the green creature stuck to his face, causing the charged attack to fizzle out before it ever released.


    A toad. Of all the things the prodigal adventurer was prepared for, a small slimy creature attaching itself to him as he was about to unleash a devastating attack was somehow one he hadn¡¯t considered.


    Angry at the merchant¡¯s accomplices and at himself, Ren stumbled a few steps back, trying to get a grip on the toad, his hand slipping off her wet skin over and over again.


    ¡°Jazk, now!¡± Jor¡¯gath yelled.


    The shadowy lizard emerged from behind a shelf and spun her tail around, hitting the back of Ren¡¯s legs and making him fall back.


    ¡°Argh!¡± he yelled as he hit the floor and the impact caused the toad to fly off his face.


    ¡°Henrietta!¡± shouted Tristan as he threw himself over the counter with both hands out. ¡°I¡¯ve got you!¡±


    The toad landed right into Tristan¡¯s palms with a squeaky noise as the man let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Phew!¡±


    Before Ren had time to get back up and scramble for his sword, the two orc brothers had already moved on him, holding his shoulders down as their chieftain planted his foot on the thick armor plates over his stomach.


    ¡°Concede,¡± the stoic orc snarled.


    ¡°Yes, you should listen to my friend¡¯s wise words, human,¡± said Jor¡¯gath, pointing the tip of his spear at the champion¡¯s chest, while Jazk held a dagger against his throat.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, what they said!¡± the skeleton added as he wrapped some rope around Ren¡¯s ankles.


    ¡°You will not stop me, monsters,¡± the adventurer muttered behind grinding teeth. ¡°I will find your master and I will put a stop to his evil deeds.¡±


    ¡°Evil deeds?¡± Henrietta said, hopping back onto the counter. ¡°Balthazar might be a bit cranky and hard to deal with at times¡ªI would know¡ªbut he¡¯s hardly evil. Are you sure you got the right merchant?¡±


    ¡°His mind wiping didn¡¯t work on me and neither will your poor attempt at trickery, toad,¡± Ren spat as the others sat him on a chair, rope tied around both his hands and feet. ¡°My name is Warren, beast, and mark my words. Even if it takes me a lifetime, I will find that man, and I will make him pay for taking away my life!¡±


    The group exchanged confused looks at one another as they gathered closer, lowering their voices to a hushed tone.


    ¡°Is this guy like¡­¡± Tom said, spinning a bony finger around next to his temple. ¡°¡­or something?¡±


    ¡°Maybe Balthazar sold him an expired potion out there?¡± Tristan suggested.


    The young man watched as they talked among themselves. He had been reckless. Allowed his frustrations to speak louder than his rational thinking, and it had cost him a humiliating defeat at the hands of a group of low-level monsters.


    He needed to get away. To recover and recollect his thoughts.


    Slowly, the adventurer reached behind his belt for a hidden dagger to cut his wrists loose.


    ¡°We could make him talk,¡± Khargol said to the others, cracking his knuckles.


    ¡°We have our own ways to do it too, if you want,¡± said Jor¡¯gath.


    ¡°Alright, fellas, easy,¡± Tristan said. ¡°The poor boy already thinks we¡¯re monsters, let¡¯s not give him any reason to be right.¡±


    As they talked, Henrietta rubbed her glistening chin thoughtfully. ¡°Wait a minute. What did he say a moment ago? That he would find that¡­ man? Does he not know that Balthazar is a cra¡ª¡±


    With a blinding flash and a loud bang, the room started rapidly filling with smoke.


    Ren, free from the ropes, rolled to his longsword as his nemesis¡¯s minions coughed and shouted.


    ¡°He has freed himself,¡± Khargol yelled. ¡°Get him!¡±


    But as they all scattered around the bazaar and the smoke cleared, they realized the adventurer was gone, a single broken shutter swinging on its hinge left in the wake of his escape.


    Warren ran.


    The champion ran and ran down the road until he couldn¡¯t see the lights of his archrival¡¯s lair anymore.


    His lungs burned with the cold night air, but that was nothing compared to the pain inflicted to his pride.


    He had been bested for the first time. And not even by Balthazar, but his minions. A toad jumping on his face brought him down.


    Ren felt humiliation like he had never experienced in his entire, perfect life.


    His level 30, all his skills, all his gear, every preparation he had taken. Everything denied by a group of low-grade monsters working together. He barely got away, thanks to some quick thinking, their own momentary distraction, and a pocketed smoke bomb he had looted from a dead rogue all the way back when he was level 7.


    The adventurer had suffered a harsh lesson that night which he would not soon forget.


    As the champion disappeared into the depths of the Black Forest, the cold truth washed over him: if he ever wanted to face Balthazar himself, he would have to become stronger. Far stronger than anyone else had ever been in that world.


    He would need to get real power.

 Chapter 184: Learning to Pinch

    Balthazar and his friends had been sailing along the coast on the Marquessian Dame for a couple of days now, slowly making their way to the cliffs that the crab¡¯s map marked as his destination.


    Blue spent most of her time flying around in the sky over the ship, enjoying the breezy freedom of the open sea and hunting down pesky seagulls who came too close to their boat, much to Balthazar¡¯s approval.


    Druma, on the other hand, had experienced a much rougher time. The young goblin learned soon after their departure from the dock that he suffered from severe seasickness, which left him spending most of his time onboard retching and dry heaving over the side rail. Despite his misfortune and slightly paler shade of green, the loyal assistant still managed to always give his boss a pained smile and reassure him that he was fine and excited to soon meet the arcane wizard again.


    The Dame was a small but fine vessel, built by Captain Leander as his personal project after retiring. It was designed as a replica of his former and much larger ship back when he was still on active duty, but scaled down and built specifically to be manned by one person alone.


    Despite their destination being a relatively short distance away from the Marquessian Bay, the old sailor explained to the crab that they would have to proceed very cautiously and slowly, as that was the trick to reach the treacherous coast Balthazar wanted.


    Many a traveler had met their doom trying to reach those cliffs, either by land, getting lost in the dense and danger-filled forests surrounding them, or by water, finding themselves shipwrecked in the jagged rocks around that coast.


    Despite his eagerness to finally find Tweedus and hopefully a way to repair the golem core he had been carrying ever since he left his pond, Balthazar did not mind the wait. He had already spent so much time looking for mangoes just to get directions to where he was doing, a couple more days were not going to hurt.


    Perhaps traveling the continent was starting to teach the merchant the virtue of patience.


    ¡°Bah, I¡¯ve been trying for two days, I¡¯m never going to get it!¡± the frustrated crustacean exclaimed.


    Or maybe not.


    Standing next to Captain Leander on the deck of the ship, Balthazar waved dismissively at the practice dummy in front of him after another unsuccessful attempt at executing the skill the old tutor had been trying to teach him.


    ¡°Patience, my friend,¡± the veteran said, arms crossed as he calmly nodded at the crab. ¡°Not everyone can learn new skills instantly, especially ones as powerful as this. It often takes a long time and a lot of effort.¡±


    I like it a lot more when I can just look at a glowing scroll and get it right away. Balthazar thought, but still choosing to keep that fact to himself as to avoid awkward questions about how a local crab was able to learn skills from scrolls only adventurers were known to be able to use.


    The secret skill Leander had agreed to teach him was called Mega Punch. According to the unarmed combat expert, the technique involved a punch so powerful that no defense or blocking measure was able to break it once unleashed.


    The captain demonstrated the move shortly after they set out to sea, using one of the wood and straw practice dummies he had brought on board for the trip.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks nearly popped off his shell when he watched the seasoned veteran¡¯s fist begin to glow white with power, followed by an unstoppable punch forward that broke right through the target, sending wood chips and straw flying everywhere.


    To further show how unbreakable the skill was, Leander had brought an old steel shield from the training hall as well. After placing the shield in front of a barrel full of sand and another target dummy behind that, he charged up one more Mega Punch.


    The already impressed crab was stunned when he witnessed the old man¡¯s muscular arm punch forward with white-hot energy. It effortlessly shattered the shield, ripped right through the barrel, sending exploding sand everywhere, and once again completely destroying the practice dummy behind it.


    As claimed, that skill was unstoppable once activated, and Balthazar was excited to finally have some way to contribute more in a fight beyond just running his mouth.


    Unfortunately, that excitement quickly withered away once the crab realized his pincers weren¡¯t quite compatible with¡­ punching.


    ¡°Alright, the first step is to make a fist,¡± Captain Leander had told him on the first day when they began practicing.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have fists,¡± Balthazar replied with a cocked eyestalk.


    ¡°Right. Fair point. Try maybe closing your¡­ pincer?¡±


    And so began the crab¡¯s efforts to perform the most basic forward movement of punching, but no matter how much he tried, his front limbs were just not built for jabs like a human¡¯s.


    After much pincer slapping, claw smacking, and pincher swatting, the merchant was about ready to give up.


    ¡°There¡¯s no use, captain. I¡¯m never going to be a fighter. Punching just doesn¡¯t work for me.¡±


    Leander sighed deeply as he crossed his leathery arms under the high noon sun bathing the deck.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t even sound like you, Balthazar,¡± he said. ¡°Where is the self-confident crab that walked into our city, solved the mango crisis, and went up against a dangerous witch? Or the prodigal merchant that sold beach sandals to those mermaids we asked for directions when we were lost in the fog this morning?¡±


    The crustacean let out a sigh of his own. ¡°All those things only required me to talk, not actually fight. Maybe I¡¯m just not built for fighting.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you are right,¡± the man said. ¡°I was hopeful that a melee skill that did not require holding a weapon would work for you, but maybe hand-to-hand combat is just not possible for you either.¡±


    ¡°Too bad there aren¡¯t any pincer-to-pincer tutors,¡± the deflated crab said. ¡°Or even just pincer-to-hand ones. There¡¯s a clear hole in that market.¡±


    ¡°Or¡­¡± the captain started. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re just stubbornly going about it in the same way over and over instead of considering different methods.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I have been known to do that,¡± Balthazar understated. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    The sailor gazed at the sea thoughtfully. ¡°Perhaps you need to focus on what you can do, rather than what you¡¯re seeing me do. I use my fist to deliver a punch. What would be the equivalent for a crab¡¯s claw?¡±


    Staring off at the horizon too, Balthazar pondered the old man¡¯s wisdom.


    He was right. The crab had never been one to solve his problems through punches. Whether it was a slippery fish in his pond, an annoying twig on his path, or even a pestering adventurer stepping on his shell, the crustacean¡¯s answer had always been a swift pinch with his pincer.


    ¡°Hmm, what if¡­¡±


    The merchant looked at the straw man placed against the ship¡¯s rail. Instead of trying something he was no good at like silly human punches again, Balthazar decided to focus on something he knew much better.


    Flexing all of his eight legs and pulling his right arm back, the giant crab opened his large pincer and held it back firmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Balthazar,¡± Captain Leander said, placing his hand on the left side of the crab¡¯s shell. ¡°Focus on everything I¡¯ve taught you the past few days, but use it in your own way. Channel it. Make it yours.¡±


    Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, the crab pictured his tutor¡¯s glowing fist again. Unbreakable, unyielding, unwavering. Then he thought all the way back to the day he discovered that mysterious scroll, when that foolish adventurer stepped on his shell and he retaliated by pinching his ankle.


    And then he remembered the day Madeleine was taken by the dragon and he was powerless to stop it.


    Snapping his eyes open, Balthazar pushed his claw forward as a faint white energy started glowing all around it.


    Surprised by his own feat, the crab closed his pincer around the neck of the practice dummy, cutting its straw head clean off and sending it flying into the water below.


    [Revealing new skill¡­]


    [Mega Punch is incompatible with current anatomy]


    [Adapting skill¡­]


    [Mega Pinch]


    [Skill - A tier]


    [Requirements: 20 STR]


    [Cost: 30 mana]


    [For 60 seconds, your next pinch will carry unbreakable force, making it physically impossible to disrupt its grasp.]


    [Would you like to learn this skill?]


    [Yes] [No]


    ¡°Woah¡­¡±


    ¡°I think you did it, Balthazar,¡± the proud captain said. ¡°You learned your own way of using my technique.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I think I did,¡± the smiling crab said, looking down at his own pincer, which had returned to normal.


    ¡°Land ho!¡± Druma shouted from the front of the ship.


    ¡°And not a moment too soon,¡± Leander said, peering through his spyglass. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at your destination!¡±


    The old sailor rushed to the wheel, leaving Balthazar to gaze upon the description of his newly learned skill.


    Damn, expensive one. 30 mana. I really wanna try it, but it would cost me all the mana I have, so I should save it for a moment of need. Who knows what we¡¯re about to encounter on that coast.


    Then his eyes went back to the requirements lines.


    Wait a minute¡­ 20 Strength?! Ah, crabapples! I don¡¯t have anywhere near enough to use it!


    Suddenly feeling deflated again, the merchant did some quick calculations in his head.


    I¡¯d need to invest every attribute point I¡¯d get for the next five levels just to get enough Strength to use this thing. That¡¯s way too much!


    He thought back to his encounter with Velvet, and how his Gift of the Crab had been unsuccessful against her because his Charisma wasn¡¯t high enough. His intention from then on was to put every new point he¡¯d get into boosting his Charisma even more. But now that would mean all his efforts to learn a combat skill from Leander would have been for nothing if he didn¡¯t get enough Strength to fully unlock it.


    For every new accomplishment, a new setback.


    Choosing to leave his new conundrum for later since there was little he could do about it at that moment, Balthazar joined the captain as he brought the ship closer to shore.


    The crab looked at his map and at the spot Ruby had marked on it as the location of Tweedus¡¯s hideout. They were close. Somewhere past that small beach, beyond the dense forest surrounding it, and on the rocky cliffs above.


    ¡°Well, this is where we part ways, my friend,¡± Captain Leander said as Balthazar and his two companions descended from the Dame and onto the sand. ¡°I must return to Marquessa as quickly as possible and manage the guardsman situation as promised, before Olivia starts giving her aunt too much trouble.¡±


    ¡°I really wish we could get a guide through that forest too,¡± the merchant said, glancing back at the dense trees past the beach.


    ¡°I wish I could help you, but the deal was only to show you how to reach this area. And to be honest, I¡¯m probably doing you a favor by not coming along. The fairies said to dwell in these woods do not take kindly to the races of men that dare enter their domain. Maybe they will be nicer to a crab.¡±


    After saying farewell to the captain and watching him depart on his ship, the crab, goblin, and drake turned to the forest.


    ¡°Well, no turning back now,¡± Balthazar said with a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s find that wizard.¡±


    As the trio crossed past the treeline, the small goblin started growing visibly worried.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Druma?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°Druma is scared,¡± the assistant said, grasping the borders of his hat nervously. ¡°Druma always hear that fairies are mean and hate goblins.¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± the goblin¡¯s boss said. ¡°I¡¯m sure they can¡¯t be that bad. They¡¯re just little winged, sparkly creatures. That doesn¡¯t sound very threatening to me.¡±


    Druma kept on following the merchant into the forest despite his clear wariness.


    ¡°Come on, I bet we won¡¯t even find any fairies here,¡± Balthazar said as small glowing sprites began appearing between the trees all around them.

 Chapter 185: A Fairy Deal

    ¡°Never mind, we found fairies¡­¡± Balthazar said, dropping his shell and rolling his eyestalks.


    The crab and his companions gathered closer together as the specks of light formed a circle around them. Like small shiny sprites dancing in the air, more and more of the fairies appeared from the darkness of the dense forest.


    Blue snarled, displeased and with smoke blowing out of her nostrils, but Balthazar made a calming gesture with his claw in front of her as he cautiously looked around.


    ¡°Easy, girl. Let¡¯s not start any trouble if we can avoid it.¡±


    Standing between the two of them, Druma clutched his staff with both hands, eyes darting around as the specks of light continued to grow well into the dozens now.


    ¡°Boss has plan, right?¡± the scared goblin asked in a trembling voice.


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I always have a plan. My plan is to improvise.¡±


    One of the larger glowing orbs, about the size of an apple, came closer to him. As it approached, the crab¡¯s eyes started to make out the shape of a tiny, vaguely humanoid figure within the bright light. What looked like a miniature version of a woman with rapidly fluttering wings on her back and a body covered in flower petals in place of clothes looked into the merchant''s eyes.


    The fairy opened her mouth and started speaking. Or so Balthazar assumed. All he was hearing was a kind of high-pitched rhythmic buzzing, like an insect he had never heard before.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hi?¡± the crab said. ¡°If you¡¯re talking to me, I have no idea what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    The tiny creature frowned and started buzzing at him faster. As she did, all the other fae around them seemed to grow increasingly restless, moving about faster and more erratically.


    ¡°Druma don¡¯t think fairy is happy with boss,¡± the green assistant said as his legs started to tremble. ¡°Druma don¡¯t want to be trapped inside tree forever like he hear in stories when Druma was little.¡±


    Balthazar looked around nervously. Tiny or not, there were a lot of them, and he could tell they weren¡¯t exactly rolling out the red carpet for him.


    Wait! I got exactly the thing for this!


    Pulling up his system screen, the merchant selected one of his newer skills.


    [All-Tongue]


    [Skill - C tier]


    [Requirements: 40 CHA, 20 INT]


    [Cost: 5 mana]


    [For 15 minutes, your tongue can reach anyone¡¯s ears. No, gross, not like that. Sentient beings will understand your words no matter their language.]


    Perfect!


    After activating it, Balthazar looked at the fairy again and tried to speak.


    ¡°Hellooo,¡± he said, rolling his words very slowly as if that somehow would help him be better understood. ¡°I am Balthazaaar and I cooome in peeeace.¡±


    The winged sprite frowned at him again, but this time it seemed out of curious surprise, rather than anger.


    ¡°You speak the fae tongue?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Ah-ha! I do! Now. Apparently,¡± the crab said with a mix of pride and surprise.


    ¡°You are a crab,¡± said the fairy. ¡°A creature of water. Yet you also spoke in the language of humans. And you smell of them.¡±


    All around him, Balthazar heard buzzing among the other fae, except this time it wasn¡¯t unintelligible buzzing, but rather hushed whispers of disapproval.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, those pesky humans,¡± the crab loudly exclaimed. ¡°Always getting their stench all over everything. I ran into a couple of them on my way here. One of them even smelled like onion, if you can believe that. Anyway, I¡¯m clearly not a human, as you can see. Not a big fan of them either.¡±


    Druma scooched closer to Blue and whispered, ¡°Why is boss buzzing too?¡±


    The drake shrugged with a confused expression.


    ¡°And yes,¡± Balthazar continued, ¡°I speak crab, fluent human, and have been working on fairy language lately too. That¡¯s just me, a very polyp¡­ a very poly-igloo¡­ poly¡­ A very well-spoken crab!¡±


    The fairy hovered in place, unblinking, staring at the crab with an expressionless face.


    ¡°I hope you are understanding me fine,¡± the crustacean said. ¡°I¡¯m told I can speak your language fairly well.¡±


    The crab held for a reaction, a frozen grin on his face. The fairy closed her eyes and let out a long, exasperated sigh.


    ¡°Sister,¡± one of the other sprites said, coming closer and becoming fully visible too. ¡°Please let me try to communicate with the crab.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure, go right ahead,¡± the first fae said dismissively, turning and fluttering away while muttering under breath. ¡°This crab sounds as dull as an adventurer¡­¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    The second one turned to Balthazar. She was slightly smaller, had pale pink short hair, and was wearing rosy petals around her body.


    ¡°Hello!¡± the crab greeted. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whatcha want?!¡± the fairy unceremoniously asked, placing her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­¡± the befuddled crab said. ¡°Straight to the point, alright. I¡¯m looking for someone. I came a long way to find him and I was hoping you could point me in the right direction.¡±


    ¡°We ain¡¯t tourist guides, shell-boy,¡± the tiny humanoid exclaimed in a high-pitched but impressively confident voice. ¡°You should turn around and buzz off before we treat you like we would a human, know what I''m sayin¡¯?¡±


    The fairy turned around and started flying away sassily with her nose up and arms crossed.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯ve come too far to turn around now!¡± Balthazar hurriedly said as her glow started disappearing in the darkness.


    ¡°Sounds like a you problem,¡± she replied without turning around.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to save my best friend!¡±


    ¡°Same thing every other adventurer on a quest says. It¡¯s always a friend, a princess, or some villager¡¯s pet.¡±


    ¡°If you could just tell me where to find a guy called Tweedus I¡¯d be off and never bother you again!¡±


    The glowing sprite suddenly stopped just as it was about to fully disappear between the trees.


    ¡°Hol¡¯ up,¡± the fairy said as she flew back to look at the crab. ¡°You know Tweedus?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yes,¡± Balthazar replied with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to reach him.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ha-ha! Why didn¡¯tcha say so sooner?¡± said the fae as she slapped her own leg. ¡°A friend of Tweedus is always welcome in our forest.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you know him too?¡± the confused merchant asked. ¡°But I thought you fairies weren¡¯t very fond of the races of men.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but Tweedus ain''t a man.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not?!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the fairy said, looking at the crab like he was the crazy one. ¡°Tweedus is a wizard.¡±


    Balthazar stared at the tiny creature with his mouth half open for a moment.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not¡­ He¡¯s¡­ You know what? Never mind that. If you know him then you must know how I could get to his home, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± said the fluttering sprite.


    ¡°Alright, great!¡± the enthusiastic merchant said.


    A few seconds passed with no sound made other than the idle buzzing of fairy wings in the air.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Balthazar eventually said. ¡°Are you going to tell me how to find him?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    The crab dropped his shell in frustration as he pinched the space between his eyestalks.


    ¡°Any particular reason why?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the pink-haired fairy said.


    ¡°That reason being¡­¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t paid us tribute. What, ya think we runnin¡¯ a charity here, salty boy?¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± the annoyed crustacean muttered as he pulled the strings of his coin bag open. ¡°You¡¯re lucky this is so important and I don¡¯t have time to haggle. How much do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ewwww! Nah, nah!¡± the fairy exclaimed as she saw the shiny gold coins Balthazar was pulling from his bag. ¡°We don¡¯t want no stinking human money!¡±


    ¡°What do you want then, fairy?!¡± said the merchant, feeling at his wit¡¯s end.


    ¡°We take tribute in the form of gifts, treasure, trinkets. Actually valuable stuff, not something like¡­ gold. Ew. And the name is Rada, so you¡¯d better start using it, big guy.¡±


    ¡°Alright, fine, fai¡­ Rada,¡± Balthazar said, throwing his pincers up in agreement. ¡°A trade of goods. I can work with that. No problem. I¡¯m a merchant after all.¡±


    Pulling his Backpack of Holding down, he started rummaging through it as the other glowing fairies all around him buzzed and chattered with curiosity.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve got something here that will do it for you. What about a¡­ potion!¡±


    The crab pulled a bottle of bright liquid from the bag, holding it up for everyone to see.


    ¡°Blah!¡± said Rada. ¡°Human poison! We don¡¯t want that crap anywhere near us.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine. Picky clients,¡± the traveling merchant mumbled, shoving the bottle back in his backpack and searching for something else. ¡°Maybe a¡­ butter knife? You guys could probably use it as a javelin or something.¡±


    The fairy looked at the dull knife the crab was holding with her arms crossed and a disapproving scowl. ¡°Filthy human tools.¡±


    Balthazar rolled his eyestalks and returned to his rummaging.


    ¡°Some sandals? Uh¡­ probably a size or two too big, now that I think about it. Jewelry? No, human-made garbage, blah, blah, blah. Maybe I could offer¡­ wait, no, not giving you any of my pastries. Even I have my limits. ¡±


    The merchant kept on searching as the fae watched him pull and toss aside items from his magical backpack.


    ¡°An inkpot?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°A stick vaguely shaped like a sword?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°What about¡­¡± The crab dipped his eyestalks into the bag. ¡°Why the hell do I have a chair in here?!¡±


    He continued pulling item after item with growing frustration as nothing seemed to convince the fairy. Cutlery, lightly used napkins, a fingerless glove, a palmless glove, an unexplainable amount of corks, a witch¡¯s wig¡­


    ¡°Wait!¡± Rada shouted, pointing at the last item the merchant tossed on the ground. ¡°That right there!¡±


    All the other fae floating around suddenly became much more agitated, buzzing with awe and excitement.


    ¡°This thing?¡± Balthazar asked, holding up the hairpiece with a cocked eyestalk.


    A few paces behind, Druma leaned closer to Blue again as they continued watching the crab buzzing unintelligibly.


    ¡°Why boss keep evil witch hair?¡± he asked with a tinge of disgust on his face.


    Once more, the drake shrugged with a weirded out expression.


    ¡°That is like¡­ genuine hair from a witch, ain¡¯t it?¡± Rada said with wide eyes.


    The merchant glanced awkwardly at the wig held in his pincer. ¡°Right¡­ it¡­ sure is!¡±


    ¡°Witch hair is, like, super valuable to us faefolk!¡± the rosy pixie said. ¡°We would love it if you offered us a strand of this treasure of yours as tribute.¡±


    Balthazar looked at the tiny, shiny eyes of the fairy and then at her buzzing sisters all around.


    ¡°A strand? Sure.¡± With a swift snip of his pincer, the crab cut a lock of black hair from Velvet¡¯s wig. ¡°Now can you please just tell me where Tweedus is?¡±


    Rada received the small strand of hair into her arms with an elated smile and eyes that seemed on the verge of tears.


    [Tribute accepted]


    [You have reached level 23!]


    [You have gained a boon: The Fairy¡¯s Favor]


    [When you need it most and expect it the least, the fairies will favor you with their good luck.]


    The hell is that supposed to mean?!


    ¡°Yo, pinch meister,¡± the fairy called, snapping her minuscule fingers in front of the crab¡¯s eyes. ¡°Come with me. We¡¯re gonna show you the way up to Tweedus.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks frowned with concern.


    ¡°The way¡­ up?!¡±

 Chapter 186: Wizard Lair

    Balthazar and his friends followed the fairies through a few trees until they reached the side of a tall cliff.


    The crab¡¯s eyestalks tilted back as he gazed all the way up the wall of jagged stone in front of them. Far up, near the top, he could see a small opening, like a cave entrance.


    ¡°Tweedus lives up there,¡± said Rada, fluttering around next to them.


    Balthazar sighed. ¡°Are you about to tell me we have to climb seven thousand steps to get to the old man or something ridiculous like that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nah, there are no steps.¡±


    ¡°Alright, good, that¡¯s a relief, because I don¡¯t do stair¡ª¡±


    ¡°You gotta fly to get there.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    The fairy shrugged. ¡°The way he sees it, if you ain¡¯t fly enough to know how to fly, you ain¡¯t worth seeing anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a crab, I don¡¯t have wings!¡± the exasperated crustacean exclaimed.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, you must know some kind of levitation spell, don¡¯tcha?¡±


    ¡°I swear, every single time¡­¡± Balthazar muttered under his breath before speaking up again. ¡°No, I don¡¯t! I¡¯m a land and aquatic creature, I have no business flying!¡±


    ¡°Alright, cool, that¡¯s, like, your problem now, crabo,¡± Rada said, throwing the strand of hair Balthazar had offered around her neck like a scarf. ¡°We did our part, we showed you the way. If you want to skedaddle back to where you came now, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    The merchant slumped down. ¡°No. I can¡¯t do that. I need to see him. It¡¯s¡­ really important.¡±


    The fairy looked at him from the corner of her eye. ¡°There is another way for you to get up there¡­ if you offer us another strand of that witch¡¯s hair.¡±


    ¡°Take it!¡± Balthazar said, snipping another lock of hair from the wig and shoving it in front of her. ¡°Just show me how to get up there already.¡±


    After smiling from ear to ear at the crab¡¯s gift, Rada placed two fingers between her lips and whistled.


    ¡°Alright, sisters, gather ¡®round. You know how we do it!¡±


    Without so much as a warning, the glowing fae started surrounding Balthazar with giggles and buzzing.


    ¡°Wha¡­ wait¡­ what are you doing? I don¡¯t¡ªOoooh!¡±


    The crab felt his eight feet rising off the ground as hundreds of tiny fairies picked him up by the sides of his shell.


    Cold wind rushed against his eyes as they lifted him up into the air at an alarming speed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like flying! Let go of me!¡±


    His eyestalks twisted downward to see the ground and the top of the trees shrinking below as they rose through the air.


    ¡°No, no, no, don¡¯t let go of me!¡±


    Between howling wind, loud buzzing, and giggly chattering, Balthazar reached the entrance on the side of the cliff and felt the fairies let go of him right at the edge.


    ¡°Oof!¡± he exclaimed as his shell hit the cave floor. ¡°You could have at least warned me!¡±


    ¡°Gotcha up here, didn¡¯t we?¡± Rada said with a shrug and a sassy shake of her head. ¡°Tweedus¡¯s crib is right down that way. We did as agreed. See ya around, snippers!¡±


    Throwing both strands of hair over her shoulders, the fairy fluttered away and back down with the other tiny sprites buzzing behind her.


    As they disappeared past the edge, Balthazar saw a much larger figure fly up.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± yelled Druma as Blue landed and he hopped off her back. ¡°Boss was flying! It was awesome!¡±


    The crab scowled at his grinning and jumping assistant. ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. I hated it. I don¡¯t want to do that ever again.¡±


    Turning the other way, Balthazar faced the cave in front of them. It extended down into a tunnel that curved well into the inside of the mountain.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just find this wizard,¡± he said, wanting nothing more than to put his latest flying experience behind him.


    After a couple of minutes walking, the light from outside started fading behind them, but at the same time, a new glow started coming into view up ahead.


    The trio glanced at each other as they started hearing something coming from the path in front of them. It was like music, but produced by instruments the crab had never heard before. It was no bard¡¯s lute or partygoer¡¯s drum. No flute could make such sounds, and he was certain not even the impressive piano thing he had seen in Marquessa could produce such unfamiliar noises.


    Whatever that ¡°music¡± was, it felt completely alien to the crab¡¯s world. Oddly catchy, however.


    As they approached the soft bluish light ahead, Balthazar saw a large shadow against the cave wall.


    It was a man¡¯s shadow, wearing a pointy hat and moving around wildly, like he was¡­ dancing.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Balthazar yelled over the loud music.


    The shadow stopped dancing and moved away a few steps. The music ceased.


    ¡°Uh¡­ hello?¡± the crab repeated.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m coming, hold your unicorns!¡± an old but erratically energetic voice yelled from up ahead as the shadow grew smaller.


    Finally, a man appeared around the corner. He was old, ridiculously so. He was also scrawny, concerningly so. Despite that, he moved with the spryness of someone much younger.


    He was wearing a tall wizard hat as well as robes. Except they were not your typical wizard robes. Tied at the front by a thick rope, the old man wore a thick and fluffy purple bathrobe that left his skinny shins exposed and matched his also purple plush slippers.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the pizza courier!¡± Tweedus exclaimed, his furry eyebrows furrowing at the visitors.


    ¡°Uhm, no¡­?¡± Balthazar hesitantly said. Despite searching for the wizard for so long, the crab now realized he never really considered what he¡¯d say once he found the old adventurer.


    ¡°Well, fiddlesticks!¡± the wizard exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m hungry enough to eat a mammoth right now. And I don¡¯t even like mammoth meat!¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Not sure if you remember me but¡ª¡± Balthazar started.


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Tweedus said.


    ¡°Oh, good, that makes things a bit easi¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one of my ex-wives¡¯ lawyers, aren¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°What? No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good. Come on in then!¡±


    Without waiting another moment, the elderly adventurer turned and walked around the corner again.


    Looking at his companions in confusion, Balthazar shrugged and followed him.


    ¡°To be honest,¡± the crab said as he caught up to the man down the cave, ¡°I didn¡¯t really think we¡¯d be able to just walk into your place like this, without any security measures in the way.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Tweedus laughed. ¡°Ya passed about thirty different runes, sigils, and other magical traps on your way here. They just don¡¯t get triggered by weak, non-threatening things. I can¡¯t be bothered to reset them every time a mosquito flies into my house!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m both relieved and slightly insulted¡­¡± Balthazar muttered.


    As they reached the end of the tunnel, the crab¡¯s eyestalks stood up, impressed by the cave chamber in front of them.


    The room was large but packed with stuff everywhere. Shelves, tables, and an old desk were covered with countless piles of books as well as strange trinkets and gizmos, filling the place with so much visual noise that Balthazar¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t pick the first thing to focus on.


    Above, near the center of the rocky ceiling, a smooth ball of shiny metal was slowly spinning in place, emanating a soft and pale blue light that cast funky patterns on every surface around the room.


    On a table, near the wizard¡¯s desk, a strange device the crab had never seen before whirred softly as an odd-looking black disc spun in place on the surface of it. It looked to Balthazar like it was made of licorice, but it did not look appetizing at all. As for the large and hollow brass horn sticking out of the device, he had no clue what it was for.


    The more the merchant looked around, the more questions he had about the things he was seeing, but he knew he needed to focus on what really mattered.


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t remember, but we met before, months ago. You traded me a golem core.¡±


    ¡°Of course I remember!¡± Tweedus said loudly as he stroked his knee-length beard. ¡°I¡¯ve got a perfect memory!¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Great!¡± Balthazar said with excitement. ¡°Then maybe you could help me figure out how to repair it?¡±


    ¡°Repair what?¡± the old man asked, staring up at the light ball above them.


    ¡°The¡­ core?¡±


    ¡°Core? What core?!¡±


    ¡°The golem core you gave me the first time we met and that I was talking about just now!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, right!¡± said the loud wizard. ¡°What happened to it?¡±


    The crab pulled his backpack down from his shell and reached inside. With a tinge of sadness in his eyes, Balthazar retrieved the two halves of Bouldy¡¯s broken core, holding them carefully in his claws for the old man to see. Despite how long it had been since the avalanche that destroyed the golem, the crab still couldn¡¯t look at what remained of his friend without feeling his heart sink in his shell.


    ¡°Oooh, boy!¡± Tweedus said, examining the lifeless orb with his unevenly sized blue eyes. ¡°What did you do to break a golem core like this? Dropped a mountain on it?!¡±


    ¡°Something like that¡­¡± the subdued crustacean said, staring at the floor.


    ¡°Bah, don¡¯t be like that, kid,¡± said the yelling mage. ¡°Golem cores can be put back together!¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, his eyestalks perking back up to the human.


    ¡°Of course! I thought I gave you a book on golemancy along with the core. Didn¡¯t ya read it?¡±


    ¡°Golemancy for Dummies? I read it, multiple times over, there was no mention of repairing a golem core anywhere in it.¡±


    Tweedus threw his head back and rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course! That stuff is only introduced in volume two, Golemancy for Dunces. Hang on, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve got a copy around here somewhere.¡±


    The wizard in a bathrobe moved behind his desk and started rifling through disorganized shelves and unsorted piles of books.


    ¡°So, how did ya find my place anyway?¡± he asked, looking at a book labeled Tome of Levitation VII before tossing it behind his back.


    ¡°Oh, phew,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°That¡¯s a long story that involves lots of traveling, following leads, and asking for directions. Which reminds me of something I promised someone I¡¯d do if I found you.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± said the human. ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s this enchantress I met called Ruby. She and her group, the Birdwatchers, are looking for something they think you have. Some kind of ring that goes in this astrolabe thingy¡­¡±


    ¡°Amil¡¯s astrolabe¡­¡± Tweedus said, using a lower tone of voice for the first time since the crab had arrived.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°So you know what it is. Any chance you still have the ring they need to complete it and would be willing to give it to me?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± the wizard exclaimed, returning to his excessively loud tone of voice.


    The merchant sighed. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯ve lost the ring years ago down in some old dungeon and it will require a whole quest that takes several days or weeks to retrieve it?¡±


    ¡°No. I have the ring. It¡¯s right there.¡±


    The crab looked at the pile of parchments the old man was pointing at. On top of them sat a piece of brass shaped like a thin cog with several tiny glyphs inscribed along its surface.


    ¡°Oh! Great! Then I could just take it back to them and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± said the wizard as he continued looking through more shelves. ¡°I have no intention of helping those birdwatching fools. And neither should you.¡±


    Balthazar couldn¡¯t help but notice the slightly bitter tone to his words and he wondered if he had struck a nerve.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ any reason why?¡± the merchant sheepishly asked, curious to know more but also worried he might compromise the odds the wizard would help him with the core. ¡°The enchantress mentioned that you and this Amil guy were friends in the past. Did something¡­ happen?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Tweedus, facing the shelves. ¡°Amil was a brilliant guy, but also very obsessed with figuring out this world. I always told him he should just enjoy it for what it is. Then one day he was¡­ gone. I still miss the bastard.¡± The old man paused, his back turned to the crab, and a quiet sigh escaped his lips. ¡°Those kids calling themselves ¡®birdwatchers¡¯ are just idiots trying to go down the same path as Amil. That¡¯s their problem and I don¡¯t want anything to do with it. Got way more important things on my mind. Like finishing my vinyl collection!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Balthazar said, his mind full of even more questions, the biggest one being what the hell ¡°vinyl¡± was.


    ¡°If you¡¯re smart¡ªand I¡¯m pretty sure you are or else I wouldn¡¯t have ever bothered talking to you in the first place¡ªyou will stay away from them too. Let them play their silly detective and spy games. Stay out of it. Enjoy what this world has to offer. Don¡¯t drive yourself crazy trying to find answers for things that don¡¯t need answering. Just have fun. That¡¯s what I do!¡±


    The crab pondered the wizard¡¯s words. Especially the part where he of all people was offering advice on how not to go crazy.


    Staying out of it all had been Balthazar¡¯s intention most of the time. Unfortunately, it often seemed like that wasn¡¯t really up to him, and fate¡ªor whatever else¡ªjust kept pushing him deeper into things way too big for a simple crab who just wanted to live peacefully in his pond.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I want anything to do with all this big world order crap,¡± the merchant said with a shrug. ¡°But I keep finding myself thrown right into the middle of it.¡±


    Balthazar sighed.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s my own fault, though. Maybe I did it to myself the day I got too curious and decided to touch what I shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Oooh yeah, happens to me all the time,¡± Tweedus said as he kept searching for the book. ¡°I¡¯m always touching things I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    The crab took a deep breath. Despite the wizard¡¯s kookiness, Balthazar¡¯s gut told him he could be trusted. More than most adventurers he usually met. If there was someone he felt could help him, it was Tweedus. As concerning as that fact was.


    ¡°You see,¡± the crab started, ¡°ever since that day, I¡¯ve gained access to this thing¡­ something I shouldn¡¯t have, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, you mean the system you got floating around in your eyes?¡± the old man casually said while digging through the drawers of his desk.


    ¡°Yes, the¡­ Wait, you know about that?!¡± the stunned crustacean blurted.


    ¡°Of course I do! First thing I noticed when I took a look at you while buying those mana potions. You think I¡¯ve gotten this far without learning to spot when something looks out of the ordinary? Hah!¡±


    Balthazar stared at the human in disbelief. ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Tweedus stood up straight for a moment to look at the crab. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t care and it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to tell anyone. It¡¯s none of my business and like I just told you, I¡¯m not interested in poking around anything that will get my eyes pecked out. Take it for what it is, have fun with it, but keep it quiet enough to not make any big waves.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Alright¡­¡± the baffled crustacean said.


    ¡°You managed to find any good scrolls so far?¡± the wizard asked, returning to his search. ¡°I remember when I was your level. Damn skills were such a pain to get. And I didn¡¯t have to go around with two pincers for hands, hah! Well¡­ there was that one week where I had hooves and¡­ Bah, never mind, I don¡¯t even like to remember it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned a few skills, yes. Some with more questionable usefulness than others,¡± Balthazar said, his eyestalks turning into a scowl. ¡°Like this most recent one I got. It requires several more levels of Strength than what I have. I don¡¯t want to spend my next levels wasting points on Strength just because of it. But if I don¡¯t, it¡¯s just a wasted skill!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, I know the old conundrum,¡± Tweedus said with a nod of his head. ¡°You¡¯re all in on Charisma, but you wouldn¡¯t mind having some other attribute tricks up your sleeve, eh? Hmm, I might know of something that could be of use to you¡­¡±


    The old man went back to the desk drawers he had already searched through and pulled a wrinkly rolled up scroll from it.


    ¡°Ah, here it is! I knew I still had it somewhere. Perks of never throwing anything away! This old bard friend of mine had this particular skill many years ago that you might find useful.¡±


    He tossed the tube of parchment at the crab, who caught it in his pincer.


    ¡°Go on, read it!¡±


    Still feeling weird about reading a Scroll of Potential in front of an adventurer, Balthazar hesitantly unfurled the old parchment in front of him.


    A warm glow emanated from it, illuminating his face and briefly overpowering the blue hue of the spinning ball hanging from the ceiling.


    [Revealing skill¡­]


    [Confident in Competence]


    [Skill - A tier]


    [Requirements: 60 CHA]


    [Cooldown: 1 day]


    [What you may lack in proper qualifications to do a job, you make up for with exceptional self-confidence. Temporarily converts the highest attribute requirement of the next skill you activate into a Charisma requirement of the same level + 25.]


    ¡°Oh!¡± the crab said with surprise.


    He checked the requirements of his recently learned Mega Pinch skill again¡ª20 Strength to activate. After reading through the scroll again and doing some quick calculations, Balthazar realized that with this new skill he would be able to at least perform one Mega Pinch a day.


    ¡°Not bad. Thanks!¡± he said to the wizard while rolling the scroll back up. ¡°Hey, wait, how did you know exactly what I needed and would get from this scroll?!¡±


    ¡°Hah! The nose knows, kid!¡± Tweedus said with a grin and a wink as he tapped the side of his long and thin nose.


    ¡°Well, while I appreciate all this, you still haven¡¯t found the one thing I really need to repair my friend, and I¡¯m kind of in a hurry to see him again.¡±


    ¡°B-boss?¡± Druma sheepishly said, stepping forward from the entrance where he and Blue had been quietly waiting. ¡°Druma think maybe boss wait and rest while wizard look for book. Druma is tired too. Druma don¡¯t mind waiting.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the crab said, giving his assistant the side eye. ¡°I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t mind staying a little longer in the cave of a wizard.¡±


    ¡°Oi-oi, I remember you, little fella!¡± the old man in slippers said. ¡°You¡¯re the promising young goblin I gave that staff to when that feisty girl back there flew into me that one time.¡±


    Druma perked up and a huge grin appeared on his face.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Druma still has staff!¡± he proudly said, grabbing the staff from his back and showing it to the wizard.


    ¡°Haha! And has it served you well?¡±


    The goblin nodded his head vigorously, making the oversized hat on his head bob back and forth.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Staff make big KABOOM when Druma use it on bad man that attack boss and Druma back home!¡±


    ¡°Hah! Nice! Glad you¡¯re learning the most important part of magic¡ªmaking big explosions!¡±


    The grinning goblin kept idly nodding, his sparkling eyes gazing upon the many trinkets and wonders scattered all over the wizard¡¯s workshop.


    ¡°Ah, what the hell! I have a soft spot for newbies,¡± Tweedus said, walking to a nearby closet. ¡°Hang on, I¡¯ve got something for you, to go with that staff.¡±


    The old man squatted down with impressive ease, rummaging through the closet, turning and tossing pieces of clothing around as he searched.


    ¡°Here we go! This should suit you nicely!¡±


    The wizard walked up to the goblin and offered him a piece of tattered cloth. It was a green cape, old and ragged, with torn bits on the edges and several moth holes all over it. Despite its appearance, as the fabric moved, and from certain angles, Balthazar could spot brief glimpses of a strange magical shimmer across its surface.


    ¡°For¡­ for Druma?¡± the small assistant said with wide, shiny eyes.


    ¡°All yours!¡± said the loony mage. ¡°I think it will serve you well.¡±


    Balthazar looked at Tweedus with a raised eyestalk. ¡°Do you always give this many free things to all your visitors?¡±


    ¡°Oh, hush, crab!¡± the human said. ¡°I don¡¯t get a lot of guests, alright? An old man gets lonely!¡± He paused and smiled at the excited goblin. ¡°You know what? Here, take this too. I¡¯m sure it will be of more use to you than me.¡±


    Reaching into one of his bookshelves, the elder grabbed a thick tome with the title Simple and Totally Safe Arcane Spells for Newbies handwritten on its cover and offered it to the goblin. He took it with a similar expression as his boss used to have when accepting a plate of pie from Madeleine.


    ¡°Thank you, wizard mister sir!¡± Druma exclaimed with teary eyes as he hugged the book.


    The crab leaned in closer to the wizard while the goblin put the book down on a nearby table and unfolded his new fashion accessory.


    ¡°You know he can¡¯t read, right?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Hah! That isn¡¯t stopping him from feeling happy, is it?¡±


    Balthazar watched as the gleeful assistant put his new old cape on, tying it around his neck. It draped over his back at a perfect length for his small body, its tattered edges ending right above his ankles, like it was meant for his exact measurements.


    Tweedus nodded approvingly as he leaned against his desk, which wobbled slightly. ¡°Huh? Wait a minute¡­¡±


    The wizard crouched behind the study table for a moment before reappearing with a hearty chortle and a book in his hands.


    ¡°It was right under the desk¡¯s foot all along, hah! I forgot this thing started wobbling a couple of decades ago.¡±


    Slamming the tome onto his desk with a loud thud, Tweedus started quickly leafing through the pages of Golemancy for Dunces, his lunatic gaze racing through the lines way faster than anyone should be able to read.


    ¡°Aha! There it is. Golem core restoration!¡±

 Chapter 187: Baggage

    ¡°Well? Go on, tell me!¡± the anxious crab asked. ¡°What do we need to repair Bouldy? A big hammer? Tears from a phoenix? Golem glue?!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Mhmm¡­ Uh-huh,¡± Tweedus mumbled as he read through the pages. ¡°No, none of that. You just need to mend the core in the fires of a Golem Forge. Easy-peasy!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Do you have one of those here?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Haha! Haaahahaha,¡± the wizard laughed. ¡°Good one, crab. No, of course I don¡¯t. A Golem Forge is a huge structure, several times larger than this cave.¡±


    ¡°Right, and is there maybe one near here?¡±


    The old man slapped his knee and laughed again, even louder this time.


    ¡°Hah! Not a chance! There¡¯s only one known Golem Forge in the entire continent.¡±


    The traveling merchant scowled. ¡°So you¡ª¡±


    ¡°And its exact location has been lost to the ages.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said it would be easy-peasy!¡± the frustrated crab exclaimed.


    ¡°Easy is relative,¡± Tweedus said with a wise flair that didn¡¯t convince Balthazar at all.


    ¡°Great. So I need to go to a forge, except there¡¯s no one left that has been there to know where it is. Just¡­ great.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been there,¡± said the wizard in a bathrobe. ¡°Ages ago. Back when I was much younger. Ah, to be 80 years old and spry again¡­¡±


    Balthazar threw his pincers out in exasperation. ¡°Then you must know where this forge is, right?!¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°What? How?!¡±


    ¡°Because I forgot where it was. It was a long time ago,¡± the old man said casually. ¡°Like I said, lost to the ages!¡±


    The crab threw his pincers down, feeling frustrated and defeated. Always a setback, never a straight path.


    ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t feel down, crab,¡± Tweedus said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°I need to find this forge. I need to repair this core. To bring back my friend. It was my fault his core was destroyed. He was protecting me. I need to make it right. I need to bring him back. I¡­ I miss him.¡±


    The old adventurer looked at the crab with his bushy eyebrows twisted into an expression of pity. For a brief moment, his eyes didn¡¯t seem as deranged or wacky like they usually did.


    ¡°Bah, don¡¯t worry,¡± Tweedus suddenly exclaimed, returning to his usual loud and crazy tone. ¡°I¡¯m sure it will come back to me if we wait long enough. Why don¡¯t you stick around for a bit while I try to jog my memory? Sit down, make yourself at home. We could¡­ play board games, to pass the time! I¡¯ve got a whole collection of them just gathering dust around here somewhere.¡±


    The merchant looked at the weird man with a cocked eyestalk.


    ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m kind of in a hurry,¡± he awkwardly said. ¡°Lots of things to do, plenty of places to go. How long do you think it would take you to remember?¡±


    ¡°Who knows! Maybe it will hit me in five minutes. Maybe I¡¯ll be combing my beard in five years and suddenly remember where the forge is. There¡¯s no telling!¡±


    Balthazar exhaled loudly. ¡°Argh. We don¡¯t have five years!¡±


    As he dropped his shell in frustration, the crab looked at his goblin assistant again, who was still grinning at the sight of his caped reflection.


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re looking good,¡± the merchant said, before turning to the old man again. ¡°Does it do anything?¡±


    ¡°The cape? Probably. Why don¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    The crab looked up at him with mild confusion. ¡°Uh¡­ how?¡±


    Tweedus looked down at the crustacean, his brow furrowing. ¡°Hmm¡­ Wait, there¡¯s something different about you since I saw you last, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean my golden shell? Yeah, that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t mean your tacky fashion choices!¡± the wizard interrupted. ¡°I mean the nifty little monocle you used to wear. Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my Monocle of Examination¡­¡± Balthazar muttered, his eyes going down to the floor. ¡°It¡­ shattered and I lost it. Right around the time Bouldy was destroyed too. I miss that thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Bah, poppycock!¡± Tweedus blurted. ¡°A crab wearing a monocle looks much more dapper!¡±


    His long beard swung around wildly as the old man moved to a large chest at the other end of the chamber. After flipping the lid open, he leaned over the chest until the top half of his body was completely gone inside it, his slippers hanging precariously from his feet as he searched the container.


    After tossing out a confusing amount of items from inside the chest, including a few teabags, several empty potion bottles, a strange-looking smoking pipe that resembled an alembic, and even a purple-feathered chicken, the old man finally bounced back out.


    ¡°Here, try this on!¡± he said, holding out a small round lens with a shiny golden rim and chain to the crab.


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks perked up at the sight of the monocle. It was a lot like his old silver one but somehow even prettier, mainly because of its gold finish. And as with everything shiny and golden, the crab already loved it.


    With eyes sparkling about as much as the goblin¡¯s a few moments before, the crab took the monocle into his pincer and brought it up to his left eyestalk.


    It was like slipping into comfortable slippers after a long day. Which was an odd thing for Balthazar to feel, given how he had never worn slippers.


    The delicate lens adjusted itself perfectly in front of his eye as he let go of it, the thin chain magically linking itself to the edge of his shell without him having to do anything.


    [Monocle of Exposition equipped]


    The merchant looked around the room, the world somehow feeling crispier and much more clear through the lens than it had ever been. As his gaze landed on Tweedus, a familiar line of text appeared above the human¡¯s head.


    [Arcane High Wizard - Level 68]


    ¡°So, how do ya like it?¡± the grinning adventurer asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ great! I missed having one of these so much!¡±


    ¡°Hah! It¡¯s my own little modification on the boring old Monocle of Examination,¡± Tweedus explained. ¡°I call it the Monocle of Exposition, although I¡¯ve been told that the name is a bit too on the nose.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t have a nose,¡± the confused crab said.


    ¡°Excellent! Then you don¡¯t need to worry about it!¡± said the wizard. ¡°Anyway, it has a few extra tricks on top of the regular functions you were already used to. Depending on the level and status of your target, you might get to see a bit of extra information on them.¡±


    Balthazar turned around to look at Druma, who was still admiring his new cape.


    [Goblin - Level 3]


    [Status effect: Elated]


    ¡°Try it on an item too!¡± Tweedus said.


    The crab focused on his assistant¡¯s hat and then on the raggedy cape he was wearing.


    [Wizard Hat of Enlightenment]


    [+2 Intellect]


    [Ancient Arcane Cape of the Novice]


    [Arcane spells cost 10 less mana to cast]


    ¡°Yep. That checks out.¡±


    Eager to test it some more, Balthazar pulled his Backpack of Holding down and hastily retrieved one of the slices of pie he had brought from Marquessa.


    [Slice of Mango Pie]


    [Slightly stale but still delicious]


    [Restores 5 mana over 60 seconds]


    ¡°Neat!¡±


    As he put the pie back in his backpack, the crab noticed the monocle¡¯s description for it too.


    [Backpack of Holding]


    [Can hold a nearly unlimited amount of items, but each one will still weigh 1% of its original weight.]


    [Unknown effect]


    ¡°Hang on,¡± the merchant said, frowning at the bag. ¡°What¡¯s this about an unknown effect on my backpack?¡±


    ¡°Oooh, exciting!¡± Tweedus said, leaning over the crab¡¯s shell and looking at the item too. ¡°You¡¯ve got a secondary effect on your enchanted bag?¡±


    ¡°I never noticed that.¡±


    The wizard rubbed the smooth white hair on his chin. ¡°There are a few ways something like that can happen.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but how do I find out what it is?¡± Balthazar asked. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be running around with an unknown enchantment on my back. What if it¡¯s a curse?!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you could travel to a nearby Altar of Revealing and use a tome of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nope! No more side quests, please,¡± the merchant exclaimed.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right,¡± the old man said. ¡°You¡¯ve probably already gotten sidetracked enough for one book.¡±


    Balthazar frowned. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± the wizard yelled. ¡°Never mind that. There¡¯s another way to reveal an item¡¯s hidden effects. Fairies are pretty good at it!¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    The robed man walked over to the entrance of his cave and cupped both hands around his mouth.


    ¡°Hey, Rada!¡± he yelled out.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± said the crab as the adventurer walked back to his desk. ¡°Do we just wait for her to¡ªAh!¡±


    With a sudden and loud plink, the pink fairy from before appeared fluttering in a small burst of sparkles, right between the merchant and the mage.


    ¡°Whaddup, Tweeds? You rang?¡± the sprite said.


    ¡°Heyo, little fairy-o,¡± the human replied. ¡°We got a mystery item over here. Think you can reveal what¡¯s the hidden effect on that backpack?¡±


    Rada fluttered over to the bag on the floor. ¡°Sure thing, old man. Gimme just a moment to do my thang here.¡±


    Realizing it wasn¡¯t chattering buzzing he was hearing coming out of the fairy¡¯s mouth despite the effects of his language skill having expired several minutes ago, the crab frowned in confusion.


    ¡°Hey, hang on, how come you¡¯re not talking fairy language now?!¡±


    ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t speak the common tongue,¡± the small sprite responded. ¡°It was an elective in fairy school. But it was way funnier watching a crab buzzing.¡±


    The merchant glowered at her, but decided it would be in his best interest not to antagonize the fairy by saying what he was thinking.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty close with the fae, eh?¡± Balthazar muttered to the wizard as the tiny creature looked at the backpack from every angle.


    ¡°Oooh, you have no idea. The fairies and I go way back. We are tight. Rada over here? I¡¯m her wizard godfather on her mother¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°A¡¯ight, all done, T,¡± the fairy said, flying back to them. ¡°Gotta go now. We burning up some witch¡¯s hair your boyo over here gifted us and I don¡¯t wanna be gone for too long. Smell ya later!¡±


    Throwing two finger guns at the wizard, the fairy disappeared in another burst of pink sparkles.


    ¡°Alright, try examining it again!¡± Tweedus said.


    The crab looked at the backpack through his new Monocle of Exposition once more.


    [Backpack of Holding Stuff & Things]


    [Can hold a nearly unlimited amount of items, but each one will still weigh 1% of its original weight.]


    [Once a day, you may reach into the backpack to find a new item has appeared inside. The item¡¯s usefulness may be questionable but never fully random.]


    ¡°The hell?!¡± Balthazar said, before reading the description to the wizard. ¡°Is that why I¡¯ve been finding all sorts of junk in it that I don¡¯t remember bringing with me before?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Tweedus said, nodding as he stroked his beard thoughtfully.


    ¡°This backpack was made from a regular Bag of Holding. How in the world did it somehow gain this weird new effect?¡±


    The old adventurer chuckled. ¡°Ah, who knows? Maybe it was something you did. Maybe it¡¯s something you are.¡± He winked playfully at the crab. ¡°I¡¯m sure you never experienced odd things happening around you that you couldn¡¯t exactly explain, right?¡±


    Balthazar looked up at the smirking wizard. ¡°I¡­¡±


    He thought back to all the strange things that kept happening around his pond back when he started his trading business. The coincidences, the things he¡¯d make up on the spot and then somehow came to be true, all the events he could never quite make sense of.


    The crab had thought all of that ended after the crow appeared and stripped him of his old system access.


    ¡°You think I have an influence on things around me without even noticing?¡± Balthazar finally asked.


    ¡°Maybe, maybe¡­¡± the wizard said, flicking his uneven eyes at the merchant like he was sizing him up. ¡°You already know you¡¯re a pretty unique case, is it really that crazy to think that there¡¯s more to it than what you thought?¡±


    The eight-legged traveler pondered the old man¡¯s words. He usually cared little for anything that didn¡¯t help him get more pastries or gold. Why did he have to keep getting saddled with baggage he did not want? Especially the kind that he did not fully understand or know how to fully benefit from.


    ¡°And how the hell do I figure out how to use that?¡± the crab asked.


    ¡°That, my crabby friend, not even I know.¡± The old man started walking in circles around Balthazar, looking at him with squinting eyes. ¡°There are all sorts of odd things about you that I¡¯ve never seen before. And I¡¯ve been around for a long time and seen a lot of weird stuff! Seriously, the amount of strange auras and traces around you is off the charts.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°But can you stop looking at me like you¡¯re sizing me up for a stew? Feeling pretty uncomfortable right now.¡±


    Tweedus stopped and leaned down suddenly. After taking a couple of loud sniffs, his expression turned into a scowl.


    ¡°Really uncomfortable now,¡± the crab muttered.


    ¡°Those birdwatching kids you mentioned,¡± the wizard said, still frowning. ¡°Did they do anything to you when you met them? Anything magic?¡±


    ¡°What? No, I don¡¯t think so. Why?¡±


    ¡°Did they give you anything? An artifact, an item of some kind?¡±


    ¡°An item? No, just a few slices of pie. Was pretty decent pie, to be¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, that wouldn¡¯t be it,¡± the other interrupted. ¡°Think, crab. Was there anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. Well, Ruby did touch up my map so it would show me my target destination at all times. But what¡¯s all this about any¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your map, show it to me!¡±


    The wizard¡¯s urgency was starting to worry Balthazar so he did as requested and handed him his map.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Tweedus exclaimed after glancing at the piece of parchment for no more than a second. ¡°A tracer enchantment. Tricky little she-devil, that one¡­¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?!¡± the confused crustacean asked.


    ¡°It means your backpack wasn¡¯t the only baggage you brought.¡±


    Tweedus walked past the merchant, his gaze fixed on the dimly lit cave entrance.


    ¡°What are you¡­¡± Balthazar started, but his words trailed off as he heard footsteps and saw the vague shapes of people approaching from the dark tunnel.


    ¡°Hello, Tweedus,¡± a woman¡¯s voice said. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    Blue, who had spent the last few minutes sniffing around the workshop for the chicken that had escaped from the nearby chest, jumped in place at the sudden appearance of the group of adventurers. Baring her fangs at them, she quickly retreated to Druma¡¯s and Balthazar¡¯s side.


    The old wizard stared the woman in scarlet robes down with a defiant look in his deranged eyes. ¡°It has? To me, it feels like it was just the other day that you were that girl barely out of her novice robes.¡±


    Using his brand-new Monocle of Exposition, the crab scanned the entrance into the chamber.


    [Enchantress - Level 35]


    Behind the woman he could see lines appear over the heads of the adventurers accompanying her, all a few levels below hers.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell is this?!¡± an outraged Balthazar said, stepping forward. ¡°I thought our agreement was I¡¯d find Tweedus and talk to him about your request, not for you to stick some magic tracking thing on me!¡±


    Ruby looked at the crab through her red-tinted glasses.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Balthazar, but we have too much on the line to rely solely on the word of a local. Even one as¡­ unique as you. But you have my thanks. If you hadn¡¯t traced us a clear path here we¡¯d likely never have made it anywhere near Tweedus.¡±


    The merchant glowered at the enchantress with both pincers on the sides of his shell. ¡°Well, pretty rude behavior, I¡¯ll have you know! You could have at least waited for me to finish my business with him before barging in!¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± the arcane wizard laughed. ¡°You didn¡¯t get it yet? They don¡¯t care about your problems or what you want. Ruby and her merry bunch only care about their own goals. Everyone else is just a pawn in their eyes.¡±


    Ruby raised a closed fist in front of her chest. ¡°A pawn of this world¡¯s system! The same one you refuse to help us bring down.¡±


    The old man in a bathrobe scoffed.


    ¡°So I can end up like Amil? His obsession was his undoing, and you¡¯re just carrying that same torch now. Do the wise thing for once and drop all that revolution nonsense, go pursue a less dangerous life goal. Like surfing on the back of lava elementals. I can definitely recommend it. Lots of fun!¡±


    Ruby¡¯s expression, usually so calm and collected, showed signs of a bitter anger hiding underneath the curl on the corner of her lips and the slight inward twist of her brow.


    ¡°His undoing was on you for abandoning him when his research was so close to finding an answer to what¡¯s really behind this charade of a world. How could you? He needed you and you failed him. He was our biggest hope and you walked away. You are a coward! He was my mentor!¡±


    ¡°He was my best friend!¡± the old wizard yelled, his voice briefly bereft of its usual madcap glee. ¡°I did all I could to pull him away from that abyss he kept courting. He wouldn¡¯t listen, and I couldn¡¯t keep watching it go on. Just like I have no interest watching you idiots make the same mistakes!¡±


    ¡°We are this close from getting answers,¡± the enchantress said between grinding teeth. ¡°From finally learning who brought our souls into this world. Why and what fo¡ª¡±


    ¡°Who cares!¡± Tweedus shouted, throwing his arms out. ¡°It¡¯s not like that will take us back to wherever we came from that we don¡¯t even remember anymore. Leave it alone and put all that effort into enjoying the one life you have here, ya muppet!¡±


    The crab and his two friends watched the heated exchange between the two mages like small children watching adults fighting, their stunned faces going back and forth between them without making a sound.


    Ruby nodded slowly, her upper lip slightly curled in scorn for the old man.


    ¡°I figured it would be pointless to try talking sense into you. But we¡¯ve come too far to quit now. We will persevere, whether you are willing to help us or not.¡±


    A magical shimmer appeared around the enchantress¡¯s rings, giving her hands a green glow. At the same time, the other adventurers in the tunnel behind her started slowly walking forward.


    ¡°Ha-ha! Finally, we¡¯re skipping to my kind of dancing!¡± the mad wizard exclaimed, his boisterous tone coming back in full force.


    ¡°Jasper, cover the exit,¡± Ruby said to the tall, dark-skinned man to her right. ¡°Everyone else, make sure Tweedus doesn¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Balthazar said, turning to his companions. ¡°Looks like things are about to get messy. Blue, take the front and get ready to flame on. Druma, you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Druma help wizard make mean people go boom!¡± the goblin exclaimed with a determined look on his face as he vigorously shook his staff up and down with both hands.


    ¡°You guys will do nothing but stay back there,¡± the old wizard said, glancing back at them with wide, deranged eyes and a mischievous grin. ¡°These fools came into my house. They will dance to my tune.¡±


    Balthazar and his two friends stood back and watched with befuddled expressions as the elderly man arched back to crack his bones. With a pinch of his fingers, he lowered the mechanical arm over the strange music box, the needle at its tip coming in contact with the spinning black disc below.


    The otherworldly music from before started playing out of the brass horn again, loud and thumping as the wizard bobbed his head along.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s tussle, ya whippersnappers!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a dozen of us and one of you,¡± Ruby said as her birdwatchers spread across the chamber. ¡°You may be higher level than all of us but we still¡ª¡±


    ¡°Too much talking!¡± Tweedus yelled as he clapped his hands together and several bursts of arcane magic flew out of his grasp.


    The intruders braced for an attack, but none of the old man¡¯s magic went to them. Instead, some spread around to random objects around the room while the largest portion of it flew up to the spinning ball hanging from the ceiling. The sphere mirrored the bright arcane shot into it all around the room, creating a light show that seemed to match the rhythm of the music playing over the battle.


    ¡°What just¡ª¡± one of the birdwatchers started, but before he could finish his question, chaos erupted all around the room.


    Chests suddenly swung open in a loud chorus. A closet projectile-vomited its contents, sending clothing flying everywhere. Piles of paper spontaneously burst into tiny pieces that rained down like confetti. Even the desk joined in by loudly slamming its drawers over and over along with the music.


    Amidst it all, the elderly wizard in a purple bathrobe and slippers held his pointy wizard hat down as he danced in place, his movements like the maestro¡¯s cues that conducted the orchestra of madness performing all around them.


    ¡°Contain him!¡± Ruby yelled to the others as they all did their best to steer clear of the furniture dance off taking place between a coat hanger and a coffee table.


    Adventurers readied their weapons and spells, trying to concentrate between all the mayhem and circle in on the high wizard.


    The swirling storm of chaos was causing countless system lines to pop up in Balthazar¡¯s monocle, forcing him to take it off and store it safely in his pack. Both to save him a migraine and to make sure it didn¡¯t end up broken on the floor like the last one.


    Tweedus laughed loudly, standing a few paces in front of the crab with his back turned to him. The hem of his bathrobe flapped wildly in the wind that whipped through the room as he undid the rope fastened around his waist while the adventurers closed in on him.


    ¡°I cast¡­¡± the master of the arcane exclaimed as he spread his arms open. ¡°Blinding Flash!¡±


    The rope dropped to the floor and a mix of yells and cries from the intruders echoed around the cave as they collectively recoiled.


    ¡°Ah, my eyes!¡±


    ¡°Oh, lord, why!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna be sick!¡±


    ¡°My poor innocence!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just wrong!¡±


    Stumbling and tripping, the birdwatchers pulled away from the wizard as they covered their faces and averted their eyes.


    ¡°Get behind me now,¡± Tweedus yelled to Balthazar and company as he cackled and tied the rope around his bathrobe again.


    The visitors did as told while the mage began gathering a large amount of mana around himself.


    On the other side of the room, the attackers, still recovering from the old man¡¯s flashing, stood at the ready, hesitating at the sight of his charging spell.


    ¡°Hold!¡± one of them said, holding a closed fist above his head as he tried to avoid being slapped in the face by the pieces of paper and purple chicken feathers flying all around.


    Tweedus smirked as the air crackled with energy and the magical wind swirling in the room picked up speed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, stay back, this one¡¯s gonna be big!¡±


    The red enchantress barged through the line of adventurers, her eyes wide as she readied her own spell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stand back,¡± she yelled to the others over the increasingly loud wind that drowned out even the music from the record player. ¡°That¡¯s not an offensive spell he¡¯s casting!¡±


    A circle of light appeared on the floor around the wizard and his guests as a speck of convulsing mana started spinning between them.


    The old wizard let out one last laugh before shouting to the scarlet woman, ¡°See ya around, Rubya!¡±


    With a thunderous clap of his hands, the twisting blob of raw mana exploded into an expanding sphere of bright energy that made the room around the four of them disappear with blinding light.


    Spiraling and spinning with no sense of which way was up anymore, Balthazar felt his body being abruptly pulled through time and space as his screams faded out, along with his consciousness.

 Chapter 188: Reaching What You Desire

    ***


    ¡°Climb faster, Bruce!¡± Antoine commanded over the mercenary¡¯s strained grunting. ¡°I¡¯m so close to finally reaching him.¡±


    The muscular thug reached for the next protruding stone on the sheer rock wall, the light of the sun reflecting off his glistening bald head as thick beads of sweat ran down to his forehead. Strapped to his back by several ropes was a smaller man, barking orders while contributing with nothing to the climb but extra weight.


    ¡°He¡¯s up there, I know it!¡± the disgraced guildmaster angrily exclaimed. ¡°We can¡¯t let him slip away! Faster!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you climb yourself if you¡¯re not happy with how fast I¡¯m going?¡± the merc muttered between grinding teeth.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m paying you,¡± Antoine replied with a caustic hiss.


    He had no time or patience to put up with servants talking back. Not when he was so close to reaching his goal. The crab was close, he could feel it in his mustache.


    After weeks chasing the creature¡¯s trail all over the continent, the human merchant had finally caught up to him. He could not let him slip between his fingers because a stupid thug was slacking off on the job.


    It had been days since a local on some backwater road told them he had recently seen a crab wearing a backpack walking toward the city of Marquessa. Antoine wasted no time heading that way, hot on his trail.


    By the time they reached it, the locals were busy filling the streets with their celebrating and cheering for their mangoes. Chanting and drunkenly singing about ¡°Marquessa¡¯s Hero¡± who saved that year¡¯s harvest. Likely just another idiotic adventurer who had completed some quest. Nothing the merchant cared about. All that mattered was finding Balthazar. Finding the damnable crustacean that ruined him.


    Once Antoine and his goon managed to find a local still sober enough to string two words together, they learned that the crab had been spotted heading to the docks. But by the time they got there, the ship he was on had already sailed.


    After pushing through a crowd of workers that were busy rescuing several people who had fallen into the water for whatever reason the merchant could not give less of a rat¡¯s tail about, he started asking where that boat was headed.


    It didn¡¯t take long or too many gold coins to learn from one of the locals that the ship belonged to some retired captain and that it was sailing toward some nearby cliffs off the coast to the north.


    What the crafty crab wanted from such dangerous lands, Antoine did not know, but so long as he did not perish there before the former guildmaster could get his vindication, it did not matter.


    ¡°Stop bouncing me so much!¡± the merchant said, his short legs dangling wildly as he complained.


    Bruce groaned, muttering something unintelligible under his breath as he kept slowly climbing the side of the mountain.


    Antoine was no stranger to hiring from the underworld when he wanted things done quickly and quietly, which was why it didn¡¯t take him long to source a band of local pirates docked at Marquessa¡¯s bay. Their captain claimed he was one of very few that also knew the route to where the other ship was headed, and for a large enough sum of gold, he¡¯d take the trip.


    The merchant paid, digging into his quickly dwindling money reserves that he had managed to keep hidden from the authorities back in Ardville. If it meant he¡¯d get the crab, no price was too high. He would have his revenge, even if it cost him his very last coin. That was all that mattered to the merchant lord now.


    ¡°Hey¡­ oof¡­ How come we didn¡¯t have to deal with any fairies on the way here?¡± Bruce asked as he pulled their weight up past another row of rocks. ¡°Every corsair on that ship kept telling me we¡¯d get swarmed by them the moment they sensed humans setting foot within their forest.¡±


    ¡°Eau de Oignon,¡± Antoine replied.


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed the merc.


    ¡°It¡¯s a special fragrance. A perfume, you uncultured lout! The pirate captain told me it was guaranteed to repel any fairies in a large radius around us. Apparently it¡¯s a trick he learned from a local bandit chief long ago. Fae are extremely averse to its smell. Cost me another bag of gold, but it seems to have done the trick.¡±


    ¡°A bag of gold to smell like unwashed armpit¡­ Great,¡± groaned the climbing thug. ¡°And I¡¯m the one who has to put up with it now.¡±


    ¡°Shut it, merc!¡± said the merchant. ¡°You will put up with whatever I say because that¡¯s what I¡¯m paying you for.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ Until you run out of coin,¡± Bruce muttered under his breath.


    With one last strained grunt, the bodyguard finally reached the cave entrance on the side of the cliff, the one Antoine was certain he had seen a figure of a crab flying into earlier from the beach.


    ¡°Quickly now! He has to be down there somewhere!¡± the smaller man told the other as he freed himself from the ropes and made haste toward the tunnel ahead.


    Bruce snarled quietly but followed, wiping the sweat off his shaved head with his hand.


    As they delved deeper into the mountain, the pair started hearing something strange.


    ¡°Is that¡­ some kind of music?!¡± the mercenary said.


    ¡°Hush! There¡¯s movement up a¡ª¡±


    Before Antoine could finish his sentence, a blinding flash of light came from the end of the tunnel, followed by a powerful blast that threw both men back several paces.


    ***


    Ruby stood amid the wreck that used to be Tweedus¡¯s workshop just moments before, her exquisite scarlet robes covered in dust and a few purple feathers. Shreds of paper still swirled around the room as the enchantress quietly removed her tinted glasses, her twitching eyes fixed on a spot on the floor. After so long, she knew she had come closer to reaching the answers she desired now more than ever.


    The other birdwatchers were scattered around the room, some still trying to regain their wits, others searching the remnants left in the wake of the high wizard¡¯s spectacle.


    ¡°We¡¯ve looked everywhere,¡± a girl¡¯s shy voice said from nearby. ¡°They¡­ they¡¯re really gone.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, Amber,¡± Ruby said placidly, without taking her eyes off the floor. ¡°He was never going to join us. But we got what we came here for.¡±


    The woman in red leaned down and picked up a large brass cog from the floor.


    ¡°Is¡­ is that the missing ring?¡± the young birdwatcher asked, a tinge of amazement in her voice.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± replied the enchantress, her green eyes scanning the runes inscribed on the metal surface of the ring. ¡°With this we can finally complete the Amil Astrolabe and find this world¡¯s source. We are so close now.¡±


    ¡°Ruby,¡± a deep voice called.


    Jasper walked into the chamber, dragging the bodies of two unconscious men behind him, both with glowing purple shackles around their wrists and ankles.


    ¡°I found these two snooping around outside,¡± the brown-skinned man said, letting go of their collars.


    The enchantress walked around the remains of a still twitching coffee table with the brass cog in her hands and took a better look at the passed out intruders.


    ¡°I know this one,¡± she said, staring at the smaller of the two, who had a ridiculous pencil mustache. ¡°He was a merchant in Ardville. Balthazar¡¯s nemesis, in fact. Last I checked, he had escaped prison there.¡±


    ¡°You suppose he has been tracking the crab for some old-fashioned revenge?¡± said Jasper, crossing his arms.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± the lady in red said. ¡°Amber? If you would¡­¡±


    Seeing her mentor gesture toward the unconscious man, the young birdwatcher hurried to his side. Reaching into her satchel, the girl retrieved an alchemy bottle filled with a green mixture and uncorked it before passing it under the former guildmaster¡¯s nose.


    ¡°BLARGH!¡± Antoine yelled as he inhaled with a big sniff and his eyes snapped open.


    ¡°Easy,¡± Jasper said, placing a firm hand on the man¡¯s shoulder to prevent him from standing up.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡± asked the merchant, his wide eyes darting from his magical restraints, to the adventurer standing over him, and then to the chaotic mess all around them. ¡°Who are you? Some more of that crab¡¯s cronies? Where is he?! I am sick of chasing that beast. Take me to him, now!¡±


    Jasper looked down at him with a cocked eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re giving out a lot of orders for someone in shackles.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have a lot of animosity toward Balthazar,¡± said Ruby, pulling the small man¡¯s attention to her before he could get another word out.


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Antoine spat with brazen spite and hatred to his tone. ¡°He ruined my life. My career. Everything I¡¯ve built in that stupid town. A stupid crab undid years of work. I need¡­ I deserve to see him pay for it all. It¡¯s you, you idiotic adventurers who can¡¯t see you¡¯re colluding with a monster! A creature that should be nothing more than fodder on the side of the road.¡±


    The enchantress paused, looking into the angry man¡¯s tiny, beady eyes with interest.


    ¡°Hmm, yes, I see.¡± She stood back straight and looked at her apprentice. ¡°Amber, could you please prepare a cup of tea for our friend here? To soothe his nerves.¡±


    ¡°Tea?¡± said the mustached local. ¡°About time someone starts treating me with due respect and proper manners!¡±


    The young girl looked at her with no small amount of surprise on her face. ¡°You¡­ you mean a cup of tea as in¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear. Exactly the tea you are thinking of,¡± the scarlet woman calmly stated, placing both hands behind her back.


    ¡°I like it with a few drops of lemon juice, and hold the sugar,¡± the pompous merchant said, still sitting on the floor with hands and feet tied together.


    ¡°Ruby,¡± said Jasper as he approached her. ¡°A word, please?¡±


    The two adventurers moved a few steps away amid the wreckage of Tweedus¡¯s workshop, starting a conversation in hushed tones.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± said the tall man. ¡°We¡¯ve never even tested the concoction on a local before. The effects are already hard to predict on adventurers, who knows what it could do to a native of this world.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a good opportunity to find out,¡± Ruby calmly said. ¡°I was considering Balthazar before, but now it¡¯s become clear we cannot count on his cooperation anymore. And you know the rules. A local who is not on our side is against us by definition.¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Her old friend frowned with an expression of worry.


    ¡°Yes, I understand, but still. The consequences of giving a formula meant to awaken adventurers from a mind fog and stimulate their sense of self-awareness to a local are completely unpredictable. It could become¡­ problematic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on it,¡± the woman calmly stated as she cleaned the lenses of her glasses on her sleeve. ¡°We have a lot of work ahead of us once the astrolabe is ready. We cannot risk having a wildcard such as the crab getting in our way. Setting some trouble loose on this system to run interference while we work would be useful, and if at the same time it keeps Balthazar distracted, even better.¡±


    Jasper looked at her with concern, but she knew he would still follow her lead regardless. He always did.


    ¡°Miss Ruby?¡± Amber called. ¡°The¡­ the tea is ready.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± the red enchantress said, turning back to the fallen merchant as she put on her red-tinted spectacles. ¡°Now, Mr. Antoine, let¡¯s talk about what you desire most¡­¡±


    ***


    ¡°BLARGH!¡± Balthazar exclaimed as he jolted awake on the cold stone floor.


    He was in a cave, but not the same one he remembered being in before his gastric mill was abruptly yanked from the inside and tossed through a swirling tornado of pure discomfort.


    ¡°Hey, you. You¡¯re finally awake,¡± the blurry figure of a man wearing a wizard hat in front of the dizzy crab said. ¡°You were trying to cross the border, right?¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± the confounded crustacean said. ¡°What border?!¡±


    ¡°Bah, never mind,¡± said the old wizard. ¡°I always wanted to say that to someone as they regained consciousness. It was way funnier in my head.¡±


    Balthazar looked around as his vision cleared up. He was in a cave, right by the entrance, with a forest outside and an orange sky above.


    Druma was hunched over by a large rock, coughing and hurling out his breakfast. Blue sat nearby, doing her best to remain upright as her head and eyes spun around.


    Meanwhile, Tweedus stood in front of the crab with both hands in his bathrobe¡¯s pockets, looking perfectly normal.


    Or at least as normal as an elderly man with deranged eyes and in purple plush slippers and a big wizard hat could look.


    ¡°What the hell happened?!¡± Balthazar asked, rubbing the top of his shell as he tried to stand back up without stumbling. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Teleportation spell!¡± the arcane wizard said with casual amusement.


    ¡°Wait, what?! You¡­ teleported us out of there? Where are we now?¡±


    ¡°Great question!¡± Tweedus exclaimed.


    The wizard stuck his finger in his mouth and then held it up in the air as if feeling the direction of the wind.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    After a few seconds he rubbed his index and thumb together while looking closely at them, the corner of his mouth twisted in a pensive expression.


    ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡±


    Sticking his crooked nose up, the old man started loudly sniffing the air around him.


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Suddenly, he dropped his hands and knees to the ground and placed an ear against the dirt, listening close with one eye closed.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡±


    Balthazar stood rooted in place, dumbfounded as he watched the adventurer.


    ¡°Well?¡± the crab finally asked. ¡°Where are we?¡±


    Tweedus stood back up with a crazy smile on his bearded face. ¡°No idea!¡±


    Balthazar smacked the back of his pincer against his own face in exasperation.


    ¡°How the hell did you teleport us away but somehow didn¡¯t know the target destination of the spell?!¡±


    The high wizard shrugged. ¡°Teleportation magic can be quite random and unpredictable. You¡¯re supposed to concentrate on your destination for about an hour while channeling the spell. I just skipped the boring parts, though!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± the merchant said before pausing and rubbing his eyestalks. ¡°Alright, so maybe just teleport us away again, but with a proper target destination this time?¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Tweedus laughed. ¡°No can do, crabiru! That spell costs a buttload of mana to cast and has a one-week cooldown. I ain¡¯t teleporting anywhere again for a while.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ just great,¡± said the frustrated crab. ¡°Wait!¡±


    Reaching into his backpack, Balthazar pulled out his map.


    ¡°This thing should show us where we are on the continent.¡±


    ¡°If we are still even on Mantell!¡± the wizard added with an unsettling amount of amusement.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± the crab said, moving his eyes back down to the map. ¡°And hang on, won¡¯t Ruby still be able to trace us through this thing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, give it here,¡± Tweedus said, taking the map and licking his thumb before rubbing it on the corner of the parchment. ¡°There, all clear now.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ thanks,¡± Balthazar hesitantly said, making sure to take the map back by the corner that didn¡¯t have saliva smeared all over it.


    Spreading it open, the merchant looked for where his current location¡¯s dot was.


    ¡°There!¡± he exclaimed, pointing his pincer at a mountainous area on the map, close to the northwestern coast of the continent. ¡°Holy tart, you sent us all the way back to the other side of Mantell!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ This place rings a few bells,¡± Tweedus said as he walked to the cave¡¯s entrance and scanned the horizon with a hand over his eyes.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s not just tinnitus from the teleportation?¡± the crab said.


    ¡°Aha! Look, across the valley,¡± said the old man, pointing to a nearby mountain.


    Balthazar stepped out of the cave and scanned the area too.


    Down from the hill they were on, trees filled a large valley, and across that stood a huge rocky mountain. Squinting, the merchant spotted man-made pillars surrounding a large entryway at the base of the mountain.


    ¡°What is that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the entrance to the Golem Forge,¡± said Tweedus. ¡°Looks like I still remembered where it was after all!¡±


    Hope burst through the pool of frustrations filling the crab, making his eyestalks stand up. It was right there, what he had been seeking that whole time, a way to bring his best friend back to life. What he desired felt closer than ever now, just a valley¡¯s distance away.


    ¡°That means we can go in there and restore Bouldy¡¯s core, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the wizard said, walking back into the cave, to the spot where they had arrived. ¡°Just gotta follow the instructions on the golemancy guide and that core will be good as new.¡±


    Kicking a few pieces of broken wood aside, the adventurer picked up his copy of Golemancy for Dunces off the floor and handed it to the crab as a panicked purple chicken shot out of the rubble and fluttered away.


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± Druma called, skittering to the crab with his copy of Simple and Totally Safe Arcane Spells for Newbies that the wizard had gifted him in his hands. ¡°Can boss keep Druma¡¯s book safe too, please?¡±


    The merchant stored both books in his magical backpack and then looked up at the wizard.


    ¡°I¡­ should probably thank you. And also apologize.¡±


    ¡°What for?!¡± the grinning mad wizard said.


    ¡°We¡­ I led those birdwatchers right into your home. I trusted that enchantress and she used me to get to you. I should have known better, but all I was focused on was finding you to figure out how to get my golem back.¡±


    ¡°Bah, nonsense!¡± Tweedus said with a dismissive wave of his hand. ¡°It can happen to the best of us. Ruby¡¯s always been a cunning one anyway, so don¡¯t feel too bad. You weren¡¯t the first and you won¡¯t be the last local she uses to get what she wants.¡±


    ¡°But what about the astrolabe ring? We left it behind. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve found it by now.¡±


    The old man chuckled. ¡°So what? I was using that thing as a paperweight anyway. I don¡¯t care. Let them have it. It¡¯s not my problem anymore.¡±


    Despite the wizard¡¯s words, Balthazar still let out another sigh.


    ¡°What about your home? It was wrecked, and you probably can¡¯t go back to it anymore. All because of me.¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡± exclaimed the human. ¡°I was bored with that place anyway. Good excuse to move and find a new abode for myself! I needed to get back on the field anyhow. Been hearing tales about an ancient hero called Semmel. Big legend from ages past, apparently. It¡¯s bugging me, because I had never heard about him until recently, and I¡¯ve been around for a long time, hah!¡±


    His words faded into background noise as Balthazar stopped paying attention to his ramblings. Even after all the old man¡¯s reassurances, one more thing was still bothering the crab.


    ¡°If¡­ When I repair Bouldy¡¯s core, how will I use it? The boulder I used to make him in the first place is gone, smashed to pieces under an avalanche.¡±


    Tweedus twirled his white mustache with a finger, thinking.


    ¡°As far as I remember, the forge has plenty of raw materials to create golems with. You can just use the reforged core on them.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± the worried crustacean started. ¡°The boulder I used was¡­ special to me. It was part of what made Bouldy who he was. Wouldn¡¯t me using the core on a different thing result in a golem that isn¡¯t the friend I knew anymore?¡±


    The wizard chuckled. Not the usual boisterous, lunatic laugh, but a more earnest and comforting one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The core isn¡¯t just a power source to the golem, it¡¯s also its heart, and brains. And actually, it¡¯s all other vital organs too, but that¡¯s beside the point. The point is, who your golem friend was isn¡¯t in the rock making up its body, it¡¯s in the core¡ªthe heart and memory of the construct.¡±


    A faint smile appeared on the crab¡¯s face. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the old man, returning the smile. ¡°So long as you repeat the same feelings and thoughts you used to create it the first time, you will get your friend back. You just gotta pour your heart into that core the same way you did before.¡± His face turned into a frown. ¡°You do have one of those, right? I¡¯m pretty bad at biology.¡±


    Balthazar let out a small laugh, equal parts amusement and relief.


    ¡°Yes, as I¡¯ve been made to see, it seems I do.¡±


    ¡°Great! Oh, and before I forget, you¡¯re gonna need one of these.¡±


    The wizard shoved one hand into the pocket of his bathrobe, rummaging deeper and deeper until half of his arm was gone inside it. After some mumbling and groaning, he finally pulled his hand out, revealing a brown hexagon about the size of his palm, like some kind of thick medallion made of rock.


    ¡°What is that?¡± asked the crab, examining the small glyphs etched onto the artifact.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Golemancer¡¯s Mark!¡± Tweedus answered. ¡°Press the middle to activate it once you¡¯re inside the halls of the forge. Without it the guardians of the forge will see you and your companions as intruders and attack you on sight. Trust me, you don¡¯t want that. But hurry up once you¡¯re in there, the mark expires after thirty minutes!¡±


    ¡°That sounds unnecessarily arbitrary¡­¡±


    ¡°Yep! That¡¯s golemancers for ya!¡±


    ¡°Alright, but can¡¯t you, I don¡¯t know, give me a couple of extra Marks, just in case?¡±


    ¡°Pwah! Balderdash! Ridiculous!¡± exclaimed the wizard. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯d have any reason to carry more than one Golemancer¡¯s Mark in the pocket of my bathrobe?!¡±


    Balthazar stared slack jawed at the old man for a moment. ¡°Why¡­ why would you even be carrying one of those in there at all?¡±


    ¡°Bah! Just remember to be in and out of that place in less than half an hour, will ya?¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± the merchant suddenly exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯re not coming with us?¡±


    ¡°Me? Oh no, no, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Why not?¡± the slightly disappointed crustacean said. Mad as the old wizard was, Balthazar would still feel more confident if they had him around while going into those apparently dangerous halls.


    ¡°Because this is something you need to do yourself, my crabby friend,¡± Tweedus said, placing both hands on what closest resembled shoulders on a crab¡¯s shell. ¡°Because this is your journey. Because you need to complete this task through your own means. And mostly because I don¡¯t feel like going.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± the crab awkwardly muttered.


    ¡°Alright!¡± the old man said, suddenly clapping his hands together and making the merchant jump in place for fear of being teleported again. ¡°This has been fun, but I think I¡¯ll be going now. Gotta start looking for a new place to crash and start working on crafting myself a new vinyl collection!¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± the traveling crustacean said, suddenly remembering his other big reason to be out there. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about a big red dragon and where it might live, would you?¡±


    ¡°Dragons?!¡± the slightly deaf mage repeated loudly. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about dragons in ages! And the last one I heard about was a black-scaled one that wanted to eat the world or some other big dragon-ego nonsense. I completely forgot to ever check back on that. Wonder if he ever succeeded¡­¡± He paused, stroking his beard thoughtfully before suddenly shrugging. ¡°Anyhow, can¡¯t help ya!¡±


    Bewildered by the bizarre adventurer as always, Balthazar turned in place and just waved as he watched the old wizard in fluffy slippers shove both hands in the pockets of his purple bathrobe and start walking down the hill. ¡°Uh¡­ bye, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Good luck out there, Bartholomew,¡± Tweedus shouted from down the path. ¡°Toodle-oo!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Baltha¡­ Hmph, never mind,¡± the crab muttered, waving a dismissive pincer as he turned around.


    His two companions stood by, ready and waiting for the crab¡¯s next move.


    Staring emptily at the ground, Balthazar took a moment to consider everything that had just happened. He sailed through dangerous waters on a ship, was airlifted by fairies to the side of a mountain, and then was abruptly teleported halfway across the continent by a crazy wizard. All in a day¡¯s work.


    Long gone were the days when the merchant would think watching an adventurer being sent into space by a giant was the craziest thing he would ever see.


    After everything he had witnessed and been through during his time traveling, now he was truly convinced he had seen it all.


    That was it.


    Nothing could faze or surprise him anymore¡­


    ¡°Hello, Balthazar,¡± a voice behind the crab said.


    The startled crustacean jumped forward, letting out a surprised yelp as he turned to face who had just spoken.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here?!¡±

 Chapter 189: Delivering Delays

    ¡°I got that delivery you asked for, remember?¡± said Rob, standing in front of the crab holding a small wooden crate full of bottles.


    Balthazar stared at the courier with his jaw dropped, his frown expressing utter confusion.


    ¡°I literally teleported to this place not even ten minutes ago from across the whole continent! How in the name of meringue did you find me?!¡±


    The mustached adventurer simply shrugged. ¡°Dunno. I just deliver things where I¡¯m told.¡±


    ¡°Where you¡¯re¡­ By whom? By what? How?!¡± the bewildered crustacean exclaimed, throwing his pincers up.


    Rob rolled his eyes. ¡°Look, you want the stuff or not? I got other places to be, other deliveries to make.¡±


    ¡°You do? Because it¡¯s honestly starting to feel like I¡¯m your only client¡­¡± Balthazar pinched the space between his eyestalks and let out a resigned sigh. ¡°It¡¯s been a long, chaotic day. I don¡¯t really have time for this argument anyway. Just¡­ give me those.¡±


    ¡°Alright, here you go,¡± the courier said, putting the crate of bottles down in front of the crab. ¡°Special delivery of pond water, as you requested.¡±


    ¡°Potions of Hydration, if you don¡¯t mind, thank you very much,¡± said the merchant.


    ¡°Sure, sure, whatever you say,¡± the former thief said. ¡°What do you want these for anyway?¡±


    ¡°Why, for selling, of course. I am still a merchant after all.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re bottles of water,¡± the human said. ¡°Who would want to buy these?¡±


    Balthazar smirked as he began storing the bottles in his bottomless backpack. ¡°That¡¯s where I work my merchant magic, my mustached friend. Silly adventurers don¡¯t know what they really want or need until I make them see it.¡±


    Rob scowled as he crossed his arms. ¡°You do remember I¡¯m an adventurer too, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep!¡± the crab nonchalantly said without taking his eyes off the bottles he was moving.


    ¡°Anyway, I should head off now,¡± said the courier. ¡°Your guys back home say hello, by the way. And they ask when you will be back.¡±


    The traveling merchant raised his gaze to the adventurer. ¡°Soon, hopefully! Tell them I¡¯m really close to finding a way to repair Bouldy.¡± He paused, thinking for a moment. ¡°You travel a lot, have you heard anything about the red dragon? Any sightings of it?¡±


    ¡°Nah, nothing,¡± Rob replied. ¡°People were on edge for a while, but things are starting to calm down now that it¡¯s been a couple of months without any more dragon sightings. Maybe it went into hibernation?¡±


    ¡°I kinda hope not,¡± Balthazar said as he put the backpack back on. ¡°By the way, have you seen Rye around somewhere?¡±


    ¡°The archer boy? Nope. Why? I thought he was traveling with you.¡±


    The crab let out a quiet sigh. ¡°Yes, he was, for a while. We¡­ split up a while back. I hope he¡¯s doing alright. If you see him, let him know I found a way to bring Bouldy back, will you?¡±


    Rob gave the crab a quick goodbye salute. ¡°Sure thing, big crab. I¡¯ll be going now, before it gets dark. See ya!¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Balthazar said, glancing down at his backpack¡¯s straps as he adjusted them. ¡°Safe travels and¡ª¡±


    He moved eyestalks back up, but the courier had already disappeared.


    ¡°¡­and he¡¯s already gone.¡±


    Shaking his shell, the merchant placed both claws on the sides of his shell and looked back at his companions.


    ¡°Well, this has been one hell of a day, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Druma shook his head vigorously, as always. Blue simply stared impassively, as usual.


    The crab looked up at the sky and the setting sun on the horizon.


    As eager as he was to get to that forge across the valley below them, he knew there were risks in rushing it. He had come so far already, a few more hours wouldn¡¯t hurt. They all needed rest after the crazy day the crab and his friends had. And navigating a dense, unknown forest in the middle of the night would be just asking for trouble.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s set up camp and rest here for the night,¡± Balthazar said to his companions. ¡°Tomorrow we head down to the Golem Forge and bring our Bouldy back!¡±


    Druma clapped enthusiastically before getting to work starting a small campfire, and the crab could swear even Blue had given him a subtle nod of approval.


    After a while, under the moonless night sky and the fire¡¯s warm glow, the crab sat down going through his backpack as his assistant and his drake slowly drifted off to sleep.


    Rummaging with his pincer, Balthazar finally found what he was looking for¡ªa slice of a few days¡¯ old pie.


    Ah, a little snack before sleep is just what I needed¡­


    Just as he was about to bite down on the pastry, his eyes landed on his bag again and he paused.


    Reaching inside again, the crab retrieved his new monocle and put it on, amazed once again at how easily it automatically adapted itself to his unique anatomy.


    Looking down, he inspected his backpack again to read the second special effect the wizard had helped him uncover.


    [Once a day, you may reach into the backpack to find a new item has appeared inside. The item¡¯s usefulness may be questionable but never fully random.]


    Hmm, I wonder how useful this could be¡­


    He looked up at the cloudy sky as a windchill blew past the clearing in front of the cave.


    Well, the day is almost over. Maybe I should do a little testing¡­


    With his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth, Balthazar reached inside the pack with his whole arm, rummaging and feeling for something that even he didn¡¯t exactly know yet.


    Come on, come on¡­ Give me something useful¡­


    He stopped as his pincer suddenly grabbed something metallic.


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Excited, the crab pulled his arm out of the bag to see what item had appeared in his backpack.


    Held between his pincers was a fork, old and with signs of years of use, with a bit of rust between its tines.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± the merchant muttered, not wanting to wake his friends up. ¡°What is the point of this?¡±


    His frowning eyestalks moved from the fork down to the piece of pie he was about to eat before.


    ¡°Oh, come on¡­¡± he said, rolling his eyes. ¡°How is that really useful? I don¡¯t even have hands to use cutlery!¡±


    Annoyed, the crab tossed the rusty fork behind his shell, deeming it too worthless to even sell.


    ¡°Stupid system¡­¡± Balthazar mumbled as he stuffed his mouth full of pie using his pincers, like nature intended.


    It was stale and slightly hard to chew, but it hit the spot nonetheless. After his snack, the crab leaned back against his backpack, watching the swaying treetops as he let the warmth of the fire soothe his tired body.


    Good time as any to do this, I guess¡­


    Flicking his eyestalks, the crab brought the level-up screen into his view.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    [You have reached level 23]


    [Choose a base stat to increase by 10]


    [Health: 230/230]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 30/30]


    Bah, no overthinking this time. Just give me more health!


    [Health: 240/240]


    With a yawn, Balthazar moved to the next screen.


    [You have 3 unspent attribute points]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 20]


    [Charisma: 63]


    I¡¯m done with Intellect for now, screw that. I could do Strength to meet the requirements for Mega Pinch, but now that I got that skill from Tweedus that lets me bypass that once a day¡­ Maybe I won¡¯t bother. How many times in a day would I need to pinch someone super hard anyway?


    Struggling to keep his eyestalks up, the crab simply dumped his three points into the old trusty Charisma as usual and dismissed the system screen, letting himself fall asleep next to the crackling campfire right after.


    ***


    The next morning, Balthazar woke up to a thin layer of hoar frost covering his shell. Autumn would soon be over, and winter was already making itself felt in the early hours of the day.


    Thankfully for the merchant, crabs are cold-blooded creatures, so all the chilly weather did to him was make him feel lazier, slightly less hungry, and give him an irrational urge to bury himself into the ground.


    Unlike those warm-blooded creatures with their constant internal temperatures, shivers, and frostbites concerns. Like his goblin assistant a few paces away.


    Snuggled up against Blue to stay warm.


    So sad, how he needed to feed off her magical warmth.


    Made the crab feel pity for him.


    Poor thing, all nice and cozy between her wings.


    Not like Balthazar, who would never need to embarrass himself like that in order to survive.


    Feeling great for being such a superior species and without a hint of envy in him at all, the crab stood up and shook the frost off his back as loudly as he could.


    The sound of the thin ice shattering and falling to the ground made the goblin open his eyes, looking around groggy and disoriented.


    ¡°Oh, did I wake you?¡± the merchant said offhandedly. ¡°My bad, didn¡¯t notice you were still sleeping there.¡±


    After some morning stretching and a few bites of mango pie to sweeten his mood, the crab and his party set out to the forge on the side of the mountain across the valley below.


    Walking down the narrow path from the hill they were on, the three travelers entered the forest as the timid autumn sun began shining through the sparse leaves and branches above.


    The woods were quiet, with little chattering from the wildlife, save for the occasional rabbit or squirrel skittering away between the fallen leaves as they felt the approaching stomping of the giant crab.


    Balthazar was happy to find no setbacks on his path. For once, it seemed like he would finally reach his objective without any distractions or detours.


    Halfway through the forest, the group arrived on the side of a dirt road that split the valley in two.


    With the mountain being on the other side of the woods, the road was of no use to them.


    The merchant looked east up the road and then west where it went. Nobody in sight.


    Excellent! Nothing to get in the way.


    With a shrug and a step forward, the crab started crossing the road.


    Halfway across, his bristles stood up as he heard the unmistakable sound of clanking metal armor that could only mean one thing: adventurers.


    ¡°Noble crab!¡± a boastful voice called.


    Oh, for the love of pie¡­


    Dropping his arms, the exasperated crustacean turned to face the incoming nuisance.


    ¡°Sorry, too busy to sell you callus ointment right now! Please come visit us at our establishment near Ardville later. Good day!¡±


    ¡°Please, dear crab,¡± the adventurer exclaimed. ¡°I seek thee not for thy wares, but to bring thee glad tidings!¡±


    The merchant stared at the human with a cocked eyestalk. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°Good news,¡± the adventurer said. ¡°I¡¯m saying I bring you good news, friend.¡±


    By the sound of her voice, it seemed she was a young woman, which was otherwise impossible to discern beneath the bulk of her heavy plate armor. She moved down the road toward the crab with the awkward waddle of someone who was clearly wearing far too much plate.


    Balthazar usually had trouble remembering human faces¡ªwhich was not really a factor here, as the adventurer wore a full-face helmet with only two narrow slits for the eyes¡ªbut something about this one felt vaguely familiar.


    ¡°Do I¡­ know you?¡± he hesitantly asked.


    ¡°Why, of course!¡± the knight exclaimed, stopping in front of the crab. ¡°It is I, Hannabeth, noble knight paladin! We have met before, when you sent me out on a most noble of quests to save your friend!¡±


    The merchant¡¯s eyes widened as he finally remembered where he had seen that bucket head before. She was one of the adventurers Balthazar had inquired about the Frostshade petals when Druma fell ill due to a wolf¡¯s bite.


    ¡°That was back in the middle of last summer!¡± the crab exclaimed.


    ¡°Goodness me, time sure does fly!¡± the paladin said with a boastful laugh. ¡°My apologies for the delay. I have been mighty busy with other errands.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty easy to get sidetracked when doing quests, I know,¡± muttered the traveling merchant.


    ¡°Nonetheless, fear not, for I have returned with the cure for your friend¡¯s ailment!¡± she announced loudly and proudly, before awkwardly bending her plated arm to reach the pouch on the back of her belt. ¡°The Frostshade petals you requested!¡±


    Held in her gloved hand was a small blue flower, wilted and missing most of its petals.


    ¡°That¡¯s a common blue mountain flower,¡± Balthazar said, doing his utmost not to let his eyestalks roll to the back of his shell.


    ¡°It is?!¡± the surprised adventurer said, bringing the old flower in front of her helmet¡¯s eye slits.


    ¡°Not that it matters,¡± said the crab. ¡°It¡¯s been months! What made you think I¡¯d still need them now?!¡±


    ¡°You do not?¡± Hannabeth said in a quieter tone. ¡°My deepest condolences for the loss of your friend.¡±


    The baffled merchant looked at the adventurer as she held her fist against her plated chest in a salute, the poor little remnant of a flower still in her grasp.


    ¡°What? No! My friend is fine. I got the petals and cured him months ago!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Happy days! All''s well that ends well then!¡±


    The crab and the knight stood still for an awkward moment, neither one saying a thing.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Hannabeth finally mumbled, idly kicking a pebble from the road.


    ¡°So¡­ what?¡± said Balthazar.


    ¡°I guess that concludes my quest¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no way! Uh-uh, I¡¯m not paying you a single crown,¡± the merchant exclaimed, shaking his pincer. ¡°You came back to me months later and without even bringing the right item!¡±


    The paladin stood very straight¡ªor as straight as her limited posture allowed.


    ¡°Perfectly understandable! I make no claim to any monetary payment. But¡­ could I perhaps still ask to have this quest be completed, my good crab?¡±


    Balthazar squinted his eyes at the adventurer with suspicion. ¡°Why should I care about that? In fact, why would you care?¡±


    Hannabeth dropped her shoulders and sighed as if letting go of a great weight.


    ¡°Look, mate,¡± she said, dropping the bombastic tone of voice. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to clear out my backlog of quests, alright? This thing goes back months, and I¡¯ve been traveling all over trying to complete every little thing I¡¯ve taken on, but for every one I complete I seem to take on three or four new ones. Seriously, I can¡¯t seem to stop myself. Just earlier I started a new quest to find a bloody purple chicken, for crying out loud!¡±


    The crab glared at the human with an uncomfortable expression. In the past, he would have cared little for her plight, but after his travels, Balthazar found himself unable to not relate to her problem, even if just a tiny bit.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said Hannabeth. ¡°Help a girl out, will you? I don¡¯t even need you to give me any rewards. Just tell me my quest is complete so I can cross this off my list and I¡¯ll be out of your¡­ bristles.¡±


    Balthazar sighed and rolled his eyestalks.


    ¡°Fine. But only so you¡¯ll leave me alone!¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± exclaimed the young woman.


    ¡°Well done, adventurer, yada yada yada, your quest is complete,¡± the merchant said with a groan. ¡°Now get lost.¡±


    ¡°Many thanks, good sir!¡± the paladin proclaimed, returning to the loud and boastful voice, much to the crab¡¯s chagrin. ¡°I shall return to my journey now, content in knowing that another fine inhabitant of Heartha has been aided by the gods through this loyal vessel!¡±


    ¡°Freaking role-players¡­¡± Balthazar muttered under his breath.


    ¡°Safe travels to you,¡± Hannabeth said. ¡°And do keep an eye out for dangers! I have heard talk of goblins being sighted around these valleys. The foul, disgusting creatures!¡±


    Glancing at the side of the road where his companions were still waiting, the merchant discreetly shooed Druma and Blue away with his claw. Thankfully, it seemed they were both out of the very narrow field of view of the bucket head knight.


    ¡°Yep, sure thing. Will do!¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Hey, wait, speaking of sightings. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about a big red dragon being seen anywhere, would you?¡±


    ¡°A dragon?! Verily?¡± the knight paladin exclaimed, her helmeted face coming closer to the crab. ¡°There is a dragon on the loose in these lands?¡±


    ¡°Well, not sure what lands, but yes, there¡¯s a red dragon somewhere out¡ª¡±


    ¡°By the gods¡¯ divine grace!¡± Hannabeth blurted out. ¡°This be a knight¡¯s most noble of tasks! To find and slay a dragon! Oh, what grand and purposeful quest!¡±


    ¡°What?! Wait, no!¡± Balthazar hurriedly said. ¡°I was just asking if you heard anything. I¡¯m not giving you a ques¡ª¡±


    ¡°Worry not, my crustacean friend!¡± exclaimed the adventurer, hitting the metal plate on her chest with a closed fist. ¡°I, Hannabeth, knight paladin, swear on my honor that I will see this quest through and find this mighty dragon, no matter how long it takes me!¡±


    The crab stood rooted in place, staring at her, feeling his will to live quickly abandoning him.


    ¡°Yeah, sure. You know what? Go right ahead. I don¡¯t even care anymore. Knock yourself out.¡±


    The knight paladin nodded her bucket. ¡°Very well! Farewell to thee. I shall get back on the road now!¡±


    Balthazar watched as she clanked away, walking out of the road and disappearing into the bushes of the forest.


    Shaking his shell as he signaled for his companions to follow, the crab walked in the opposite direction, heading toward the Golem Forge¡¯s entrance.


    I swear, if one more damn adventurer shows up, I¡¯m gonna start pinching ankles.

 Chapter 190: Hall of the Golemancers

    The crab and his companions had arrived at the entrance carved into the side of the mountain. Two giant pillars stood to each side of the archway, countless runes and glyphs engraved on them all the way to the top. There was a gaping hole leading inside, into a long, dark tunnel that extended out of sight.


    Standing outside the maw of the mountain, Balthazar could hear echoing creaks and the haunting whistle of wind coming from within.


    ¡°Sounds ominous¡­¡± he said. ¡°Who¡¯s ready to go inside?¡±


    He turned to his two friends, who did not seem all too thrilled to go in.


    ¡°Druma think spooky cave is dangerous, boss,¡± the apprehensive goblin said as he nervously rubbed the hem of his magical cape.


    Balthazar sighed. ¡°What about you, Blue? Surely you aren¡¯t scared, right?¡±


    The drake glared at the entrance into the cave from the corner of her eye, before throwing her head back in disdain, letting out a ¡°hmph!¡± accompanied by a small puff of smoke.


    ¡°Guys, I know it doesn¡¯t look like the most inviting of places,¡± the merchant said. ¡°But we have to go in there. This is the only hope we have of restoring Bouldy. I know you guys want to see our big guy back too, right?¡±


    A sympathetic frown formed above Druma¡¯s big eyes. ¡°Boss think way to bring Bouldy back is there?¡±


    ¡°The old wizard thinks so. And I believe him.¡±


    The small assistant nodded, staring emptily at the dark cave ahead, his eyes still filled with concern.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t do this alone,¡± Balthazar continued. ¡°Who knows what I will find inside. And I can¡¯t risk failing. Not at this. It¡¯s too important. So I¡­ I need your help. I need my loyal right-pincer goblin by my side.¡± He turned to Blue. ¡°And I definitely need my mighty drake to cover us too.¡±


    Druma tightened his grasp around his magical staff and his nervous expression turned into hesitant determination. ¡°Druma help boss bring Bouldy back!¡±


    The azure drake looked at the goblin for a moment¡ªas if measuring him up¡ªand then turned to the crab and gave him an affirmative nod.


    ¡°Alright, into the ominous hole we go!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, before lowering his voice into a murmur. ¡°Oh, you better not have sent me to the wrong place, you old lunatic¡­¡±


    Stepping into the howling maw of the mountain, the group soon encountered a gigantic pair of bronze-colored gates, made of some strange alloy Balthazar had never seen before, like metal with the porous texture of stone.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just knock?¡± the crab said, raising one claw toward the door.


    Before his pincer reached the metal, a humming came from his backpack, pulling his attention to it.


    ¡°Huh?¡± said the merchant as he retrieved the hexagonal artifact Tweedus had given him the day before.


    It hummed and started shaking in his pincer the closer he brought it to the gates, which in turn reacted with a loud creak, slowly opening for the bearer of the Golemancer¡¯s Mark.


    ¡°Well, that was easy!¡± Balthazar said, shoving the mark back in his pack after it stopped humming and vibrating.


    As the party slowly made their way inside, the crab¡¯s eyes soon started adapting to the low light levels. What initially was a rough rocky floor had turned into polished stone, and a dim light grew in the distance as they delved deeper into the tunnel.


    The speck of light turned into an opening as they reached it, leading into a grandiose hall, tall and wide enough to nearly lose sight of where it ended. The chamber was lit from high above by basins hanging from the ceiling, each one burning some unknown fuel that gave the flames an unnatural orange glow that seemed to permeate everything with its warm color.


    Pillars and columns extended so far up to the distant ceiling that Balthazar could spot a layer of fog above, like a self-contained cloud system. The walls were meticulously carved with complex runes and diagrams the crab could not understand, their composition appearing to be some kind of copper-like stone he had also never seen before.


    ¡°Oh boy, this place sure is¡­ orange,¡± the merchant commented, placing both pincers on the sides of his shell.


    Along both sides of the hall were rows of square pedestals, each one with a statue standing on it. They depicted different kinds of armored warriors holding different types of weapons, their immobile visages quietly reflecting the dancing light of the orange flames above off their polished coppery surface.


    ¡°A bit eerie, but not as dangerous as I expected,¡± Balthazar said as he pulled his Monocle of Exposition out of his backpack and placed it in front of his eye.


    Right away a big line of text appeared above his field of view.


    [Hall of the Golemancers]


    ¡°Ah, good! This must be the right place then,¡± the crab said, moving his gaze to the nearest statue.


    [Forge Guardian - Level 25]


    Frowning his eyestalks, the merchant stepped forward to inspect the strange statue closer.


    ¡°Why does a statue have a leve¡ª¡±


    As the crab approached the pedestal, a loud noise of stone rumbling made him jump in place as the statue came to life, rigidly lifting the sword in its grasp and descending from its resting platform.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why!¡±


    Skittering back to his friends, the startled crustacean started quickly rummaging through his backpack.


    ¡°Come on, come on! Where is¡­ Aha!¡±


    Pulling his claw out, the merchant revealed the wizard¡¯s gift again.


    ¡°I have a Golemancer¡¯s Mark, stay back!¡± he yelled, holding the runed hexagon out for the statue to see.


    The construct, however, did not seem impressed, and continued marching forward toward the eight-legged intruder. There was no expression on its face, only the cold surface of a sculpted helmet with no hint of emotion as it carried on its empty and relentless advance.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Argh, does this thing not have eyes?!¡± Balthazar said, stumbling back as the guardian closed the distance between them.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Druma yelled from a few paces away. ¡°Sir wizard say to press thingy to use it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right!¡± said the crab.


    Just as the stone warrior raised its sword above him, Balthazar pressed the tip of his pincer into the center of the stone.


    An orange glow pulsed outward through the stone and the statue suddenly froze in place.


    Eyes wide, the merchant gulped as he stared up at the animated construct towering above him, sword held over its head.


    A new line appeared in Balthazar¡¯s system.


    [Golemancer¡¯s Mark duration: 30 minutes]


    The statue moved again, but this time to calmly lower its weapon. With a stiff, mechanical turn, the guardian simply walked away, seemingly no longer interested in the crab or his companions.


    As he watched it leave, Balthazar noticed all the other statues had also come alive and stepped down from their pedestals, each one moving through the chamber as if patrolling the halls.


    ¡°Phew, that was close,¡± the crab said. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep going, before this thing expires and these fellas get all murdery again.¡±


    With a hurried pace, the group proceeded through the long hall, their tapping footsteps echoing all around the chamber as they moved between the animated statues, who simply ignored them now that Balthazar had activated the wizard¡¯s artifact.


    At the other end of the hall, they came upon a smaller corridor. And by smaller, the crab figured his entire bazaar could still fit inside it and have some room to spare.


    Slowing their pace slightly now that they had left the intimidating guardians behind in the hall, the group moved through the corridor with cautious curiosity.


    The walls were covered with more carvings and etchings that seemed to depict golems and other constructs in great detail, each section of stone appearing slightly older than the last. It was like looking through an historical record of different constructs from different ages and their incremental improvements over the generations. From small child-sized constructs made of clay in the older, more worn out wall tablets, all the way to the more polished and modern stones depicting gigantic golems made of sturdy metals.


    Huh¡­ I wonder why there are no golemancers in this place anymore. Maybe it was the commute. The road accesses outside are terrible.


    The crab came upon a cross-shaped intersection of corridors. Not knowing which way to go, he scoffed in annoyance, until his eyes landed on a plaque on a nearby wall.


    Walking closer, Balthazar found that the sign also contained strange glyphs like most everything else in that place, which he could not read. Except this time, his monocle displayed a few lines over the sign, seemingly translating its contents.


    South - Entrance Hall


    West - Golem Parking (1st hour free of charge)


    East - Gift Shop & Indoor Outhouses


    North - Storage Rooms & Golem Forge


    The hell is an indoor outhouse?!


    Coming further and further to the conclusion that golemancers were a very odd bunch, the merchant decided to just shrug and keep going north.


    The corridors extended for what felt like an eternity with no ending in sight, making the crab keep nervously checking his system for the mark¡¯s protection.


    [Golemancer¡¯s Mark duration: 23 minutes]


    Picking up the pace, Balthazar skittered faster down the polished stone corridor, a ferrous scent coupled with a vague warmth in the air telling him that the forge had to be close.


    As they turned a corner and a brighter light at the end of the hallway came into view, the merchant noticed there was an archway to his right, leading to another room.


    Probably the storage the sign mentioned. Doesn¡¯t matter, I can see the forge up a¡ª


    His thoughts derailed and his eyes widened as he glanced at the nearby room.


    Inside, sitting on a shelf at the very center of the chamber, was a single ingot of pure gold, shiny and beautiful, softly reflecting the light on its perfectly smooth surface as if to beckon the crab to come closer.


    ¡°Boss?¡± said Druma, a few paces behind. ¡°Why is boss¡¯s mouth open like that?¡±


    The slack jawed merchant did not respond, lost as he was in the enthralling appeal of the golden treasure inside that storage room.


    I need it!


    His eyestalks glanced down the corridor, at the glow of the forge ahead, and then at the Golemancer¡¯s Mark timer at the corner of his sight.


    Still 20 minutes left. The ingot is right there. Just a quick in and out. What could go wrong?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± the crab muttered to himself as he skittered into the storage hall.


    ¡°Boss?!¡± the goblin assistant called, looking confused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, Druma! You guys just wait there for a moment.¡±


    Pinching his pincers in anticipation, Balthazar made a beeline to the shelf that contained the golden ingot.


    Finally, after so long, he¡¯d finally get his claws on another bar of gold. Images of his glorious golden carapace floated around his mind already, plastering a big smile on his face.


    A sign on the wall next to the entrance caught his attention. Like the one before, it was written in some ancient language, but his monocle revealed a line of text upon inspection.


    [Golem Forge Storage Room]


    [Registered golemancers only]


    Good thing I got this nifty mark thing! Balthazar thought, continuing into the room with a shrug.


    As he walked around a few empty cabinets to reach the place where the ingot was, the crab saw another sign at the start of the rows of storage shelves.


    [Stored materials are not for public use]


    Good thing there¡¯s no public left around this place anymore!


    [Official forge personnel only]


    Golemancer¡¯s pass, baby!


    [Restricted access beyond this point (even if carrying a Golemancer¡¯s Mark)]


    Oh no, my monocle is a little foggy, I can¡¯t read that last part!


    Hurriedly skittering between the shelves, Balthazar reached the one containing his coveted treasure.


    ¡°Ugh, come on¡­¡± the merchant muttered, stretching his arm as high as he could.


    The shelf, clearly not built for the superior anatomy of giant crustaceans, was too tall for him to reach the top, where the shiny beacon of opulence rested.


    ¡°Just¡­ a little¡­ further¡­¡±


    Frustrated and pressed for time, Balthazar considered his options. There were no stools or other platforms he could use nearby. The storage was mostly empty, save for a few other chunks of rock and metal, all lacking any shiny appeal to them and thus entirely worthless in the crab¡¯s eyes.


    Calling Druma over was an option, but the goblin wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the top shelf on his own either. He would have to stand on the crab¡¯s shell, and that was a tough fight between Balthazar¡¯s pride and his greed for gold.


    ¡°Argh!¡± he exclaimed in frustration, wrapping his pincer around one of the shelf¡¯s supports and shaking it vigorously. ¡°Give me your gold!¡±


    To his surprise, the piece of furniture obliged. Maybe for being old, or perhaps because the crab was just that intimidating, the shelf wobbled, and the ingot slipped from the top, dropping to the floor with a heavy thud.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Balthazar said, looking around with surprise. ¡°Well¡­ There¡¯s no one left in this place, so it can¡¯t count as stealing.¡±


    With a shrug and a big grin, the crab lifted the ingot from the floor with both claws.


    Huffing and puffing, he carefully stored the dense metal into his backpack when something clattered past the next row of shelves behind him.


    ¡°I told you to wait back there, Druma. I¡¯m almost done he¡ª¡± He lifted his gaze from his pack. ¡°Oh, crabapples¡­¡±


    A bronze statue stomped forward between the storage shelves, carrying a huge halberd made of the same material as its body.


    [Storage Keeper - Level 30]


    The guardian, even taller than the ones from the entry hall, walked toward the crab with a menacing and determined pace.


    ¡°Golemancer¡¯s Mark! Golemancer¡¯s Mark!¡± Balthazar exclaimed nervously as he backed away, holding up the stone hexagon for the construct to see.


    But the animated statue did not seem to care.


    With a ground-shaking stomp, the keeper caught up to the looting crab and leaned down with surprising swiftness for its size.


    With just one hand, the guardian lifted the trespasser from the ground by the top of his carapace.


    ¡°Ow! Let me go! That hurts!¡± Balthazar yelled as he felt the crushing grasp begin to crack his shell and a flashing warning appeared in his eyes.


    [Health: 190/240]

 Chapter 191: The Golem Forge

    Balthazar cried in pain under the monumental shellache induced by the giant hand holding him up in the air, when suddenly the sound of magic being cast came from the storage room¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Put boss down!¡± Druma yelled as several green arcane bolts shot out from his staff.


    ¡°Yes!¡± the crab muttered, glancing from the corner of his eye as his eyestalks curled in pain.


    But as the magical projectiles hit the bronze guardian, both merchant and assistant realized the construct cared little for them.


    Unfazed and unmoved, the living statue continued slowly tightening its grasp on the crustacean¡¯s carapace.


    [Health: 160/240]


    ¡°Do something! Anything!¡± the desperate crab cried out.


    ¡°Maybe if boss give back shiny brick angry statue stop?!¡± the panicking goblin said.


    ¡°Something else!¡±


    A screech echoed through the chamber as a frenzied drake swooped over Druma¡¯s pointy hat and unleashed a torrent of blue fire onto the storage keeper.


    ¡°Ah!¡± exclaimed the captive crab, as he averted his eyestalks from the dangerously close flames engulfing the statue.


    Blue hovered over them for a moment, batting her wings as she continued to rain fire upon Balthazar¡¯s assailant, until she ran out of breath.


    Even before the bright flames cleared, Balthazar already knew the attack had failed to harm the guardian, as the crushing pressure on his shell had not subsided at all.


    Without so much as a scorch mark on his polished bronze helmet, the statue remained steadfast, standing between the rows of storage shelves, halberd in one hand, screaming crab in the other.


    [Health: 130/240]


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t¡­ come this far¡­ to fail now!¡± Balthazar said as he kicked and flailed, trying to slip out of the guardian¡¯s grasp, but with no success.


    Even if he could reach it, his claws were surely going to be useless against the hard body of his captor.


    Any of his skills he could think of between the crushing pain being applied to his thinking box were of no help in that situation.


    Talking to the animated statue didn¡¯t seem like a very promising use of whatever little time he had left before that health meter reached zero.


    Even if he wanted to try some kind of imbuing, he had nothing within reach, as his backpack was still on the floor below.


    As he kicked his dangling legs, one of them hit the side of an empty shelf, making it wobble slightly.


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± Balthazar said, struggling to twist his eyestalks to look at the old shelving.


    An idea sprung to mind as the sound of cracking chitin became alarmingly louder, and with no time to waste, the crab activated his Leader¡¯s Voice skill before yelling instructions at his companions.


    ¡°Druma, hit the feet of those shelves! Blue, tip the ones on the other side with your talons!¡±


    Clearly unsure of what they were trying to achieve, but without wasting time questioning the crustacean¡¯s orders either, the goblin and the drake got to work on their respective sides.


    Druma whacked the rusty feet of the huge shelf where the gold bar had been, using his magical staff like a common blunt weapon until the rack started leaning toward the statue and the crab.


    Over on the other row, Blue used all of her weight to push the top of the shelves too, until they started tipping.


    With perfect timing from the crab¡¯s companions, both shelves finally tipped and crumbled toward the storage keeper.


    The guardian turned its head as it heard the falling metal crashing down. It tried to shield itself using the hand that held the halberd, but the weight of the massive shelving proved too much even for the mighty construct.


    Stumbling, the statue found itself forced to drop the trespassing crab as it fell down to one knee, holding the toppled racks over its head with both arms now.


    Balthazar staggered for a moment, his shell hurting all over and full of small fissures from the guardian¡¯s crushing grasp.


    [Health: 100/240]


    ¡°Ow¡­ I knew I was right to put all those points into health.¡±


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± Druma exclaimed as he came to the crab¡¯s aid. ¡°Big statue is getting up again!¡±


    Pushing the shelves aside slowly, the keeper was already getting back on its feet, its eyeless face searching for the merchant again, looking to finish the job it had started.


    ¡°We can¡¯t fight this thing,¡± Balthazar said, grabbing his backpack as his assistant helped him limp away. ¡°It¡¯s too strong, and resistant to magic. We have to run.¡±


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    With Blue swooping over their heads, the crab and goblin made their way back to the main corridor as fast as they could. The sound of crumbling metal followed by heavy stomping told them that the guardian had freed itself and was once again coming to seize the trespasser of its storage.


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Balthazar as they were about to pass the archway. ¡°There¡¯s a door mechanism!¡±


    Noticing the old, rusty chain next to the entrance, extending all the way up into the wall and a raised gate, the crab decided to make one last desperate move.


    With a quick whack of his pincer to a rusted out part of the chain, the merchant watched as the mechanism broke apart and released the door above.


    ¡°Jump!¡±


    The goblin and his boss leaped forward, making it through just as the heavy gate slammed shut behind them.


    Balthazar got up, looking back with worry still in his eyes, but all he found was the sound of a thump against the door as the guardian hit it.


    ¡°Phew! That was close,¡± he said, helping his assistant up. ¡°Strong as that guy is, I don¡¯t think even he will be getting through this thick of a door anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± said Druma, looking at the crab with a huge frown of concern. ¡°Is boss¡­ hurt?¡±


    The merchant looked his shell over, the aching coming from everywhere still making him wince.


    ¡°Yeah, buddy, I am.¡± His eyes moved back to his assistant, who seemed on the verge of tears. ¡°But don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be fine! Nothing that some time resting and a good pastry or two won¡¯t fix.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Time!¡±


    Checking the status on the Golemancer¡¯s Mark again, he realized that more than half of its duration was now gone.


    ¡°Come on, we don¡¯t have much time left!¡± the crab said to his companions.


    Moving down the corridor as fast as his injured body allowed him, Balthazar made his way to the next chamber, which was even bigger than the entrance hall from earlier.


    ¡°The Golem Forge¡­¡± he muttered, gazing up in awe at the room before him.


    A titanic structure of forged metal and ancient stone stood at the center of the chamber, its countless pipes and vents extending far up into the distant mist above, toward the unseen ceiling of the cavern.


    But the forge lay dormant, for not a single ember of light sparked from its cold and lifeless coals.


    ¡°No, no, no,¡± Balthazar said, limping closer to the workstation area of the structure. ¡°How am I supposed to reforge a core without heat?¡±


    The merchant looked around in a panic, scouring for a quick solution to his despair.


    Discarded bits of unknown ores sat on dusty tables alongside cobweb-covered smithing tools. Scraps of paper and scroll parchments were scattered around the floor, likely remnants of long-since lost pieces of literature, back from when those ancient halls still housed flesh and blood residents.


    Now the only inhabitants left were the guardian statues lined up against the walls of the forge room, quietly standing watch over the abandoned structure for eternity, waiting for the return of masters that had been gone since ages past.


    ¡°It was all for nothing¡­¡± Balthazar whispered, his eyestalks dropping in defeat. ¡°I traveled this far, for months, went through so much, just to find out I can¡¯t even bring my friend back.¡±


    ¡°B-boss?¡± Druma quietly said, approaching the crab and placing a hand on his shell. ¡°Is boss alright?¡±


    ¡°No, Druma, I¡¯m not,¡± the dismayed merchant muttered. ¡°The forge is dead, and it¡¯s not like I know how to operate it. I¡¯m just a crab. A stupid crab who thought he could do this alone.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ boss is not alone,¡± the goblin said, his huge eyes expressing a worried frown so deep it made several lines appear on his forehead. ¡°Boss has Druma and Blue.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I know, buddy. That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Maybe book sir wizard give boss has answer?¡±


    ¡°No, Druma. I already went through it twice since yesterday. There are instructions on how to repair a core, but it assumes you have a working Golem Forge. There¡¯s nothing about the inner workings of it or how to start it.¡±


    Druma¡¯s eyes went to the floor. ¡°But boss can¡¯t give up now¡­¡±


    ¡°What else am I supposed to do?¡± said Balthazar. ¡°After so many setbacks, we finally got here and I realize I don''t know what to do.¡±


    The goblin sniffed quietly. ¡°Druma was happy when boss find sir wizard. Druma think he will see Bouldy again. Druma miss friend a lot.¡±


    Looking at his sulking assistant, the crabby merchant felt as if something was piercing through his cracked shell and reaching right for his heart, tightening it and making it ache.


    But he knew that one specific bit of damage was not physical or something that system could show.


    Blue stood a few paces behind the goblin, sitting with her wings folded and looking at Balthazar with her golden, piercing eyes. Not with her usual scowl, or glare of disdain, but with a sincere frown he seldom recalled seeing from his drake.


    She may have spoken no words, but her stare told the crab more than enough.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Druma,¡± Balthazar said, gently tapping his claw on the goblin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I can¡¯t give up now. We can¡¯t give up now.¡±


    The small assistant raised his tearful eyes to his boss again, blinking.


    ¡°Boss has plan?¡± he asked, wiping his eyes on his arm.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the crab said, placing both pincers on the sides of his shell. ¡°Figure it out as I go, like always!¡±


    The merchant started looking around the workshop space, searching for a spark of inspiration.


    ¡°First order of business, light up this forge again!¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ with fire?¡± said the green assistant.


    ¡°Yes! Exactly, Druma! You¡¯re a genius!¡± Balthazar said, snapping his pincer. ¡°And we got all we need for that job!¡±


    He picked up one of the old coals sitting in the forge and shook off the dust from it.


    [Magicoal]


    [Like common coal, but capable of absorbing magical properties. Often placed in the stockings of young mages who were naughty the previous year.]


    Tweedus, you crazy wizard! I really missed having a monocle like this.


    ¡°Blue!¡± Balthazar called. ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to light up these coals, so we can power this forge again. Think you can do that?¡±


    The drake nodded and took flight, soaring over the forge. Whether she had finally learned to take the crab¡¯s commands or she simply wished to help bring Bouldy back too, Balthazar did not know. And right there and then, he realized he didn¡¯t care either. There was something much bigger at stake.


    Hovering over the dead forge, the azure drake batted her golden wings forcibly as she unleashed a shower of flames from her mouth, raining blue fire onto the magicoals below.


    The black coals took the magical fire in like dry soil takes drops of pond water from a dripping crab on a hot summer day, each one bursting alive with an intense sapphire glow.


    Blue fire spread through the surface of the forge, each magicoal passing on its flame to the next, until the entire foundry came alive.


    Metal whirred and gears groaned as the whole structure yawned, awakening from its ages-long slumber.


    Balthazar smiled, both at the sight of the reignited Golem Forge, and at his goblin assistant, staring up in awe at the lit up structure with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°Alright, that was just the first step,¡± the crab said, propping his copy of Golemancy for Dunces on one of the tables of the workshop area. ¡°Now comes the real work¡ªreforging our friend.¡±

 Chapter 192: Forging Friends

    Reaching into his backpack, Balthazar carefully retrieved the broken golem core. With steady steps, the crab walked toward the smithing area of the forge, ready to lay the cracked orb onto the burning coals.


    ¡°Argh!¡± exclaimed the merchant, feeling the blazing heat radiating from the forge seep into the cracks on his shell, the searing pain nearly making him drop the core.


    Stepping back, Balthazar placed the orb down with trembling pincers. The heat was too strong, and his injured state only made it harder to bear.


    ¡°Boss want Druma to help?¡± the goblin shouted from the back.


    ¡°No, stay back there, Druma,¡± the crab quickly replied, worrying his skin-having assistant would get himself severely burned in his eagerness to be helpful.


    Blue would certainly be more comfortable around high temperatures, but her wings and talons weren¡¯t exactly made for finesse.


    ¡°Seriously? Out of all the ridiculous junk I have here, I can¡¯t find a single health potion?!¡± Balthazar grumbled as he dug through the contents of his backpack.


    He needed some way to make it closer to the fire, in order to place the core into the forge so that it could fuse back together. Unfortunately, other than way too many bottles of supposed ¡°Potions of Hydration¡± and some other unhelpful concoctions, the merchant couldn¡¯t seem to find anything that would work.


    ¡°If only I had some potions of fire resistance¡­¡±


    For a moment, he recalled a certain bandit chugging down a bottle of an orange liquid seconds before exploding into a ball of flames, and a shiver ran down his shell.


    ¡°No potions for me.¡±


    As Balthazar was pulling his claws out of the backpack, he noticed the two metal ingots he currently owned, one silver and the other gold.


    The golden one the merchant already knew would be of no help there, but he found himself wondering if the silver bar he brought from Marquessa would do anything useful.


    Just as he looked at the chunk of metal and touched it wondering what kind of imbuing he could get from that, his Monocle of Exposition displayed a description in front of his eye.


    [Imbuing - Silver Ingot]


    [Duration: 15 minutes]


    [Effect: 50% resistance to all elemental effects]


    Huh. Fire is an element, right?


    With time and heat working against him, Balthazar gripped the silver ingot and activated his Imbuing skill.


    The metal disappeared from his grasp and a cold feeling washed over his body as a shiny coating of metal appeared around his shell.


    ¡°Boss is silver!¡± Druma exclaimed from the back.


    ¡°Yes I am!¡± the argent crab said with confidence.


    The imbuing had covered up the fissures on his shell, easing his aching and also shielding him from the intense heat of the forge ahead.


    While still intense, the temperature was now bearable enough to proceed, and so the determined crustacean picked the core back up into his claws and walked to the blaze.


    With a strained wince, the sterling merchant gently dropped the cracked heart of his friend into the fiery coals.


    ¡°What next?¡± he asked himself, checking the open book again. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s right. Going to need something to bind it back together.¡±


    Balthazar looked through the bits and pieces of ore and other metals left around the dusty workshop. Nothing was quite right. Either there was too little of something or it was too low quality to suit the heart of his best friend.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡± the crab said, pushing aside a pile of old scrolls to reveal a large chunk of a metallic blue rock sitting underneath, strangely clean and free of dust.


    [Cobalt Ore]


    [A rare and nearly indestructible metal. Usually too difficult to create weapons or armor with, it is a favorite among artificers due to its incredible magical properties. And because it¡¯s pretty to look at!]


    ¡°That sounds perfect for my golem!¡±


    Holding the ore in his pincers, Balthazar skittered back to the fire, where he dropped the chunk of rough blue rock on top of the core.


    He watched for a moment, realizing he had little idea of what he was doing.


    ¡°Damn it, why isn¡¯t it melting?¡± he impatiently said, checking the timer on the Golemancer¡¯s Mark in the corner of his eye.


    He was a merchant, not a smith. As much as he liked shiny metals, he had little idea of what went into forging ingots like the golden one he had just acquired from the storage room a few minutes before.


    It reminded him of pastries¡ªas most things did. He very much enjoyed consuming them, but he had no talent for making any himself.


    With his thoughts going back to Madeleine and how much he missed her, Balthazar found himself reminiscing over the times the two of them sat by the pond, chatting while snacking on whatever delicacy she had brought him that day.


    He remembered the mornings where she tried to teach him how to bake simple things, going over each step in her recipe books while the crab chomped down on another slice of pie. It never really went very far. Both because the crab had little patience for how much time the baking process took, and because being gifted with superior pincers meant he was not cut out for the fine art of operating kitchen utensils or handling delicate doughs.


    ¡°What did Madeleine once say about making dough rise?¡± the shiny crustacean wondered. ¡°That different kinds require higher temperatures than others?¡±


    With a snap of his pincer, Balthazar turned back to his companions.


    ¡°Blue, get over here and give this thing a breather!¡±


    The drake swooped down and hovered over the forge, her flapping wings blowing wind into the magicoals like a bellows, increasing the intensity of the flames.


    Taking in a big breath, the winged creature let out another bout of azure fire, bathing the ore and the core in magical heat.


    ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± Balthazar exclaimed in excitement, looking through the gap of his pincer as he shielded himself from the blinding blaze. ¡°Haha! Forging is just like baking!¡±


    Blue ceased her fire breathing and flew away to land behind Druma, looking visibly exhausted.


    ¡°Good job, girl,¡± said the crab. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here now.¡±


    Using his baker¡¯s teachings as inspiration, the crab moved back to his version of a recipe book, looking for the next step in the process of baking himself a new golem core.


    The golemancy guide told him to move the damaged core around using a pair of tongs, ensuring an even distribution of the binding material, but Balthazar knew that using human tools wasn¡¯t for him.


    He only had one pair of tools, and those would have to do.


    With a loud gulp, the crab brought his pincers into the forge¡¯s fire, grabbing the red-hot golem core and rotating it around as the melting ore slowly seeped into the cracked areas.


    Despite the elemental resistance, the scorching heat was still hard to take for more than a few seconds, but Balthazar did not relent, remembering how Bouldy didn¡¯t when he held that avalanche to save him.


    ¡°Oof, it¡¯s starting to smell like steamed crab in here!¡±


    Like a proud chef watching his yeast bubbling and fermenting, the fascinated crustacean observed as Bouldy¡¯s core glowed brightly and fused with the cobalt, the two halves binding back together, leaving the red orb covered in azure veins that pulsed with magic.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    [Repaired Golem Core]


    ¡°Yes!¡± the crab exclaimed, clacking his pincers in celebration.


    The mark¡¯s timer was reaching five minutes left and Balthazar glanced back nervously at the immobile statues on their pedestals all around the forge.


    ¡°What¡¯s next!¡± he said, flipping the book¡¯s pages.


    Reading over the instructions, he learned he would need to infuse the core into a prime material again, just like he had done back home, with his favorite boulder.


    ¡°Crap! What do I use?!¡± the scrambling crab said. ¡°I need enough material to make a golem!¡±


    ¡°Boss, boss!¡± Druma yelled from his safe distance, pointing a finger at something nearby. ¡°Big rocks!¡±


    With no time to waste, Balthazar scurried to whatever his assistant was trying to show him.


    Near one of the edges of the forge sat a large pile of loose rocks, each one bigger than the crab himself. They were brown and rough at first glance, like any other common stone one would find on the side of a mountain or a cliff. But upon closer inspection, the merchant noticed peculiar lines shining like metal from the inside of the rocks.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a raw version of the material those guardians are made of.¡±


    [Primordium Rock]


    [A type of primordial mineral with metallic properties. Instead of melting away, these ancient rocks harden with the metal when under high temperatures, making it a material of choice for golemancers. Tastes like dirt when licked.]


    He looked at the statues and at the timer again. There was no time to waste pondering.


    ¡°We need to get these in the fire with the core!¡± he said to Druma.


    The goblin ran over to help push one of the boulders, but the rock was too heavy for them and refused to budge.


    Seeing the other two struggling, Blue swooped in to their aid, using her talons to push the stone too, but to no avail.


    ¡°It¡¯s too big to transport this way,¡± the increasingly agitated crustacean said. ¡°If they were smaller rocks I could¡­ That¡¯s it! We need to break them. Druma, your staff!¡±


    The assistant¡¯s ears perked up and he looked at his weapon. Likely acting on his most primal goblin instincts, he started smacking the boulder with the blunt side of the staff.


    ¡°No, no! Not like that! Hit it with the magical bolts!¡± Balthazar said.


    ¡°Oooh! Druma get it now!¡±


    Adjusting his wizard hat away from his eyes, the goblin threw his cape back dramatically with one hand while slowly waving the staff in circles with the other.


    Biting his tongue in the corner of his mouth and with a bead of sweat rolling down his deep frown of concentration, Druma charged up his spell until the gem at the tip of the staff glowed bright green.


    With a thrust forward, the goblin released a stream of emerald bolts, each one hitting the boulder¡¯s surface with enough force to leave small cracks on the softer parts of the stone.


    ¡°Keep going! Chop those ingredients!¡± said the crab.


    One volley after the other, the goblin struck the rock with everything he and his staff had, until the boulder cracked open with a loud rumble.


    The two halves split apart and fell to the floor, shattering into smaller chunks.


    ¡°Great job, Druma!¡± Balthazar said, quickly gathering primordium rocks with his pincers. ¡°But stay back now, it¡¯s too hot in there for you.¡±


    The merchant ran back to the core, which pulsed bright red in between the blue coals it rested on, and spread chunks of the unrefined mineral over it the way he imagined Madeleine spread slices of apple on her pies.


    Dashing back and forth as fast as his legs could, Balthazar dumped all the raw primordium he could until the golem core was covered in a pile of it.


    ¡°And something to remind you of home,¡± the crab whispered as he reached into his personal belongings and retrieved one of his oldest treasures: a small pebble from his collection of smooth rocks.


    It was the first one he had ever picked up by the shores of the pond, attracted by its round and smooth shape, long before he had discovered coins, pastries, or strange scrolls. Back when he was just a young crab who talked to a boulder and kept a pet rock for company, because he lived all alone in a pond, with no friends or company.


    His pincer hesitated over the fire before dropping the pebble in. It was hard to let go of one of his oldest possessions, but he knew it would be well guarded in his friend¡¯s heart.


    The bright blue flames burned high, bathing the room in an azure hue as they slowly melted the stones over his friend¡¯s heart. Too slowly.


    ¡°Two minutes left before the mark expires!¡± the panicking crustacean said. ¡°Smelt faster!¡±


    The pile of rocks kept breaking apart and melting until it turned into thick bright lava, flowing and pooling around the orb.


    ¡°Crap! It says I need to cool it now!¡± Balthazar said, glancing at the book. ¡°How do I do that?!¡±


    The merchant looked around at the forge instruments around him, the valves, levers, and pulleys connected to chains and gears, all far too complex for him to figure out in what little time he had left.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a crab, I don¡¯t know how to work this forge!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m a crab! I know exactly what puts out fires. Water!¡±


    Quickly shoving both arms into his backpack, Balthazar started pulling out all the bottles of pond water Rob had delivered to him.


    ¡°I was going to sell these for lots of coin!¡± he grumbled. ¡°But I guess this is a good trade too.¡±


    Popping their corks with the tip of his pincer, the crab began pouring the contents of his ¡°Potions of Hydration¡± over the molten rock and the coals.


    Clouds of steam shot up as the water came in contact with the heat, making Balthazar cough and look like a deranged alchemist preparing a crazy concoction.


    The flames died down and the molten primordium began to solidify again, binding with the blue veins of the cobalt into a much denser form.


    But the core remained inert.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it working?!¡± the stressed crustacean said. ¡°I¡¯ve repaired the core. There¡¯s plenty of prime material to fuse with. Why isn¡¯t this thing shaping into a golem? I don¡¯t have ti¡ª¡±


    [Golemancer¡¯s Mark duration: 0 seconds]


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡±


    The silver crab turned his eyestalks to the other end of the hall just as several heavy thumps echoed through the forge¡¯s chamber.


    The guardian statues had woken up and were stepping down from their pedestals.


    ¡°Boss!¡± Druma shouted, pointing at the incoming forces.


    A dozen forge guardians closed in on the workshop, weapons pointed forward.


    Blue spread her wings open and stood by the goblin, looking around at the constructs encircling them with her fangs bared.


    ¡°Crap, crap, crap!¡± Balthazar cursed, turning back to the core sitting among a pile of half-molten rocks. ¡°What am I doing wrong?!¡±


    The crab tried to think, remembering everything he had done, looking for what was missing.


    He had followed every step the book listed.


    The core was clearly repaired.


    There was plenty of compatible raw material for the core to fuse with.


    ¡°Boss, hurry!¡± Druma shouted as he shot a stream of green bolts from his staff, which hit one of the statues and did little more than make it stumble slightly.


    Was there something else I did back at the pond the first time around that I¡¯m forgetting now?


    Blue screeched as she shot out what little fire she could still muster after spending most of her energy powering up the forge, barely slowing the guards marching toward them.


    The merchant recalled the boulder from back home, the way the Golem Core sank into the stone like it was liquid, fusing into it before the rocks took shape and Bouldy was born.


    ¡°It all worked so easily then¡­¡±


    Another group of sentries was marching toward the crab, ready to seize the unwelcome visitor using their forge, each one holding a different bronze weapon, all of them as intimidating as the next.


    ¡°I can¡¯t pinch my way out of this,¡± Balthazar said, glancing back at the guardians. ¡°I need this to work! What am I miss¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Tweedus¡¯s words echoed back in his mind.


    You just gotta pour your heart into that core the same way you did before.


    It all made sense to him. Just like what Madeleine had once told him, too.


    It¡¯s not just about throwing ingredients in and mixing things together when baking. You have to add love.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m missing¡­¡± the crab whispered. ¡°I¡¯m missing my friend.¡±


    The forge guardians readied their weapons as they marched into the workshop area, their empty bronze faces reflecting the dying fires of the forge and a scared silver crab leaned over a lifeless core.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to hold that avalanche to save us, Bouldy. It was all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t been so greedy with that stupid golden statuette none of that would have happened. I lost my best friend because I didn¡¯t value what I already had and kept wanting more. I was dumb. Probably still am! Just now I almost ruined my one shot to bring you back because I got greedy over gold again. It¡¯s all my fault, it always is! I know I¡¯m stubborn and full of flaws, and maybe I don¡¯t deserve it, but¡­ but I miss you, buddy!¡±


    The living statues encircled the merchant and prepared to seize him, but Balthazar chose to keep on whispering to the core.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how long it took me to get here, or how many dangers I went through, or if these big piles of metal take me, I just want to see my best friend one more time!¡±


    The red-hot core started trembling timidly.


    But the forge guardians had already grabbed the crab.


    ¡°It¡¯s working! It¡¯s working!¡± Balthazar yelled, trying to cling to the edge of the smelter as the statues pulled him by the shell and legs. ¡°Let me go! I can¡¯t stop now! I¡¯m almost there! Let me bring my friend back!¡±


    The trembling increased, but the constructs cared not for it or the crab¡¯s pleas, and forcibly pulled him off the forge, carrying him to the other sentries, who had already captured his companions and held them under their blades.


    ¡°Let them go! I¡¯m the trespasser, I brought them here! It¡¯s me you want!¡± a desperate Balthazar exclaimed at the uncaring statues, before looking back at the shaking Golem Core. ¡°Please wake up, Bouldy! Help Druma! Help Blue! Save our friends!¡±


    The core pulsed red, its cobalt veins glowing a brilliant blue as it vibrated violently and sank into the molten rocks.


    Steam billowed from the sizzling clay, twisting and bubbling as it embraced the orb.


    Like raw dough rising in the warmth of an oven, the primordial concoction grew.


    The shattered rocks, broken by a goblin''s magic, fused and hardened with cobalt breathed into life by a drake. The core bound itself with the fiery materials, tempered by the waters from a distant pond, carefully poured by the pincers of a crab who longed for his lost friend.


    In the burning coals, the golem¡¯s heart stirred again, answering the call of his friends like he always had.


    The forge guardians paused all at once like a hive mind, turning toward the smelter as lava splashed out of it and a giant arm emerged, reaching out for the ceiling.


    A thunderous rumbling shook the ground when a stone torso began taking shape, rising from the blue fires of the golem forge with hot magma rolling off its shoulders.


    A head soon followed, its eyes slowly opening up to the world while the construct stood up.


    With a powerful jet of steam venting out of its settling rock joints, the golem rose from its cradle of fire and stone, flexing its arms as his earth-shattering roar shook the walls of the ancient chamber.


    ¡°FRIENDS!¡±

 Chapter 193: Pebbles

    ¡°Bouldy!¡± exclaimed Balthazar, beaming with a smile despite being held down by two forge guardians.


    Next to him, the captured goblin grinned with glee at the sight of the golem. Even Blue seemed to have lit up with excitement upon seeing their reborn friend.


    The sentries that were not holding the intruders down turned to the golem with their weapons at the ready, clearly viewing him as another threat to engage.


    With a single step, Bouldy cleared the ridge of the forge, remnants of lava falling off his body as he exited the smelter and marched toward his comrades in peril.


    ¡°Friends!¡± he called, a determined stone frown over his eye orbs.


    [Golem created. Crafting experience gained.]


    [You have reached level 24!]


    Despite being made of entirely new material, Balthazar felt like he was looking at the same old boulder and the same friend of always, from his rough stony expression down to his massive rock body.


    A body massive enough to make even the forge guardians look like children next to him.


    The two sentries at the front charged at the golem, one with a bronze-colored spear, the other a longsword.


    Before their weapons could even reach him, Bouldy used his long arm to swat the other constructs out of his way with unbelievable ease, sending them both tumbling toward a wall.


    Seeing the others failing to stop the golem¡¯s advance, four more living statues stepped up to seize the crab¡¯s friend.


    Encircling him from all sides, the guardians began cautiously closing in with their spears and shields held forward.


    The golem reached for the closest one with his massive hand, grasping its helmet-like head and effortlessly tossing him toward a second guardian like a ragdoll.


    Taking advantage of the opening, the two living statues behind him charged at his legs, thrusting their spears at the golem¡¯s joints to bring him down.


    To Balthazar¡¯s surprise¡ªand perhaps even the guardians¡¯, if they had been capable of expressing any emotion¡ªtheir bronze weapons shattered upon meeting the primordium rock of the giant¡¯s body. Not even a scratch was left, just the magical glow of blue cobalt veins where the strike connected, which quickly faded after a second.


    ¡°Sturdy!¡± the crab commented, still being held down by one of the statues, but having somewhat forgotten about that fact while watching his friend in action.


    With an impressively swift turn for something his size, Bouldy faced his assailants with a disapproving scowl and kicked one away with his tree trunk-like leg. The statue collided against one of the hall¡¯s pillars with deadly force, breaking in two and falling lifeless on the floor.


    Seeing his fellow guardian eliminated with one blow, the other sentry turned back to the golem, shattered spear in hand. Bouldy, however, felt no pity for the faceless construct, if mercy is what the soulless statue even wanted.


    Making a fist, the golem brought his hand down on the guardian¡¯s head like a hammer on a nail.


    Metal and rock shattered and scattered in all directions as the guardian was smashed under the golem¡¯s massive strength, leaving just a pair of bronze legs standing in its place.


    Seeing how dangerous the cobalt-infused construct seemed to be, the remaining guardians all moved to attack him in a group, even the ones previously holding the crab and his party.


    ¡°Friends,¡± Bouldy repeated, stomping forward with an unwavering determination to reach his buddies.


    Punching, kicking, and smashing, the towering golem dispatched every forge guardian that attempted to stop him, their attacks unable to harm or slow him in any way.


    [Forge Guardians defeated x12. Shared experience gained.]


    In disbelief at how easily his golem friend was fighting off the other constructs, Balthazar flicked his eyes through the system screen to bring up his party¡¯s screen, which now included Bouldy again.


    [Name: Bouldy]


    [Race: Golem]


    [Level: 40]


    [Class: None]


    [Health: 800/800]


    [Stamina: 200/200]


    [Mana: 0/0]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 60]


    [Endurance: 50]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 1]


    [Intellect: 1]


    [Charisma: 1]


    [Traits]


    [Cobalt Heart]


    [This golem¡¯s core has been infused with a unique cobalt alloy, making the core impervious to physical damage.]


    [Draconic Forging]


    [This golem¡¯s body has been forged in draconic fire, granting the construct +80 magical defense.]


    [Skills:]


    [None]


    The merchant let out an impressed whistle. ¡°Nice upgrades¡­¡±


    Wading through the rubble of his foes, the crab¡¯s bodyguard finally reunited with his party, leaving a trail of fallen sentries behind him.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive!¡± Balthazar said with a smile from eyestalk to eyestalk. ¡°I can hardly believe it!¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± Bouldy quietly said in his guttural voice, kneeling down in front of the crab with an earnest smile on his rough stone face and patting him gently on the shell.


    ¡°I missed you too, buddy,¡± the merchant said. ¡°More than I can put into words.¡±


    ¡°Bouldy! Bouldy!¡± Druma exclaimed, rushing to the golem with open arms.


    The goblin lunged at the living boulder, latching on to his stony arm while holding the wizard hat in place with one hand. He hugged the golem with a smile as tears of joy ran down from his closed eyes.


    With impressive gentleness, Bouldy patted the goblin¡¯s back in return as he watched Blue approaching too.


    The drake let out a quiet, almost timid screech that Balthazar could not recall ever hearing out of her. Whatever it was, it seemed to convey her feelings just fine to the golem, who used his massive finger to scratch the top of her head while smiling broadly.


    A soft rumbling traveled from the stone floor up Balthazar¡¯s legs, quickly growing into a full tremor.


    ¡°Alright, we will have more time for reunions later,¡± the crab said with a loud sniff. ¡°We need to get out of here now. There are probably hundreds more of those guardians in this place, and it sounds like they¡¯re all coming for us. As strong as you seem, Bouldy, I don¡¯t really want to find out how much it will take to crack your core again. Let¡¯s bail!¡±


    Hopping off the golem¡¯s arm, the caped goblin pointed a finger at the west side of the hall. ¡°Boss, boss! Druma find other way out while boss bake Bouldy!¡±


    ¡°Good job, Druma. Hopefully we can get back to the outside through there, because by the sounds of it, going back through where we came from is not going to be an option.¡±


    Balthazar and company hurried to the side tunnel, the crab glancing back at the large corridor the group had arrived from as large shadows began to loom from around the distant corner before the storage room.


    The party reached the tunnel and the merchant found another runed plaque on the wall.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    [Surface deliveries access]


    [Authorized personnel only]


    [Safety hard helmets required]


    ¡°To hell with your signs!¡±


    With the marching of the sentinels growing louder, the four intruders rushed through the back tunnel, which grew narrower the further they went, until they came upon a corner and had to skid to a sudden stop.


    ¡°You have got to be kidding me!¡± exclaimed Balthazar. ¡°Why is there always something?!¡±


    Part of the tunnel¡¯s ceiling appeared to have collapsed long ago, leaving the exit obstructed by a giant boulder, even bigger than the living one accompanying the crab.


    The raw stone seemed to be part of an ore vein, with metallic lines scattered over its surface like lightning bolts.


    ¡°Friend¡­¡± Bouldy murmured, staring up in awe at the giantess of a rock before him.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a pretty rock, but stop gawking now, bud,¡± the crab said, rolling his eyestalks.


    Heavy footsteps sounded from the forge halls, telling them that the reinforcements were hot on their trail.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could tell your girlfriend here to move out of our way, could you?¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± the golem said, averting his gaze in a way that made Balthazar sure that if a rock could blush, it would be doing it right there.


    ¡°We need to get through! Or else we will be stuck between a rock and a¡­ bunch of other murderous rocks!¡±


    ¡°Friend!¡± Bouldy exclaimed, his expression shifting to one of pure determination.


    Flexing his powerful arms, the golem squatted slightly before engaging the giant boulder into a tight hug, putting all of his strength into pushing it aside.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± said the befuddled crustacean.


    The construct grunted and pushed, his face, chest, and hands tightly pressed against the glistening stone.


    ¡°Frieeeeend!¡±


    The veins of metal on the rock¡¯s surface seemed to react to Bouldy¡¯s embrace, pulsing ever so lightly as the round boulder slowly began to roll.


    ¡°Why do I feel like we should be looking away?¡± Balthazar said to Druma, scratching the top of his shell, which had shed its silver imbuement and returned to normal.


    The golem roared, and his feet sank into the cracking stone floor beneath, the immense pressure straining his stone face as he dragged the other rock out of the way.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough space for us to pass!¡±


    The construct released the other stone with an expression of relief, but as he did, Balthazar heard a small crack of stone.


    ¡°Bouldy! Are you alright?¡± the concerned crab asked, rushing to his friend.


    The golem looked down as he held his hand to his chest, making Balthazar¡¯s mouth go dry and his heart skip a beat, remembering the small crack that eventually led to his friend¡¯s demise under the pressure of an avalanche.


    Bouldy¡¯s brow rose and then he smiled. ¡°Friend.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the confused crab said.


    Bouldy brought his hand down from his chest, showing his palm to the merchant. On it rested a rock. A tiny, smooth pebble, round in shape and gray in color.


    It was the stone Balthazar had dropped in the forge, his most precious pebble from his childhood collection. With one key difference. The rock now had a slightly blue tint to it, with hair-thin lines of cobalt all over it.


    ¡°You¡­ you remembered?¡± he said, looking up at his old friend.


    The stone wiggled and the crab¡¯s eyestalks frowned slightly. ¡°What is¡ªAh!¡±


    Balthazar jolted in surprise as the pebble rolled over and revealed a face. Two tiny beads for eyes and a groove for a mouth made up a visage that resembled a miniaturized copy of Bouldy¡¯s.


    ¡°Creee!¡± the little stone exclaimed in a cheerful, high-pitched chirp.


    Druma and Blue looked over Balthazar¡¯s shell, both as astounded as him.


    ¡°What¡­ but¡­ how¡­ What?!¡± the crab stammered, his eyes going back and forth between the golem and his pebble.


    Bouldy nodded and smiled. ¡°Friend.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± said Balthazar. ¡°Did you just make this when you¡­ clashed against that big ore boulder?¡±


    The golem shrugged sheepishly. ¡°Friend¡­¡±


    ¡°Is boss uncle now?!¡± Druma exclaimed.


    ¡°What?!¡± the flummoxed crustacean said, turning to his assistant. ¡°I¡­ No! I mean¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ How do you even¡ª¡±


    ¡°Druma has new friend! Druma has new friend!¡± the goblin chanted, doing a little dance in place.


    Balthazar looked down at the giant construct¡¯s palm again, staring into the tiny beady eyes of the smiling pebble.


    It was just like he used to imagine it when he was a little crab. A pet rock. A tiny companion he used to take by his side in his childhood adventures, when he was away from the much larger boulder that one day would become the golem, exploring the pond and its surroundings.


    ¡°It really is you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Balthazar whispered to the pebble, smiling with heartfelt warmth as he carefully picked her up with his pincer.


    Druma stopped his song and dance. ¡°Boss, boss! Does little rock have name?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she does,¡± the smiling crab said without taking his eyes off Bouldy¡¯s offspring. ¡°Her name is Pebbles.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± said the goblin, nodding slowly.


    Balthazar turned to look at the assistant. ¡°What?! I was never great at naming things!¡±


    ¡°No, no! Pebbles is good name! Druma like a lot!¡±


    The merchant¡¯s golden monocle picked up on the tiny pebble¡¯s presence and attempted to examine it.


    [Examining item¡­]


    [Failure]


    [Unknown item type]


    [Examining party member¡­]


    [Failure]


    [Unknown entity]


    Huh¡­ I guess you really are pretty unique, little one.


    A rapid rumbling came rushing up the tunnel from the forge, and the group turned to see a metal figure wielding two bronze daggers heading their way. The guardian, smaller and leaner than the other constructs, seemed to be built for speed over sturdiness, moving much faster than the previous ones.


    [Forge Scout - Level 26]


    ¡°Friend,¡± Bouldy said, reaching down to the crab¡¯s pincer and picking up the pet rock again.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Balthazar asked, confused.


    The golem smiled at him. ¡°Friend.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re going to¡ªWait! Stop!¡±


    Raising one leg up as he pulled his right arm back, the living boulder took aim while the sentry rushed toward them, and with a powerful swing forward, he tossed the small pebble right at it.


    ¡°What the hell, Bouldy!¡±


    The crab threw his arms up in shock as the rock shot out like a tiny cannonball, leaving a fading ¡°Weeeee!¡± as it flew off.


    It hit the bronze construct right in the helmet, piercing straight through and leaving a hole in its forehead.


    The previously living statue stopped dead in its tracks and dropped lifeless to the ground.


    [Critical hit!]


    [Forge Scout defeated. Shared experience gained.]


    [You have reached level 25!]


    Balthazar¡¯s stunned expression at what he had just witnessed only grew as he saw the tiny pebble casually rolling her way back to them, completely undamaged.


    ¡°Cree-cree!¡± Pebbles chirped happily, smiling at the crab from the floor below.


    ¡°What¡­ in the name of custard just happened?!¡± the befuddled crustacean said.


    A new line appeared under Bouldy¡¯s previously empty list of skills.


    [Skills:]


    [Pebble Toss]


    [Cost: 25 Stamina]


    [The golem takes aim and throws a piece of itself at a target, dealing an amount of piercing damage based on the material of the projectile and the thrower¡¯s Strength.]


    The stomping of dozens of forge guardians grew closer up the tunnel.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to make of all this, but right now we have to get out of here,¡± Balthazar said.


    Picking up the tiny pebble and carefully placing it in one of his backpack¡¯s side pockets, the merchant led his team through the now unblocked tunnel.


    With the sentries hot on their tracks, the group continued running up to the surface until they finally saw the gate meant for outside deliveries.


    Naturally, that was sealed shut too.


    ¡°Seriously?!¡± exclaimed the panting crab as they came to a stop.


    The merchant looked to the side of the giant door.


    ¡°There! This one has the same mechanism from the storage room.¡±


    As he walked closer, Balthazar realized the thick chain was broken, one end bunched below and the other rolled above.


    ¡°Damn it, now what?¡± he said, glancing back nervously as the sound of the marching sentries continued to grow. ¡°Bouldy, come here! I need you to grab both ends of this chain and pull them together.¡±


    ¡°Friend!¡± the golem said with a nod.


    Stepping forward, the crab¡¯s bodyguard wrapped his giant stone mittens around each end of the broken chain and used all of his strength to pull them closer.


    Metal creaked as the huge shutter door started moving up.


    ¡°Keep going, Bouldy! Just a little more and we¡¯ll fit through.¡±


    Shadows began to form against the tunnel walls as the incoming statues caught up to the fugitives, making the crab gulp nervously.


    It sounded like the entirety of the forge¡¯s forces had come for them, however many dozens¡ªif not hundreds¡ªthat was. Even with a reforged Bouldy by their side, Balthazar had no wish to risk such an unfair match.


    ¡°Blue, squeeze through first, make sure it¡¯s safe on the other side.¡±


    The drake folded her wings and crawled through the gap between the gate and the dusty ground as Bouldy continued straining to slowly bring the chains together and raise it further.


    ¡°Boss go next!¡± Druma said, grabbing his magical staff. ¡°Druma has idea!¡±


    ¡°You do?!¡± Balthazar said with surprise.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Druma got idea from when Druma help boss with forge!¡± said the confident assistant. ¡°Druma will smash rock!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± said the crab, with less surprise now.


    The goblin began to spin his staff, aiming at the rocks protruding from the ceiling of the tunnel.


    Deciding that there was no time to argue against peak goblin theory, the merchant started squeezing his way under the moving gate.


    As he crawled through, Balthazar heard arcane bolts being shot, followed by the sound of rocks breaking and falling to the ground.


    Blue was already waiting on the other side, scanning the dark passage with her bright yellow eyes. Up ahead was a speck of light¡ªthe outside.


    Druma¡¯s spark of inspiration was actually working. Chunks of the ceiling were collapsing, blocking the way for the guardians who had already reached the other side.


    ¡°Good job, buddy! Now cross over too!¡± Balthazar told his assistant, waving his pincer under the opening.


    ¡°Yes, yes, boss!¡± the goblin said, sheathing his staff again and running for the exit.


    ¡°Friend!¡± Bouldy shouted, both arms trembling under the pressure of holding the gate¡¯s chain together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let go yet!¡± the crab said.


    A violent blast came from the collapsed ceiling, sending pulverized rocks flying everywhere as a tall bronze figure broke through the rubble, halberd in hand.


    It was the larger and higher level storage keeper from before, who had nearly crushed Balthazar for taking the gold ingot.


    ¡°Hurry, Druma!¡±


    The keeper broke into a sprint, each massive step covering as much ground as five from the goblin.


    Druma¡¯s eyes widened with panic as he held on to his hat and dived under the gate.


    ¡°Boss!¡± the scared assistant called, reaching his hand for the crab¡¯s claw as he crawled.


    ¡°Grab my pincer!¡± Balthazar said as the gate rose further and he saw the bronze sentry bring his huge halberd down on his green friend. ¡°No!¡±


    A thunderous gust of wind coming from the outside of the tunnel blew over the crab¡¯s shell like a storm unleashed from the heavens.


    All that the crab¡¯s eyes managed to catch was a white blur shooting through the guardian¡¯s chest in a flash, shattering it into a thousand pieces.


    Perplexed, Balthazar gazed past the collapsed remnants of the sentry.


    Lodged in the ground behind them was a massive arrow, still smoking with the scent of scorched earth.

 Chapter 194: What Truly Matters

    Every detail of the greatarrow, from its glinting, razor-sharp tip to the intricate fletching, hinted at a strength and craftsmanship far beyond ordinary.


    Balthazar knew rare and expensive when he saw it, and that was definitely both.


    He stood back up along with Druma and they looked up at the tunnel¡¯s exit.


    Standing against the bright light of the outside was the figure of a man, his hunting shawl fluttering in the breeze as he slung a greatbow over his shoulder.


    ¡°Rye?¡± the crab said reluctantly, squinting his eyes against the blinding sunlight.


    ¡°Come on, get out of there!¡± the young adventurer said, waving for them to follow.


    Bouldy¡¯s massive stone hand grabbed the bottom of the gate before it fell back down and he ducked under it, joining the group on the other side.


    ¡°Friend?¡± the golem said as he let go of the thick gate, which slammed shut with a ground-shaking thud.


    The crab and his party quickly made their way up the steep stone path leading to the exit, leaving the forge and its guardians behind. As Balthazar reached the outside, the bitter wind felt particularly cold after coming from the heat of the smelter¡¯s chamber, but he did not mind, he was just glad to be out of there. Crabs were creatures of the outside anyway. Where the air was fresh, the sunlight was bright, and the rocks did not hold weapons and tried to kill him.


    After adapting to the brightness of the exterior, the crab looked closer at Rye.


    He was the same young man Balthazar had known since the first day he passed by the pond and the merchant convinced him to find a baker in the nearby town.


    Yet, something about him felt different.


    The light facial hair on the boy¡¯s face had increased slightly, that was for sure. But Balthazar knew it wasn¡¯t just that. His expression, his gaze, the way he carried himself, it all felt¡­ heavier.


    It had only been a few weeks since they went their separate ways in the town of Condor, after the Birdwatchers gave him the strange concoction that removed the mind fog every adventurer seemed to be under.


    And still it felt as if the years weighed heavily on the archer after just those few weeks.


    [Archer - Level 27]


    He sure isn¡¯t the same young level 12 I met wandering down that road anymore¡­


    ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± Rye asked, his voice raspier and less like his usual jovial self.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Balthazar said, looking at Druma for a moment to double-check whether four was the right amount of limbs for his assistant to have. ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saving Druma!¡± the goblin exclaimed to the adventurer.


    Rye gave the little green guy a nod and a wistful smile.


    ¡°I see you managed to repair our friend,¡± he said, looking up at the golem. ¡°Looking good, big guy.¡±


    ¡°Friend,¡± the living stone said, smiling at the archer.


    ¡°And of course, it¡¯s nice to see you again too, Blue,¡± the human added, looking at the drake behind the others.


    She simply nodded back in acknowledgement.


    ¡°How did you find us, anyway?¡± asked the crustacean.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a long story,¡± Rye said. ¡°We should get back on the road. I¡¯ll tell you on the way.¡±


    The adventurer turned and started walking, leading the way back to the beaten path through the mountain¡¯s valley.


    ¡°I guess you know where to go?¡± Balthazar asked, catching up to the archer¡¯s side.


    Rye just nodded, his gaze still looking forward.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure we¡¯d ever see you again, to be honest,¡± the crab continued.


    ¡°Yeah, me neither¡­¡±


    Balthazar looked around awkwardly for a moment as they kept walking. The weather sure felt¡­ chilly.


    ¡°So¡­ what have you been up to?¡± the uncomfortable crustacean asked.


    Rye sighed.


    ¡°I did a lot of¡­ wandering.¡±


    ¡°Ah, neat. Seeing sights is nice. Any luck¡­ you know¡­¡± Balthazar tapped on the top of his shell. ¡°Getting the ol¡¯ thinkin¡¯ box sorted?¡±


    ¡°Kinda.¡±


    The crab nodded. ¡°Hmm, so did you remember anything about where you came from?¡±


    ¡°Not quite,¡± the adventurer said. ¡°Whatever that stuff I drank did, it only removed the unawareness of what is missing in my mind. I know there are things missing in my past, I just can¡¯t quite reach them. I know I had a life, a family, friends¡­ elsewhere. But no matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t remember their faces, their names, who they were. They¡¯re just silhouettes in a foggy background that I can¡¯t see clearly. It¡¯s¡­ very frustrating. In a way I¡¯m not sure if making me aware of it all wasn¡¯t worse than remaining blissfully ignorant.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°That woman, Ruby, and her group? Not the most trustworthy lot, as it turns out.¡±


    The merchant briefly explained the confrontation that took place in the wizard¡¯s cave to the young man as they continued making their way down the road.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Rye said after the crab was done. ¡°I guess we should have figured that people who spike someone¡¯s tea aren¡¯t exactly the kind you should trust.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Balthazar said, averting his gaze. ¡°That one¡¯s on me. You didn¡¯t even want to go in there. I¡¯m¡­ sorry for what happened.¡±


    The archer sighed again.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t blame you. It¡¯s not really your fault. Not really theirs either. I just¡­ didn¡¯t really know what to do with what I found out.¡±


    The crab glanced back up at the human.


    ¡°And now you do?¡±


    ¡°Not entirely, but enough to know what truly matters.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ what¡¯s that?¡± Balthazar asked hesitantly, worrying about the answer.


    ¡°Whatever happened, wherever I came from¡­ It¡¯s all in the past. A whole other life that is long gone. I could dwell on it forever, driving myself mad trying to grasp at what¡¯s been lost, but that doesn¡¯t sound like a good way to live.¡±


    ¡°Heh, yes,¡± said the merchant. ¡°I would imagine that would drive any adventurer insane.¡±


    The blond human nodded as he walked, his gaze lost over the horizon.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°While I was wandering around, trying to figure things out, I realized how much I enjoyed this world before, and that if I looked past the confusion, that fact hadn¡¯t changed. I¡¯ve been so lucky to do what I love, to have made friends, to be happy. None of that changed just because I became aware of having had a previous life. I can¡¯t change the past, but I can make the most of the present.¡±


    Balthazar chuckled. ¡°I think I know a wizard who¡¯d like you a lot.¡±


    They continued to walk in silence for a few more moments, until the crab spoke again.


    ¡°So, what did you decide to do?¡±


    ¡°Focus on what truly matters. What I can do something about here and now. I won¡¯t chase echoes of a past I can¡¯t go back to while I let the present fall apart. Like I said, I¡¯m very lucky for what and who I¡¯ve got in this world. I¡¯m not about to let them down.¡±


    Balthazar looked up at the young man, whose ponytail swayed gently as he walked.


    ¡°And that means¡­¡±


    ¡°That means finding and rescuing Madeleine. She¡¯s somewhere out there, captive to a dragon, because she stood up to save us. I¡¯m not going to sit around feeling sorry for myself knowing that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my boy!¡± the crab exclaimed, pumping his pincer up.


    ¡°Which brings me to what I said I¡¯d explain,¡± said Rye. ¡°I know where the red dragon¡¯s lair is.¡±


    The merchant came to a sudden stop, staring at the archer in disbelief.


    ¡°You do?! How?¡±


    ¡°Strange encounter I had,¡± the adventurer started. ¡°I was wandering aimlessly through some road in the middle of nowhere, trying to make sense of everything, when I came upon this man. Mysterious-looking fellow. I was suspicious of him at first, but he was friendly enough. He shared his campfire with me, and we talked for a while.¡±


    The group reached a small wooden bridge over a river, separating the valley from the open plains ahead.


    As they crossed it, Rye continued his explanation.


    ¡°Anyway, one thing led to another, and I ended up mentioning the dragon. To my surprise, the guy said he had seen it. I didn¡¯t believe him at first, but then he described it perfectly. Large as a house, crimson red, and get this¡­ he saw it flying into a mountain with what seemed to be a girl in his claws.¡±


    ¡°Madeleine!¡± exclaimed the crab.


    ¡°Exactly. So I had him point me on the map where this mountain was. I told him I was going after it and why. That¡¯s when he said he wanted me to have this.¡±


    The archer pulled the greatbow off his back and held it for the merchant to see. It stretched almost as tall as the human from one end to the other, its limbs made of a dark wood Balthazar had never seen before.


    The golden monocle displayed a name above it.


    [Dragonslayer Greatbow]


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me you met a guy who just happened to know where the dragon¡¯s lair was, and then he gives you a special bow for free?!¡±


    Rye shrugged.


    ¡°I felt it was strange too. He claimed it was an old family heirloom, but that his glory days were gone now and that after hearing what my intentions were, he felt I was the right one to pass it down to. He called it destiny.¡±


    The crab rolled his eyestalks. ¡°Freaking quest givers, I swear¡­¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, this thing can only shoot very specific greatarrows, and he only had three left to give me.¡± The archer pointed back to his quiver, two huge fletchings sticking out of it. ¡°And I just used one of them back there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± said Balthazar, looking at the dirt path thoughtfully. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s right. How did you know where to come to find us?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not going to believe this,¡± Rye started, ¡°but when the guy was explaining what path I should take to get to the dragon¡¯s mountain, he just casually mentions going through the valley where ¡®that old golem forge¡¯ is.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°I know, right? Biggest stroke of good luck ever! I knew that had to be the place you were looking for to repair Bouldy¡¯s core. So when I got here I had to check it out. The front gate was sealed shut, so I went scouting the area for alternate entrances. That¡¯s when I found that back tunnel and, well¡­ there you guys were.¡±


    ¡°Woah,¡± the crab said. ¡°What a series of almost unbelievable circumstances that came from just bumping into some random local on the road! In no way suspicious at all!¡±


    The archer nodded in agreement. ¡°Tell me about it. Just lucky, I guess. I would have never expected to just find you here, and with Bouldy already restored, too.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me!¡± Balthazar said, reaching back to his pack. ¡°I have to introduce you to someone.¡±


    The crab carefully retrieved the tiny pebble in his side pocket with the tip of his pincer and presented it to the young man.


    ¡°Uh¡­ You¡¯ve got a pet rock now?¡± Rye said, one eyebrow cocked at the stone. ¡°That¡¯s nice but¡ªWoah! What?!¡±


    The small chunk of stone turned in Balthazar¡¯s pincer and smiled at the adventurer. ¡°Creee!¡±


    ¡°Who is that?!¡± he asked in amazement, leaning to look closer.


    ¡°Her name is Pebbles,¡± the crab proudly said.


    ¡°She¡¯s awesome! Where did you find her?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. She was born from Bouldy after he was grinding against another big rock and a pebble broke off his body.¡±


    Rye stared at the crab for a moment, unblinking, and then he laughed for the first time since they had reunited.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m not even going to address how inappropriate what you just said sounds.¡±


    Balthazar started laughing too.


    ¡°You think that¡¯s weird? Wait until I tell you about the mangoes!¡±


    As the day went, the crab and his friends continued down the road, chatting and laughing along as they shared tales of their adventures until the sun began to set.


    ***


    Nighttime came early, the days growing shorter with the coming of winter, and the crab¡¯s group settled down under the canopy of a giant tree. After some more chatting and sharing of stories around the campfire, everyone was ready for an early night.


    Druma slept snuggled against the warmth of Blue¡¯s body, as had become their habit during the past couple of months on the road. Bouldy, still needing no sleep, remained some distance away, watching the road with Pebbles on his shoulder for company. Even Rye had gone to sleep already, curled up against his pack and quiver, and using his shawl as a blanket.


    Only Balthazar remained awake by the smoldering remnants of the campfire, thinking.


    It had been a long and eventful day. Then again, so had most others before that.


    He reflected on the wild turns his once quiet life had taken. First when he became a merchant at his pond, and then later, when he finally stepped out of his territory to travel the continent.


    The crab had seen a lot and learned almost as much. As it turned out, traveling wasn¡¯t so bad after all.


    But now that he had completed one of his main reasons to go out into the world¡ªrepairing his golem friend¡ªand found himself so close to finally reaching the other¡ªrescuing Madeleine¡ªhe realized how much his heart longed for his home.


    He wondered how his beloved pond was looking now that the cold season was coming. Was there any white on the leaves in the morning? Did the waters start to gain a thin layer of ice over them yet?


    What about his precious bazaar? John would surely have fully repaired it by now. Probably even worked some improvements in. The merchant lamented not being there to oversee it all.


    Surely Tristan and Henrietta were taking good care of it in his absence, however. Balthazar wondered how those two were as well.


    What of his other friends and acquaintances? Had they still been visiting and doing business while he wasn¡¯t there? The merchant hoped they were.


    He found himself even missing Khargol¡¯s stern scowl of all things.


    The outside world turned out to not be so bad after all, but the crab felt it might be time to go back home soon.


    Hopefully with his baker by his side.


    I should take care of this before going to sleep¡­ Balthazar thought, pulling up his system and the two level-up prompts he had gotten that day.


    Hmm, I guess having a higher-level golem in my party dispatching other higher-level opponents by the dozen makes for a lot of juicy experience.


    The merchant thought back to his visit to Tom¡¯s dungeon, and the pair of young adventurers accompanied by the high-level mage who promised to carry them through some easy level-ups, just to betray them and lead them to their demise.


    Balthazar shook his shell idly and carried on distributing his points.


    Feeling validated on his previous choice of investing most points into health after his recent encounter with the storage keeper of the Golem Forge, the crab increased that by a further 20 points.


    After that, looking at his list of attributes without knowing what else he could possibly need, he simply fell back to the old reliable¡ªCharisma.


    ¡°Nice¡­¡± the crab whispered to himself after spending the first set of three points.


    With no reason to change what had so far been a winning strategy, he applied the other three into the same stat as well, bringing it up to an impressive 72.


    [Name: Balthazar]


    [Race: Crab]


    [Level: 25]


    [Class: Expert Merchant]


    [Health: 260/260]


    [Stamina: 30/30]


    [Mana: 30/30]


    [Attributes:]


    [Strength: 5]


    [Endurance: 5]


    [Agility: 5]


    [Perception: 5]


    [Intellect: 20]


    [Charisma: 72]


    Well, time to tuck in!


    Lying down against his backpack, the merchant reached inside to retrieve something.


    ¡°Ah, my pretty,¡± he whispered, setting the bar of pure gold he had acquired in the forge down next to him and giving it a couple of pats with his claw. ¡°I may not have any of the comforts of home right now, but at least I still got what truly matters¡ªbeautiful gold.¡±


    Gazing upon its shiny beauty for comfort, the crab smiled as his eyestalks grew heavier.


    Nothing made him fall asleep as peacefully as the sight of gold in front of his eyes.


    And asleep he fell, smiling and content, lulled by thoughts of gold and memories of pastries.


    At least until morning came and his eyestalks rose again, only to find an empty space next to him, where the gold ingot should have been.

 Chapter 195: Eye on the Prize

    Balthazar¡¯s groggy eyestalks jolted awake as he realized his precious gold bar was gone. Jumping onto his eight legs with a start, the crab looked around frantically, searching for the missing ingot.


    ¡°No, no, no¡­¡± he mumbled, lifting his backpack to check the ground under. ¡°Where is it?!¡±


    The merchant had no shortage of currency in his Bag of Holding Money, but no matter how much gold he owned, the simple possibility of any of it going missing terrified him.


    And seeing his only ingot of gold disappear felt like an irreparable loss.


    He had grown incredibly attached to his treasure in the less than one day he had owned it. To say nothing of how hard he had worked to acquire it¡ªby stumbling upon it in an abandoned storage room.


    Balthazar had earned that bar of gold by nearly getting his shell crushed to keep it. He was not going to let it slip between his pincers.


    How could a heavy bar of solid gold just vanish from my side like this?


    The crab¡¯s eyes rolled up to the sky. Instinctively, his suspicions went to the damnable birds. Usually when things went missing around his pond it was always the work of one of them, swooping down to pilfer his belongings like the pests they are.


    No, it would have to be a massive bird to fly away with a solid gold ingot. It would whip up a windstorm just trying to take off. We would have noticed it.


    Then his eyes went down to the ground. Maybe ants?


    Balthazar had always known ants were incredibly strong when enough of them got together. They could carry weights several times their own. But what use would ants have for gold?


    The merchant began to envision imaginary scenarios where an ant stumbled upon a mysterious scroll and gained access to the world¡¯s system. With its unlocked potential, the little ant went on to find that coins could be exchanged for sugary pastries too, and then taught its whole colony to seek out gold.


    Nah, that sounds ridiculous. The crab thought, shaking his shell in denial.


    While looking around for clues, Balthazar realized some bushes behind his sleeping spot were slightly trampled, and the tree branches behind them were broken. Someone had passed through there.


    He looked over at his companions. They were still asleep, save for Bouldy, who was far off in the distance, holding Pebbles in his palm and showing her the white flowers that populated the side of the road.


    The crab hesitated for a moment.


    No. You¡¯re a big crab, Balthazar. You can¡¯t be using your friends for everything every time. Handle something on your own for once.


    Telling himself he was more than capable of following a trail without someone holding his pincer, the scowling crustacean put on his big crab backpack and headed into the woods to follow his missing gold.


    Whoever had taken it was clearly clumsy, leaving such a messy trail of broken branches and trampled vegetation in their wake.


    I swear, it better not be some fresh-faced adventurer thinking I¡¯m some lootable crab-bag!


    Picking up on some noisy movement ahead, Balthazar skittered faster, eager to get his precious property back.


    ¡°Stop right there, criminal scum!¡± the crab exclaimed as he jumped out of the tall underbrush and onto a clearing.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± a gruff voice burst out in surprise.


    A big, lumbering creature turned to face him. It was larger than any regular human, its skin was lumpy and nearly gray, and it wore simple animal furs that left its bulging muscles exposed.


    Between the strands of untamed coarse hair that fell over its face, the creature had one single large eye above its nose.


    The crab¡¯s monocle was still safely stored in his backpack, where it couldn¡¯t accidentally break like the last one, but he did not need it to know what he was looking at.


    It was a cyclops. And a young one at that.


    ¡°Who you?¡± it asked, cradling a solid bar of gold in its brutish hand.


    Balthazar paused, surprised to find such a hulking creature to be the one who pilfered his treasure.


    ¡°I¡¯m the owner of that ingot you just took!¡± he finally responded, putting as much authority as he could muster into his voice. ¡°Who do you think you are?!¡±


    Big or not, the merchant was not about to just let someone take his precious gold and do nothing about it.


    ¡°Me?¡± the cyclops said, raising its unibrow in genuine confusion while pointing a meaty finger at himself. ¡°Me Brontus. Hello.¡±


    ¡°Well, uh¡­ I¡¯m Balthazar,¡± the crab said, taken aback by the apparent simpleness of his foe¡¯s mind. ¡°Now give me back my ingot!¡±


    The creature¡¯s unibrow suddenly turned into a heavy frown as he pulled back the arm that was cradling the ingot. ¡°No! Me find ingot. Me take ingot!¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks formed a frown of his own.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ¡®find¡¯ anything,¡± he exclaimed, pointing an accusatory claw at the cyclops. ¡°You stole it from me!¡±


    Brontus¡¯s expressive frown turned into genuine surprise again.


    ¡°Me did? Me think crab was just sleeping next to ingot.¡±


    The annoyed crustacean groaned.


    ¡°And I was! I was sleeping next to my ingot.¡±


    The big oaf looked at the crab and then back at the gold in his hand, blinking his eye like someone struggling to make sense of something.


    ¡°If ingot yours then why me has ingot?¡±


    Balthazar exhaled sharply. Nothing wore out his patience faster than someone trying to swindle him on gold matters.


    That was his own signature move, after all.


    ¡°Listen here, bucko,¡± the crab started, skittering closer to the cyclops while wagging his pincer. ¡°That metal you¡¯re holding there is mine. I earned it with the steam off my shell, so give it back before I get even more upset.¡±


    Brontus took a step back from the merchant, looking somewhat intimidated¡ªor at least uncertain on how to react to a giant talking crab moving up to him.


    ¡°No!¡± the one-eyed bandit exclaimed, pulling his hands away. ¡°Me need this! You snooze, you lose! Ingot mine now!¡±


    ¡°Why, you little¡­¡± the fuming crustacean said, grinding his mouth parts. ¡°Give it here!¡±


    Balthazar reached up with his pincers, trying to snatch the gold, but the cyclops was too tall for him.


    The creature started to chortle as it watched the crab give little hops and wave his claws in vain, all while keeping the ingot well above his reach.


    ¡°Hehehe, you is small,¡± said the laughing oaf.


    Balthazar stopped jumping and groaned in anger. ¡°Argh, I oughta just¡­¡±


    Making a rash decision, the crab brought up his list of skills. He had not yet found an opportunity to try out his Mega Pinch technique since he learned it from Captain Leander, and he figured the simpleton who had dared to take his stuff would make for a perfect first target.


    Since Mega Pinch still required 20 Strength to use, which he did not have, Balthazar activated his other new skill first.


    [Confident in Competence]


    [Skill - A tier]


    [Requirements: 60 CHA]


    [Cooldown: 1 day]


    [What you may lack in proper qualifications to do a job, you make up for with exceptional self-confidence. Temporarily converts the highest attribute requirement of the next skill you activate into a Charisma requirement of the same level + 25.]


    After that, he selected the altered attack skill.


    [Mega Pinch]


    [Skill - A tier]


    [Requirements: 20 STR 45 CHA]


    [Cost: 30 mana]


    [For 60 seconds, your next pinch will carry unbreakable force, making it physically impossible to disrupt its grasp.]


    ¡°Take this!¡±


    The crab¡¯s right claw began to glow white with power, a vibrating hum coming off of it as he pulled his arm back.


    The cyclops¡¯s snickering suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


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    With fear in his eye, Brontus turned away to flee, the golden ingot still held tight against his chest.


    But Balthazar would not let the thief of his treasure get away so easily.


    The crab jumped up and, with a thrust forward that cut through the air like a sharp knife cuts through a freshly baked pie, closed his mighty pincer on the cyclops¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Owie!¡± Brontus cried out. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°Give. Me. Back. My. Property!¡± the attack crab said between vigorous shakes and yanks from the hulking creature.


    ¡°You tickle me! Stop it!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop until¡ªWait, what do you mean, it tickles?!¡± Balthazar said, pincer still firmly clamped onto his victim¡¯s trapezius muscle.


    Looking at the system¡¯s text, he saw the result of his special attack.


    [1 damage dealt!]


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    Baffled, the crab tried to let go of the cyclops¡¯s shoulder, but his claw would not respond to his command to open.


    ¡°The hell is happening?!¡± exclaimed the merchant, hanging from the other creature¡¯s back. ¡°Let me go!¡±


    ¡°No, you let me go, crab!¡± Brontus yelled. ¡°You is the one grabbing me!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t!¡± Balthazar said, waving his free arm around and kicking his dangling legs as the cyclops desperately tried to shake him off.


    Finally, realization dawned on the crab and he checked the description for Mega Pinch again.


    [For 60 seconds, your next pinch will carry unbreakable force, making it physically impossible to disrupt its grasp.]


    Physically impossible to disrupt its grasp¡­ You have got to be joking! Not even I can break it off?! And it doesn¡¯t deal any damage! What¡¯s the point of this?!


    ¡°Let go! Let go! Let go!¡± the lumbering fool cried out, trying to reach for his back like someone desperately attempting to scratch an itch.


    ¡°I. Can¡¯t. Let. Go!¡± Balthazar tried to explain, between being shaken and stirred.


    For a full minute that felt like an hour to the crab, the two creatures spun around wildly, stumbling and slamming against trees while engaged in what would have looked like a clumsy dance routine to anyone passing by.


    Finally, after the 60 seconds were up, Balthazar¡¯s pincher simply snapped back open, letting go of the cyclops¡¯s bulging muscle.


    The crustacean dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, feeling bruised and humiliated.


    Brontus fell back onto his behind too, sitting on the grassy forest floor with his one eye spinning around.


    ¡°Ow, me dizzy now,¡± he said.


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡± Balthazar said while struggling to stand back up. ¡°That¡­ that will teach you not to mess with a crab. Now give me back my gold ingot before I pinch something else!¡±


    The cyclops used his hand to stop his head from spinning and looked at the crab with confusion in his eye. ¡°What you mean? Gold ingot?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, don¡¯t play dumb¡­ well, dumber with me! That bar of gold you got right there!¡±


    Brontus looked down at the brick of metal resting in his hand.


    ¡°This gold?! Me think ingot was steel!¡±


    Burying his face into his other palm, the creature started sobbing uncontrollably.


    ¡°Wha¡­ what?!¡± the befuddled crab said. ¡°How do you mistake gold for steel? They¡¯re completely different colors!¡±


    The thief brought his ugly cry face up from his hand, an entire pond¡¯s worth of water hanging precariously from his eye.


    ¡°Me¡­ me is colorblind,¡± he said between heavy sobs.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­ didn¡¯t know. Uh¡­ sorry?¡± the awkward crustacean said, immediately realizing he had no idea why he was apologizing for the cyclops being colorblind like that was somehow the crab¡¯s fault.


    ¡°Me fail again,¡± Brontus said, his eye going down to the floor as he held back the torrent of snot threatening to pour out of his massive nose. ¡°Just take ingot back. Me don¡¯t want it no more.¡±


    The cyclops chucked the gold bar, which landed in front of Balthazar¡¯s legs with a heavy thump.


    ¡°Oh. Are you sure?¡± the surprised merchant said.


    Wait. It¡¯s my ingot and I was trying to get it back! Why am I even asking if he¡¯s sure about giving it back now?! Get it together, Balthazar!


    ¡°Y-yes,¡± said the hiccupping creature. ¡°Me need steel, not gold. Gold is no good.¡±


    ¡°Say what?!¡± the crab exclaimed while picking up the ingot and shielding it with his claws as if to keep it from hearing the blasphemy the cyclops had just uttered. ¡°How could gold ever not be good?¡±


    ¡°Steel make good weapon and armor,¡± Brontus explained. ¡°Everyone know gold is no good to smith weapon or armor. Too soft.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Right. Everyone knows that. I¡­ certainly did too,¡± Balthazar said as he stored the gold bar back into his pack. ¡°But wait, are you some kind of smith?¡±


    The brutish creature sat up straight, his sobbing having finally stopped, despite his sad expression remaining.


    ¡°Me training to be blacksmith. Me spend long time convincing master smith in village to teach me how to make good weapon and armor. Master say me need to find good, quality material to make me own stuff first, then he teach me. But¡­ me can¡¯t even tell steel from gold because of me faulty eye!¡±


    Brontus threw his face back into his hands, resuming a loud sobbing that made the crab feel increasingly uncomfortable the longer it went on.


    Having no idea what to do to stop the awkward situation he found himself in, Balthazar walked closer to the cyclops and patted the side of his thick arm with the side of his pincer.


    ¡°There, there, it¡¯s alright,¡± he said, rolling his eyestalks up. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will find something soon, just¡­ somewhere else other than near me. And then you¡¯ll go do your practicing or whatever, and become a master blacksmith.¡±


    ¡°You think?!¡± Brontus exclaimed, suddenly lifting his face from between his knees. ¡°Me can become master smith like master in village?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± the merchant said, nodding his shell. ¡°Hell, I bet you¡¯ll even become better than him.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the young one-eyed giant said, cracking a wide and very hard to look at smile full of crooked teeth. ¡°Even if me can¡¯t tell color of metals apart?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, of course,¡± said Balthazar, throwing his pincers into a shrug. ¡°Look at me. I¡¯ve got no fingers and that didn¡¯t stop me from becoming a merchant.¡±


    Brontus¡¯s mango-sized eyeball widened as he opened his mouth in astonishment. ¡°You a merchant?!¡±


    ¡°Sure am! Balthazar, the famous merchant crab. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard about me out there,¡± the smug crustacean said while casually examining the tip of his pincers.


    ¡°No, never heard of you,¡± the simpleton bluntly said with a blank expression.


    The crab gave the one-eyed creature a stink eye of his own before exhaling sharply.


    ¡°Never mind that. Point is, I¡¯m a giant crab and I became a merchant, so who says a colorblind cyclops can¡¯t become a blacksmith?¡±


    ¡°The people from the village,¡± Brontus said, still with a blank expression on his face.


    ¡°Well, aside from those fools¡ª¡±


    ¡°Me pa says so too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°And me ma as well. They both say me should get a real job, like cave guard, or siege stone hurler.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, that¡¯s really¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also me cousins saying me stupid for me dream. And me childhood friends. Me girlfriend too. And me ex-girlfriend. And her sister. The village beggar. The¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright! Enough!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, throwing his arms up. ¡°Geez, kid, you need better friends¡­ Maybe a better family too, while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    Letting out a long sigh, the crab walked closer to the sitting cyclops and placed a pincer on his shoulder¡ªwithout pinching it this time.


    ¡°Look,¡± Balthazar started, in a more calm tone. ¡°If I can give you a pinch of advice, do not listen to what others say you can or cannot do. I didn¡¯t. Sure, it landed me in some hot water sometimes, but it also got me further than I ever dreamed of getting. Certainly much further than anyone would ever expect a crab from the side of the road could.¡±


    Brontus stared at the merchant with his big, shiny eye and nodded slowly.


    ¡°But¡­ don¡¯t that mean me should not listen to what you saying now?¡±


    Balthazar squinted his eyestalks and swallowed a groan of frustration.


    ¡°Just¡­ don¡¯t listen to what others who aren¡¯t me have to say. How¡¯s that?¡±


    The creature¡¯s face opened up into a big, dumb smile. ¡°Me get it now!¡±


    ¡°Great¡­¡± the crab said, letting go of the cyclops and turning away.


    He stared at his Backpack of Holding Stuff & Things for a moment before letting out another sigh.


    Ah, what the hell. Why not?


    The merchant reached all the way into the bag with a pincer, fishing around for something. What exactly, he did not yet know.


    ¡°Hold up,¡± he said to the cyclops as his claw found an item to grab. ¡°I¡¯ve got something for you.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± the cyclops said with surprise.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the crab said as he pulled his arm out of the magical backpack. ¡°I want you to have this¡­¡±


    His eyestalks rose as he looked at the item in his pincer.


    It was a tool.


    Or at least Balthazar thought it was a tool.


    It was hard to tell, on account of it being just a wooden handle with nothing else attached to it.


    ¡°Uh¡­ this¡­ tool.¡±


    ¡°Oooooh,¡± the impressed creature howled. ¡°What kind of tool is it?¡±


    The crab glanced at the useless shaft he was holding for a moment. ¡°Why, it¡¯s a smithing tool, of course.¡±


    Brontus nodded with a thoughtful frown.


    ¡°Hmm, yes¡­ but a tool to do what?¡±


    ¡°Many things!¡± the merchant said confidently. ¡°It can serve multiple purposes of different kinds. It¡¯s a very versatile tool. Every legendary blacksmith you''ve ever heard of has held one of these before, I assure you.¡±


    The aspiring smith¡¯s single eyebrow rose. ¡°Really? Woah¡­ Does it have a name?¡±


    Balthazar looked at the completely unremarkable wooden handle again.


    ¡°Sure it does. It¡¯s called¡­ uh¡­ Sundry!¡±


    ¡°Ooooh,¡± the cyclops said as he received the piece of worn wood into his hands. ¡°I will become a master blacksmith for sure now that I wield the legendary Sundry! Thank you, crab!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, don¡¯t mention it,¡± the merchant said with a slightly awkward smile.


    Hey, at least he¡¯s not sobbing anymore¡­


    As Balthazar was about to close his backpack and strap it back onto his shell, his eyes spotted another item peeking out from it.


    It was the used-up Golemancer¡¯s Mark that Tweedus had given him to get inside the forge.


    ¡°Hey, Brontus, catch,¡± the crab said before tossing him the stony hexagon.


    The cyclops caught the mark with his hands and looked at it, confused. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a chunk of metallic rock or something. It used to have some kind of magical effect in it, but I already used that up, so now it¡¯s kind of useless. I figured you could use it to practice your smelting or whatever.¡±


    Brontus brought the brown stone up to his nose and gave it a big sniff. As he did it, his eye went wide.


    ¡°This is good material!¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± the merchant said, cocking an eyestalk.


    Damn it, I thought it was worthless junk! Why didn¡¯t I charge him for it?! Am I losing my merchant touch?


    ¡°Me nose knows!¡± the grinning brute said. ¡°Thanks! Me go now! Me want to show master what me find! Bet master will be impressed and teach me smithing now!¡±


    Without waiting for any goodbyes, the cyclops turned around and headed off into the forest, trampling bushes and breaking twigs as he went.


    ¡°Such a random encounter,¡± Balthazar muttered to himself as he strapped his backpack to his shell and started going back the same way he came. ¡°At least I got my gold ingot back. That¡¯s what¡ªBah!¡±


    A figure stepped out of the woods in front of the crab, startling him.


    ¡°Rye!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    ¡°I woke up and you were missing, so I came looking for you,¡± the young adventurer replied.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­ Hmm¡­ How long have you been there?¡± the merchant asked awkwardly.


    ¡°Long enough,¡± Rye said, cracking a smile. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you¡¯ve learned to make new friends.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up!¡± said the crab. ¡°That was a business opportunity, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm, sure,¡± the archer said. ¡°That¡¯s why you gave him those things for free, right?¡±


    Balthazar frowned in annoyance. ¡°Not for free. That was an investment. It will pay off¡­ at some point. In the future. You¡¯ll see. I¡¯m the merchant here, not you. You wouldn¡¯t understand the intricacies of my business strategies.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± said the young man, turning back to the woods with a sly grin on his face.


    The crab went with him back to their camp, still frowning.


    ¡°Seriously, if you tell anyone back home about this, I¡¯ll snip that ponytail of yours right off!¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to breathe a word,¡± Rye replied with a chuckle.


    And so the crab and his friends got back on the road, traveling north along the coast for another three days and three nights, until they finally arrived at the foot of the mountain where the dragon had been seen.


    The beast¡¯s lair was finally within reach, and inside it, hopefully, Madeleine.

 Chapter 196: Into the Dragon’s Lair

    ***


    Cletus¡¯s hands were shaking.


    Which was no surprise, given what he had gotten himself into.


    He was right outside a dragon¡¯s lair, after all.


    Sitting on a rock under the cover of the mountain¡¯s overhang, the young adventurer did his best to get his nerves under control while organizing his inventory.


    His pack was full of blades, blunt objects, crossbows, throwing weapons, explosive bottles, and all other manner of utilities and low-level arms.


    ¡°What am I even doing?¡±


    Indeed, the young level 9 adventurer had not exactly thought his decision through before heading to where he was now.


    But what else could he have done? The other adventurers in town would have hounded him endlessly if he hadn¡¯t taken the quest.


    Sure, Cletus knew they were making fun of him and setting him up to fail. And that was exactly why he couldn¡¯t back down.


    He was determined to prove them wrong.


    If he could walk into that dragon¡¯s lair and somehow complete his quest, he would be a hero, and those bullies would never mock him again.


    And of course, he needed to go through with it because it was the right thing to do. No one else was willing to take on the poor wheat farmer¡¯s quest. Certainly none of those idiots pushing Cletus to accept it between snickering and mockery.


    ¡°You should take this quest, Cletus,¡± one of them told him back at the village.


    ¡°Yeah, Cletus. Don¡¯t be a coward! You¡¯re the right guy for the job,¡± said another, stifling his laughter.


    ¡°Imagine the loot! I hear the dragon has a whole hoard of shoes and boots in its lair,¡± their party¡¯s leader said with a dung-eating grin.


    The young boy knew exactly what they were doing, but that didn¡¯t stop him from wanting to prove them wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯m no coward¡­¡±


    If none of those guys was willing to step up to the task despite being more than twice his level because they were too scared of the dragon, he¡¯d do it himself.


    Cletus gathered up all of his courage and took the quest from the farmer, who said he¡¯d seen the red dragon fly toward the mountain to the west after it terrorized his family over their wheat fields.


    The old man didn¡¯t look very confident in the boy¡¯s chances when he sent him off, however. And who could blame him?


    The adventurer knew he was little more than a newbie.


    A modest nine levels on him, barely any gold to his name, and equipped with mostly second-hand gear he had purchased from a roadside crab months prior. He was hardly fit to fight a goblin, let alone a mighty dragon.


    ¡°Come on, Cletus,¡± the boy muttered to himself, tightening the straps of his traveling pack to his shoulders. ¡°You can do this. Make a name for yourself!¡±


    The boy was going through with it.


    He was going to walk up into that lair and do what he was destined for.


    For fame and glory.


    To teach those other adventurers not to belittle him.


    To show that farmer he had what it took to get the quest done.


    And maybe just in case the dragon really did have a hoard of boots and shoes to loot.


    ¡°Alright, off I go!¡±


    Grabbing the backpack¡¯s straps with his sweaty palms, Cletus started walking down from his shelter.


    With each step he took, he felt his knees getting weaker.


    The arms in his inventory felt heavy.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m gonna vomit!¡±


    The nervous boy hunched forward to keep himself from fainting. He was neither calm nor ready.


    ¡°Forget it! I can¡¯t do this.¡±


    The adventurer shook his head in disappointment.


    He thought of that farmer¡¯s family. He was going to let them down. He was letting himself down. If he couldn¡¯t go forward with it, who would? Everyone else was too scared to take on the beast.


    All those boastful adventurers out there liked to talk a big game. They all ran around chasing leads on the big red dragon since the day it first appeared near Ardville. But once it really came down to going up against it, they all got cold feet, remembering how the beast wiped the floor with a hundred of them the first time.


    So many adventurers, but none brave and powerful enough to stand above the rest to save the day.


    If only Heartha had a real hero like in all those legends of ages past.


    Cletus slumped his shoulders as he looked away from the mountain. He knew that would never be him.


    Then, in the distance, from up the main road, he saw something.


    A glint. The bright light of the sun reflecting off something.


    Reflecting off the flawless surface of a shell.


    A crab¡¯s shell.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t believe it,¡± the boy muttered.


    Shielding his eyes against the morning brightness, Cletus watched them emerge from the horizon, mighty and glorious.


    The giant crab, his powerful claws swinging as he walked confidently.


    A human archer, dressed in brown and green gear, scanning the skies with a huge greatbow on his back.


    Behind them followed a goblin wizard, his cape and hat fluttering gently in the breeze, alongside a gracious winged creature with azure scales and intense golden eyes.


    Towering above them came a giant golem made of stone and metal, its massive arms thicker than Cletus¡¯s entire body.


    The adventurer stared at the group, his jaw hanging loose in amazement.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s Balthazar!¡± he said to himself. ¡°That¡¯s really him!¡±


    A wide grin spread across his face at the sight of the merchant crab and his party.


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    If he was there, that meant there was hope.


    After all, everyone had heard of what happened the first time the red dragon showed up outside Ardville.


    The beast beat back the town guards, it decimated the adventurer¡¯s charge, but when all seemed lost and like the town would be attacked next, something happened over at the crab¡¯s pond.


    No one could quite agree on what exactly, since nobody had made it close enough to witness it directly. Most of the tales told of an epic clash between the dragon and Balthazar¡¯s companions, ultimately ending with the merchant making a deal with the creature to let it flee.


    What kind of legendary negotiation skills the crustacean had to pull off such a trick, nobody really knew, but rumors were abundant.


    ¡°He must have come to finish the job,¡± the young boy said, following the group on the road with his eyes.


    A certain sense of pride made Cletus¡¯s heart swell. He knew that crab. He had interacted with him multiple times. Even sold him a solid bar of silver once.


    In a way, that made the adventurer feel a tiny bit related to the greatness of it all.


    Perhaps one day, when history would be written about that group of heroes, Cletus would be mentioned, at least in passing.


    Standing back straight and hooking his thumbs to the backpack¡¯s straps, the boy took a deep and content breath before heading down the side path to the village.


    While he felt tempted to approach the group¡ªmaybe even ask them to sign the side of his boot as a memento of that soon-to-be fateful day¡ªthe adventurer decided it would be best to leave them be and not be a bother during their preparations for the epic battle about to come.


    Cletus walked away with a spring in his step. The farmer¡¯s family would be fine, as would the village. Everyone would be safe from the dragon soon.


    The heroes had arrived. They would know what to do now.


    ***


    ¡°Alright, any idea what we should do now?¡± Rye asked.


    ¡°Nope!¡± replied Balthazar, staring up at the mountain in front of them.


    The group had spent the past three days discussing how they would approach the situation while traveling to the dragon¡¯s lair, but had achieved little in terms of a plan.


    No matter how they looked at it, the odds just felt stacked against them.


    The dragon was simply too powerful for a group of much lower levels like them. If all those guards from Ardville and then a force of a hundred adventurers had failed to even hurt the beast, what hope did the five of them have?


    Yet, that had not stopped their resolve.


    Balthazar was sure he would come up with something, as he always did.


    The crab was certain of it.


    He had to be.


    For her sake.


    ¡°Well, that big entrance over there seems to lead all the way up into the center of the mountain, where the lair likely is,¡± Rye said after coming back from scouting the area.


    ¡°Is the way up a staircase?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Uh, no? Not that I could see. Mostly just a steep path up.¡±


    The crab nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Good. Luck may yet be on our side then.¡±


    Rye looked at the merchant with a confused frown before shrugging and turning away.


    ¡°Are you guys ready?¡± Balthazar asked his party.


    The goblin, the drake, and the golem all nodded at the same time.


    ¡°Rye?¡± the merchant called, looking at the young man who was staring down at a small red mushroom growing between some mossy rocks.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± he replied, breaking away from his trance.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright?¡±


    The archer nodded. ¡°Yes, sorry. Was just hoping we don¡¯t get in there only to find out our baker is in another castle.¡±


    Balthazar cocked an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t mind me,¡± Rye said. ¡°Let¡¯s just go in.¡±


    In a line, the group walked through the gaping maw of the mountain, leaving the brightness of the sun outside and entering the darkness of the mountain¡¯s interior.


    The air was cold and damp, with shadows creeping from every direction against the towering stone walls that stretched as far up as the eye could see, faintly illuminated by the rays of light that pierced through their jagged gaps.


    For nearly an hour, the rescue party walked up the winding path of the mountain¡¯s hollow core in silence, the echoes of each of their footsteps resonating from the bottomless chasm below like haunting howls from the earth itself.


    The simple fact that the crab was not talking was the biggest testament to the gravity of the situation. Everyone¡¯s nerves were on edge, and tension only grew the closer they got to the top.


    ¡°There,¡± Rye finally whispered, pointing forward, across a natural stone bridge over the mountain¡¯s pit.


    On the other side, barely visible in the darkness, was a giant double gate made of two massive stone slabs.


    ¡°That has to be it,¡± said Balthazar, his voice coming out raspy and quieter from lack of use.


    The group walked across to the other side.


    Tilting his eyestalks back, the giant crab stared up at the colossal archway in front of him, large enough to make him look like a regular crab.


    The door was big enough to make even Bouldy seem as small as a human child.


    It was a passage fit for a dragon.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see any way to look inside,¡± Rye said quietly.


    ¡°Me neither,¡± Balthazar whispered, making sure not to make their presence known too soon. ¡°I was hoping for a giant keyhole, but I guess when you¡¯re a dragon, you don¡¯t need to lock your doors.¡±


    ¡°Boss, boss,¡± the goblin assistant called. ¡°Druma see light!¡±


    They all looked up at where their green friend was pointing. There was a small hole in the wall, a gap that let a faint beam of yellow light through from the other side.


    ¡°Druma can peek through if Bouldy lift Druma up!¡± the goblin said.


    Balthazar nodded. ¡°Give him a boost, Bouldy.¡±


    Druma climbed onto the golem¡¯s hand and the stone giant raised it to the fracture on the wall, stretching his arm as far as he could to reach it.


    The party waited expectantly as the goblin peered through the gap, a bright golden light shining on his face as he pushed his nose against the stone.


    ¡°So? Tell us what you saw,¡± Balthazar asked anxiously as the golem brought his friend back down. ¡°Did you see the dragon?¡±


    Druma nodded rapidly. ¡°Yes, yes! Druma see big and red scaly body with wings on the other side. Druma is sure it is dragon that attack pond before.¡±


    ¡°What about Madeleine?¡± Rye asked with wide eyes. ¡°Did you see her anywhere?¡±


    The goblin shook his head. ¡°No. Hole too small to see whole room. Druma can only see big dragon lying on other side.¡±


    The adventurer exhaled long and hard. ¡°This is it. We need to go in there and confront that dragon if we want to find her.¡±


    He turned to the crab. Even in the darkness of the antechamber, the crustacean could see determination burning like a flame in the young man¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s your move, Balthazar. I¡¯m no leader or strategist. How should we do this?¡±


    The merchant took a deep breath. It was now or never. They were all relying on him. His party. Rye. Madeleine.


    He had never been one for responsibilities, and now there he was, feeling the weight of them on his shell.


    Things were certainly a lot simpler when he just lived free of worries in his little pond.


    Also a lot lonelier.


    With a flick of his eyes, the crab activated his Leader¡¯s Voice skill to boost their team actions. They would need every little advantage they could have.


    ¡°Alright, here¡¯s what we will do,¡± Balthazar started. ¡°First, Bouldy will open these doors for us. Think you can do that?¡±


    The golem placed one of his hands on the stone slab, as if getting a feel for it.


    ¡°Friend,¡± he said with a confident nod.


    ¡°Good,¡± the crab continued. ¡°Once he pushes the gates open, Druma and Blue will fly in and cause as big of a distraction as possible. Blue, you shoot fire everywhere while Druma uses his staff to break off pieces of ceiling like he did back at the forge. Your attacks would be wasted on the dragon¡¯s scales anyway, so we will use them to pull its attention away instead.¡±


    The goblin and the drake nodded in agreement.


    Balthazar turned to the archer. ¡°Rye, your arrow is our main hope here, but we can¡¯t afford to miss. While the dragon is distracted, Bouldy will try to do what he already did back at the pond and land a knockout punch on that big lizard¡¯s jaw. Once he does, you land your shot.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± the adventurer said. ¡°I won¡¯t miss.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take her home,¡± the merchant said. ¡°Bouldy! On my signal¡­¡±


    The stone golem flexed his arms, making blue veins of cobalt pulse brightly through his surface like lightning bolts, and placed his palms against the gates.


    Balthazar brought his pincer up in the air and held for a moment as Druma hopped on Blue¡¯s back and Rye nocked a greatarrow onto his bow.


    ¡°And¡­ charge!¡± he shouted, bringing his claw down with a snap.


    Bouldy pushed forward against the stone gates, which dragged forward with a slow rumble.


    ¡°Frieeeeends!¡±


    ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Balthazar said once the gap was big enough for Blue to fly through.


    The azure drake swooped in at full speed through the air with the goblin wizard on her back, staff in hand, ready to fling arcane bolts.


    As the golem pushed the doors open further, the crab darted into the chamber with both pincers open, followed by the archer, who quickly slid across the floor to take the flank.


    ¡°Give us back our baker, you big¡ª¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s warcry died down as he skidded to a stop, his eyestalks curling into a frown.


    ¡°What¡­ the hell is this?!¡±

 Chapter 197: Dragonfruits

    Ancient and terrible. Those were the two words that best described red dragons in the books Balthazar had looked through after that fateful day when Madeleine was taken.


    Out of all the many types of dragons that once terrorized those lands in ages past, red ones were among the largest and most fierce, with fiery tempers and an affinity for fire above normal even among their kind.


    A creature so menacing even a giant crab would be intimidated by it.


    And there Balthazar was, faced with his nightmare. The one who came to his pond to take its gold back, to raze his home, and to take away his favorite person in the whole world.


    [Red Dragon - Level 75]


    The crab stared in awe at the creature through his golden monocle. With scales of deep dark crimson, the colossal beast rested at the very center of the chamber, a cave so enormous it could easily fit two of the forges the crab had used to repair his golem.


    A halo of golden glow surrounded the creature¡¯s vermilion body, radiating from the piles of valuables that filled its lair. Columns of golden coins, nuggets and bars of precious metals, sculptures of the finest materials, and everything else a dragon could deem worthy of belonging in its hoard.


    It was a treasure unlike anything Balthazar had ever seen.


    The monstrosity¡¯s copper eyes narrowed as they found the intruder. It was every bit as terrifying as the merchant remembered and still as red and large as a barn.


    Not that the crab had ever actually seen a barn.


    But Madeleine once told him that was where farmers kept their wheat, which is what flour is made from.


    And flour is used to make most pastries, so that made the fact stick in his brain.


    Yet, something else besides the gigantic dragon or the troves of riches surrounding it managed to catch the merchant¡¯s attention even more.


    Below the lair¡¯s guardian was a smaller, human-sized setup. A couple of counters, some tables, and a big stone oven. It was a kitchen.


    And behind it was a girl.


    A baker.


    ¡°Balthazar?!¡± said a surprised Madeleine. ¡°Rye?!¡±


    Frozen halfway through rolling a pin over some dough laid on the counter, the young girl in an apron stared in disbelief at the new arrivals, her face partially covered in white flour.


    ¡°Madeleine?!¡± the crab and the archer said in unison, their charge coming to a full stop.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re here!¡± she said, raising both eyebrows in astonishment.


    The red dragon raised its head toward the ceiling, its nostrils flaring with anger. ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what the dragon said!¡± exclaimed Balthazar. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Why are you baking? You¡¯re working for that ugly iguana now?!¡±


    The crimson giant stood up on its four legs, black smoke billowing from its maw as it snarled. ¡°You dare come into my lair and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Madeleine interrupted with a pleading tone. ¡°Let me try to explain it to them?¡±


    Glancing down at the baker, the creature lowered itself back down to its resting position. ¡°Very well. You have five minutes. Make sure to turn down the heat of the oven first.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± Bouldy said, joining the crab.


    Blue landed next to the golem, with Druma still on her back.


    ¡°Boss? What we do?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure yet,¡± the merchant replied. ¡°Stand down for now.¡±


    ¡°Balthazar,¡± Rye muttered from the side, his greatbow still in hand. ¡°We¡¯re wasting our surprise factor. We need to strike the dragon before¡ª¡±


    ¡°Put your toothpick down, boy,¡± the dragon¡¯s rumbling voice warned, making them all look up. ¡°I will let you know when I require it after my next meal.¡±


    The archer¡¯s brow furrowed as he tightened his grip on the Dragonslayer¡¯s Greatarrow.


    ¡°Will you all stop it already?!¡± exclaimed Madeleine, scurrying around the cooking area to approach the group.


    ¡°Madeleine,¡± Rye said, his semblance changing to a blend of both relief and worry as he rushed to her. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine,¡± the girl replied, joining hands with him as they met. ¡°What in Crea¡¯s name are you all doing here?¡±


    ¡°We came to rescue you, obviously!¡± Balthazar exclaimed, throwing his arms out.


    ¡°But we¡¯re half a continent away from Ardville! How did you even find me?¡± said the baker, before her eyes widened in realization. ¡°Balthazar! You left your pond?!¡±


    ¡°I had to. What was I supposed to do? Carry on like it wasn¡¯t my fault you were kidnapped by a dragon?¡± the crab said. ¡°But now I¡¯m not sure if you even needed rescuing. You look like you¡¯ve made yourself at home here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be silly! It¡¯s not like that!¡±


    ¡°Balthazar has a point, Madeleine,¡± said Rye. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be a prisoner, or¡­ worse. Why are you just casually baking over there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± exclaimed the annoyed crustacean. ¡°What kind of betrayal is this?!¡±


    The girl let out a sigh as she used the edge of her apron to wipe her forehead.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± she started. ¡°But basically, I¡¯ve been paying a debt to her for the past couple of months.¡±


    ¡°To her?¡± Balthazar repeated, cocking an eyestalk.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Madeleine said. ¡°She¡¯s a lady dragon. You couldn¡¯t tell?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ how was I supposed to tell?¡± the baffled crab asked.


    ¡°Well, the stunning eyelashes, for example.¡±


    She raised both hands back with a shrug to point at the dragon, who glared down at them and batted its eyes lazily, showing off a set of eyelashes, each one thicker and longer than Balthazar¡¯s antennae.


    The crab exchanged a thoroughly baffled glance with the archer.


    ¡°Do as we rehearsed, Madeleine,¡± the dragon said, sticking its snout up.


    The baker slumped her shoulders and looked back. ¡°Do I really have to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we agreed, remember?¡± said the red creature. ¡°Your word was given.¡±


    Madeleine sighed again as she stood back straight. After clearing her throat, she started speaking in a loud but very unenthusiastic tone.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce you to her terribleness, the Queen of Flames. Crimson Nightmare of Mantell and Destroyer of Legions. She is fire, she is grace. Her wings herald doom and her roar strikes fear in the hearts of men and beast.¡± The baker paused and rolled her eyes. ¡°Tremble in the presence of Beatrix LaFlamme!¡±


    The red dragon stood tall and proud, chest puffed out and chin held high, as if holding for applause.


    Druma gave a couple of timid claps before putting his hands back down, realizing no one was going to join him.


    ¡°She must be a pretty big deal,¡± Balthazar whispered to Rye, holding his pincer in front of his mouth. ¡°She has a first and a last name.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Fine, whatever,¡± Rye exclaimed. ¡°But why are you¡­ serving her? Are you her slave now?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Nothing like that,¡± the girl said. ¡°You see, shortly after I got here, I tried to escape on my own. Waited until it was night, snuck past Beatrix while she was sleeping, and made a run for the exit. But¡­ I couldn¡¯t really open those big gates on my own. And then, while stumbling around in the dark, I¡­ bumped into one of her sculptures.¡±


    ¡°A statuette made in my image by a cult of worshipers in the second age,¡± the dragon added with a nod. ¡°Made of pure garnet crystal. Very valuable.¡±


    ¡°It fell and shattered on the floor,¡± Madeleine continued. ¡°Beatrix woke up. She was devastated. It was her favorite piece of treasure in her whole hoard! I felt so bad. I tried to apologize, but the poor thing was inconsolable.¡±


    Balthazar listened to the baker¡¯s story, his scowl deepening as he pictured the huge beast sobbing and crying while the girl patted her thick scales.


    ¡°So?¡± he exclaimed. ¡°She kidnapped you! Why were you even apologizing for breaking her stupid trinket?!¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue, crab!¡± Beatrix warned with a snarl.


    ¡°Come on now, Balthazar,¡± Madeleine quickly intervened. ¡°She was really not so bad once I got to know her softer side. How would you feel if someone broke one of your favorite pebbles from your collection?¡±


    The crab opened his mouth to speak, but decided not to after some quick reconsideration.


    ¡°And so what happened then?¡± the archer asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± the baker continued, ¡°I sort of just¡­ been paying for the broken sculpture since.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± exclaimed the adventurer. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it was my fault, Rye! My mom always taught me that if you break something, you pay for it,¡± the girl said with an apologetic tone. ¡°And then as I got to know Bea a bit more I learned how lonely she was, being a dragon and all. So one thing leads to another, I tell her the only way I can think of repaying is through my labor since I have no riches or anything, and that¡¯s when I found out about the dragonfruits.¡±


    ¡°The what now?¡± Balthazar asked with a cocked eyestalk.


    ¡°The dragonfruits!¡± Madeleine said, running back to the counter. ¡°There¡¯s a patch of land behind Bea¡¯s lair where they grow by the hundreds. It¡¯s beautiful!¡±


    She reached under the countertop and then ran back to the group, carrying a spiky bulb in her hands. The fruit was a vivid red and Balthazar could feel a sweet aroma coming from it.


    ¡°I found out they make for excellent pie fillings!¡± the proud baker said, extending the fruit for them to see. ¡°Once I convinced Bea to try one, she was delighted by their taste and asked me to keep baking more for her every day!¡±


    The crab frowned. ¡°So she enslaved you to bake for her!¡±


    Madeleine glared back at him. ¡°I was baking for you every day too, Balthazar.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ that was different!¡±


    After rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Madeleine glanced at an hourglass sitting on the counter and ran back to the cooking area to check the oven.


    ¡°How could you stand being imprisoned here all this time?¡± the merchant lamented. ¡°Day in, day out, having to bake for a greedy creature with an endless hunger.¡±


    ¡°Uh, you know you¡¯re sort of describing yourself now, right?¡± Rye muttered.


    ¡°And especially with these horrid, ugly fruits,¡± Balthazar continued, ignoring the adventurer. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to imagine the disgusting slop that dragon calls a pie. I would never even want to taste a¡ªOh goodness gracious, that smells delicious!¡±


    The baker used a thick piece of cloth to grab and pull a tray from the oven. On it sat a pie¡ªlarge, round, and every bit perfect. Its crust had decorative slashes cut onto it, exposing the glistening red of its dragonfruit filling and letting out the scented steam that reached the crab like a warm hug and made his joints weak.


    ¡°You like it? I¡¯ve been working on my recipe for weeks,¡± the girl said with a wide grin. ¡°I¡¯ve almost got it down to exactly how I want them to be!¡±


    ¡°Where do you even get baking supplies from all the way up here?¡± asked the archer, with a frown of suspicion. ¡°I doubt she just lets you pop down to the nearest town for some ingredient shopping.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Beatrix is very resourceful!¡± Madeleine said. ¡°Apparently, the locals offer her lots of tribute. Just the other day she brought home a whole shipment of wheat for me to make flour with. Courtesy of a nice family of farmers from the neighborhood. So kind of them!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the dragon said with a slightly forced grin. ¡°They were very keen on making¡­ an offering.¡±


    Balthazar had taken a couple of slow steps forward, his mind barely registering the conversation once the dragonfruit pie came into view.


    Madeleine¡¯s baking. How he had missed it.


    Something about the girl¡¯s special touch always made her pastries superior to any others, and the crab had gone far too long without a taste.


    He needed it like a plant needed the rain after months of dry weather.


    ¡°Can I¡­ have a nibble?¡± the hypnotized crustacean asked, eyes fixed on the exotic delicacy.


    Madeleine looked down at him with a keen smile. ¡°Well, I guess if¡ª¡±


    ¡°He may not,¡± Beatrix interjected with an abrupt tone.


    ¡°But Bea, I¡ª¡± the baker started, turning to face the dragon, but the creature cut her off again.


    ¡°They are intruders in my lair,¡± the red dragon said sharply. ¡°I gave you five minutes out of courtesy to you, Madeleine. Now I shall handle them as I would anyone else who dared invade my domain.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    Beatrix smiled with a toothy grin that illustrated the title of ¡°her terribleness¡± perfectly.


    ¡°I will even let you choose which one I shall eat first, Madeleine.¡±


    The girl started waving her arms in a panic. ¡°Woah, woah! No, wait, no eating my friends, please! I can just tell them to leave, no need for that. Eat pies, not guys, remember?!¡±


    Rye stepped forward, gripping his greatbow tightly.


    ¡°We are not leaving without you, Madeleine!¡±


    The baker turned back to them with wide eyes as she scurried closer.


    ¡°Rye, I¡¯m trying to solve this amicably. Please don¡¯t make things more difficult for me!¡±


    The archer stared at her with a blend of confusion and disbelief in his eyes.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not telling me you don¡¯t want to leave, are you?¡±


    ¡°No! No, no, no. Of course I want to. I missed you guys, and everyone else from back home. But I still got a debt to pay, remember?¡±


    Balthazar took off his backpack as he skittered forward.


    ¡°I can settle the debt!¡± he exclaimed to the crimson beast. ¡°The golden statuette that was taken from your hoard. The one you came searching for at my pond months ago. I have it with me.¡±


    Pulling his claw from the magical pack, the merchant revealed the golden idol of a goddess.


    Beatrix lowered her long neck until her eye was close enough to examine the statuette.


    After a moment, she let out a puff of smoke with a disdainful snarl.


    ¡°I refuse,¡± she said, raising her head again. ¡°I have found a far more valuable treasure in the form of the girl now.¡±


    ¡°What?! No!¡± the crab said. ¡°You have to let her go!¡±


    Madeleine stepped up to the side of the merchant, addressing the giant creature.


    ¡°Balthazar is right, Bea. I¡­ I miss my home. My friends. My life. Maybe it¡¯s time to let me go?¡±


    The dragon looked down, her glare like two burning flames.


    ¡°You have made a deal. Your word is your bond. You would break your oath to me and suffer the consequences of it?¡±


    The baker gulped and her eyes went to the floor. ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you shall remain here and work until your debt has been paid in full.¡±


    Balthazar threw his arms out in exasperation. ¡°This is ridiculous! I will pay off her debt! It was just a stupid sculpture, how much longer could she possibly have to work to pay it off?!¡±


    Beatrix used her sharp talons to pick up a book from behind a pile of golden jewels and quickly looked at its pages.


    ¡°According to my calculations, she still has¡­ 73 years, 4 months, and 7 days to work before her debt is settled.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Rye exclaimed, raising his tone and nocking a Dragonslayer Arrow back onto his bow. ¡°That¡¯s it, we¡¯re getting you out of here, Madeleine. I¡¯m not letting you work as a slave for the rest of your life!¡±


    ¡°Rye, no!¡± the girl pleaded, running to the archer and trying to make him lower his weapon. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool! You can¡¯t go up against her!¡±


    The red dragon straightened herself up, her scowled fixed on the adventurer. ¡°Let him come, Madeleine. If he hungers for a foolish death, I shall deliver it to him.¡±


    ¡°Not helping, Bea!¡± the baker yelled back, before speaking to her crush again. ¡°Be reasonable, Rye. You have no chance against her in combat. Do you really want to force me to watch you being turned into barbecue in a pointless attempt at freeing me?¡±


    The archer lowered his greatbow slowly, his gaze turning dejected. ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°I want to go back with you guys, but maybe it¡¯s not so bad if I just stay here. At least this way I can make sure she is happy and fed, meaning she will be less likely to go out there to terrify anyone and cause trouble.¡±


    Balthazar turned in place, looking at the two undeclared sweethearts with sadness.


    ¡°Hey, this job isn¡¯t so bad,¡± Madeleine said to her adventurer, gently lifting his chin with her fingers as she smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯ve got central heating, practically unlimited cooking supplies, and even a beautiful fruit garden out back. Really, and that¡¯s without even mentioning the health insurance she provides!¡±


    Rye looked up into her eyes. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose you again, Madeleine.¡±


    The baker tried to smile again, her eyes brimming with tears. ¡°I know. I don¡¯t want to lose again either.¡±


    Watching them from a few paces away, the crab felt a wrenching feeling in his shell. It was bothersome. He did not like it and he wanted it to stop.


    Emotions like that were for soft-shelled humans, not sturdy crabs like him.


    The merchant knew she was right. Rye could not fight that dragon.


    But the boy was right too. They could not just leave without her.


    There was only one thing to be done.


    Balthazar threw on his backpack again and, with a deep breath, started walking toward the dragon.


    ¡°What is he doing?!¡± Rye said, looking over Madeleine¡¯s shoulder.


    She turned to look at the marching crab. ¡°Balthazar?¡±


    The merchant¡¯s companions stiffened with unease too.


    ¡°Friend?¡± called the golem.


    ¡°Boss?!¡± exclaimed the goblin.


    Even the drake had stretched her neck up and followed her surrogate parent with eyes wide.


    Balthazar walked until he reached the empty space at the very center of the dragon¡¯s lair, perfectly placed under the creature¡¯s fierce gaze.


    Beatrix stared down at the small crustacean from atop her piles of gold and riches.


    ¡°Well, what do we have here?¡± she said in her deep and terrible voice. ¡°Came to beg?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said the brave crab, his eyes defiant and unwavering. ¡°I¡¯ve come to challenge you to a one-on-one duel.¡±

 Chapter 198: A Battle of Wits (And Pies)

    No whisper or word dared escape anyone¡¯s lips in the tense stillness that filled the dragon¡¯s lair after Balthazar¡¯s challenge.


    The crimson beast eyed the merchant, her immense copper pupils narrowing on the resolute crab with a fierceness that could nearly cut through his chitin.


    ¡°You wish to challenge me?¡± Beatrix said in a calm and drawn out tone that filled the air between them with blazing heat.


    Balthazar stared the dragon right back, his eyestalks firm and unwavering, and with as much resolve as he could gather, he replied, ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    Dragons had not been sighted for several generations, but before that, they had existed for a long time. Since the first ages or even earlier. Before there were adventurers or perhaps even human civilizations.


    Or at least that was what Balthazar had read in the books he gathered on draconic subjects after Madeleine was taken.


    Adventurers always had the strange habit of looting all manner of books and tomes from whatever corner of the continent they had been exploring, despite seemingly never once bothering to read any of them.


    The crab had since early on into his merchant career gained the habit of reading through whatever literary materials he could get his pincers on during the more dead hours of the day.


    It had quickly become a pleasant activity for him. Both because it allowed practicing his new reading skills while learning more about the world around him, and because it was one of very few cases where he could use an item and still sell it at full price after.


    Unlike soft paper tissues. Those never seemed to go well whenever he tried to sell them after being lightly used.


    Balthazar learned much about draconic creatures. From the small drakes and wyverns, to the enormous hydras and dragons.


    Most humans remembered them mostly as the brutal beasts that brought fire and destruction to their towns and villages in the generations leading to their extinction.


    What really brought upon the disappearance of dragons was a source of great debate among scholars. Some claimed it was the quick spreading and development of human civilization and the wars that followed. Others insisted humanity could never have fully defeated dragons, and that the only thing that could have brought their extinction was their own nature of pride and conflict, even among their kind.


    But nobody really remembered that beneath their gigantic forms, their thick scales, and all the fire and brawn, dragons were also creatures of great intellect.


    Wizards of old would go to them for wisdom and to learn from their ancient knowledge. Scholars would study for a lifetime just for the chance to one day hold court with one of the creatures. And even among themselves, dragons would often engage in heated debates that could span days or even weeks.


    For dragonkind, no form of combat was as highly revered as the art of verbal confrontation, a clash of philosophies and ideologies to determine who was right through their might.


    To engage one another in an exchange of arguments and to pitch your mind and intellect against the other until the strongest willpower emerged victorious was a definitive triumph¡ªor an ultimate defeat.


    No sword or claw. No spells or blasts of fire. No scales, armor, or even shells.


    Balthazar understood the real way to defeat a dragon was through cleverness, and by striking at their weak spot¡ªtheir pride.


    After all, the giant crab was a lot like them, even if not in physical appearance.


    ¡°I could crush you with one finger,¡± Beatrix said. ¡°I could devour you in one bite. Turn you into ash with one breath. I could end you right here and now in a thousand different ways. What makes you think yourself worthy of challenging me, crab?¡±


    Balthazar did his best to hold himself together. He knew he was gambling it all on his intuition being right.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, you could,¡± said the small gray dot beneath the red giant. ¡°But there would be no pride or honor in that. And then it would be known to the world that Beatrix LaFlamme was too scared to face a lowly crab in a battle of wits.¡±


    The dragon¡¯s eyes narrowed into thin, terrifying slits as her nostrils flared with a puff of black smoke. In an instant, the entire chamber felt several degrees hotter than before.


    ¡°You dare question my honor and intellect, crustacean?¡± the beast said with a rumbling snarl that made Balthazar¡¯s legs tremble. ¡°To even suggest casting such a blight upon my name is an affront beyond measure and I should vacate your shell of your innards for it.¡±


    The merchant steeled his resolve and stilled his breath.


    ¡°You could do that. And you will be well within your right to do so. After you defeat me in a battle of wills and wits, Beatrix.¡±


    Her terribleness stared the crab down for a moment, studying him with a scorching gaze.


    ¡°Do you refuse?¡± the crab asked with a pinch of defiance.


    With an unnerving grin that exposed her sharp fangs, the dragon replied, ¡°I accept your challenge.¡±


    Balthazar exhaled quietly, feeling equal parts relieved and terrified.


    Time to put my gold where my mouth is.


    ***


    As per draconic tradition, a brief preparation period was to take place before engaging in a verbal clash.


    Over by her hoard, Beatrix LaFlamme calmly sipped lemon and honey tea from a cup the size of a tub in between voice exercises that shook rocks loose from the cavern¡¯s walls.


    Over by the small kitchen area, Balthazar rummaged through his backpack while his friends attempted to plead with him.


    ¡°Are you nuts, Balthazar?!¡± exclaimed Rye.


    ¡°This has got to be the dumbest thing I¡¯ve ever seen you do,¡± Madeleine said. ¡°And that¡¯s saying something, considering the things I¡¯ve seen you do since we met!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the confidence, guys,¡± the sarcastic crustacean grumbled while digging deeper into his bag. ¡°Just¡­ let me do this my way. It¡¯s the only shot we¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°At least let me sneak away and try to land a shot while you¡¯re distracting her,¡± said the archer.


    ¡°Rye!¡± the baker exclaimed with a frown.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who is nuts if you think your level 27 butt is ever going to land a mortal blow on that level 75 salamander,¡± said the merchant. ¡°Even Bouldy only managed to knock her out briefly back at the pond, and that was because we got extremely lucky with that sneak attack.¡±


    ¡°Friend?¡± said the golem.


    ¡°I want you to stay back here, big guy,¡± Balthazar said. ¡°Protect them all, and more importantly, make sure they don¡¯t do anything stupid. Like interfering with the battle.¡±


    ¡°Boss don¡¯t want friends to help?¡± asked the caped goblin, looking worried.


    ¡°Not on this, buddy. I need to do it on my own. Because dragon customs dictate that you and your arguments should stand on their own without help or interference from others, otherwise you forfeit your honor. And because I¡¯m the only one who can win this fight.¡±


    Removing both claws from his pack, the crab revealed an ingot of solid gold within his grasp. The same one he had found in the golemancer¡¯s halls.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this¡­¡±


    His friends watched in awed silence as Balthazar exhaled sharply and pressed his pincers on the ingot, activating his Imbuing skill.


    A bright golden flash bathed the chamber for a moment, dwarfing even the shine of the dragon¡¯s hoard, as a slick layer of liquid metal quickly enveloped the crab¡¯s body, until his entire shell had been covered in it.


    The shiny finish hardened in an instant, leaving behind a perfect and statuesque crustacean idol in all of its golden glory.


    ¡°Woooah¡­ Boss is gold again!¡± the mesmerized goblin assistant muttered.


    Balthazar looked around at his golden self and smiled.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re talking!¡±


    [Imbuing - Gold Ingot]


    [Duration: 20 minutes]


    [Effect: Double the efficiency of all your Charisma traits and skills.]


    He turned to his friends, glowing gloriously.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to beat that dragon at my own game, and then you are going to walk out of here as a free woman, Madeleine. That¡¯s a promise.¡±


    The girl nodded at the crab, her eyes glistening as she smiled. ¡°I¡­ I believe in you, Balthazar. Thank you.¡±


    Rye sighed and placed a hand on the golden carapace. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but suddenly I feel a lot more confident about this. Go do your thing, Balthazar. We will be here, rooting for you.¡±


    The gilded merchant nodded confidently at his companions, who all nodded back in approval.


    With a confident stride and unbound gleaming, Balthazar walked back to the center of the lair, his arms stretched open and his eyestalks firmly pointed upward.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± he boldly exclaimed.


    The confidence of a golden buff coursing through his chitin made him feel like a million crowns and like he could take on anything. Even a dragon.


    Memories of the events at the pond and what led to them flashed in front of him.


    Confidence can quickly lead to arrogance, which leads to your downfall. Temper yourself, Balthazar.


    The crab wasn¡¯t entirely sure who that wiser self whispering into his mind was, but perhaps everything he had gone through in his travels hadn¡¯t all been just strange roadside encounters and mango chasing.


    Maybe there had been positive things from doing what Rye had suggested when they first met by his pond¡ªgoing out there and expanding his horizons.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the red dragon said, setting her teacup aside and leaning forward to display her full, imposing size. ¡°As per tradition, we shall introduce ourselves. My name is Beatrix LaFlamme. State your name, intruder.¡±


    With newly found stillness in his heart, the merchant stood tall and proud before his adversary.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Balthazar. Just Balthazar.¡±


    Her eyes fixed themselves on his tiny, black and beady eyestalks.


    ¡°I look forward to adding your shiny carapace to my hoard once I defeat you,¡± the winged creature said with a smirk.


    ¡°We will see about that,¡± the merchant replied with confidence.


    The two opponents locked sights on each other, the air between them filling with crackling electricity that threatened to send sparks flying at any moment.


    Beatrix¡¯s intense glower was unwavering and unblinking.


    The crab¡¯s stalk-eyed stare was also unblinking¡ªmainly on account of him not having eyelids.


    Coming from somewhere to the side, Balthazar watched a tumbleweed slowly roll by through the empty space between them and disappear into a distant dark corner of the lair.


    Where did that come from? There isn¡¯t even a breeze in here!


    ¡°As the challenger, you shall go first.¡± The dragon paused before her voice climbed several octaves. ¡°State your case, Balthazar!¡±


    To the crab¡¯s surprise, a new line appeared in his system.


    [You have engaged in a Battle of Wits!]


    Huh¡­ I should have probably prepared something for this, shouldn¡¯t I?


    ¡°I¡­¡± He paused before clearing his throat and continuing in a louder and more clear tone. ¡°I believe you should free Madeleine so that she may return home with us.¡±


    Beatrix laughed. A terrible and boastful laughter that echoed against the walls of the lair, making coins and small gems fall off the piles of treasure surrounding her.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°The girl has incurred a debt and she has agreed to pay it through her labor,¡± the dragon said. ¡°Her word was given, and as I¡¯m sure you know, given your apparent knowledge of dragon customs, that is an oath which cannot be broken without consequences.¡±


    Balthazar nodded.


    ¡°That is true. But you could still release her from that oath at any time if you so wished.¡±


    Once again, the dragon laughed. ¡°And why should I ever do such a thing?¡±


    The crab exhaled slowly. Balthazar did not know if there was something genuinely mystical about engaging in a verbal debate with a dragon, or if it was merely the pressure of the stakes involved, but he could feel a profound weight pressing on his very soul.


    ¡°When I entered this chamber,¡± the crab started, ¡°I did not find an enslaved girl in shackles, forced to toil for a tyrant. I found a baker happily preparing another delicacy for her awaiting host to enjoy. Madeleine is not your prisoner. She did to you the same she did to me once we first met. She effortlessly charmed her way into your scaly heart through her sweet nature the same way she did with my hard shell. Because that¡¯s who Madeleine is. You are not her captor. You are her friend. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t want her to leave. You would miss her.¡±


    Beatrix¡¯s eyes widened slowly as she stared down at the crab and a cutting silence filled the cavern.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± the dragon said with a slight smirk. ¡°Not entirely bad. But you have misplayed your cards already, crab. Because, by your own conclusion, I have all the more reason to not want Madeleine to leave my lair.¡±


    Balthazar smiled knowingly.


    ¡°So you do see her as a friend you would miss.¡±


    The smirk disappeared from the winged creature¡¯s face in a flash, and a new line appeared in Balthazar¡¯s eyes.


    [Critical strike! Your buff durations have been extended by 5 minutes.]


    Below, he found that his golden imbuement had received extra time.


    Feeling the impetus of gaining the upper hand, the merchant pressed on before he would risk losing it.


    ¡°You have grown fond of her. We all did. She has a genuinely kind heart. The fact that she grew to like you despite how you took her away, tells me she must have seen something good in your heart as well. I trust that girl enough to believe her instincts on that. So, if I am right that she is right, then I¡¯m sure you care about her too, and that you want what¡¯s best for our baker as much as we do.¡±


    The crab did not dare to look back at his friends, lest he lose his focus, but he could feel their gazes on the back of his shell, almost as intensely as the dragon¡¯s, peering into his very soul.


    ¡°And?¡± Beatrix growled.


    ¡°Then you must know that it would be best for her if you let her go free,¡± Balthazar continued. ¡°Staying locked away in a cave for the rest of her life is no way to live. She should be back home, with her things, her friends, enjoying life where she is happy.¡±


    The dragon stared emptily at the floor for a moment, as if something had suddenly taken her by surprise.


    [Critical strike! Your buff durations have been extended by 5 minutes.]


    Taking a small step forward, the crab added, ¡°How would you feel if someone clipped your wings and kept you from ever flying freely again?¡±


    Beatrix nodded slowly and a tinge of brief hope spiked inside Balthazar, but it was short-lived.


    ¡°You leverage your arguments better than I would have expected, crustacean. But you forget yourself. I am a dragon, a creature of immense might. There is no place the girl would be safer than next to me. You make claims about her freedom and happiness, but what of her safety? Who would protect her from danger? You? A lowly pond creature? Or perhaps you mean that boy over there, with his puny arrows? Or maybe your band of misfits you call your companions? Who ensures the baker is not taken by whatever creature decides to claim her in the same way that I did?¡± The dragon glared at Balthazar. ¡°With me by her side, no one would ever dare.¡±


    The merchant felt as if a blow had struck him directly in the brain, skipping his natural armor.


    ¡°Not just me,¡± he said after a moment to regain his composure. ¡°Or Rye. Or even my party. We all will always look after her, together. Everyone here, and her many other friends back home. Because that¡¯s what friends do, they look after each other. And last I checked, this band of misfits is the same one that managed to rock your chin a few months back and that now managed to find your secret lair and walk right into it. Underestimate us at your own peril, dragon.¡±


    The crimson beast bared her fangs slightly as the corner of her mouth curled in disdain.


    ¡°Her talents are wasted on you, crab,¡± she spat.


    Balthazar felt the tide shifting again in his core. His adversary was trying to change the subject and redefine the focus. She was losing her footing.


    ¡°A baker of her skill,¡± Beatrix continued, ¡°is better off preparing her delights for a superior being like myself, not a common crab on the side of some road. What could a simple crustacean know or appreciate about culinary delicacies anyway?¡±


    A sly smirk appeared on the gilded crab. She had made a fatal mistake.


    ¡°You dare question my pastry knowledge, reptilian?!¡± Balthazar exclaimed with great gravitas.


    The sky-creature glowered at him with fierce determination. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°What do you know of pies, burnt-tongue?¡± the defiant crab snapped.


    Beatrix threw her long head back and laughed.


    ¡°Much! I know the superior taste of dragonfruit pies, unlike you.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s eyestalks curled inward.


    ¡°Apple pie is the best pie, everyone knows that.¡±


    ¡°Pwah!¡± the dragon spat. ¡°Cooked apples barely qualify as food.¡±


    ¡°Blasphemy!¡± exclaimed the outraged crustacean.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know the marvels of meat pies, do you?¡± Beatrix said with a sly grin.


    ¡°True pastries are meant to be sweet,¡± the crab shot back.


    ¡°Can you truly call yourself a pie connoisseur if you have never experienced the comfort of a good shepherd¡¯s pie? Or the satisfaction of consuming a cottage pie on a cold day?¡±


    All the way in the back, Balthazar heard distant but enthusiastic clapping.


    The crab glared back at his goblin assistant, who jumped in place and quickly stopped his clapping, as if suddenly remembering whose side he was supposed to be on.


    ¡°Cold, rainy days are best spent nibbling on a pumpkin pie, and you know that that¡¯s the truth, dragon,¡± said the merchant, turning back to his foe.


    Beatrix frowned, unable to argue against his statement.


    ¡°But what about pecan pies?¡± she retorted. ¡°Can you really speak against those?¡±


    It was Balthazar¡¯s turn to frown. The beast knew she had him on that one.


    ¡°What about them? They¡¯re¡­ fine, too.¡± he replied.


    ¡°Pecan pies are the superior pies,¡± she added, with a self-satisfied air. ¡°The trick is to toast the pecans first. I learned that from Madeleine herself. Did she ever teach you any such secrets?¡±


    The dragon watched the crab¡¯s reaction to her words with keen attention.


    ¡°I¡¯d have to disagree, because strawberry rhubarb pie is a delicacy,¡± the merchant said, attempting a swerve. ¡°Both must be stewed together, however, otherwise you end up with crunchy rhubarb.¡±


    Beatrix scoffed loudly.


    ¡°Hogwash! Crunchy is what it¡¯s all about!¡±


    She smiled with a toothy grin, and to his own surprise, the crab found himself smirking as well.


    His mind felt tantalized in the same way it did when haggling with an adventurer over the price of a shield or pair of socks. It was as stimulating as the time he negotiated with the tax collector from Ardville. As exciting as when he arranged new trade deals with the merchants of Marquessa.


    It felt right. It felt like he was doing what he was meant for.


    Balthazar was having¡­ fun.


    ¡°But what about peach pies, eh?¡± the crab said with a cheeky grin.


    ***


    Over by the kitchen area, the crab¡¯s friends sat around with mostly bored expressions.


    ¡°It¡¯s been nearly four hours, and they¡¯re still going at it,¡± Rye said, playing with the crumbs on his plate. ¡°When will it be over?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡± the distracted baker said without turning to face him.


    She was hunched over Bouldy¡¯s open hand, smiling from ear to ear as she played with Pebbles.


    ¡°Who¡¯s a pretty little rock? You are! Yes, you are!¡± she kept saying with a playful voice. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Balthazar never told me he had a pet rock. So cute!¡±


    The tiny pebble bounced back and forth against the girl¡¯s finger while chirping happily, to Madeleine¡¯s immense joy.


    In front of the counter, both Druma and Blue remained attentively watching the dragon and crab¡¯s clash.


    ¡°Druma think boss is close to winning!¡± the green assistant said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the fifth time you¡¯ve said that, Druma,¡± the archer remarked with a sigh. ¡°In the past hour.¡±


    Over by the center of the lair, the two titans of debate remained locked in a fierce battle of intellects. A clash of wills. A fight of ideologies.


    About baking and pastries.


    Many a critical blow had been landed, severe damage to their prides and egos had been endured, but their wills remained strong, neither showing any signs of wanting to forfeit to the other.


    ¡°Key lime pie, of course!¡± Balthazar exclaimed. ¡°But with whipped cream, none of that meringue nonsense.¡±


    ¡°How could you say that when banana cream pie is clearly superior?!¡± Beatrix replied, waving her massive arms around as she spoke.


    Indeed, it would seem that as far as pies were concerned, neither party was ever going to overcome the other.


    Several figurative pies had been thrown around, from coconut cream pies to cherry ones. They had exhausted the list of other possible cherry fillings, from blueberry to blackberry, even making a stop at wild berries. None managed to leave the other without an answer that kept the argument going.


    And so the red dragon and the golden crab continued to debate each other, despite the mental exhaustion visibly weighing on them.


    Until Beatrix made a misplay.


    ¡°The girl is obviously better off here with me! Regardless of who knows and appreciates pastries the most, I have the clear advantage of being able to provide her with what you never could dream of.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes? And what is that?¡± Balthazar asked.


    ¡°Limitless resources!¡± the crimson creature exclaimed, spreading her arms and wings in a grandiose display of her mighty presence. ¡°My hoard is vast and full of plentiful treasure. Madeleine would know no lack of materials. No ingredient would ever be too expensive for her. I have the ultimate source of power¡ªriches!¡±


    All around her, the piles of jewels, gems, and little pieces of gold seemed to glow and glint by her command, but the crab remained steadfast.


    He had been hoping and waiting for that moment.


    She had finally walked right into his trap.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Balthazar scoffed with a sly smirk. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    The dragon lowered her arms and folded her wings back, bringing her eyes down to her adversary again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been admiring your hoard since we started this discussion,¡± the gilded merchant said. ¡°Very impressive. But I have also been¡­ counting.¡±


    Beatrix¡¯s slit pupils narrowed. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°You have many riches, indeed. Some gold, silver too, and several small precious stones as well. By my calculations, your hoard totals to about¡­ ten thousand crowns in value, does it not?¡±


    The winged beast seemed genuinely taken aback this time. For the first time since their battle started, Balthazar felt he had caught her off guard.


    ¡°You¡­ are correct,¡± she hesitantly said, before bringing her tone back up. ¡°Ten thousand gold coins in worth! A treasure fit for a queen! A lowly roadside merchant such as yourself could only ever dream of owning such riches!¡±


    The crab chuckled. ¡°Is that what you think?¡±


    Visible concern betrayed Beatrix¡¯s expression as she gulped quietly. ¡°What are you talking about? Do not attempt to bluff with me, crab. It will not work!¡±


    The merchant pulled out his Bag of Holding Money with great flair, his eyes fixed on the dragon.


    ¡°I do not need to bluff, dragon,¡± he said. ¡°While you were busy terrorizing farmers, I was earning money. Making trades. Amassing a fortune.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡± the creature said, her frown deepening with concern. ¡°No¡­¡±


    Balthazar pulled the strings of the magical bag and slowly turned it upside down, causing a stream of golden coins to start falling out in front of him.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the confident crustacean. ¡°I¡¯m not just a merchant crab. I¡¯m an expert merchant crab. I¡¯ve crossed this whole continent, negotiating with adventurers and nobles. Making deals others thought impossible. Guild masters of commerce have underestimated me before, and they ended up in misery. My influence is vast and reaches far beyond my little pond now. I have what you lack, dragon. I have allies. I have friends. I have earned respect without talon or fire. I have influence. But above all that, I have a power far greater than yours¡­¡±


    The golden crab shook the coin bag vigorously as the coins continued to pour out, piling up in small hills between them, quickly growing to rival the size of the dragon¡¯s hoard.


    ¡°I have more money than you!¡± Balthazar yelled triumphantly as he tossed the overflowing bag up, letting the shiny coins fly.


    Hah! I knew keeping all my savings in single crown coins would pay off for greater effect sooner or later!


    In his monocle, a descriptive line displayed the value of the piles of money he had unleashed.


    [15,512 crowns]


    ¡°N-no¡­ it cannot be!¡± Beatrix said, shielding her eyes from the blinding golden glow with her arm. ¡°A crab is¡­ richer than me?¡±


    As if he could feel something snapping within his mind¡¯s eye, Balthazar knew it was over. He had dealt the final blow. The dragon¡¯s pride had been mortally wounded.


    The crab walked closer to the creature.


    ¡°I can tell you¡¯ve grown to care about Madeleine far beyond just seeing her as someone who bakes for you. I would know, I did too. So you must also accept that, in the end, neither your will or mine should matter. What matters is what she wants for herself. You have to let her go.¡±


    Beatrix stared deep into his eyes, as if peering straight into his soul, but this time Balthazar did not feel scared, intimidated, or apprehensive at all. He was ready to let her see right through him, for he had nothing to hide.


    [The Gift of the Crab: success]


    The Queen of Flames hung her head in shame, her wings slumping as she slammed her claws on the floor in defeat.


    ¡°You have asserted your dominance through your might,¡± she said. ¡°I¡­ I yield.¡±


    [You have defeated a level 75 Red Dragon in a Battle of Wits. Large amount of experience gained!]


    [You have reached level 26!]


    [You have reached level 27!]


    [You have reached level 28!]


    The victorious crab threw his pincers up. ¡°Yes!¡±


    Back by the kitchen, the others stirred awake from their bored stupor.


    ¡°Huh, what?!¡± exclaimed Rye, lifting his chin from his palm. ¡°Is it over?¡±


    ¡°I won!¡± Balthazar said, skittering back to them. ¡°Madeleine is coming home with us!¡±


    Slowly, the group started to take in what had just happened after several hours of pure tedium.


    ¡°Wait, really?!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°Boss won! Boss won!¡±


    ¡°Friend!¡±


    They all surrounded the crab, smiles and hurrahs being thrown around as they excitedly celebrated his victory and the baker¡¯s freedom.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going home!¡± Madeleine said. ¡°Thank you, Balthazar. This place was nice, but I really missed my little kitchen back home!¡±


    ¡°Haha! And I can¡¯t wait to sit by the pond having a slice of pie with you like in the good old days,¡± the merchant said with a wide grin. ¡°I miss my home so much.¡±


    ¡°Well done, Balthazar,¡± said Rye, giving him a pat on the back of the shell. ¡°I knew we could count on you, friend.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good job, Balthazar,¡± another voice said. ¡°What are we celebrating, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± the crab said, turning around swiftly.


    Rob was standing behind them, clapping his hands and looking mildly confused.


    ¡°Rob?¡± the baffled crustacean exclaimed. ¡°What are you doing here?!¡±


    ¡°I''ve been looking for you,¡± the courier said. ¡°Got something I''m supposed to deliver¡ªyour pincers only.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said the archer. ¡°How in the world did you find him up here?! We¡¯re all the way out in the middle of nowhere, inside a mountain, in a dragon¡¯s lair!¡±


    The former thief shrugged casually. ¡°I dunno, man. I just get told who to deliver something to and then I just¡­ go.¡±


    Balthazar looked at the mustached man with a befuddled expression.


    ¡°Hold on¡­ so all this time you could have taken us straight here into the dragon¡¯s lair if I had just asked you to deliver her a message?!¡±


    Rob scratched his chin as he looked up, thinking. ¡°Did you know the dragon¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ No? Not until today.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, then no. How am I supposed to deliver something if I don¡¯t know who the recipient is?¡±


    The crab threw his arms out in exasperation. ¡°I don¡¯t know! How the hell are you delivering me things all the time no matter where I am?!¡±


    Rolling his eyes, the courier pulled a folded letter out from his breast pocket.


    ¡°Look, you want the message or not? It¡¯s from your people back home. It seemed pretty urgent.¡±


    Balthazar¡¯s expression shifted at the mention of his home.


    ¡°It did?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rob said. ¡°I think there¡¯s something really bad going on at your pond.¡±