Back to Basics - 1.6

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"They are good, yes?"

"They're great! Are you gonna finish yours, Taylor?"

I smiled at Erin and passed my plate over.

"It is a traditional Silverfang recipe, passed down from our ancestors. Our tribe makes the best kebabs in Izril!"

Krshia had insisted on feeding us before we started negotiating. She led us behind her stall and sat us down with some all-meat kebabs. I didn't know if they were the best in Izril but they were certainly better than any I'd had on Earth. I'd guess Erin had a similar opinion from the way she was tearing through the rest of my kebabs.

"Thank you for the meal, Ms. Silverfang. Shall we get to business?"

She let out a deep throaty chuckle. Her voice was low and rumbly like the rest of the Gnolls I'd heard speak so far.

"Please, call me Krshia. I would not be so formal with a trade partner who has made me so much money already."

I raised an eyebrow at that.

"I don't recall making any deals with you yet, though I'd certainly like to."

"Many people bet on the matches between your team and Olesm. I made a nice profit betting in your favor. I would say that makes us partners already, yes?"

Damn. If I'd known there were bets, I could've placed one on Erin.

"Krshia it is then. What made you so sure we were going to win?"

"A good merchant must know when to trust their instincts, yes? I could see that there was something special about the both of you. I am happy to have been proven right."

"Both of us?"

Erin looked up, mouth filled with kebab.

"Yes, both of you. You act well, but I have a merchant's eyes. I saw the spirit within you shining through when you confronted Lism."

Erin looked puzzled for a moment then seemed to take it as a compliment. It was clear there was some sort of misunderstanding but I didn't want to deal with it. That way lay a headache.

"If we're already partners, then are you willing to sell the Shield Spiders for us?"

"Of course! Though I suspect you have more to offer than just Shield Spiders, no?"

She was smart. Maybe too smart. I had a feeling that I wouldn't be walking away with the better end of any deals we made. However, I did get the feeling she wasn't trying to scam us. It was just business.

"You're right. I'm something of a [Beast Tamer]. I specialize in taming insects. That's how I was able to kill so many Shield Spiders. I can do more than kill them though. I have ways to make them produce silk on demand."

Krshia's eyes widened at that. She was probably just expecting me to hunt more valuable monsters. Silk as strong as the kind Shield Spiders produced was likely worth a lot more to her. Her look of surprise quickly morphed into a greedy tooth-filled grin.

"Shield Spider silk? Very valuable. You would be making a nice profit even with my 30% cut, yes?"

I chuckled at that. She was clearly testing the waters. She would find that I wasn't easy prey.

"30%? That's funny. Now let's start negotiating for real."

Krshia smiled at me, nodding approvingly.

"I agree. Let us begin."

***

I left the stall feeling like I'd been had. I knew I'd be at a disadvantage but Krshia had still run circles around me. I was pretty sure she'd even give Lisa a run for her money. Still, the deal was likely much better than I'd have gotten from any other merchant in Liscor. It had also earned me a useful ally.

Krshia agreed to have our cut of the profits delivered to the Inn later and took all the Shield Spider corpses off our hands. We used some of our bounty money to order stuff for delivery to the Inn. In addition to the corpse profits, I'd be getting a weekly cut of the Shield Spider silk I delivered her and was contracted to provide a certain amount every month. As a bonus, she'd thrown in a crate of body wash— though I'm pretty sure that was her version of subtly telling us we smelled bad.

After we dropped Lism's wagon off in front of his stall, we decided there'd been enough excitement for the day and headed back to the Inn. As we walked back, I noticed something that made me pause.

"Erin?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm pretty sure that boulder is actually a crab."

About one hundred feet away from us was a massive rock that looked out of place in its surroundings. I'd only noticed because it showed up to my bug senses as a giant crab.

"Oh yeah, those are rock crabs."

"Rock crabs?"

"Yep, rock crabs. One tried to chase me once. I hit with a blue fruit core and it ran around in circles trying to shake the goop off."

That sounds like an easily exploitable weakness.

"Was the blue fruit poisonous?"

"No? I had a bunch before you came and I was fine. I mean… I did feel a little sick but it was just a stomachache."

I turned to look at her.

"Erin, it sounds like you've been eating poisonous fruit."

"What? Pssh, no way! I saw the goblins eating them too."

I sighed. It was hard to believe Erin survived as long as she did outside of civilization. To be fair though, I doubt she had many options to choose from.

"Erin, you aren't a goblin. No more eating random fruits."

"They're so good though! I bet I could cook the poison out with [Basic Cooking]!"

"That's not how i—"

Wait, is that how it works?

"We'll discuss this later."

We continued once again towards the Inn, leaving the rock crab behind. I could see some uses for it, but it was too large to keep near the Inn. Now that I knew to look out for them, I was sure I could find more in the future.

As we reached the Inn, I paused in front of the door, noticing something strange. There was a small section of the Inn that was empty of bugs but looked entirely normal to my bug vision. I sent a bug in to investigate and it died immediately.

"Taylor, what's wrong?"

"Something is inside."

I had some of my fliers quietly gather the strands of silk leftover from weaving our outfits. They moved carefully, stringing the lines across the interior of the inn. Once the trap was set, I motioned for Erin to wait outside, opened the door, and—

Nothing happened.

Hmmm.

I walked forward slowly, acting oblivious to the presence of the intruder. As I neared the empty spot, there was a sudden flash of light.

"I've been wait— oof"

The strings of silk tightened, ensnaring a chair that had appeared in the center of the room along with the one sitting in it.

Pisces.

"Erin, you can come in, it's just that Pisces guy!"

He struggled in the chair indignantly for a moment, before sighing softly and slumping.

"How did you detect me? I was certain my new skill would allow me to avoid detection."

While I was considering whether to respond or gag him, Erin came running through the door.

"You! I believed in you! I vouched for you! And you just left? What are you even doing back here?"

Pisces winced and looked away, unable to meet Erin's eyes.

"I… I apologize. I may have acted in haste when I left. Once I escaped, I reflected on the things you said. You were right, of course. I justified my crimes by telling myself they were acts of necessity. If I turned down your offer— if I rejected the chance to do better— I would be proving them right."

He looked genuinely apologetic, but then again he was an illusionist. I didn't know if I could trust his supposed contrition, and I wasn't inclined to take another risk. I looked over at Erin to say we should turn him in but…

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she believed him.

"Oh come on, Erin! He already betrayed us once! He even has a way to kill my bugs! He's probably just trying to lower our guard so he can steal from us!"

We had just earned a decent sum of money. I wouldn't be surprised if he'd somehow found that out and come to take advantage of us.

"Everyone deserves a second chance! Wouldn't you have done the same thing in his situation?"

I would have. And that's the problem.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, feeling a building headache. Erin had filled me in on bits of Pisces' sob story— how he was forced to become a villain because everyone already believed him to be one. It was a familiar story. It was my story. Sure, I went from Skitter the villain to Weaver the hero, but would I have done so if I thought I had a choice?

No. I wouldn't have.

"This isn't about empathy! It's about risk versus reward! He might kill us in our sleep and with Krshia, we don't even need a guide anymore!"

"Please, Taylor! You're a superhero!"

I felt bad for her, but what was I supposed to do? I refused to let Erin die just to spare her sense of morality. She may not be happy, but at least she'd be alive.

"This is what heroes do, Erin. They have to make tough choices. Unless you can prove to me that he can be trusted, I'm going to turn him in— whether you like it or not."

Erin's fists clenched and she looked like she was about to argue. She opened her mouth and then paused, eyes lighting up.

"[Sense Ally]!"

"What?"

"My skill! [Sense Ally]! Just hold on!"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Erin moved to stand in front of Pisces, then closed her eyes, scrunching her face in concentration. After a few moments…

"He's there! I can feel him! That means he's an ally!"

"Erin, we don't even know how that skill works! It isn—"

"It's proof! Please, just give him one more chance!"

She wasn't going to budge. She was like this with Lism too. If she felt that strongly then…

Sigh. Am I actually considering this?

"Alright."

"If I may interject I—"

"Quiet! "

"Thankyouthan—"

"You too!"

Erin went silent but a wide smile remained on her face.

"If we're going to do this, then there are going to be some ground rules. First, this is the last time this is happening. If he betrays us again, there will not be a third time. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"And Pisces? I was willing to let you go the last time. Next time? I'll find you."

Pisces swallowed, trying to back away from me but was held tight by the strings on the chair. He looked up at me and nodded hurriedly.

"Understood!"

I released Pisces from the chairs and clapped my hands together.

"Alright then. We don't really need a guide anymore so… Erin!"

"Yes?"

"You're in charge of Pisces. For now, he'll be a probationary member of the Heroes of the Inn."

"'Heroes of the Inn?'"

"That's the name of our adventuring team. You have a problem with it?"

"No, not at all! It's just… are you really [Heroes]?"

He must be referring to the class and not the general meaning of the word. That must get really confusing around here.

"Is there a reason we wouldn't be?"

"There hasn't been a [Hero] in… I don't even know how long. They are the stuff of legends."

I paused, weighing the benefits of telling him my class. From what I'd heard around the city, there wasn't much benefit to keeping your general class secret. Most people only kept quiet about their skills. I'd probably have to tell him anyway if we worked together long enough.

"My class isn't [Hero], it's [Superhero]."

"Mine's [Sidekick]."

He looked puzzled at that.

"[Superhero]? [Sidekick]?"

I nodded.

"We come from… a very far away place. Superhero and sidekick are terms that are unique to our culture. A superhero is someone who defeats villains and saves innocent people. A [Sidekick] is a superhero in training. "

"Not a derivative of [Hero] then. If it was possible to train to be a [Hero], it would've been done by now. Does that mean you expect me to take up this [Superhero] class?"

"Nope. You don't have any training. For now, you'll be a [Sidekick]."

"I don't mean to sound arrogant but… I am a graduated Wistram mage. I'm sure I qualify to be more than a trainee."

"Really? We'll see then. We haven't done any training today. Let's see how you handle it."

Erin froze, smiling nervously. She started slowly backing away from us, heading for the stairs.

"You guys have fun with that. I'll be upstairs doing… stuff."

"Didn't I say you would be in charge of Pisces? You'll be showing him how the exercises are done."

Erin slumped and Pisces scoffed.

"I won't be daunted by a bit of exercise. How bad could it be?"

***

"Alright, that's enough."

Pisces collapsed to the ground, panting with exhaustion. I was impressed by how long he'd lasted. He'd even done better than Erin. I would've assumed that a mage would neglect the benefits of physical exercise but he performed pretty well. Just not well enough for my standards.

"W… water… please…"

I grabbed a bucket of water from the kitchen and set it down in front of him. He dunked his face in the bucket and drank greedily. Erin was on the floor a few feet away, head down in her own bucket.

"We'll break for ten minutes then—"

I noticed someone approaching the inn with my bug sense. An Antinium and a Drake in guard uniforms. Klbkch and his partner Relc.

"Erin. Those guards we met earlier today are coming to the inn."

She gave me a thumbs up but kept drinking from the bucket. Pisces, on the other hand, shot up, straight as a board.

"Does this have anything to do with me?"

"I don't think so. Though, now that I think about it, we should pay your fines. How much did you steal?"

"If I recall correctly, a little bit more than ten gold. I don't know what the fine is for theft in Liscor though."

"We can afford it. It's coming out of your paycheck though."

I waited for the pair of guards to knock before walking over to open the door.

"Good evening, guardsmen. What can I help you with?"

Klbkch and Relc were standing there in full guardsmen attire, though they didn't look like they were here for trouble.

"Good evening, Taylor. We heard your team had an inn and decided to come visit."

"Yep! I've tried food from all the inns in Liscor and I want to see how this one stacks up!"

"Ummm… we don't actually run an inn. We just decided to live here."

"What? You named yourselves the 'Heroes of the Inn' but neither of you is an [Innkeeper]?"

"Well Erin is but— never mind just come in. We'll make you some food."

"Great!"

I stepped out of the doorway and motioned for them to come in. I led them over to sit at one of the tables. Klbkch surveyed the room after sitting down, eyes landing on Pisces.

"Hello, are you another member of their team?"

"Yes, I'm a new addition. Pisces, Wistram graduate, at your service."

Klbkch gave Pisces an appraising look and then nodded at him.

"I am Klbkch, Senior Guardsmen of Liscor. This is my partner, Relc."

Relc reached out and gave Pisces a vigorous handshake.

"Nice to meet ya!"

I wondered how to go about telling them that we wanted to pay Pisces' fine without making the situation awkward. Then I realized I could just have Pisces do it himself.

"Pisces, don't you have something you want to say to these guardsmen?"

Klbkch and Relc both turned to look at him and he froze. I gave him a pointed stare and he coughed looking away.

"Well… yes, I do. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I recently engaged in a number of petty thefts around Liscor. I have since seen the error of my ways and now seek to make recompense for my wrongdoings. I have come forth to return the money I have stolen and pay the fines for my crimes."

That was a generous interpretation of his motivations but it would probably work better than the truth. Klbkch and Relc stared at him, seemingly unsure of how to respond. Relc hissed and opened his mouth, rising from his seat to respond but Klbkch interjected.

"You are the one who has been stealing from people by pretending to be a monster?"

"...yes."

"Hmmm… we will accept an amount of 30 gold as recompense for your crimes."

Relc gave Pisces a dirty look but settled back down.

"If we catch you stealing again, it won't stop at a fine."

Pisces nodded stiffly and the table settled into a tense silence. I was about to say something to break the tension when Erin popped up from the ground.

"Hey! Klbkch! And… Rock?"

Immediately forgetting his hostility, Relc gasped in mock offense.

"It's Relc! How could you forget Liscor's best Senior Guardsmen"

Erin shrugged.

"Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I only remembered him because he gave us a health potion."

"So it's about money? Of course! There's no way Klb is more memorable than me! I'll have the most expensive item on your menu then!"

"Umm… we don't have a menu. We don't even have multiple dishes. Just pasta. And eggs. And blue fruit, but Taylor thinks they're poisonous."

Pisces gave her a puzzled look at that.

"Blue fruit? If you are referring to the Amentus fruit, it is indeed poisonous if harvested incorrectly. The cores contain a quite potent poison."

"Oh. Then just eggs and pasta for now I guess. No blue fruits until I figure out how to harvest them right."

"I'll have both of those then!"

"I would like some as well, please."

"I'll have the same."

I stood up from my seat.

"I'll help Erin cook. Pisces, you can go get some more water."

We didn't really need more but I didn't want to leave Pisces alone at a table with the two guardsmen. They seemed professional enough but… better to be safe than sorry.

"Actually, Taylor… I would like to speak with you if you don't mind. I'm sure Relc wouldn't mind helping out in the kitchen."

"What? But I—"

Klbkch cut him off with a look. Relc looked between us for a moment, then shrugged.

"Alright then. To the kitchen!"

He grabbed Erin and lifted her over his shoulder, barrelling towards the kitchen.

"Hey! Put me down!"

They disappeared into the kitchen and the sound of a frying pan against scales sounded from within.

"Pisces. Go get the water."

He stared tensely for a moment at Klbkch before looking back at me.

"Are you sure? I—"

"Go."

He nodded to me and headed for the front door. After one final glance at Klbkch, he exited the inn.

It was just me and Klbkch.

"So… you wanted to talk?"

He stared at me for a few moments, considering his approach.

Does he know we aren't from this planet? Does he know about my powers?

"Yes. About what happened in front of the city gates… How exactly does a human form a Unitasis Network?"

I blinked at him.

"A what?"