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 had 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.