I approached the caravan with a wide smile on my face. My approach drawing the attention of the caravaneers and the townsfolk who gave me head nods and polite hellos as I entered the town. Two of the caravaneers shared a look as I approached, then looked at me and returned my smile. One of them was a gnome wearing a jaunty hat with a feather and a white silk shirt, and the other was a dwarf in a simple jerkin with an iron dagger on his hip and the mustache above his beard twisted into fine twirls by some kind of grease.

The gnome took a few steps toward me. “Hail good sir! It’s not often we see an elf in these parts,” he said, extending a hand.

“Half-elf, but I could say the same about seeing a gnome. Though I’ve never actually seen one before anywhere.”

“Really? We’re rather a common folk.”

“I guess I just haven’t really traveled much.”

That sentence seemed to put a twinkle in his eye. “Well don’t you worry friend. I’m sure I can find some unique wares that will dazzle and amaze you.”

“Ah, actually I-”

Before I could finish the gnome gripped my arm with surprising strength and dragged me around to the other side of one of the large beetles. On that other side was a small bazaar that had been set up, with multiple tables that came up to either my knee or my hip depending on whether it was run by a dwarf or a gnome. There were foodstuffs, tools, and refined metals on the majority of them, which made sense considering the people of Mykas were an eminently practical folk, and most of their decoration was created by their own cultivation of luminescent mushrooms.

The stonemen and kobolds were chatting with the caravans and purchasing things. The stonemen seemed particularly interested in certain ores they found, and what few weapons the sellers had happened to bring. The kobolds on the other hand were working out multiple layers of bartering with different sellers where they’d agree to secure some good for the seller, which they would then trade with another kobold, and that other kobold would trade it again for another item, and eventually all of the kobolds and the sellers would wind up with something they wanted in an incredibly convoluted chain of bartering. I had a sneaking suspicion that the kobolds were coming out on top with those trades every time.

I was dragged past all of those tables with practical and sensible goods, and toward a table whose contents I could only describe as eclectic and purposeless. The gnome dragged me down a bit and I kneeled in front of his table noting a pile of shrunken heads in one corner, a dagger with a jeweled hilt in another, and a small toy bird that drank from a cup of water in the center just like a similar contraption I’d seen on Earth.

“So young elf, do these items not delight and inspire.”

“I-”

“Too overwhelmed to respond. I certainly understand such a reaction when brought before treasures like these. Look at this!” He grabbed a large seashell, reminiscent of a conch, but bright blue rather than the softer pinks and oranges I’d seen them in before. “This is a nearly priceless treasure. I found it on a jaunt to the coast. You’ve never seen the sea I assume? I know most elves live too far in the air for that.”

“Actually I’ve-”

“The special thing about this shell is that it allows you to hear the ocean no matter how far you are from it. Here, listen,” he hopped onto his curio table and placed it against my ear before I could react.

It sounded like any shell sounded when pressed against your ear. Unfortunately for the gnome in front of me, I knew I could recreate that effect with a cup, or your own hand. “That’s uh, quite interesting.”

“Isn’t it? And a steal at only thirty gold.”

“Ah, well, actually I don’t have-”

“Tell you what. You’re a first time customer. How about five gold?”

Wow, what incredible savings. I felt a little bad for letting the man go on this little spiel. He clearly thought I was an easy mark, and I didn’t take that personally. I definitely had the look of a fish out of water here. Unfortunately for him, I’d been to more than a few flea markets on Earth, and I’d seen his kind more than a few times. Even more unfortunately for him, I had absolutely no money, though the council owed me some based on our previous agreement.

Stolen novel; please report.

“How about a slight counteroffer?”

The gnome’s eyes narrowed. “Such as?”

“How about you keep this clearly priceless shell for yourself, and you hire me on as a guard for the caravan?”

I watched as the jovial and smiling salesman facade faded from his face. “No money, huh?”

I gave a nod. “I was trying to tell you before you dragged me over here. It was a good attempt by the way. If I’d been the rube you took me for, I’d have given you the shirt off my back.”

He sighed. “Thank you, I suppose.” He gently placed the blue shell back down among the rest of his curios. “I’m not the one to ask for the job though. That would be Geode. He’ll be the head beetle. I was standing with him earlier.” He hung his head glumly in his hand.

I stood, but hesitated. “Can I ask why you trade here? I don’t think Mykas is really the best place for your goods.”

He nodded. “It’s not. I’ve probably only made three sales from the years I’ve been coming here. That’s how it goes though. I do much better business at some of the other settlements along the route. Unfortunately everyone else does well here, so for now I’ll just have to endure being salesless.”

“Do you barter?”

“Of course. Too many remote settlements like this don’t have gold.”

“Hmm.” I looked around and noticed that the kobolds were all mostly where the dwarves were, which was curious because while the curios weren’t practical, they definitely seemed like they’d speak to the kobold’s sense of whimsy. I located Zevrack among them, dealing in a three way trade and approached him.

“Hey Zevrack.”

His nose twitched and he looked up at me. “Cor! I received the system's notification. I accept the proposal.”

I cocked my head at him. “What notification?”

“I formally accept you as my companion.”

“Oh!” I’d forgotten about, there was so much going on at the time that I hadn't given it much though since I completed the quest. I never sent any request out or asked anyone, but if Zevrack had accepted it, that seemed to indicate that the process was automated. I guess I had assumed that it would be Elle, but hey, Zevrack was great. Who didn’t want to be companions with a small dragon? “Wait, did you only just receive the request from the system? I’d have assumed it would’ve put that notification out immediately after I finished the quest?”

Zevrack shrugged. “System is weird sometimes.”

“That’s certainly true.” I looked back at the now glum gnome trade. “Can I ask why none of the Buried Claw are trading with that guy?”

Zevrack crawled between my legs to look at the gnome, then turned back to look at me. “We do not trade with children. It is not ethical.”

I blinked and took a quick stock of the rest of the temporary market that had been set up. I realized that none of the kobolds were trading with any of the gnomes. I turned back to Zevrack. “They uh, aren’t children. Those are gnomes. They’re all adults as far as I can tell.”

Zevrack looked at me, then at the gnomes, then back. “Thank you for letting me know first.” He bolted for the glum gnome’s curio counter and was across the market almost before I could blink. I saw the gnome’s eyes light up as he approached, and a smile grow across his face.

I nodded to myself, hoping that would give the gnome a nice boost in business, then headed back around to the front of the head beetle. Gently scraping the beetle’s head with a thick brush was the dwarf I’d seen earlier with the dagger at his hip and the curled mustache. He looked up as I approached, and I held up a hand in greeting.

“Hi, are you Geode?”

The man looked me up and down. “Who's asking?”

“I’m Cor. Your gnomish trinket salesman asked me to talk to you.”

He squinted his eyes and folded his arms.“I’m not going to haul all these people all the way to elf-land just for Tinsel to sell a few extra baubles. If he wants to trade on a different route, he needs to find a different caravan.”

“He didn’t ask me to convince you of anything. He just told me you’re the one to talk to if I wanted to travel with your caravan.”

His expression softened. “Oh, that’s different then. Are you a trader? Not sure what an elf would be doing trying to hock goods around these parts.”

“Uh no, I was hoping you might hire me as a guard.”

He twirled his mustache thoughtfully. “Well, I have been hearing a lot about kidnappings and fights around these parts, and anyone who could travel this deep into the caverns alone is someone who can handle themselves. What terms do you offer?”

“Whatever the going rate is, and I’ll leave the route after we make it to a human settlement outside, or a dwarven city with routes that lead to a human one.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You some kind of humanphile?”

“I’m half human. Just want to be in a place where seeing the sky is part of my average day, not a treat.”

“Well you’re in luck. We will be heading to a human settlement about halfway along the route. It’s the season for it, after all. Going rate is a half silver a day, we’ll feed and tent you.”

“Would you consider hiring a kobold as well?”

He sighed heavily. “Yes, but tell it there’s no negotiating the rate. Last time I hired a kobold trader they spent months trying to haggle with me for every little thing.”

“Alright, when do we leave?”

“Have your things ready tomorrow morning. We’ll be leaving early.”