Merchant Crab

Morning came quietly to the pond.

It was a strange kind of quiet, though. The sort that came when everyone knew something was about to change. Or that it was going to rain. Druma could never tell the difference.

The goblin had spent most of the early morning making sure he was ready to leave. Not because there was much to pack, but because there was something reassuring about checking every little thing twice when one was about to do something as important as going on an adventure.

The goblin opened his small satchel and carefully looked through its contents.

A few personal belongings. Some food. A couple of useful little items he had picked up over the last year. Nothing particularly valuable to anyone else, but each thing in there mattered to him.

He closed the satchel and slung it over his shoulder before reaching for his wizard hat.

Druma inspected it carefully, brushing away a few specks of dust and adjusting the crooked brim until it sat properly on his head.

There. Much better.

Druma now felt like a proper genius goblin wizard.

His cape came next. He tugged at the clasp, made sure it was fastened securely, then gave the green fabric a proud little flap behind himself.

Finally, he checked the one thing he was perhaps most excited about.

The spellbook.

Tweedus had given it to him long ago, and although Druma still couldn't properly read all of it on his own, he refused to leave without it.

Someday, he would understand every word in that book.

Maybe once he reunited with his boss, Balthazar could continue giving him reading lessons.

And when that day came, maybe he could finally do something impressive that would make his boss proud.

Druma carefully placed the tome inside his satchel and closed the flap.

He took one last look around his little corner of the pond, patted his hay bale goodbye, and turned around.

Bouldy was waiting for him near the gazebo.

The stone golem stood completely still, his massive rocky body covered in the morning dew. He carried no luggage because, as far as Bouldy was concerned, he didn't need any.

Blue stood beside him, stretching her wings and yawning as the first rays of sunlight touched her blue scales.

The drake noticed Druma approaching and gave him an expectant look.

“Druma ready,” the goblin announced.

“Friend.”

“Druma knows. We need to find boss.”

Bouldy gave a firm nod.

Blue let out a quiet huff.

The three companions turned toward the bazaar one last time.

Druma's ears drooped slightly.

He didn't like leaving home.

But Balthazar was out there. And if his boss needed help, Druma was going to help him.

The three made their way inside the bazaar, where Tristan, Henrietta, and Madeleine were already waiting.

Madeleine was standing behind the counter with her arms folded, while Tristan leaned against one of the nearby tables. Henrietta sat atop a wooden crate, her eyes following the little group as they entered.

“So you're really doing this,” Madeleine said.

Druma nodded. “Druma has to.”

“Are you sure?” Tristan asked. “We don't even know where Balthazar is.”

“Yes, yes,” the goblin said, pointing firmly at himself. “That why Druma will find boss.”

Madeleine sighed softly.

“I know you want to help him, but this is a big world. You, Bouldy, and Blue have never gone this far on your own.”

Druma lowered his head for a moment. Then he looked back up.

“Boss would do it.”

That silenced them.

“If Druma lost somewhere, boss come find Druma,” he continued. “If Bouldy lost, boss find Bouldy. If Blue lost, boss find Blue. So Druma go find boss.”

After a quiet moment where the baker and the two merchants exchanged mute looks, the crab’s assistant spoke up again.

“And boss don't have his coin.”

Tristan blinked. “His coin?”

“Yes. Boss leave coin bag for Druma to hold before going down,” Druma said, nodding solemnly. “So now boss has no coin. And boss need coin. How else boss work?”

Madeleine couldn't help but smile at the little guy.

A crunch came from somewhere behind them, and everyone turned.

Rob was sitting on the edge of a table, casually munching on an apple.

“Yo,” the thief-turned-courier said from behind a mouthful of chewed apple.

“How long have you been there?” Madeleine asked.

The courier shrugged.

“Long enough to hear that apparently the fate of the world rests on Balthazar's wallet.”

Madeleine stared at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Eating an apple,” Rob said before taking another bite.

Before Madeleine could say another word, the bazaar back door opened and Rye stepped inside.

“I called him here.”

He was moving slowly, leaning heavily on a wooden crutch. The bandage around his chest was still firmly in place, and his face tightened briefly with every careful step.

Madeleine's expression immediately changed.

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“Rye!” she exclaimed as she rushed toward him. “What are you doing out of bed? You're still hurt!”

“I'm fine,” Rye said, though the wince that followed did a poor job of supporting his claim. “Really. I just needed to come down here.”

“You need to rest.”

“I have been resting.”

He smiled weakly, then looked toward Druma.

“I heard you guys were leaving.”

Druma nodded. “Druma go find boss.”

“That's what I wanted to talk about,” said Rye, shifting his weight carefully against the crutch. “When Balthazar was traveling with us, Rob always managed to find him.”

Rob stopped chewing and his eyebrows rose.

“It didn't matter where he went,” Rye continued. “You'd show up with some letter or package and somehow you'd know exactly where he was.”

Rob swallowed and shrugged. “That's what couriers do.”

“So I thought…” Rye said while looking toward the others. “Maybe he could do that again?”

“Oh!” Madeleine exclaimed as her eyes widened and she turned to Rob. “That's actually brilliant!”

Even Druma's ears had perked up.

“Rob find boss?”

The courier scratched his chin.

“I mean… I can try. Although…” He looked around the room. “I need something to deliver.”

Everyone stared at him.

Rob stared back.

“I can't just point at the sky and go, ‘Courier powers, activate.’”

Tristan frowned. “So you need a message?”

“Or a package,” the adventurer replied.

Tristan suddenly snapped his fingers. “I've got something.”

He hurried toward one of the shelves and retrieved a long piece of parchment.

“This is the monthly business ledger. I was supposed to give it to Balthazar, but then, you know…” the guildmaster made a wild zig-zagging motion with his arm toward the ceiling.

After rolling it up, Tristan handed the ledger to Rob, who accepted it.

“Perfect. Now that I have something to deliver I can—”

Madeleine suddenly raised a finger. “Wait!”

She hurried toward the kitchen and returned with a paper box before anyone could do little more than frown inquisitively at each other.

“And while you're at it, I can send him a snack.”

“Madeleine,” Rye said with a sigh. “They already have something for Rob to deliver.”

“He needs food,” she said with assertive authority before handing the box to the courier. “Here. Make sure he gets this too.”

Rob looked at the box.

“What's in it?”

“Pie.”

“I figured.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“Professional curiosity.”

He tucked the box under one arm and held the rolled ledger in his other hand.

Everyone gathered around him.

Druma stared expectantly.

Bouldy stared.

Blue stared.

Everyone else stared.

Intensely.

Rob slowly looked around at all of them.

“Could… you all stop looking at me?”

Nobody moved. They just glanced at one another.

“I can't do it with everyone watching.”

Madeleine frowned. “Why not?”

“Pressure. I’m delivery shy.” He gestured awkwardly with the ledger. “Just turn around or something.”

Everyone exchanged confused looks before reluctantly looking away.

Druma stared quietly at the floorboards for a moment, waiting for a sign.

But nothing happened.

Finally, the adventurer’s voice came again.

“I can't do it.”

Everyone turned around.

“What do you mean you can't do it?” Rye asked with a frown.

“I mean I can't find him.”

“But you always could before. What's different now?”

Rob rubbed the back of his neck.

“Normally, when I get a delivery, the system gives me a destination. A marker. A waypoint. Something. But this time, there’s just… nothing.”

Druma's ears drooped.

“Boss is… nowhere?”

“That's the problem.” Rob looked toward the road outside. “It's like he's just… out of reach.”

The room fell quiet.

Druma looked down at his feet. For a moment, even he didn't know what to say.

Then his eyes slowly widened.

“Can Rob make delivery for Druma?”

“I… guess,” the courier responded with a half shrug.

The goblin grinned with hope.

“Druma want Rob to make delivery to sir wizard, Tweedus,” he explained. “Sir wizard is very wise and always know how to solve problem. If Druma find Tweedus, Tweedus can help cure Rye’s curse and then maybe find boss too!”

Rob's expression immediately changed.

“No way!”

Druma blinked. “But—”

“Nope.”

“Druma thinks Tweedus can help.”

“No can do.”

Everyone stared at Rob and he put both hands up.

“Last time I delivered something to that old loon, it was a box full of tentacles.”

Henrietta raised an eye at him.

“A box full of tentacles? Why?”

“Hell if I know! That's what made it worse.” Rob's expression became increasingly haunted. “The thing tried to strangle me.”

Madeleine blinked. “You delivered it anyway?”

“It's my job!” he said, pointing toward the rolled ledger in his hand. “I spent three weeks chasing Tweedus across the continent because his location kept bouncing around like a broken compass.”

Druma's eyes widened. “And then?”

“Then I finally caught up with him. Far northeast. Some lava fields,” he said with a shudder before pointing at his eyebrows. “You know how long my eyebrows took to grow back after I singed them off?!”

“And then?” asked Henrietta.

“I handed him the box while he was drinking orange juice with an elemental. That thing looked at me like I was lunch. And then the tentacles tried to suffocate me again.”

Rob shook his head firmly.

“No way. Never again. Any job involving that wizard is officially above my pay grade.”

He placed the ledger on the nearest table, but held on to the paper box.

“Sorry I couldn’t help with finding Balthazar. Good luck finding your wizard, but count me out on that part.”

Then he walked out of the bazaar. Still carrying the box full of pie.

Tristan slowly looked toward Druma. “Well…”

Druma's ears perked back up. “Druma and friends do it.”

“You'll have to be careful,” Madeleine said with a smile.

“Druma careful,” the goblin said, nodding his head hard.

Rye leaned against his crutch and gave the goblin a tired smile.

“Find him, Druma.”

Druma grinned back at the archer. “Druma find boss.”

“And you guys,” Madeleine said, addressing Bouldy and Blue. “Look after each other, alright?”

“Friend,” the smiling golem said as the drake puffed out her chest.

Druma adjusted his hat, checked the strap of his satchel, and turned toward the road.

After proper goodbyes and a few hugs, the three friends left the pond behind.

The road ahead was long, and Druma didn't know where it went.

He didn't know what they'd find on it.

He didn't even know how long it would take.

But Balthazar was out there somewhere.

And Druma was going to find him.

The first fork in the road came sooner than expected.

Druma stopped at the intersection and looked down one path, then the other, and then reached into his satchel and pulled out a map.

He stared at it.

Then he turned it sideways.

Then upside down.

Bouldy leaned over to look.

Blue leaned over too.

Druma frowned at the paper. “Druma not know how to read map yet.”

“Friend,” Bouldy said while giving him a sympathetic look.

The goblin folded the map again and tucked it away.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head, considering the two options with all the wisdom he could summon.

Blue gave him a skeptical look.

“This way feel nicer,” the crab’s assistant said while pointing left.

Bouldy nodded. “Friend!”

And with that, the three companions continued down the road, leaving the fork and all their concerns about directions behind them.

They had no destination and no idea what waited ahead.

But they had each other.

For Druma, that was enough.

And as he trotted down the road, a strange thing appeared in his view.

[Quest started: Find Balthazar]

But the goblin couldn’t read those words properly yet, so he did the only sensible thing a goblin would do, and just shrugged and rubbed his eyes until the weird eye floater went away.

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