Merchant Crab: A LitRPG Adventure, page 52
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 Mr. Fancy Silkpants.”
“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 toward 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, kept as a pet for him to toy with whenever his day went 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 bidding. Interfering with Balthazar’s business and making him lose clients. 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 the master of Ardville’s Merchant’s Guild lacked to keep him in check: real friends.
That, and how close he came to letting them—and himself—down. 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.”
SIXTY-NINE
THE PIE COUNCIL, PART 1
The sun was about to set on Balthazar’s pond, but unlike usual, there was no quiet and calm in the air. Instead, the murmuring of voices and shuffling around 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, but he understands most other words just fine.”
“Friend,” Bouldy said, smiling at the crab as he gently placed the table at the very center of the platform.
“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. For whatever reason, 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 and pretty, 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 greeted, 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, 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—” the crab started, but before he could finish, the drunk had somehow already slipped around him and was now giving Rye a firm handshake.
“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 toward 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 was a dark brown jacket and trousers, both old and full of moth holes. His outfit almost made Tristan’s look like fine couture. Shortly after, Druma walked in next to him.
“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—as well as you—for 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—”
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 and 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 Balthazar, farthest from everyone else.
