Merchant Crab

Balthazar rummaged through the depths of his Backpack of Holding Stuff & Things, his pincers moving with hurried motions as the first amber rays of dawn crept over the silhouetted rooftop of the gazebo. He stood behind his bazaar in the crisp morning air, preparing to set off to his destination after waking up way too early thanks to his bubbling excitement.

Frosty air clung to his chitin, forming a film of thin rime. The air was freezing and a white haze lingered above the pond, a remnant of the previous night waiting to be dispersed by the sunlight. Winter had just started, but it already promised to be a particularly cold one.

There was no snow. Not yet, at least. But small mounds of white surrounded the bazaar and the shores of the crab’s pond.

Ash. From the eruption of the mountain above.

But lava was not what had spewed forth from the awakened volcano. Spilled over the sides of the Semla Mountain and the area around its base were rivers of pure dark chocolate, some now solid, hardened by the cold winter air, others still hot and liquid enough to flow slowly.

As strange as the world of Heartha often was, how a mountain produced rivers of chocolate was a mystery even there. But a mystery Balthazar was eager to uncover.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Madeleine asked from inside the bazaar as some of the crab’s friends came out to join him.

She had spent the night there after they agreed it was too late for her to walk back to Ardville, but awoke with the ruckus caused by the excited crustacean and his preparations.

“You just came back home,” said the innkeeper turned toad, Henrietta, hopping down the steps alongside the others. “Do you really want to go looking for new trouble already?”

“I’m not looking for trouble,” he said. “I’m looking for treasure! Or the source of the chocolate. Same thing, really.”

He turned to his friends as he strapped the backpack to his shell.

“You guys are worrying over nothing. I’ve been in dungeons before.”

“Yes, a beginner’s dungeon full of skeletons who are friendly to you,” Rye chimed in as he joined them. “Not sure that really counts when you don’t even know what you’re walking into over there.”

The adventurer nodded toward the new entrance that had appeared on the side of the mountain overlooking the crab’s pond.

Balthazar squared his shell and rolled his eyestalks. The warnings from his friends bounced off him like raindrops on waxed chitin, despite him knowing they meant well.

The system message had made it very clear that the newly-formed cave entrance on the side of the Semla Mountain was not just a random consequence of the volcanic eruption above.

[The Semla Dungeon is now open]

[Quest started: Find The Source at the core of the dungeon]

The bold letters still lingered in the crab’s thoughts despite having been dismissed hours ago, like an urgent decree etched into his visual memory.

The sudden eruption of the mountain over his beloved home pond could have been cause for worry and panic, and it had been at first, but once the giant crustacean realized the volcano spewed liquid chocolate rather than lava, he knew his haven had not been doomed but rather blessed.

Chocolate. Delicious chocolate. Flowing down from his neighboring mountain and all around his pond. It was like a dream coming true.

And then adding a brand new dungeon appearing right on his doorstep was like the cherry on top of the delicious chocolate cake.

Luck was smiling upon the merchant after his return home, and he planned to seize that moment with both pincers.

Dungeons attracted adventurers like bees to honey—or crabs to pastries—and having his bazaar sitting right in front of the entrance to one would no doubt mean increased traffic through his little trading post, which meant more coin in his pouch.

But before the inevitable stream of loot-hungry adventurers came pouring into the new dungeon, Balthazar wanted to get the first peek inside—and possibly the first pick at the treasure within too.

If the mysterious new area inside the mountain turned out to be filled with gold, it would only be right for him to get his share of it. And by share he meant as much as he could shovel into his bags before anyone else showed up.

But gold was not the crab’s only love. Sweet pastries were about the only thing more precious to him than shiny treasure, and if chocolate was spewing from the top of the mountain, that likely meant it was coming from somewhere deep within.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Find The Source at the core of the dungeon.

The words from the system kept bouncing around inside his shell, beckoning him like a siren’s call.

What else could it be if not the source of the chocolate? It made perfect sense to him.

Balthazar still saw no relation between himself and the foolish adventurers he usually dealt with. Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder if the burning desire to go into that unknown dungeon and find what great prize lay in wait within was what they usually experienced when setting out to adventure.

If he could find the source of the chocolate, the possibilities were nearly endless. The sweet goodies he would have. The unlimited amount of baked delicacies Madeleine could make for him. The chocolate parties he would throw!

The excitement bubbled through Balthazar's shell. He couldn't resist the pull of the unknown cavern. With a decisive click of his pincers, he dismissed any lingering doubts—this golden opportunity was too precious to ignore.

Business, treasure, and sweets. All wrapped into one perfect package right outside his home.

What kind of crab could resist that?

Not the merchant crab, that was for sure.

“Look, guys,” he started, addressing his friends with a placating wave of his pincers. “I’m not the same crab that lived his entire life isolated in his little pond. I’ve been out there, I’ve been through a lot. Dark mages and red dragons. Greedy adventurers and bandits. Witches and enchantresses. I’ve dealt with it all. Whatever might be inside that dungeon doesn’t scare me. I’ll be fine!”

Rye crossed his arms and exhaled sharply.

“It’s not prudent. We have no idea what kind of dungeon it even is. How dangerous or the level of its difficulty. It’s a complete unknown! I don’t even recall hearing about new dungeons popping up like that until now.”

“Bah!” exclaimed Balthazar. “I thought you were supposed to be an adventurer! Where’s your sense of adventure, kid?”

The archer sighed.

“Of course I’m curious to see what’s inside too,” he admitted. “As every other adventurer currently gearing up to come down here surely is. Which is why I think the reasonable thing to do is wait for other adventurer parties to arrive and take on the task as a group. Safety in numbers, and all that.”

The crab scoffed dismissively as he turned toward the edge of the pond. “And have to share the wealth with those knuckleheads? No thanks.”

“Well, then you leave me no choice but to go with you,” the young man said, fastening the strap of his quiver against his chest. “Don’t worry. Free of charge, of course.”

“You will do no such thing,” Balthazar plainly stated.

“What?! Why not?” the surprised adventurer asked.

“Because your job is to escort Madeleine back home and look after her for now,” the crustacean declared.

“Hey, I’m not an invalid, I just spent a couple of months living in a dragon’s lair!” the baker exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips in disapproval.

“At least take Druma and Blue with you, Balthazar,” Tristan pleaded, sitting on a wooden step next to Henrietta.

“Nope,” the merchant casually replied. “If you guys are all so worried it’s dangerous, why would I risk taking them with me? I want to go in there, I go. On my own. That’s called being responsible!”

Madeleine scowled. “I guess that’s one name for it.”

Balthazar would not openly admit it, but the reality of it was that he felt taking his goblin assistant and drake into that place after they had already been dragged around the continent with him for months was unfair.

He saw them on the other side of the bazaar earlier, still fast asleep next to each other on Druma’s beloved pile of hay, a bubble softly swelling from his nostril and the Blue’s breathing releasing small puffs of steam around them.

They had been with him for every step of his journey, with not a complaint or regret. If the merchant wanted to go sniffing into an old cave, he was more than capable of doing it on his own. They were owed some rest. Better than paying them for overtime, too.

If Bouldy had arrived yet, maybe he would take his bodyguard in there with him, but since the golem was likely still a few days away from the pond, Balthazar did not have the luxury of waiting.

Rye shrugged in frustration. “But then aren’t you admitting that it is dangerous?!”

The crab started walking around the edge of the water, toward the mountainside.

“Relax. It’s not like I plan on exploring the whole thing anyway. I’ll just take a peek inside, to see if there’s any good treasure. Trust me, if it’s nothing but dust and old boots in there, I’ll turn around and come right back.”

“Oh, for Crea’s sake. Just let him go,” Henrietta said with a croak. “You know how stubborn that crab is. If there really is something dangerous in there we all know he’s not going to do anything except turn away and skitter back with his shell between his legs.”

“Hah!” Balthazar laughed from several paces away. “We will see about that, toad!”

The puffed up crustacean made his way to the other side of the pond as the voices of his friends faded away in the background.

He appreciated their concern, but unlike them, he had lived in that area his whole life. He knew his home was nothing if not peaceful. What great and tenebrous dangers could possibly exist inside the walls of the mountain right next to his lovely pond?

“Phew, this looks way bigger up close,” he muttered as he arrived at the mouth of the cave.

Shattered chunks of rock and debris lay on the ground next to the newly formed entrance. It was more than twice as tall as Bouldy and three times as wide as that, extending far into the body of the mountain, past where the outside light could reach, leading into pitch-black darkness.

Balthazar gulped as the cold winter wind howled against the walls of the cave.

“Well, that’s what the torch is for.”

Reassuring himself that he was brave and that there would be nothing to worry about inside, the crab lit the wooden torch with his pincer and a piece of flint before skittering onward into the tunnel ahead.

As he ventured further inside, the bright morning light faded behind him until it was merely a speck in the distance, and Balthazar tried to peer into the darkness with squinting eyes. The orange halo provided by his pincerheld torch was barely enough to illuminate a couple of paces in front of his antennae, and he could not make out anything beyond that.

After a few moments of intense staring into the void, the sudden appearance of a system message in his vision startled the crab.

[Warning: restricted dungeon breached]

[Analyzing intruding entity…]

A cold sensation washed over Balthazar, like a piercing gaze had been fixed on him.

“What the…”