Merchant Crab

Chapter 160: Criminal Crab

Balthazar winced as the pieces of broken glass hit the floor, followed shortly by the bandit’s chin.

Blue—with Druma on her back—had come in through the skylight above like a mage whose levitation spell had just run out, the weight of both of them dropping right on top of the man holding the crab captive.

The thug let out a loud as the air was forcibly pressed out of his body under the pressure of Balthazar’s rescuers and he passed out from the blunt force.

Jumping off the drake’s back with his staff tightly gripped in both hands, Druma started hopping around with a menacing look on his face—or at least his best attempt at one.

“Arrrgh!” he yelled, shaking his staff around at nobody. “Let boss go or Druma magics you!”

With a slight frown, Blue looked around and then down at the unconscious man under her. With a small growl, she called the goblin’s attention to her before nodding at their defeated foe.

Druma looked at the bandit, staff still at the ready and confusion on his face.

“You got him already,” Balthazar finally said.

“Yay!” the assistant cheered, holding his staff up horizontally above his head and doing a little celebratory dance. “Blue and Druma beat bandits!”

“I mean…” the crab started with some annoyance to his tone. “He was already about to cut me loose, so…”

The goblin ceased his dance. “Is boss mad at Druma? Blue and Druma shoulda waited outside?”

His expression had quickly shifted to sad and apprehensive, his ears shagging like a dog who had just been caught chewing the cushions.

“No. No, no. It’s fine!” Balthazar hurriedly said. “You guys did good! Who knows what would have happened if you hadn’t shown up? I might have had to actually offer that guy an insurance program or some other nonsense.”

Druma’s expression changed back to joy and he resumed his victory dance, while Blue awkwardly climbed down from her bandit landing pad.

“But we can celebrate later,” the merchant warned. “Now get me down before the other bandit comes ba—”

With a sudden slam, the backdoor into the storeroom flew open.

“What was that noise?!” the smaller bandit who had gone outside yelled as he rushed inside. “Grug, are you—”

His eyes widened as they met his comrade’s body sprawled on the floor, a drake standing over it alongside a goblin frozen halfway through his dance.

“What the hell?!” the man exclaimed as he reached for the knife attached to his belt.

“Watch out!” the hanging crab shouted.

But his companions were already ahead of his warning.

With a high-pitched yell, Druma pointed his staff forward at the ruffian, unleashing a volley of small green bolts at him. The projectiles hit him straight in the chest and stomach, making the man stumble back and grunt in pain.

Before the bandit had time to know what hit him—a spell from an unlikely wizard—Blue had already leaped forward, using her tucked back wings to glide smoothly over the room, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. As her claws landed on the floor in front of the dazed human, she spun around for a massive hit with her tail, sending him flying several paces into a pile of wood panels and pallets over by the corner.

Seeing their second foe down and out for the count too, the goblin and the drake cheered loudly at each other, Druma hopping in circles around Blue as she nodded with a toothy grin that Balthazar couldn’t remember seeing very often.

[Bandits defeated. Assist experience awarded.]

[You have reached level 20!]

“This is nice and all, but can I get down from here now or…” the party-crashing crab said from his least favorite hangout spot.

As if suddenly remembering his presence, Blue quickly put away her grin and resumed her more serious and uncaring expression, looking at the second bandit with a raised brow and a few sniffs, checking if he was really out.

Meanwhile, Druma rushed to his boss after grabbing the knife the bandit had dropped before going for his impromptu nap time.

“Yes, yes!” he said. “Sorry, boss! Druma get boss down now!”

“Ow! Watch the antennae!” complained the crustacean as his assistant unceremoniously climbed up his upside-down body to reach the rope, placing one foot on his shell and the other awkwardly close to his face.

With a swift swipe, the goblin sliced the rope from the ceiling beam and immediately hopped off the crab right before he landed on his shell.

“Ouch,” Balthazar said. “That hurt.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Sorry, sorry, boss!” the green creature exclaimed as he hurried to cut the ropes holding the merchant’s legs and claws together.

“It seems Onion Jake knew I was coming to check this place,” said Balthazar as he stood up and shook the dust off his shell. “So that must mean the other places are being watched too. We need to find Olivia and Suze to let them know, before they get in trouble as well.”

Druma shook his head vigorously to every word. Even if he didn’t fully understand everything that was going on, he was more than happy to oblige and just glad to go along, and that was good enough for Balthazar.

“My backpack,” the crab said, looking around the room. “Let’s find it and get out of here before any more bandits show up.”

The goblin looked around until he spotted the bag nearby on the floor. He hurriedly grabbed and handed it to his boss with a big grin on his face. “Druma find bag!”

“Thanks,” Balthazar said as he took the Backpack of Holding into his pincers, eyestalks frowning slightly. “Now why was that guy saying there was nothing in here?”

Putting one claw into the magical bag, the crab rummaged for a moment.

He

“Argh!” said the guard. “Whatever, we got the crab. That’s what matters. Pull him up and let’s take him in.”

“Why are you doing this to me?” Balthazar exclaimed, struggling against the attempts to close the shackles around his claws.

“You are under arrest,” one of the guards said. “Now stop resisting!”

“For what reason? What is the charge?” the indignant crab said. “Eating pie? A succulent slice of mango pie?!”

The guard in charge came in between the other two, putting his knee against the merchant’s carapace as he tried to help with the chains. “Just… stop… struggling!”

“Get your hand off my gills, sir!” Balthazar shouted with profound outrage.

Despite his protesting and resistance, he was no match for the guards, and soon after, the crab was being hauled in shackles to the Marquessian dungeon.

The guards unceremoniously threw him into a cell, locking up the door and leaving Balthazar seeing the sun through a set of iron bars, like a common criminal.