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Chapter 85: The Calm

Balthazar stared out through one of the holes in his bazaar’s roof at the few white clouds sailing by in the blue morning sky. He should be upset, perhaps sad or even angry at the damage done to ...

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Chapter 84: Antoine’s Deeds

“A fortune!” Antoine said, his eyes wide and filled with deranged hatred. “I’ve spent a small fortune trying to get rid of you, an insignificant crab! How can you be so difficult to get rid...

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Chapter 83: What Goes Around...

Balthazar stepped back and his shell hit the stool John had made for him. All around him there was damage to the beautiful work the carpenter had created for the crab. The holes blown through the r...

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Chapter 82: The Dark Mage

The crab carefully pinched another coin from his counter and deposited it in his Bag of Holding Money. Business was going well that morning. He had only sold a handful of his new potions, but so lo...

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Chapter 81: The Crab’s New Brews

Balthazar sat on his comfortable purple cushion in front of his tent as the sun disappeared over the horizon, humming to himself as he took a soft rag around his claw and polished the shine on his ...

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Chapter 80: The Stranger

The afternoon was breezy, and the sun was retreating behind the clouds, quickly ushering in a new cold night. Autumn’s arrival meant days were shorter, and the weather less pleasant, both things ...

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Chapter 79: Things Without a Price

Balthazar sat by the edge of the water, leisurely swirling the tip of his claw over the pond’s surface, idly musing over his surroundings. It had been days since he had even seen a bird around hi...

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Chapter 78: The Bravest of Crabs

Balthazar glared at the Arch-Necromancer with a snide look as he charged his death blast.

“You shouldn’t threaten me.”

“Hah! You may be unaffected by my aura, but a pathetic cra...

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Chapter 77: Old Acquaintances

“Hey, I think I heard some rumor about this recently,” said Balthazar, rubbing his chin casually.

Both the orcs and the lizards did not share his calm, however. The three warrior brothers...

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Chapter 76: The Lizard Envoy

“Henrietta, how’s my shine?”

The toad gave the crab a firm thumbs up. “Lustrous!”

“Alright, time to dazzle some lizards!” Balthazar turned to the orc standing by the entra...

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Chapter 75: Green Deal

Night had just fallen over the pond and the plains across from it were dark and quiet, save for the chilly breeze that blew across the grass. With summer finally gone, being out after sundown was n...

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Chapter 74: Crab Ltd

“No, this can’t be right,” the bewildered crab said, reading through the text in his eyes over and over again, but arriving at no different conclusion.

“You have reached the maximum l...

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Chapter 73: A Cursed Box

“Get away!” Balthazar yelled at the other two, as the mass of flying insects buzzed furiously towards them. Glancing across the pond, the crab spotted Henrietta jumping in place as she saw the ...

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Chapter 72: Barbisitter

Looking over the pond, Balthazar observed Henrietta sitting on a rock by the small waterfall that rolled down from the mountainside. The toad had her eyes closed and a content expression on her wid...

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Chapter 71: The Pie Council, Part 3

“A what now?!” Tom asked in disbelief.

“An independent… settlement,” the crab repeated slowly.

“You, Balthazar, want to turn this place into a settlement?” said Rye, holdi...

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Chapter 70: The Pie Council, Part 2

Balthazar gave his goblin assistant a nod, and Druma promptly opened the box Madeleine and Rye had brought over. The goblin carefully slid a plate out of the carton and onto the table surface, reve...

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Chapter 69: The Pie Council, Part 1

The sun was about to set on Balthazar’s pond, but unlike usual, there was no calm in the air. Instead, the murmuring of voices and the shuffling of multiple figures filled the bazaar as crates we...

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Chapter 68: Accursed Toad

The crab hid among the rocks by the roadside, blending in almost perfectly, save for the fact that none of them were blindingly shiny and golden as his carapace.

Gazing up towards the town ga...

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August Update

Cross-posting last Wednesday's chapter note on Royal Road here:

Quick note to let you guys know that with August coming next week, I'll be taking on some extra work. I know, I know, ...

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Chapter 67: Green With Envy

The conspicuous crab walked out of his bazaar with a tiny pouch in one pincer and a wrapped napkin in the other. He stopped in front of the horizon, where a large streak of orange was painted over ...

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Chapter 66: Balthazar’s Dissing Booth

Balthazar rummaged through a shelf, picking items and tossing them into a small open crate by his feet as he grumbled to himself.

“No, no, no, not this. Maybe some of this. Oh yes, definite...

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Chapter 65: Toadwatching

“What’s your secret?” Balthazar whispered to himself. “How are you getting in their good graces so easily, you ugly green croaker?”

The grudge-filled crab peered through his spyglas...

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Chapter 64: Toad Stand

Balthazar started his day the same way as always, crossing the wooden footpath over the water while munching on a sweet pastry.

On that morning, the crab carried a raspberry scone in his pinc...

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Chapter 63: Mister Big Crab

The drake took a deep breath and spread her wings as she shot a stream of blue flames over the pond’s water, her talons firmly gripping the ground as she screeched.

Pulling her head back an...

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Chapter 62: Inauguration Party

Balthazar put the brush down next to the open bucket of paint and picked up his new wooden sign. Holding it between his two pincers, the crab looked upon his finished work and nodded.

“Migh...

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Chapter 61: Counter Offer

Morning had come, and the sun was well on its way up to the highest point in the sky, but Balthazar was none the wiser to that, as he was still fast asleep on his purple cushion, both of his pincer...

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Chapter 60: Chasing a Bone

Balthazar yawned loudly and his eye stalks grew heavier as the night grew longer. Standing behind him, Bouldy opened his cavernous mouth and imitated his friend. Whether he was doing it because yaw...

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Chapter 59: Bear the Burden

Balthazar stared out into the horizon, his arms hanging over the wooden fence next to the entrance of his trading post, his eyes glancing over the plains grass.

The crab sighed.

He didn...

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Chapter 58: Perfectly Normal

John had arrived early in the morning for another day of work at the pond, and Balthazar observed him from nearby, a pincer tapping on his chin, wondering what the old man’s secret was.

The...

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Chapter 57: A Bit of a Stretch

Balthazar woke up just as the sun appeared over the horizon.

Hurriedly stuffing some leftover pie from the previous night in his mouth, the crab rushed his way across the bridge to the tradin...

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