[YOU'RE A MERCHANT]

These bugs don't want your coin, your horses, or even your wagon. They want your side source of income-- Sugar.

Entry 1 with character marcos.

Entry 2 without character marcos.

Image generated by Gemini.
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As a merchant, you often import and export goods on the side to earn some extra money. This time, one of those goods is sugar—pure cane sugar. The woman contracting you has already paid half of the export fee, and she will pay the remaining half once her sugar reaches a spice merchant in another city, just a few hours away.

Everything was going smoothly; your horses were trotting steadily along when suddenly they reared up in fright. It takes them a moment to settle down, and by then, you see what scared them.

Four insectoid men surround you. The leader steps up to the side of your wagon and points at you. In a buzzing voice, the locust-like humanoid speaks:

"Sugar. Give. Now."

The sugar is not in plain sight, so they must have scented it like hounds. The leader now points to the ground, expecting you to dismount your wagon and hand over the sugar they are demanding.

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