Lucen was quite surprised to meet Aldric Marren, the very same merchant who, in the game, would somehow always appear in dungeons, uncharted ruins, or the middle of nowhere, just in time to sell the protagonist group some wares.
In the game, Aldric had always been a walking mystery, an unassuming merchant who somehow knew exactly when and where the protagonist needed supplies. A crumbling dungeon? He'd be there with lanterns and antidotes. A bandit ambush in a snowy pass? Aldric would already have a small fire going and tea brewing like he'd booked a reservation.
Lucen used to laugh about it with other players online. They'd joke that Aldric must've been the real final boss or an unpatched bug with a quest marker stuck to him. He was a meme, a legend, and somehow, also a beloved NPC.
