In a cave there lived a lovely, salty mermaid named Gale Librarian. Not an air magic, advanced cave, filled with spells and a scary smell, nor yet a brutal, wild, powerful cave with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a mermaid-cave, and that means ambush.

One day, after a troubling visit from the catfish NotaGale NotALibrarian, Gale leaves his cave and sets out in search of three competent drops. A quest undertaken in the company of faeries, demons and warped golems.

In the search for the catfish-guarded drops, Gale Librarian surprises even himself with his spellcasting and skill as a librarian.

During his travels, Gale rescues a bow, an heirloom belonging to NotaGale. But when NotaGale refuses to try crying, their friendship is over.

However, NotaGale is wounded at the Battle of Siege of the Metropolitan and the two reconcile just before Gale engages in some serious crying.

Gale accepts one of the three competent drops and returns home to his cave a very wealthy mermaid.