The next morning as they were preparing to leave, Chuck handed each of them a pouch that jingled when shaken. He said, “I know you may not care now, but we really do need to have money as we proceed. There are several more pouches with a similar amount that we can give to whomever we feel deserves it. If you ask me, we should keep it for ourselves, but I suspect you’re not going to ask me, so whoever wants to hold on to them is welcome to. There’s enough coin in each of these bags to make a huge difference in some folks’ lives.” He gestured to a small pile by the gate. “They’re over there.”
Allison gathered four others, which she tucked into one of the satchels she had found in the storeroom. The others had all taken bags as well, and they loaded up on provisions. They wanted to take at least several days’ worth with them.
With one final glance toward Simon’s grave, the group headed back into the woods, resuming their marching order from the prior day. Stu, in the lead, had become almost catlike in his ability to choose his steps so as to make no noise whatsoever. The others had also gained more skill, but he was clearly in his element. Allison and TJ occasionally stepped on a twig or a dry leaf, making a slight crunching sound, and each time it happened, everyone grimaced. Still, someone would have to have been actively listening to hear their passage.
The group moved more quickly south than it had north the day before. They each felt more comfortable with their skills and reasoned that if those brigands were the local toughs, there was unlikely to be anything of significant danger in the area. Given how easily they had bested them, the group felt up to a new challenge. It was well before lunch when they first began to smell the smoke from the village’s cook fires.
They came out of the woods just down the path from the town and retraced their steps from the previous day. The children were playing outside as before, though this time they didn’t panic and run. Rather, the one called Fin looked up calmly and called over his shoulder. “Hey, Paw! Them soldiers are back again.” Then he returned to his play.
Claude came running from around the corner of the house, carrying his pitchfork. He pulled up short and looked them over. “So you’re back now, milady?” He left the statement floating, waiting for her response.
“Indeed we are, Claude. We have good news, and sad news. The good news is that the brigands won’t be bothering you anymore. We came across their encampment yesterday, just as your boy said we would. We killed them all, as well as the one who had returned from hunting. Unless they sent out more than one in search of food, there are none left. Their encampment is empty, and if you and your people want to move in, you may find it more to your liking than staying here.” She gestured to the ramshackle buildings along the path. “It has a stout fence around it, and while it might be tight quarters, there would be enough room for all of you. There is even space for you to plant some small crops, and it appears game is plentiful.
“Oh, and there is this.” She reached into her satchel and tossed the man one of the pouches of gold. “It is yours now.”
Whether due to the magical ring on her finger or something else, the look on Claude’s face was nothing short of awe. “Can what you say really be true?” he asked. He opened the thong on the pouch and looked inside, then poured a couple of the coins out into his hand, where the gold shimmered even in the dappled forest light.
Allison nodded. “It is. What you do with your lives now is up to you. But at least you have one less thing to worry about. And should you decide to move your village, perhaps even fewer. There are weapons there too. A few bows, and the swords that the brigands wielded. If the soldiers harass you as you claim, they may be less willing to do so if you can spill their blood from behind a wall. I assume some of you know how to use a bow?”
He nodded back at her. “Yes, milady. There’s me, of course, and a couple others who have hunted in their time and still have a strong enough back to draw a bow.”
“Then I suggest you make the most of this situation. Over time you can extend the clearing and perhaps create larger fields for crops. We are going on our way now. We wish you the brightest of futures.”
“Th-th-thank you, milady,” he stuttered.
Her friends watched the exchange in amazement, impressed at how Allison had grown into the role of noblewoman priestess. When she set off down the road through the village, they naturally fell into step behind her. Claude stretched out a hand and grabbed at Allison’s sleeve as she passed. She stopped and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, Claude?”
“What was the bad news you spoke of?” His eyes scanned down the line of adventurers and then back to hers, realizing the answer.
“We lost one of our own. He lies among the flowers in the clearing where he died.” Her eyes bore into his with an intensity that made him drop his gaze. “Whatever you and your people choose, make the choice worth his sacrifice.” With that, she began walking again. She paused briefly in front of the boy, Fin, to pat him on the head, then continued past the other houses and down the path into the woods.
CHAPTER 10
Without any reason to change direction, the group continued down the path, putting Claude’s little village behind them. They briefly discussed moving back into the woods, as they had after the first ambush, but concluded that the Obligatory Thug Attack they experienced earlier was merely standard gaming fare, and it probably didn’t reflect the real dangers of the road. The path wasn’t particularly well trodden, and if someone was looking to cause mischief, the village they had just passed through would be a much surer target than hoping for random passersby. Further, Stu’s senses had increased significantly. He claimed there was virtually no chance that he could be taken off guard like that again. Considering how they all manifested their own character’s powers, no one doubted his claim.
Morning passed into afternoon, but as the friends got hungry they munched on some of the food from the brigand camp rather than stop their march. There was a sense of urgency now that they had decided to pursue the adventure to the end. Every so often Chuck would make a whiney noise, but it seemed to be more a function of his newfound personality and less one of actual fatigue. When evening began to fall, they slowed their pace and Stu trotted off, crisscrossing the path, looking for a suitable place to camp. It wasn’t long before his sharp eyes spotted one, and the group hunkered down.
With flint and steel he had commandeered from the fort, Stu quickly set sparks flying into a pile of tinder. Soon there was a small blaze going, and with branches that the others had brought back to the site, it quickly grew into a respectable campfire. As they sat around the fire, again they ate the dried meat and cheese from their packs.
Between bites, Jimmy said, “You know, I’m not the complaining type or anything, but this stuff was OK while we were walking. I don’t think I can live on it indefinitely.”
TJ sighed. “Yeah, I agree. These travel rations are good in a pinch, but who knows how long we’ll be walking on this path looking for a clue as to what’s going to happen next. I don’t think we should count on this being a short-term trek. We’re going to need to start keeping an open eye for game as we go.”
Stu shrugged. “I’ve seen traces of all sorts of stuff as we’ve been walking. There’s plenty to eat, but hunting is time-consuming, and I wasn’t sure if we wanted to slow down for me to restock. Rabbits and birds are easy enough to catch, but they’re tricky to find as we march. Deer I can find without any trouble, but cleaning them takes a little more work.”