-----Immediately all ten warriors perk up; a few setting boxes they were carrying down. Many of them check the daggers and crude sword they carry while the stout warrior answers for them. “We’ll help you, Sol! Lead on!” he says enthusiastically.
-----"If any o' ye know of a couple o' horses that could be used t'pull a wagon, go grab them. Otherwise we'll have t'make do." Sol dismounts, choosing to walk with the others, as he leads his steed by the reins.
-----Some of the men look at each other; some with questioning glances and others with pondering expressions. Finally one of them speaks up saying, “Sorry, some of the men on the watch were talking of scouting across the country to look for horses, but I don’t think anyone’s done that yet.”
-----“We be needin’ some good beasts here if we plan to secure this village more or if we want to move everybody elsewheres,” another warrior adds.
-----"Yes, though no matter fer now. Follow me." Sol leads them onto the barn with the gold.
-----Less than an hour later, Raven sees Sol approaching with about ten sturdy warriors. The Gorian is striding alongside Thunder, choosing to walk with the other men.
-----Raven waves to them and stands by the barn doors. Meanwhile the clouds overhead continue to hang as if motionless and the air seems heavy with the hot temperatures.
-----Sol returns the hunter’s waves as he leads all concerned into the barn and with his arms spread out wide, he explains, "Stored here is th' gold o’ Sintor's that many o' ye were forced t'dredge. As far as I'm concerned it belongs t'every man, woman an' child who has suffered here in Ku. Which building in th' village would be th' most secure fer all o' this? An' who is th' most reliable t'be put in charge o' it's security?"
-----“Gold?” one of the men says dumbfounded. His jaw continues to work but no coherent words come out.
-----“Wow!” says another with a strange awestruck expression in his eyes.
-----“How much gold are we talking about?” one of the more seasoned warriors asks with a serious look.
-----Another warrior suddenly looks panicked. “The orcs, those black priests, . . . they won’t let that go! They’ll come back for it.”
-----Yet another warrior raises his sword. “Let them try, I say. They can have a taste of my sword for a change,” he says angered.
-----“Bah!” says yet another man throwing up his hands. “What good will gold do us out here?” Pointing back toward the village, he adds, “How are these poor people going to use gold when their kingdom is at war and hobgoblins and worse roam the countryside?”
-----Sol answers the last man's questions directly and sternly, "There'll be a time when th' war an' th' troubles will end, an' th' people around here will need all th' help they can t'rebuild their livelihood. Th' gold might as well belong t'ye all, an' I'd say there's enough here t'see that happen. What I need from ye lot, is t'make sure it all stays together an' stays safe from those who might want t'own more than what's their due."
-----The Gorian removes his helm and wipes his brow of sweat, before continuing, "Yes, th' forces o' dark might be back, but wi' any luck, Lord Howrun will have Kulendra secure soon, an' until that happens, my companions will ensure it."
-----“Well,” the man replies to Sol as the others look on, “I still think it’s gold that got the orcs working for that madman that runs this part of the kingdom. It’s nothing but trouble, but . . . I’m for it if it serves to stick it to Sintor’s crawl.”
-----One of the other men’s face darkens as he says, “Y’know, the inn has a cellar. That might be big enough to at least store most of the gold if not all of it.”
-----"Good enough." Sol replies to the other man. Glancing back at the first, the Gorian nods in agreement, though slowly, "I agree wi' ye mostly, gold makes many o' us do stupid, dangerous things. However, I do think that it'll help ye all when time comes that ye can start over."
-----One man still remains with fear on his face. “This gold still here,” he mutters. “If the orcs don’t come for it, the black priests won’t let it go.”
-----Another man speaks up saying, “Are you sure we can’t just leave this gold here?” His eyes also reflect concern.
-----A thoughtful moment passes for Sol, then he answers, "Th' lot o' ye make a fair representation o' Ku an' her neighbours. Th' decision is yours, ultimately. Talk amongst yerselves, th' only thing I will add t'it is don't let yer decision's be guided by fear o' th' priests or th' orcs. My companions an' I, as well as th' army that Howrun leads, will do our best t'make sure they do not pester ye ever again."
-----The men all remain silent for quite a few moments. Finally, one of the gruffer men nods his head and speaks up saying, “All right. I think we can do it. If we have friendly armies here soon, then it doesn’t hurt to move this gold to the inn.”
-----He looks around briefly eyeing as many of the men as he can. Most return his nod; some more confidently than the others.