I looked at the smiling faces of the village council, realizing with a sinking feeling that I had just successfully negotiated myself into a chore. "I hate all of you," I muttered.

"We leave in an hour!" Korin cheered. By noon, a small expedition team was assembled in the village square.

It was a retrieval mission. Korin, Jace, and a handful of off-duty hunters stood waiting with two sturdy handcarts. The mood was entirely relaxed. I walked out of my cabin, grumbling under my breath as I pulled my new ballistic-weave coat on.

I heard a soft laugh. I stopped. Lyra was standing on her porch, holding a ledger. She wasn’t just smiling; she was genuinely laughing. It was a bright, clear sound, completely devoid of the nervous, forced edge she usually carried.

"It’s not funny," I said, crossing my arms.

"It’s a little funny," Lyra countered, walking down the steps. Her green eyes were dancing with amusement. "They reduced you to an errand boy."

"I should have kept my mouth shut," I said.

"You really should have," Lyra agreed, tapping her ledger against my chest. "But look on the bright side. You might find a nice rug for your cabin. Or some curtains."

"I’m going to purposefully miscount the gold just to annoy you when I hand it over," I threatened.

"If you are off by a single copper piece, it won’t end well for you." she promised.

Before I could respond, the front door of her cabin banged open. Mira marched out, her demon tail swishing rapidly. She walked right up to me, putting her small hands on her hips.

"Uncle Korin says you are going to get the treasure," Mira announced.

"We are going to recover tax money," I corrected her. "It is a highly bureaucratic process."

Mira entirely ignored the economic reality of the situation. Her eyes went wide with pure, unadulterated excitement. "Are there mountains of gold? And magic swords? And legendary crowns?"

"Probably just a lot of copper coins, some old iron, and a bunch of smelly pelts," I said dryly.

"Bring me treasure," Mira demanded, pointing a tiny finger at my chest.

"I just told you, it’s tax money."

"Treasure," Mira repeated, narrowing her eyes.

"I can’t bring you the village’s money, Mira. Your mom will yell at me."

"Ren," Mira said, her voice dropping into a serious, threatening whisper. "Bring. Me. Treasure."

I looked at Lyra for help. She just shrugged, completely abandoning me. "Fine," I sighed, looking back down at Mira. "What kind of treasure?"

Mira paused, her brow furrowing as she thought about this very seriously. She tapped her chin. "A shiny one."

"A shiny one," I repeated. "That’s doable."

"Very shiny," she confirmed, nodding sharply. "Or a sword. I am an adventurer now."

"You are getting a shiny rock, and you will like it," I told her.

"Deal," Mira grinned, instantly turning and running back into the cabin.

The journey up the northern pass was completely different from the grim death-march we had taken just days prior.

The sun was bright, reflecting off the crisp, untouched snow. The biting wind had died down to a gentle breeze.

"What are you going to buy when we get the funds sorted?" Jace asked the hunter walking next to him.

"A new roof," the hunter said immediately. "Mine has leaked for three years. And maybe one of those self-heating blankets the Guild had. You?"

"A new sword," Jace said, patting his worn hilt. "Something with a proper crossguard. Maybe enchanted, if the quartermaster approves the budget."

"Lyra won’t approve an enchanted sword unless you can prove you need it," Korin laughed from the front of the cart. "She’s tighter with the coin than a dragon."

"I’ve proven myself!" Jace protested.

"She made Varis sweat," Korin pointed out. "I’ve never seen a Guild merchant look that stressed. I thought he was going to pass out when she demanded refined salt."

"She knows her leverage," I said from the back of the group.

For the first time in years, the hunters of Elderglen were walking these mountain roads as free men. The invisible weight of the toll was gone. We reached the massive plateau by mid-morning.

The ruined cavern of the Blood-Iron settlement loomed at the far end. We walked through the breach and lit a few mana-torches to cut through the gloom. The cavern was silent. The blood on the floor had dried into dark, flaking stains. The massive stone pillars I had shattered during my fight with the Emissary lay in ruins across the main floor.

"The Chieftain’s quarters are usually at the highest point of the cavern," Korin said, pointing his torch toward a wide stone staircase carved into the back wall. "That’s where the money would be."

We left the carts at the bottom and climbed the stairs. At the top, a heavy oak door reinforced with iron bands sat slightly ajar. Korin pushed it open with his boot.

The torches illuminated the room, and a collective, stunned gasp echoed from the hunters. The treasury wasn’t just a few chests of stolen copper. The Blood-Iron Tribe was rich. Incredibly fucking rich.

"By the Demon ancestors," Jace whispered, his voice cracking.

The room was massive. Neatly stacked piles of refined silver ingots lined the far wall. There were chests overflowing with gold coins. Racks of pristine, enchanted weapons and armor sat untouched, alongside crates of valuable, raw ores.

"Look at this," the female hunter said, stepping into the room and pulling back a thick tarp. "They have silk. Why does a mountain warlord have three crates of imported southern silk?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Maybe Malakar had a soft side," I suggested. "Wanted to feel pretty on the weekends."

"Don’t put that image in my head, Ren," Korin groaned, rubbing his eyes.

Jace dropped to his knees in front of an open chest, picking up a solid gold coin. It gleamed in the torchlight. "We’re rich. We are actually rich."

"The village is rich," Korin corrected instantly, swatting the back of Jace’s head. "Don’t get any ideas, boy. Everything goes to the quartermaster."

"There has to be five thousand gold here, Uncle Korin," Jace said, ignoring the swat. "We can rebuild the entire palisade out of stone."

"Start loading the carts," Korin ordered, though he couldn’t stop a massive grin from spreading across his face.