Nobody stopped them or gave them a second glance as Fin and Brando rode through the front gates of Clive Rae. Finally, they were on the open road. As soon as the city disappeared behind them, a sense of freedom hung in the air like a bird in flight resting on a tremendous gust of wind.

"I'm hungry," Brando stated. "Please tell me we brought something to eat."

Fin searched his inventory and then his saddle bags. He produced the last of the bread and fruit he had saved from before. After tossing some questionably colored bits by the roadside, he gave Brando one of the two nearly empty water skins.

"It looks like this is it. It should be enough to get us to where we're going." Fin pondered out loud. He thought he had become accustomed to going long periods without eating or drinking, but it seemed his body had forgotten. He wondered whether it was all he had eaten recently or if his newfound strength needed more sustenance.

"We should be fine," Brando said before breathing the air loudly through his nostrils. "Look at us; it's just you, me, and a massive bag of gold out in the wild with sparse provisions. We've come a long way since we were doing the same thing, poor."

When Fin had finished his half of his provisions, he traded his worries of hunger for his favorite rock. "Have you given any thoughts about what you're going to do after this is all over?"

"A few," Brando spat a seed into the rolling brush. "With your ability to procure infinite wealth, I was thinking I would stroll into town and throw coins around like I pilfered the royal treasury just to see the looks on my first and second wife's faces. Then, I don't know. Maybe check out the giant hill of dragon manure that is our family secret. You know, now that I'm part of the family."

"There may be a royal decree saying you are part of the family, but you'll always be an orphan to me." Fin joked.

Brando smiled and shook his head. "Any plans yourself?"

"I have no idea," Fin guided his horse back on the trail. "Like you said, I have the possibility for infinite wealth, but I haven't really decided what I want to do."

"You don't suppose killing some goblin slavers would make you feel better?" Brando asked with a half-cocked eyebrow. "You could pull the beating heart out of one of their chests. It would make a great story for the grandkids."

"I mean, these quests aren't going to complete themselves," Fin shrugged. "I guess that sounds like something that would make me feel better. After that, I wouldn't mind seeing the look on your ex-wives' faces watching you throw money around, either."

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A large smile bloomed on Brando's face. "If we're going to do this thing, we need our swords sharpened. And we need some armor. We'll fire the crossbow at it to see if it's strong enough!"

The two made battle plans as the sun and road moved orthogonally apart. Their village destination peeked over the road when the silver sunset began dimming. Once inside, the few people still left moving around the streets shot them repeated glances and muttered to each other softly. Fin and Brando, transfixed over finding the unnamed inn, hadn't given it a second thought.

Brando pushed open the door to the village Inn and made his way around the bar. He took out two mugs and filled them with the cider cask.

"You shouldn't be here," Felix greeted with a nervous look on his face. "There's a bounty on your heads."

Brando slid a mug to Fin from the other side of the bar. "What does that even mean? Like, just our heads? As if the rest of me holds no real value?" He took a drink.

"Easier to carry around," Fin guessed before drinking himself.

Brando turned to refill his empty mug. "Felix, would you mind explaining what has everyone so excited about my head?"

"The Brayburn brothers returned and started telling a story about the two slavers that attacked them on the street. They described you." Felix's eyes twitched towards the door. "I returned the weapons you gave me as you asked, but it just confirmed their story. Eugal said he witnessed you hiding the slave cart before you entered the town, but I saw how angry he was when you beat him at his own game. I know he's lying, but everyone else believes him. They'll come for you; they probably already know you're here."

"It looks like we're sleeping in the woods tonight." Brando frowned, setting down his empty mug.

"Is there any way we can-" Fin started before the door was thrown open, spilling in a mismatched brood of armed men.

"There they are!" Eugal yelled in an overly excited voice. "Don't let them escape!"

Before Fin could set his empty mug on the counter, he was surrounded by sword points, spear points, and one rusty, triple-pointed pitchfork. He raised an empty mug parallel to his other hand.

"Don't think you can get away with leering at our women and children in hopes for your slave cart and get away with it," Eugal declared bravely from behind a proverbial fence of weapons. "I saw everything, you slimy bandits!"

"What are you talking about?" Brando asked, incredulous. "We haven't leered at anyone."

"The village elder will listen to both sides in the morning," the constable said calmly. "Eugal, may I ask you to draft your first-hand account of everything you witnessed these two doing?"

"I will go home and do that now," Eugal smiled coyly and exited the inn.

Fin and Brando were led out of the inn and down the street. They walked silently forward, guided, and followed by spear point until Brando gently nudged Fin's arm. When he had Fin's attention, he imperceptively motioned towards Eugal, entering a house, presumably his own. It had to have been his house. It was more significant than the surrounding ones and separated from them with large sections of meticulously groomed property. Matching trees formed a single line through the property, only broken by a stone path to the front door. Fin nodded. The message was clear, and they both memorized where the house was in case of an opportunity to confront the man later.