Zan was on his way to the barracks. The talk with Penne ended and although Zan was more than happy to talk to people as a way of learning about the gods, he did not want to begin tonight. The idea frightened him too much. So, he returned to the barracks full of tough warriors to speak with the toughest warrior of them all and demand payment for helping them win a violent battle. That was more Zan's speed.

For once, Zan lucked out and found Winters right away. Wandering into the barracks tent, Zan meandered through the crowds and lines without hassle. He belatedly wondered if his near-automatic movement had anything to do with his eyes affixed to the map-in-miniature; he looked at the space he already traversed and matched his body's motions to what the map told him he had taken last time. Using it, Zan hardly thought about how he moved. Or where he moved. He went. And before long, he stood in front of Winters.

"Zan. Good. I was expecting you. Come out back to the vault. I have your reward and the reward for your companions. Speaking of which, where are they? They should be here with you to accept. Use one of those echo-beetle things of yours to gather them, if you would be so kind."

He alerted his team. They said they were on their way.

Minutes later, his team arrived. While waiting for them, he and Winters had a nice talk. "You look well. Something has restored you? Find too much fun in town?" Winters asked Zan with a grin.

Not understanding Winters's allusion, he said. "Sure did. I found a church."

Winters burst out laughing. "Tell me all the sordid details!"

Of course, he told him everything, but with Winters grinning like a fool through most of his explanation, he wondered if Winters knew something he did not. It was like they each were coming from different expectations. Winters did seem attentive to his speech, though. So, that counted to him.

"Huh. I never would've considered you a church boy. Not like I deride those who make worship an active part of their life. Don't confuse me. If I had your experience, though, yeah. I can see why you would suddenly develop a fit for the holy," Winters told Zan.

Saving them from any further awkwardness, Whiskey and Jiehong entered.

"There ye two are!" Winters said, welcoming them into the back. "Come with me."

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Bringing them to the back, laid on a table and protected by several guards was a spread of treasure.

"Zan. You first. I have already given you most of your reward. Before you go, I wanted to give you one last sum. Take these currency bonds. Both for your own use as well as your order. Use them well," Winters said, motioning toward a pile of strange, large coins.

"What are these?" Zan asked.

"Currency bonds. Take them to any guild, bank, Sunstar trading post, and they can be turned in for reams of other goods. You can convert them to other forms of currency other lands use, and more. Bartering, trading, and the sort. Hold onto to them tightly. Don't let people know how much you have least you attract thieves to your banner. Understood?" Winters asked. Zan shook his head and filled his satchel and Whiskey's satchel with the coins.

"Whiskey," Winters said. "Your reward is clear as day. Jewels. The quality of these gems speak for themselves, and I am sure you will have a field day with them. Normally, I would think gems like these are too valuable a reward. But the viceroy only had these on hand. Use them well."

The gems were incredible. As were the few pieces of fine jewelry which were mixed in with the lot. Whiskey used her arm and shoved the gems and jewels into her backpack. "Fine doing business with you," she said and stepped back into line.

"Which leaves the noble Jiehong," Winters said. "Local currency. As you wanted. Use it well. You have far more here than I gave Zan. Zan's bonds are multi-use, but these are only single use. You probably recognize these coins as the king's marks. What you don't recognize is the platinum coating. For ease of travel and storage, I took the liberty of ordering the coins coated so you could do more with less. Like Zan's bonds, though, be careful with how you use such wealth. Strange bedfellows come with great wealth."

Jiehong shook his head, affirming what Winters told him. He opened the bag, checked the coins, and stashed the coins away in his satchel, though there was hardly room in it with Zan's bonds taking up so much space.

"You're not going to get in trouble for giving us all this, are you?" he asked.

"Oh? Concerned for an old man's career? You can always give it back if you are worried," Winters said with a wink to his step.

Zan smiled and said he would hold on to the reward. "That's what I thought," Winters replied. "But don't you worry about it. I am only giving you what is due and what the viceroy could part with without difficulty. Your reward is greater than normal but that is also part of the situation. Grave as it is, our predicament allows for exceptional moments to help us tackle the exceptional times."

With Whiskey and Jiehong ready to turn in for the day and relax, they were at the door much quicker than Zan. Zan wanted to leave and relax, sure, but he also wanted to stay and talk with Winters. With one foot out the door, Winters said, "I can feel the weight of your aura, lad. We'll meet and frolic again yet. Say hi to those 'Wardens' for me. We will beat the bush when there is no war."

"Sure, we will," Zan said, and left Winters be as he left the barracks with a bag full of means and a heart full of warring emotions.