“The Unnamed Team. The Heroes of The Voice. Paladin Rose. Huntsman Damian. Bard Peter Knight. Gerhki. You have all been recognized for your feats against the embodiment of sins. The Kingdom of Diosevich thanks you once again. As promised, you will be rewarded.” King Carlos said. He gestured with his hand, and the throne room’s servants sprung into action. The butlers and maids who populated the room were children of other nobles, usually second or third-born children that wouldn’t inherit their parent's land or title. They all acted with dignity and grace as they presented their items.

Each servant held a golden tray with a small bag that sat atop it. The rewards given by the kingdom seemed small, but looks were often deceiving. All of the bags were enchanted to hold more than they normally could. No one knew the limits of this spell, but it was more than enough to fit plenty of gold and platinum coins. The servants stood in line with one another as they awaited their orders to deliver their items. It was then that a slight difference between gifts was noticed.

Four servants held a massive wooden board. The board was beautifully crafted. Golden handles rested at each corner to give the servants a better grip. Its red cushions were comfortable enough to sleep on. The bag that sat upon this presenting table may have looked the same as the ones on the golden trays, but it was clearly different. This was the reward for the team that defeated multiple sins. The extra fanfare was the least of the king’s requests when presenting such a prize. There was also another reason why the servants had to deliver the bag using this table.

“The Nelendian Theocracy has brought gifts for you as well,” Divine Seline said. She clapped her hands. Her personal servants moved to ready their rewards as well. As the leader of a theocracy, it wasn’t surprising to see that Seline’s staff consisted of high-ranking religious personnel. Each priest held a magical bracelet. This was a gift from the theocracy. It was made of a special metal, orichalcum, that had only been found within the Nelendian Theocracy and its neighboring country. The enchantments were similar to the skill [Bless] and offered increased experience gain.

“The Haqsian Empire brings weapons and scales. I hope you understand the honor.” Emperor Crach said. The dragonborns within the room shifted as they presented their gifts. As a nation of united clans, the emperor’s servants were either clan leaders or head warriors of their clans. Each dragonborn present had seen war. Scars were their marks of bravery, and their strength was unquestionable. Crach was right to emphasize what an honor his reward was. His presenters were outstanding, even if they weren’t formally trained. Plus, weapons from the Haqsian Empire were always of the greatest quality.

Everyone gasped at Emperor Crach’s statement. They never would have imagined he’d give scales as a gift. They weren’t on the same level as actual dragon scales, but they were still valuable. Dragonborn scales offered resistances to their inherited elements, usually dictated by the scale’s color. Adding these to armor would provide a passive resistance that surpassed most skills.

“You honor us with these gifts,” Brandon and Xander said on behalf of their teams. The two bowed their heads low. They knew what an honor it was for them to receive their gifts. Xander was especially grateful. The team was receiving everything they wanted and more. They expected their rewards to simply be money, but they wouldn’t reject free weapons and armor improvements.

The various servants responded to their ruler’s command. The first gift was a bag of gold and platinum coins. It was more than enough money to buy a home within the capital or live a lavish life in the countryside. The magical bracelet was presented next. Lastly, a bag of weapons and scales was delivered to each hero. The exact weapon was varied depending on the recipient’s preference, which was known since the tournament. Each team and individual offered their thanks when receiving their gifts. The Unnamed Team was especially grateful when their prizes arrived upon an immaculate table.

Xander reached his hand out to grab the first bag. It should have had the coins rewarded to all four team members. The bag that he was about to hold could pay off all their debt with the tavern. They could pay back the merchant, Sean, that they stole from. They could help Linn get a better forge. With this money, they could do almost anything. All of their worries would be a thing of the past. He grabbed the top of the knotted back and tried to pull it close.

But it didn’t move.

“Uh oh,” Xander thought to himself. The bag didn’t budge. He tried to pull a bit hard but nothing happened. Something was wrong. The bag was deceivingly heavy. He tried once again. He put all of his back into it. He tried shifting his weight. Nothing changed. Sweat started to form as Xander slowly started to panic. He was getting desperate. The others took notice.

“Xander, what are you doing?” Rex asked. He couldn’t comprehend what was wrong. How could he? All he knew was that the bags were enchanted to hold more. He didn’t know the enchantments did nothing for its contents’ weight. Plus, the single bag carried the weight of the entire team’s rewards. It amassed everything The Unnamed Team earned for slaying a sin…

“Hurry up before we upset them more than we already have,” Robyn said. She looked over to Nicholas who was told to stop talking until they left the throne room. They didn’t need another lying fiasco. Unfortunately, he was the only person who understood what was happening. Rather than provide four separate bags for the four sins they defeated, the kingdom stuffed every reward into one bag. That made it incredibly dense and heavy. He would have pointed out this fact, but the others told him to remain silent. He considered this as a sort of righteous karma.

“Is there a problem?” King Carlos asked. He didn’t see why there was an issue. These were the people that defeated multiple sins. They should be able to pick up a simple enchanted bag. At least, that was what he thought.

“N-no. I’m just trying…to pick up the bag.” Xander said. He wanted to lie, but he knew he couldn’t. It would have been seen through. He was forced to admit that he, the representative of The Unnamed Team, could not pick up a bag of coins.