The trip through the city had been both exhilarating and scary. I was not quite sure if the guards had really picked the shortest path but that might just be my imagination. The city was a veritable labyrinth after all. Even the larger roads were not all that wide and none were really straight. We had to turn quite a few corners. By the time we reached the gates of the treasury, a building fortified heavy enough to count as a castle within the city, I was certain that I would have gotten us turned around a dozen times or more without a guide.

The crowds hadn't exactly helped either. Still all the attention had gotten my heart racing. At some point a little elven boy, not a street urchin if I were to judge by his clothes, had gotten past the guards. No one had tried to stop all to hard either, the floral wreath in his hands giving his intentions away very clearly. I had let his mother lift him up to place the thing on my head after ruffling his hair. I rather liked how the colors matched the reds, yellows and oranges of the ribbons worked into my hair.

The little adorable scamp had used the chances to touch my armor as well. I couldn't fault him for it. I didn't correct him about their nature either, smiling in good humor instead. His mother probably knew that they were wyvern scales and not those of a real dragon. After that little encounter I took even more care though, to make sure no one ever got close to the blade of my glaive. An accident of that nature could have ruined the whole thing the guards had arranged. Considering how well orchestrated everything seemed I started to suspect that there had been standing orders in place for just such an occasion.

What a lucky coincident. Or wasn't it? Luck is what happens when preparation meets with opportunity. That saying came to my mind all of a sudden. The fuzzy nature of the memory betraying it as one from my past life. At least this one didn't make me stumble and it was in a way very appropriate if the preparations for such an occasion had indeed been made beforehand. Yes, I decided that I really liked that saying as I descended the ramp to the entrance of the treasury.

It wasn't the gaudy main entrance. That one would have faced one of the few truly grand plazas of the city and the royal palace across from it. No, we descended to a very well guarded and rather utilitarian entrance. The guards here wore much heavier armor as well as a lot more weapons. In addition their faces were completely hidden from view by their helmets. Yes, the treasury was an institution that made its no nonsense policy very clear from the get go. The bureaucrat waiting for us among the guards displayed the same attitude.

She was a forgeborn and an old one at that. There were stories that they could live eternally but eternity was a very long time. At these scales even bodies of bronze, brass, steel or silver would eventually get worn down. The regular use of a Mending spell as well as the liberal use of oil could prolong their existence but after a few centuries they tended to show their age despite all efforts if this one's looks were anything to judge by.

Her body had been shaped from brass as far as I could tell. What was visible, although she wore armor, was well polished. Despite all the effort put into maintaining her body and her looks little dimples in the surfaces of her face and limbs showed the age of the metal. The way she moved with deliberate care spoke of great age as well. More important though was that the guards showed her great respect as well. Curse my absentmindedness! She probably was important enough that I should know her name from some of my lessons on history, economics or politics.

Well, taxes were not one of the problems one could solve by swinging a weapon at it. At least not if one intended to remain a respected member of society. Thus my interest in those lessons had always been rather limited. I hoped that that lack of interest would not bite me in the ass now. I bowed respectfully, at a distance I deemed appropriate for a high ranking official, as I approached her. “I'm Keza'zoth of the Domain Caer'zoth. I come bearing spoils of war to be assessed and processed by the royal treasury.” I motioned at the carriers and pack animals that were now descending to the treasury's entrance beside me.

The old, or rather downright ancient, forgeborn woman nodded slowly. “You come bearing much more than just some spoils of war. At the very least I think there is a story to go with it but I am probably not wrong in assuming that I will have to wait a little longer to hear it.” Even her words were carefully chosen. She stepped aside and motioned for my companions to enter. “Come, the scales are waiting. We will weigh and inspect all the iron and steel you brought us.” Then she motioned for me to walk alongside her.

When she had mentioned scales that hadn't been a figure of speech. There was a wide open room with a high, domed ceiling waiting for us. And waiting within this vault were more guards, clerks and of course the scales and the royal weights that would be used to weigh what we had brought. The clerks got to work right away as the first pack animals and carriers reached the scales. My people didn't have anything to do. They just stood aside as the clerks got to work and lead the pack animals away to an area that served as a stable once they were unloaded. There were tables and benches as well. A sensible precaution. After all we probably would be here for a while.

I watched in fascination as the numerous workers of the treasury cleaned soot off some of the pieces of armor or made sure there was no more wood mixed in with the spear- and arrowheads as well as the other odds and ends. I followed my host as she approached a set of scales and weights that was managed by a young giantess. She was a really rare sight. Not many of her people lived in our towns and villages. After all they usually weren't exactly built for them. Sure my people were tall. I was taller than most. But this young woman with her fiery red mane dwarfed me similar to the trolls I had met on my way here. She was of a slighter build though but in exchange she might be even taller than them.

She handled all the weapons and pieces of armor she weighed with great care. But when the old woman with me in tow approached her she paused to bow. “This is a great haul, lady Undur.” Lady Undur! Now I had a name to the face. She was the minister of the treasury, one of the oldest and highest ranking officials of the king's court! I blushed a little at the realization. Judging by the smile on the giantess face my moment of epiphany hadn't gone unnoticed. The tall woman just handed her superior a helmet that just came off the scales. “Most of this is dwarven work. Sure, it is cheap, mass produced equipment, none of their fabled masterpieces, but the iron and the steel these pieces are made from is some of the best one can get.”

The old noblewoman nodded and handed the helmet back to the giantess after letting her fingers trace across the surface of the metal for a moment. “It is worth more than its weight in coin.” She turned towards me. “Even after the treasury has taken its share you will be a very rich woman.”

I snorted at that, realizing too late how impolite that was. I blushed again. “Please forgive me but a lot of my people's blood, my mother's blood, was spilled to get this and I loathe the idea of weighing their lives up with coin. Besides, we are still at war. Much of these riches will probably be spent on mercenaries.” I deflated a little after this little outburst. “I have to. I can't raise a proper banner from what is left of my people without leaving my home defenseless and I wont do that after they put siege to the domain once already.”

The giantess placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a good squeeze, before returning to her work. The old official tilted her head slightly. “The blood of your mother? Hmm?”

I nodded meekly. Then I noticed something that spurred me to take action. Some of the clerks were just about to unload the iron strong box that contained the still not quite dead of the enemy commander. I stopped them. “This piece is not for weighing. It contains important information about the nature of our enemy.”

Some of the treasury guards had looked ready to step in as I moved so suddenly. They relaxed again as the lady of the treasury raised an arm. My exclamation had piqued her interest. “Evidence of what nature?”

I looked around at the clerks and guards standing close by before turning to her again. “The head of the enemy that commanded this army. The head of a ghoul. A crowned ghoul.”

That revelation provoked a reaction. No one was immune, neither the clerks, the guards nor the seasoned old woman. Even the eyes of the giantess widened slightly. The clerks who had been about to put the thin on the scales stepped away from it as if they had burned their fingers. The old forgeborn was the first to regain her composure. “A ghoul king? Are you sure? You are not mistaken?”

I shrugged. “I stand to be corrected if I'm wrong but it is most certainly a ghoul and a circlet is a crown, especially when fashioned from a magical metal, even if it isn't much of one. Right?”