The Hero Should've Known Better

Chapter 22: Winnsol

The Demonfolk girl turned behind her to point at the large hill next to the town. There was a small pillar of fireplace smoke rising from the top, likely from the encampment up there in question.

"There!" she exclaimed. "The Fort Logger. And the people there helped me get to the New Frontier-land town."

"From there all the way to down here?" General Forge asked. "You couldn't possibly have walked down, how'd you get here so quick?"

"They put me on a water slide!" she exclaimed. "On a boat, and made me go down! But there was this ghost who tried to get me, so I hit the ghost like this!"

Sollar grabbed the shovel on her back, in preparation to show a few demonstration swings. However, General Forge could see the edge of the spade starting to glow orange, so he held up an arm to stop her.

"Alright, Lady Sollar. I get it, no need to show off to me," he said. The Demonfolk girl lowered her Shov-ar.

General Forge sighed and brushed a hand over the back of his head.

"Well, we know that the Hero is after you, for certain," he said. "I planned for both of us to get to New Frontierland earlier, so we could book a fast ship to the Capital. But it's late right now... at least you have the money on you, right?"

Sollar tapped a finger on her chin.

"The money?" she asked.

"Y'know, the stuff we worked for."

General Forge paused, then spoke a little slower.

"You still have that money... right?"

Sollar tilted her head while looking at General Forge. It took another five seconds for her to figure out what he was talking about.

"Oh, the money!" she exclaimed. "I gave some to these people. At the Fort Logger place."

She grabbed the small pouch of coins that was at her neck, and held them up, the coins in them jingling.

"Oh, goodness. You didn't give all of it away, did you? Milady?"

"We still have some left!" she exclaimed. "I kept the coins that were used the most. Like the small gray coins and the yellow-y ones."

"Oh, Lady Sollar, don't tell me you—"

General Forge snatched the pouch of coins from Sollar's hand, and immediately looked inside. The coins jingled in the pouch, before he looked back up at the Demonfolk girl.

"...Yeah, you did. You gave away all the most valuable coins."

He then hit himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Stupid me, stupid. I should've taught her the value of money, of course she wouldn't know what steel or electrum coins are," the General muttered.

He then glanced back at Sollar. She, again, didn't seem to know why he was acting like that.

"...As long as you're here safely, I guess it was worth it," he said.

The Demonfolk girl nodded. "Yep! They helped me get to New Frontier-land! They were nice, there was this Snow person named Flake-ar, and Sercl-ar, and Til-ar—!"

The two were interrupted mid-conversation by someone nearby opening up their second-floor window.

"Both of ye, quiet up! I'm tryin' to sleep here!" the person yelled into the street, before they slammed the windows shut.

The two stared at the window, before General Forge glanced over at Sollar.

"We should speak quieter," he said, lowering his voice. "No good to attract attention. And we need to find some cash, quick."