his aid.
Still, for the longest of moments, Skharr had thought he was alone. He had felt like he was drowning on dry land while all the power drained from his body.
Few things in his life could ever prepare him for that feeling. He was used to being able to rely on his strength, if nothing else. And with a snap of the fingers from a creature of magic, all his amulets and wards had failed him and he'd been almost powerless.
Then again, maybe the amulets were what allowed him to put up the meager resistance he had. The hags hadn't been pleased that he’d been able to fight against them, no matter how ineffectual his efforts had been.
Or perhaps the magic they used was so unique from what mages offered in the civilized world that his protections had struggled to do their work to keep him alive.
Either way, he would have words with the mage who made it to ensure that no hag would be able to overwhelm their abilities again. It was not an experience he intended to repeat, of course. At least not until he grew old and his body started to drain of strength the natural way.
"How much coin do you think we'll make from this endeavor?" Brahgen asked once they had gathered their weapons and supplies from around the cavern.
Skharr paused where he examined a few of the lizardfolk to see if they had anything of value to take. "I would say we might find ourselves with…somewhere around twenty-five gold coins each. Perhaps a little more if one of the baubles proves to have magical properties. Mages will always pay dearly for unique items like that. It isn’t exactly a haul that would allow a master thief to retire young but it’s a good start."
The lizardfolk didn't have much aside from their weapons, and even those appeared to be crude creations. It made him wonder if it was the influence of the hags that forced the creatures to make them as they were more than capable hunters and fighters with their tails, claws, and fangs. In fact, it had seemed like fighting with weapons was foreign to them.
With the hags dead, perhaps that would allow them to retreat into the swamps to hide and stay away as they generally appeared to do. It was likely why they were mostly mythical since finding them had proven all but impossible by even the most astute and persistent of scholars. They were intelligent and had no interest in interacting with the other intelligent species.
And given their interaction with the hags, Skharr honestly could not blame them for it.
The crones didn't carry anything of value either, although he knew a handful of folk who would likely pay a few gold coins for the cast iron cauldron. Still, he wouldn't lug it around for anything less than a real dungeon's worth of treasure.
"Did you find anything?" Brahgen asked.
"Nothing worth taking with us. Unless you feel like hauling that cauldron back for a few gold pieces."
The dwarf made a face. "I think not. We've done enough and I am quite happy with whatever our gain from this little adventure will be—in equal shares. I don't know if you remember, but I did save you from having your limbs chopped up and served in what I am sure would be a delightful and delicious stew."
"I've always heard that humans taste like pork."
The dwarf gaped at him. "What…who would know such a thing?"
"Folk who eat folk, I suppose. I've never tried it myself but in certain desperate situations… Well, the mind does go to the oddest of places when it is desperate to survive."
"The oddest of places should not include eating your friends."
"Perhaps they weren't friends."
"I don't know if that makes it better or worse."
"There are innumerable horrifying things done in the world," Skharr pointed out. "And sometimes for reasons that are far less horrifying than the actions themselves. For the moment, however, you should keep your mind on the task at hand."
"What task? They're all dead in here. The only problem we'll have now is to find a way to buy our boat back from the godsbedammed orcs."
"For some, this is the most dangerous part of an attack," the barbarian insisted. "When your spirits are high with victory and thoughts of what you'll do with your newly-acquired coin fill your mind. It makes it the most dangerous moment, as something might assail you when your guard is down."
Brahgen shrugged. "What could attack us