needed, gold was just a token, wasn't it? It lost all meaning.
Weasel snorted at him though, shaking his head as he did.
"Seriously Tor... Not everyone thinks like you do. I get where Farlo is coming from. A part of me wants to have all the gold, to be rich and famous and loved by the masses. I understand what you're saying, that those things aren't really needed and you're probably right, but I still feel greedy and like I should grab hold of everything I can for myself."
The words shocked Tor to no end, his mouth actually fell open a little as he stared at the boy, his own flesh and blood, who was apparently some kind of demonic creature in disguise. He didn't even have words to chastise the kid with. A slow anger started to build in his gut as he stared, but Sam shook his head, interrupting that process.
"Yeah. I get you Weasel. Tor is right though. Gold is a means to an end that, as a group, we can all just pretty much sidestep. Fame? I guess everyone wants to be admired, so there's that, but doing good things for the Kingdom will do that, as well as making interesting builds. I mean, what would you do with mountains of gold anyway? That you can't do in some other way I mean."
The room went silent as everyone sat thinking for a few minutes, finally Ali answered the boy.
"If I had a mountain of gold... I'd set up works to help orphans and street children in all the major cities. Life is really hard for them and people rarely think to do anything for them at all." Her voice was soft and sad sounding. Of course, she'd lived on the streets for years, hadn't she? She knew what she was talking about.
Sam laughed a little.
"OK. I can see that. I bet we can do a lot of it without too much gold though. We should try it. I don't know how to really do all that, but if you figure it out, I'll build what you need for it." He sighed.
"I know that the orphanage I came from could use a bit of help. They get a stipend from the King for the kids upkeep, but it isn't a lot. The Sisters of Faith really had to work hard to keep us all fed and clothed and there wasn't a lot of opportunity for the kids. Most ended up being miners, or if they were good looking enough, prostitutes. If I hadn't learned how to copy things from Nox I'd probably be selling my... Well, you know."
Tor blinked. He hadn't known the Sam was an orphan, but it wasn't that, it was the other bombshell.
"You know Master Builder Nox?"
He nodded and sighed again.
"Yeah, he pretty much saved me. I asked him to teach me building and he showed me enough to pass Countess Printer's scholarship test and took me to the testing center himself, along with a recommendation that got me a spot. If not for her giving me that chance..." He just shook his head.
Guide smiled.
"Giving us that chance. I have parents, but the overall situation wasn't that different. My kin are mainly thieves and brigands. If I hadn't gotten my shot in town that day, if ma hadn't said I should try, I'd be waiting by a trail for someone to pass by about now with my brothers." He looked ashamed of his family and stared at the floor.
"Um, don't tell anyone that. They're still my family, I don't want them to be hurt or anything, even if they are all criminals."
Tor nodded slowly and so, oddly, did Trice.
"Got it. It won't leave this room. OK, so you all have the orphans and Vagus tied up, plus all the building the Kingdom needs in emergencies? That means I can steal Tor away for a while, right?" She hugged him with one arm, then leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. It was cute, but then she meant it to be, earning smiles from everyone in the room, except Sandra who seemed a little sad for some reason.
Tor was pretty sure it wasn't over him and Trice.
Everyone broke up then, leaving to do whatever it was they wanted. He'd assigned tasks, but it wasn't like they all had to do them instantly or anything. They were mainly kids after all, so they might just want to explore the city a little or do something
Weasel snorted at him though, shaking his head as he did.
"Seriously Tor... Not everyone thinks like you do. I get where Farlo is coming from. A part of me wants to have all the gold, to be rich and famous and loved by the masses. I understand what you're saying, that those things aren't really needed and you're probably right, but I still feel greedy and like I should grab hold of everything I can for myself."
The words shocked Tor to no end, his mouth actually fell open a little as he stared at the boy, his own flesh and blood, who was apparently some kind of demonic creature in disguise. He didn't even have words to chastise the kid with. A slow anger started to build in his gut as he stared, but Sam shook his head, interrupting that process.
"Yeah. I get you Weasel. Tor is right though. Gold is a means to an end that, as a group, we can all just pretty much sidestep. Fame? I guess everyone wants to be admired, so there's that, but doing good things for the Kingdom will do that, as well as making interesting builds. I mean, what would you do with mountains of gold anyway? That you can't do in some other way I mean."
The room went silent as everyone sat thinking for a few minutes, finally Ali answered the boy.
"If I had a mountain of gold... I'd set up works to help orphans and street children in all the major cities. Life is really hard for them and people rarely think to do anything for them at all." Her voice was soft and sad sounding. Of course, she'd lived on the streets for years, hadn't she? She knew what she was talking about.
Sam laughed a little.
"OK. I can see that. I bet we can do a lot of it without too much gold though. We should try it. I don't know how to really do all that, but if you figure it out, I'll build what you need for it." He sighed.
"I know that the orphanage I came from could use a bit of help. They get a stipend from the King for the kids upkeep, but it isn't a lot. The Sisters of Faith really had to work hard to keep us all fed and clothed and there wasn't a lot of opportunity for the kids. Most ended up being miners, or if they were good looking enough, prostitutes. If I hadn't learned how to copy things from Nox I'd probably be selling my... Well, you know."
Tor blinked. He hadn't known the Sam was an orphan, but it wasn't that, it was the other bombshell.
"You know Master Builder Nox?"
He nodded and sighed again.
"Yeah, he pretty much saved me. I asked him to teach me building and he showed me enough to pass Countess Printer's scholarship test and took me to the testing center himself, along with a recommendation that got me a spot. If not for her giving me that chance..." He just shook his head.
Guide smiled.
"Giving us that chance. I have parents, but the overall situation wasn't that different. My kin are mainly thieves and brigands. If I hadn't gotten my shot in town that day, if ma hadn't said I should try, I'd be waiting by a trail for someone to pass by about now with my brothers." He looked ashamed of his family and stared at the floor.
"Um, don't tell anyone that. They're still my family, I don't want them to be hurt or anything, even if they are all criminals."
Tor nodded slowly and so, oddly, did Trice.
"Got it. It won't leave this room. OK, so you all have the orphans and Vagus tied up, plus all the building the Kingdom needs in emergencies? That means I can steal Tor away for a while, right?" She hugged him with one arm, then leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. It was cute, but then she meant it to be, earning smiles from everyone in the room, except Sandra who seemed a little sad for some reason.
Tor was pretty sure it wasn't over him and Trice.
Everyone broke up then, leaving to do whatever it was they wanted. He'd assigned tasks, but it wasn't like they all had to do them instantly or anything. They were mainly kids after all, so they might just want to explore the city a little or do something
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