A Stronger Foundation - Part 3

"I agree, it doesn't make sense, and we've already had a payment for it before… But it's just, forty golds? It seems an awful lot for something as simple as slaying some Hobgoblins," Oliver said.

"The rarity of the ingredients and also the difficulty of their acquisition, combined with their usefulness – I think they go a long way to explaining the price. It is simply because few can do as you do, my Lord and slay a Hobgoblin so casually," Verdant said.

"You did kill one yourself, now that I remember," Oliver said.

"I would not call what I did casual," Verdant said. "I was a hairbreadth away from disaster, if anything."

"So, this clears the matter of the horse up, doesn't it?" Oliver asked. "With forty golds, I should be able to buy one of my own, or so you say."

"Might I offer a possibly redundant bit of advice on that front, my Lord?" Verdant asked.

"By all means."