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Leo reached the cave where the bandits kept their loot.
He didn't rush inside. He waited until Varyn and the others caught up, then gave a calm order.
"Guard the entrance. Nobody comes in."
"Yes, my lord!"
Varyn planted himself in the doorway and blocked every eager sellsword who tried to follow.
"Fuck you, Varyn! Why the hell are you stopping us?" one of Griff's men snapped, face flushing with anger.
Varyn kept one hand on his sword hilt and didn't budge. "Lord Neo's orders. No one enters."
The rest of the sellswords settled down, but they still craned their necks, whispering guesses about how much coin was hidden inside.
The three chainmail-clad sellswords stood shoulder to shoulder with Varyn, forming a solid wall.
A moment later Leo stuck his head out. "Varyn, grab two men and find some empty crates. Barrels work too if you can't find crates."
Before Varyn could say a word, several sharp-eyed sellswords volunteered and hurried off. They soon returned lugging two empty crates and a few wine barrels.
"You three stay here. Varyn, help me carry these inside."
Leo gave the order, then he and Varyn hauled the containers deeper into the cave.
The cavern ran about fifty feet back and curved in an S-shape. Once they rounded the bend, no one outside could see what they were doing.
"Same routine," Leo said, kicking one of the crates. He tossed Varyn a shovel, grabbed two barrels, and headed farther in. "Fill every crate and barrel with stones and dirt."
Varyn blinked, then grinned as the plan clicked. Smart. Lord Neo's making the loot look bigger so nobody knows exactly how much is real. If anyone got greedy and peeked, they'd just see dirt. They'd have no idea which containers held the real money or how much was actually there.
Varyn grabbed the shovel and got to work.
Deeper in the cave, Leo stared at the bandits' battered chests. They were stuffed with silver stags and copper stars. Years of robbing travelers in the Kingswood had clearly paid off.
Compared to the millions in gold sitting in Leo's game bag, it was pocket change. But for common sellswords it was a small fortune—enough to make them shout with excitement.
Leo repeated his old trick: he had Varyn pack extra crates and barrels with dirt so the total haul would look massive. That gave him the perfect cover story for the huge amount of gold he already carried.
He only brought Varyn inside because he couldn't handle it alone and, for now, he trusted only Varyn.
Leo scooped some silver stags into a small chest for the rewards, then grabbed handfuls and spread the rest into the barrels. He topped everything off with dirt and stones until the containers looked convincingly heavy.
When they finished, Leo called in a few sellswords to carry the crates and barrels back out.
The moment the heavy containers started coming out, every eye in the cave locked on them. Griff and his crew couldn't hide the greedy shine in their stares.
"Everyone," Leo said once the last barrel was set down. His gaze swept the group. "These filthy bastards attacked my servants and stole the fortune I brought from my homeland. Thanks to all of you, it's back where it belongs."
The sellswords grinned and clapped each other on the shoulders. Their generous young lord never skimped on rewards.
Leo paused, then continued. "Once we reach King's Landing I'll hand out proper bonuses based on merit. I saw how hard every one of you fought today. For now, here's the sixty silver stags I promised for every bandit killed."
"Varyn, you handle the payouts. Make sure every man who earned it gets his full share."
He handed Varyn the small chest of silver.
Lucky the bandits had kept so much local coin. Otherwise Leo would have been forced to pay out of his own game-silver stash—and that exchange rate would have hurt.
He had tested it earlier: the system accepted Westerosi silver stags, but because WoW silver coins were heavier and purer, it took roughly 150 stags to equal one game gold coin. In Westeros, 210 silver stags made one gold dragon. That meant every game gold he minted gave him a clean sixty-stag profit.
The few gold dragons the bandits owned were smaller than his game coins too. Melt those down and recast them as Westerosi dragons and he'd pocket even more.
Once he had real power and capital, he could keep farming silver stags locally, convert them through the system into game gold, then recast the game gold into Westerosi dragons. Infinite money with almost no risk.
That discovery was the real jackpot of this raid.
After Varyn finished distributing the rewards, Leo ordered the bandits' stored food and ale brought out. The men ate and drank their fill. With dawn still hours away, he told everyone to get some rest.
Soon the cave echoed with loud snoring.
One shadow rose quietly, nudged the man beside him, then another, and another. Eight or nine figures crept up, moving in total silence.
Griff led them.
He pointed toward the cave mouth and drew a finger across his throat. Two of his men grinned and slipped outside.
A muffled grunt sounded, followed by the soft thud of bodies hitting the ground. The two men crept back in, reeking of fresh blood, and nodded to Griff.
Griff smiled, then his expression twisted into something cruel.
His eyes turned to the sleeping sellswords nearby. He drew the dagger at his belt.
They moved fast and quiet, slicing throats one after another. They were almost on top of Leo and Varyn when one man accidentally kicked over a clay pot.
The small clatter rang loud in the dead-quiet night.
Varyn's eyes snapped open.
He saw Griff lunging at him with a dagger and smelled the thick blood in the air. He knew exactly what was happening.
Varyn rolled sideways, dodging the blade, and roared at the top of his lungs.
"Griff, what the hell are you doing?!"