Lith nodded slowly, taking in Drogan's words. He knew that bandits were a common problem in these parts, preying on small villages and travelers alike. But he had never seen anything like this before. The level of destruction was beyond anything he could have imagined.
Drogan turned to the rest of the group, issuing orders. "We need to search the village for survivors," he said. He wasted no time in giving orders to his mercenaries. "Two of you stay here and guard the animals, wagons, and carts. The rest of us will split up into groups and search for survivors and anything of value that's not too damaged by the fire. We can sell anything valuable to earn some silver."
There were murmurs of agreement and understanding from the mercenaries as they set off to do their assigned tasks. Lith joined one of the search groups, his heart heavy with the knowledge that they were likely to find little more than charred remains.
Lith couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as the group split up to search the village. He had seen the burned down corpses of the villagers, some of them still smoldering. There were even dry blood trails leading away from some of the buildings, but no one was left alive.
Lith moved through the ruins of the village, his eyes scanning the ground for anything of value. As he walked, he noticed a glint of metal in the ashes. Curious, he walked over to investigate and saw an iron dagger, its handle charred and burned but the blade was still intact.
Lith picked up the dagger and examined it closely. Despite the damage, it was still a serviceable weapon, and he knew that he could repair the handle with a bit of effort. It was much better than the cooking knife. He decided to keep it, tucking it into his belt as he continued his search.
Moving further into the village, Lith noticed a small collection of jars that had somehow survived the fire. He lifted the lid of one and was surprised to find preserved food inside.
The food looked to be some kind of meat, perhaps beef or pork, and it was still in good condition despite the heat of the fire. Lith knew that this food could fetch a good price on the market, and he quickly set about collecting as many jars as he could find.
As he gathered the jars, Lith couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness for the villagers who had lived here. They must have been caught off guard, perhaps even slaughtered as they slept in their beds. The thought made Lith's blood run cold, and he knew that he needed to stay focused on his task in order to keep from being overwhelmed by the tragedy he had witnessed.
Lith continued his search, moving through the ruins of the village and searching for anything of value. He found a few more items – a tarnished silver necklace, a set of rusted tools – but nothing that compared to the preserved food he had found earlier.
As they searched, the group found some items that had survived the fire. Weapons, armor, and tools that could be sold for a good price. Lith felt conflicted about taking these things, knowing that they had belonged to the villagers who had died in the fire. But he also knew that they needed the money to pay for the healer and food, not to mention the mercenaries who were not working for free and already lost some of their members.
It didn't take long for the group to realize that there were no survivors. The few corpses they found were burned beyond recognition, and there were no signs of life anywhere. As they moved deeper into the village, they saw evidence of looting and pillaging, that confirmed Dorgan's theory.
When they regrouped with the others, Drogan was already tallying up their findings. "We've found some damaged weapons and armor, a few tools, preserved food of different kind and some other miscellaneous items," he said, his voice grim. "Not much, but it's much better than nothing, we will split the profit from selling these once we get to Stonewall."
Now that Lith had no task to focus on he couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust at the idea of profiting off the destruction of a village and its people. "How can you even think about making money off of this?" he asked, his voice laced with anger.
Drogan shrugged, his eyes cold and calculating. "We're all here to make a profit, Lith. It is not a trip for us, it is a job we do to provide for our families. You know that. Besides, we need to pay for the healer and the cost of our journey. And there's no point in leaving all these valuables for the animals and the forest to claim."
Lith shook his head, still split between the callousness of his companion and acceptance of the reality. "But what about the people who lived here? What about their families and loved ones? How can you just ignore their suffering and pain?"
Drogan's expression hardened. "We're not here to be heroes, Lith. We're here to make a living. And in a world like this, sometimes that means taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves."
Lith realized that Drogan was right - they were all here to make a profit, and there was no point in leaving valuable items behind for nature to claim. The preserved food in the jars, for example, could be sold for a good price, and could even be a valuable resource for their journey.
He thought about the other villagers who might have survived the fire, how they might be out there somewhere, starving and desperate. If they could find some preserved food jars, it might mean the difference between life and death for them.
Lith realized that his companions weren't necessarily callous or heartless, they were just doing what they had to do to survive. He himself done worse things due to hunger. In a world as harsh and unforgiving as theirs, it was either kill or be killed.
With that realization, Lith's disgust turned to acceptance. He couldn't change the way things were, but he could at least try to make the best of a bad situation. And if that meant taking some preserved food jars, then so be it.