Golden Thoughts

I opened the chest, and was nearly blinded by the shine of the gold inside.

Thoughts raced through my head as I stared at it.

I thought about the allies I'd lost on the way to this point, lost to traps, wild animals, and infighting.

I thought about the trials that I'd had to best, the challenges that had almost killed me as well as some of my allies.

I thought about the time this chest had sat here, untouched, waiting for me.

But most of all, I thought about how the hell I was going to get it home.