The Resignation

Barnaby stood up. He felt lighter.

He walked over to the bag. For a second, he considered picking it up. It was habit. Muscle memory.

Instead, he nudged it with his foot. It tipped over, landing squarely on top of Chadric’s chest.

"Oof," the unconscious hero grunted, pinned beneath the weight of his own vanity.

Barnaby knelt down and opened the side pocket of the bag. He bypassed the jewels, the magical artifacts, and the gold bars. He reached in and took a single gold coin.

"Severance pay," Barnaby whispered.

He stood up and walked toward the staff exit.

"Hey," Gary called out. "Where are you going?"

Barnaby stepped into the sunlight. The air smelled of pine trees and freedom, not mildew and sweat. He flipped the coin in the air and caught it.

"I don't know," Barnaby smiled, shielding his eyes from the glare. "But I’m travelling light."

The stone door slid shut behind him with a satisfying thud, leaving the hero in the dark, and the bag-boy in the sun.