Ozzy made his way over to the livery stable.

The day was early, the sun had just come up.

The roan gelding in the far stall ignored him, but the little donkey was definitely watching him closely as he went up to the door.

He was about to knock when he heard snoring from above in the hay loft.

After checking the ladder to make sure it would hold his weight, he carefully climbed up to the second story.

Ben was obviously up to something, but Ozzy wasn't quite sure what.

Three tables had been made by putting planks across stacked hay bales.

One had an assortment of leather scraps, shears, buckles and straps.

No mystery about what Ben had been working on there.

A set of riding leathers, boots, and a new hat were hanging from a crude wooden dress dummy.The leather was obviously the flame resistant hide off of a bull sedge beast.

The pieces were a uniform dark red-brown in color with copper rivets and buckles.

Inspecting the pieces, Ozzy saw that small copper plates had been riveted in some places, and patches of flexible copper mesh in others.

It was heaviest on the back and breast.

The high collar of the coat also had a long copper strip adding some protection.

Ben seemed to put a priority on the favored spots for back stabs, arrows, and garrotes.

Ozzy chuckled at that.

Ben had been running into a lot of bad people and ending up dead when he did.The other tables were more mess than workspace.

One seemed to have two halves of a metal claw with some spring-loaded mechanism.

Plans for some sort of crane were scribbled on the table.

The other table had a rat’s nest of copper wire, bent plates, and long rods.

Probably where he'd assembled all the armor bits before attaching them to the leather.More snores came from behind some hay, which is what led Ozzy to Ben.

"Wake up sleeping beauty.

Our lord and master, Mr.

Billy, has need of your talents."Ben sat up, looking a bit bleary.

"Right.

Of course, he does.

I think I only got to sleep around dawn.

What does he need done?""Well, he told me that he needed a lightning rod made to protect a project of Jorges'.

He seemed to think you would know how.

Prior to seeing your little workshop, I might have wondered, but I'm going to have to agree that you might be the man for the job.

What the hell is all of this?"Ben looked a bit sheepish.

"I sort of tapped into my heritage.

I think the AI is taking into account a lot of what I did in the earlier games.

I've gained some inventor skills, a bunch of craft skills, and have been adopted back into my old family." Ben quickly put on his new hat so he could doff it and bow properly to Ozzy.

"Benjamin Franklin the 7th, at your service.

You mentioned a lightning rod, did you?""I did, but why don't you explain to me what this contraption and the armor are first.

You've got me curious now.

Tell me about this inventing." If Ben had found a way to gain some extra skills, Ozzy wanted to know the details.

Every little bit of information helped."Ben was eager to show off.

"That contraption is the start of a fine piece of machinery to pull cooked meats out of dangerous flaming pits.

You don't really have a good way of bringing the cooked sides of beef out of that pit.

This will be a little crane that runs off of muscle power and pullies.

Just swing it over to the spot you want, lower the jaws and let them snap onto the meat, then pull it back up.

I'll have it working by next week for you.""The armor is based on the designs I have for Courier gear, but the materials are better.

The hides give better protection, while the copper will reenforce some of the areas where I get hit a lot.

I'll be stylish and protected next run.""Between these two projects I'm almost up to level two as an inventor and can pick up some more crafting skills and work on more projects.

I have some ideas for a nifty little cross-bow, but need some more skills and a long talk with Suzette first."Ozzy looked at Ben's hat.

"You're missing something.

A fine hat like that should have a feather."Ben's face fell and he placed the back of his hand on his brow.

"Sir, you are correct.

Alas, fine feathers have become scarce in these parts.

Not one has seen fit to flutter into my grasp and the merchants have only poor-quality feathers of small size to offer." Ben shrugged.

"Maybe if I ever get sent to some big city.

Until then, my poor hat is unfinished and sad."Ozzy reached into the pack he was carrying and pulled out a thin wooden box about a foot long.

"Strangely, I seem to have picked up something in my travels that you might like.

I've been waiting for you to finish your new hat."Ben carefully opened the box and stared first at the long red-gold feather, and then back at Ozzy.

"How...! where...! Shit man, this is a damned Phoenix feather! Where did you lay hands on this?""Long story, let’s say it was a parting gift for putting up with annoying people."Ben reverently attached the Phoenix feather to his hat.

There was a small glow around the hat.

Ozzy and Ben got a notification.

(Beatrice as well, but it just annoyed her.)

Congratulations, you have created: Couriers Hat of the PhoenixMitigation: 5 points.

Fire Mitigation: 20 points+ 1 to CHA.

Note: This item, when owned by a courier, cannot be lost or stolen.

It will eventually turn up inside your courier's ring.

You have gained +50 experience in Inventor.You have gained +50 experience in INT.You have reached level 2 in Inventor.