Ben was enjoying a dream where two lovely women had stolen his hat and were tossing it back and forth as he chased them.

Sadly, it ended with the women leaving, his hat being worn by both of them.

Then he was alone in a meadow with just an amused Beatrice rolling her eyes at him.

He awoke to the sound of voices and the smell of food.The camp was a beehive of activity.

The destroyed wagons were providing fuel for a cooking fire, the rest of the parts piled off to the side of the road.

Supplies were being split up into make shift packs that each of the paladins could carry on foot.

The only animals left were two of the draft horses, now heavily laden, Mudfoot, and Sir Gabriels warhorse.

Harmony noticed he was awake and tossed him a loaf of flatbread that had been cooking on a rock next to the fire.

"Eat up sleepy-head, almost time to move out.

We decided that anyone crazy enough to try and distract a wolf by riding it needed some extra rest time.

"

Ben was amazed he had slept that long.

Considering each hour counted as three, and the position of the sun, he had just slept for the equivalent of 15 hours.

Then again, he'd exhausted his mana and stamina, and been down a big chunk of his health.

All considered, he was lucky to be waking up here, and not in Sedgewick with death penalties.Diego and a knight joined he and Harmony around the fire.

The knight offered his hand.

"We didn't have time for greetings last night.

I am Sir Gabriel Ironheart of the Order of Paladins of the Light.

Good to make your acquaintance, Courier Benjamin.

That was quite an entrance last night, I must say."Ben took the proffered hand.

"I never so well understood the phrase 'He must needs go that the devil drives.' until this day.

"Gabriel agreed.

"And that certainly was a devil that we faced.

That spirit has been around for a long time, but never this powerful.""Yes, if that was the same damned wolf my friends and I killed near Sedgewick, he's gotten much worse.

He was using zombie bunnies to attack us.

I think Ozzy killed him with a caber." Ben finished his bread and immediately grabbed another loaf.

Diego, seeing his hunger, reached into his pocket for a chunk of cheese wrapped in cloth and handed it to him.

Then the inquisitor raised an eyebrow.

"A...

caber? Isn't that a large log? I saw crazy drunken men competing to throw them a few feet once at a festival.

Can someone actually use them as a weapon?"Ben nodded his thanks for the cheese, which followed the second loaf of bread into his belly.

"Well, Ozzy can.

He's large and terrifyingly strong.

I once watched him wrestle with a daemon while the building burned around them.

Any more loaves of bread? Ah, there's one.

Excuse me." Ben grabbed the last loaf of bread from across the fire, to the disappointment of a slower moving paladin.

Seeing the young man's sad face, Ben divided the loaf and tossed him half.Diego turned to Gabriel shaking his head and smiling.

"Only a Franklin could speak of wrestling Daemons like that in such a casual way.

If there was any doubt about what family he was part of, that settles the matter."Harmony agreed.

"Yes, we certainly lay claim to him.

But now that he is up, and we are nearly ready to take our leaves, I would like to go investigate this golden chest.""Right, so what is the plan, besides looting interesting chests?" Ben had actually forgotten about that part of the message from last night.

He'd not been thinking well after the beast went down.Gabriel politely glanced at Diego and Harmony before speaking.

"I will be leading the Order to the village of Thunderhead to resupply, and then report to one of our monasteries near there.

As we lack mounts, this will be a slow trek.

But good for all of us.

As Saint Jubal reminds us in his writings, 'He who relies too much upon four legs will soon lose the usefulness of his own.' Some wisdom there, that all of us will ponder as we march along this road.""I have offered my mount to Courier Harmony, but she insists she will reach the capital quicker by running until she can rehorse at a courier station.

So, my mount will go to Inquisitor Diego.

It will aid him on his journey to Rowan Keep.

I believe you will be heading that way as well? I have dispatches for the keep, and would like to have you carry them."Ben sighed inwardly.

He'd really wanted more time with Harmony.

Partly to gain more information...and partly just to spend time with her.

But of course, she had her own courier duties.

"Glad to help.

And it will be nice to have a companion on the ride back." And Ben thought, ask a lot of questions about what the hell went on last night."Then let us load up, and pay a visit to a treasure chest, and be on our way." Harmony began walking into the woods.

The eager junior paladins followed.

It had been torturing for the players, but they had held off opening the chest after finding it.

Soon, amid much rejoicing and comparing of items, the group of warriors was much better outfitted.

Each received an item that varied from enchanted swords or shields, to sparkling breast plates or other armor pieces.

Both Reeves and Gabriel were sporting fine wolf fur cloaks.

Harmony and Ben went last.

"Perhaps, Benjamin, you might get another hat? It's difficult to brag about who has the best hat with an unarmed opponent." She opened the chest, and received a set of shiny silver vambraces of an unusual style.

Ben could see that the left hand one had three ridges running its length, and was rune inscribed.

Harmony identified it and shared it, to the sounds of appreciation.

Spirit Slaying VambracesMitigation: 6Enchantments: Light, Increased Protection +3, Long Shot, Mana DrivenQuality: PremiumForged during the War of the Wolf by the Grandmaster Smith Vulgar Silverhand.

These arm pieces provide extra protection and incorporate a multi-shot light crossbow.

Runes to increase the range have been inscribed, as well as runes to enable recocking by using mana.