Glenn slept fitfully and in starts, and by the time the first hint of sunlight tinted the sky, he was sore all over and not well rested. Yet he had slept—some—and he suspected that [+Regrowth+] would see to his aches and pains once he was up and walking again. With the sun now coming up, there was no reason not to get up and stretch his legs.

Glenn rose, packed up his camp, cleaned up the remains of his camp fire, and glanced toward the Safe Road. He could see all the way into the pass, and there was no sign of Preceptor Fallowpeak’s caravan. He didn’t want to escort a caravan for an entire day with a full bladder.

After trekking far enough off the road to relieve himself in private, Glenn hurried back to the Safe Road and was relieved to see he hadn’t failed his Town Quest. Under other circumstances he would have ranged far enough afield to refill his canteens from one of the many small, cool ponds in the Deepscorn Woods—they were fed by an underground stream that flowed through Grassea—yet he didn’t dare leave the Safe Road any longer than necessary.

The sun was well up by the time a dot appeared on the Safe Road, which told Glenn Mayor Coleman had likely exaggerated about Master Fallowpeak’s caravan arriving at “first light”. Typical Coleman. Glenn stood straight and tall by the Safe Stone and waited the considerable time it took what looked to be a large carriage pulled by four horses.

The carriage and horses were escorted by two riders, likely Lakebrooke Adventurers Preceptor Fallowpeak had hired for an Escort Quest. The group meandered out of the pass. As it grew closer, Glenn spotted a third horse following the wagon. The figure astride it was smaller than the rest.

A footman? At least the footman had a horse. The fact that Preceptor Fallowpeak hadn’t forced his servant to walk the entire way made Glenn immediately like the man. Perhaps the Preceptor, unlike Mayor Coleman, wasn’t an insufferable ass. That would be a refreshing change.

Glenn stood silently as the caravan approached. Yet he heard the call from the carriage driver, a woman, soon enough. “Hold, hold!”

A single mounted Adventurer trotted his horse forward as the carriage ground to a halt. He wore [Steel Armor] and had his face hidden by a [Steel Helmet], but Glenn knew he was a man from the way his armor was shaped. When a woman donned it, [Steel Armor] opened a window that exposed the midriff, so this Adventurer must be a man.

“Town Guard.” The man greeted him pleasantly, without drawing the [Steel Mace] at his hip. A [Steel Shield] rode on his back, marking him as a Brutalist. “Is there a problem on the Safe Road?”

Glenn didn’t move from his position, cautious about alarming an Adventurer on an Escort Quest. “No problem. My name is Town Guard Redwood. Mayor Coleman of Wolfpine personally dispatched me to be your escort.”

“Another escort?” The man tilted his head. “What led your mayor to believe we needed one?”

It hadn’t occurred to Glenn, until now, that the Adventurers charged with escorting Preceptor Fallowpeak might take offense at having their competency challenged. Yet Glenn wasn’t doing that. How could he explain that to this Adventurer without sounding disrespectful to the mayor?

“It’s obvious to me the Preceptor is already in good hands,” Glenn said, choosing his words carefully. “Yet the mayor is grateful for his visit, and not extending Preceptor Fallowpeak the courtesy of an escort would be rude. Given you already have this Escort Quest well in hand, I’d simply ask you let me walk alongside you to Wolfpine. I need to return anyway, and I can’t defy an order from the mayor.”

“That’s fair enough,” the man said, sounding properly mollified. He didn’t extend his hand, but he did incline his helmet. “Bruce Richbrand, Level 16 Brutalist. My companion is Natalie Runefall, Level 18 Guilecaster. The young woman on the horse is Renee Fallowpeak, Master Fallowpeak’s daughter, who insists on riding despite the carriage being far more safe. Please don’t comment on that.”

Glenn held back a chuckle. “Understood. If you’ll simply resume your journey, Mister Richbrand, I’ll fall in beside you. At your current pace, you should reach Wolfpine by nightfall.”

“Appreciated,” Bruce said. “I’m sorry we can’t provide you with a horse.”

“No need.” Glenn suffered an unreasonable desire to dash around Bruce’s horse and show off the speed of his [Fleet Boots], but that would be unprofessional. “Lead the way.”

Bruce tapped his horse’s flanks. The well-trained animal backed up and turned, and then Bruce trotted back toward the distant caravan. “Town Guard from Wolfpine, sent from Mayor Coleman to escort us into town! All’s well! Move out!”

Soon enough they were all underway again. Glenn allowed Bruce to lead, which would reassure the man this Escort Quest was still his. He walked beside the wagon long enough to see if Preceptor Fallowpeak would stick his head out the window and ask questions—the man did not—yet soon found young Renee Fallowpeak riding beside him, eying him curiously.

She had a round face with close cut blond hair that she kept in little ponytails. Yet Glenn didn’t look at her. He kept his eyes ahead. Soon enough, Renee forced the issue.

“So you’re a Town Guard?” she asked, sounding curious. “What’s that like?”

Could Glenn talk to this young woman? Her father was right there in the carriage, in hearing distance. Would the Preceptor be offended if Glenn didn’t talk? The last thing Glenn wanted was the man complaining about the rudeness of the Town Guard sent to escort him.

Ignoring a direct question from Preceptor Fallowpeak would be disrespectful, so Glenn would treat the man’s daughter with the same respect. Renee did seem genuinely curious. He didn’t want her to feel like he disliked her.

“I stand a lot,” Glenn said, calmly enough. “And sometimes, I get to leave the walls, as I have today. So if you get the chance, please thank your father for the visit. It’s nice to stretch my legs.”

“You don’t travel?” Renee asked.

“Town Guards cannot travel beyond the walls of their town unless on a Quest from the mayor,” Glenn said patiently, seeing no reason to hide such common knowledge. “Yet I have a good life in Wolfpine. Family and friends.”

“Oh!” Renee said brightly. “Well that’s nice. Have you killed many Monsters?”

“Quite a few."

“What’s the biggest Monster you’ve ever killed?"

A calm yet patient voice emerged from inside the carriage. “Renee, I know you’re curious, but please. Let the Town Guard do his job.”

Preceptor Fallowpeak, at last. He didn’t sound like an impatient or impolite man. The gentle reproach in his tone reminded Glenn of his own father, and the words Hal often used when young Glenn pestered passing Adventurers for news about their lives.

Glenn smiled inside his helmet. His life before he’d become a Town Guard felt distant now, even though it had only been three months. When he wore his [God Armor] and full-face helmet, everyone he encountered simply assumed he was already an adult. Glenn liked that feeling.

“Oh, fine,” Renee said grumpily. “I was just curious.”

“Focus on your riding, dear,” the Preceptor said patiently, though he remained hidden behind the curtains of his carriage. “That’s why you refused to ride in the carriage, isn’t it?”

“True,” Renee agreed brightly. “Nice to meet you, Mister Town Guard.”

Glenn simply nodded. Renee’s horse trotted ahead at her urging, moving up to ride behind Bruce on his horse. Glenn covertly glanced around for the other rider, Natalie Runefall, yet she must be riding on the other side of the carriage. That made sense. Best to cover all angles.

“I apologize if she bothered you,” Preceptor Fallowpeak said from his carriage.

And the Preceptor was a respectful man, too. Nothing like Mayor Coleman.

Glenn kept his eyes on the Safe Road. “No bother at all, sir. And just to ensure you understand my charge from the mayor, I’m not here simply to escort you. I’m now under your command. If you need directions to water or a good place to stop, I know Grassea well. It’s no trouble.”

“I truly appreciate the offer, good sir. I’ll take you up on it if the occasion arises, and when we stop for lunch, I insist that you join us. It’s reassuring to have you guarding my carriage.”

Glenn took Fallowpeak’s words as a polite but obvious dismissal. He took a few steps away from the carriage, walking the edge of the Safe Road. The wagon moved scarcely faster than a walk anyway, with no reason to tax the horses. Glenn had no trouble keeping up.

Better yet, all his aches and pains from attempting to sleep in armor last night truly were gone. [+Regrowth+] was a remarkable Blessing. They’d been walking for almost an hour in respectful silence before Cliff Spiders started raining from the sky.