The first thing the party did after Ylva returned was move the bodies all into the far left corner of the church, not to get them out of the way or prepare them for burning, or anything noble like that. No, putting them all in one spot made them easier to loot. Doing so turned up little, however. When all of their coin purses were upturned, about 600 gold fell out. None of them had any sort of magical or otherwise uncommon weapons. Even the mage carried no wands, nor scrolls. The best find was a normal potion of healing, which Tiffany claimed to replace hers.

Ylva's return had been, in and of itself, a non-event. For Brian, this was simply because he hadn't the time to start worrying about her before she came back. He got a different feeling from everyone else, though. Ylva was the only trained warrior amongst them. None questioned if she were the best fighter on the team. Her success against some random lowlife was a sure thing, plain and simple. This assurance did wonders for the team, but Brian hoped it didn't increase the already mounting pressure on Ylva's shoulders.

Once through with the corpses, the party moved on to the rest of the structure. There was a room behind the dais, which Brian suspected had been at one time used in the preparation of sermons. It was U-shaped and rather slim. The presence of bedrolls and footlockers indicated the bandits turned it into a lodging of sorts, a place to rest after a long day of pillaging. Brian, Hector, and Tiffany searched this room, while Ylva and Calvin remained out in the main hall to look around.

Hector made the first find, a little bag containing a few gems. Brian recognized onyx and quartz thanks to their unique colors, but there were red, blue and brown morsels he couldn't quite place. He wasn't a jeweler, after all. They didn't look quite splendid enough to be ruby or sapphire, though. He pocketed the bag with a promise to have it appraised and sold back in town.

Brian found mostly clothes and random personal artifacts. One of them clearly worshiped Kord, if the figurine and little holy symbol were anything to go by. If Brian were a betting man, which he wasn't, he'd say this particular trunk probably belonged to the Halfling. Something about a little man with a big axe revering the god of war just made sense. He also managed to find some tattered robes from the mage, and some crossbow bolts that really could've been anyone's.

Tiffany had been rather quiet all this time, which wasn't unusual, but still made Brian wonder what she was up to. An inspection of the room found her sitting on a bedroll immersed in a beat up old leather bound book. She scratched her head and then turned a page.

"What do you got there?" Brian asked as he approached. Tiffany glanced up at him before returning to the tome.

"I think it's the captain's journal," she said.

"Anything good?"

"Not yet," Tiffany denied. "He's just talking about his daily life. It's a lot of rambling, and some bad poetry. No secret stashes, or anything like that."

"Damn, that's what I was hoping for," Brian said.

"Yeah, me too."

"Well, I'll leave you to it. There doesn't seem to be much in here, so I think I'm gonna go check on the others." Brian pointed toward the door. Tiffany gave him a wave, and he walked away.

"That sounds like a good idea." Hector joined him in leaving the back room.

The two of them stepped back into the main worship hall to find the rest of their party on either ends. Ylva was closest to them, digging through a pile of miscellaneous rubble. Calvin stood near the far end, seemingly on about the same thing. By the complete lack of vigor Ylva showed in her search, they appeared to be having similar luck out here.

"You guys find anything yet?' Brian spoke to Ylva, but called loud enough for Calvin to overhear.

"Not really," Ylva denied, standing up. "I found a few coins laying around, and some dried goods, but not much else. Calvin found a skull, though."

"I found a skull!" Confirmed the barbarian from the other side of the room. Holding it in his hand, he walked over. "Probably belonged to one of the monks," he called on the way.

"You think it was monks?" Hector asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, who else would build and then use a church in the middle of nowhere?"

Hector shrugged. "That makes sense. Sarenrae's followers do tend to be a little more monastic than other congregations, from what I understand."

"They can't be monks," Ylva said as Calvin made it to them. "This building is too small. There's nowhere to live around here."

"This might just be the center of town," Calvin argued. "There could be a whole settlement around here in the forest."

"Or, they might not have had time to build one," offered Brian. "We don't know when this fire took place. It could've been right after it was built."

"Too bad there aren't any documents laying around," lamented Hector.

"They probably burned up," Ylva said.

There came a pause as everyone peered about the space for a moment. Brian could feel this quest grinding to an end. They would probably be done in the next few minutes, which suited him just fine. Something about this building gave him the creeps, as if he stood in a place that once contained great power, but now lay abandoned. Maybe the cleric in him was more attuned to holy energy? That sounded like nonsense, but in this world, anything was possible.

"So, do you guys wanna keep looking around, or are we done here?" Hector asked.

"I don't think there's much else to find," said Ylva, and Brian nodded.

"What kind of bandits even were these, anyway?" Calvin said. "I mean, they don't have anything other than gold."

"This is kinda the middle of nowhere," Brian answered. "They probably didn't have much of a chance to do much banditry."

"Then why even bother setting up here?" Calvin continued.

"To hide," said Ylva. "If they don't want to be found, then it's best to find a place no one goes to."

Brian agreed with that. It may have made for fewer opportunities to steal, but also provided better protection from the law. Calvin looked as though he were about to say something, when Tiffany came out of the back room.

"Guys, I think you need to hear this," she said, jogging up to them book in hand.

"What is it?" Asked Ylva.

"I found the captain's journal. Just listen," she began to read aloud. "This crazy-ass elf came by the church today. I think he was an elf, anyway. I couldn't tell, because the fucker was wearing a bear's head. I mean, as if it were a helmet or a mask. Just a severed bear's head, and paws on his feet like gauntlets, and some tattered shorts. He had blood streaking down his bare chest, and smelled like he hadn't washed in weeks.

"So anyway, I send the boys to figure out what the fuck he wants. Like the dumbasses they are, they bring him to me. He says something about 'our scar on the world' and 'returning the land to its birthright' and a bunch of other crazy shit. I have no idea what he's on about, so I threaten to kill him if he doesn't leave. He says his mom will make me regret that. ...I know! Super fucking weird. Hope I never see him again."

The atmosphere in the room shifted. Brian looked down at the stones beneath his feet, trying to take in all which he just heart. He knew what it meant, of course, but couldn't admit it to himself. From the somber moods of those around him, he suspected his companions thought the same. The silence clearly annoyed Tiffany, as she spoke up.

"Don't you guys see what this is? It's another one of those weird guys!" She said.

"I know, Tiff," Ylva answered. "I'm just trying to figure out what it means."

"Three is a trend," Calvin said, as if it were something profound.

"What?" Hector prodded.

"It's something the Marines say. Once is random, twice is coincidence, three times is a trend," explained Calvin. "It means if something happens more than twice, then it'll keep happening."

"You think these three are part of something?" Brian sought clarification.

Calvin shrugged. "Why else would they wear dead animals and talk to bandits?"

"What, like a cult?" Ylva said.

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions," argued Hector. "We don't know anything about these people."

"I don't know, man. They seem pretty cult-y to me," countered Calvin.

"What was that he said about their scar on the world?" Tiffany asked.

"Yeah, or about his mom," Calvin added with a grin. "Maybe they're all just a bunch of mommy's boys."

"It's probably a bit deeper than that, Cal," denied Ylva.

"I know. It was a joke."

"We need to tell Edgar about this when we get back," Hector said. "These people are putting themselves in danger, and I don't like this guy's tone. They could be trouble."

"I was about to say basically all of that," Brian agreed.

"Until we know more about these people, it's probably better to let the powers that be know," Ylva said.

"Yeah, and then let them handle it. I don't want any part of this," Tiffany said.

Brian silently agreed with her. He didn't sign up to fight crazy wannabe bear-men. He also never signed up at all, but that wasn't the point.

"Well, that raises the question of what we're gonna do tonight," Hector said. "If we leave right now, we could probably make it back to Trostenwald by nightfall."

"I don't like that idea," Ylva denied instantly. "We're all a bit banged up. If we find trouble on the road, we might not be able to handle it."

"But if we rest here before heading out, then we might as well just stay the night," Tiffany said.

Ylva nodded. "That's what I was going to suggest. We stay here, recuperate, and head out in the morning."

"I like that a lot," Brian said. "We could even make a fire in here, and actually be able to see for once."

"Sounds good to me," Calvin said.

"That settles it then," declared Hector. "We move the bodies outside, and then sleep on their old bedrolls."

And so, that's what they did. Though, Calvin and Ylva did most of the heavy lifting. Brian and Tiffany, unable to help much, decided to make a space for the fire, which involved moving all of the footlockers to one side and forming a wide circle with the beds. Tiffany gathered some of the old timber and clothes as fuel, and Brian used a bit of divine magic to set them alight.

Brian jumped on the first watch before anyone else was able to take it. He'd learned through past experience that the first and last watches were the most coveted, as they gave their participants the longest period of uninterrupted sleep. Also, he'd noticed Calvin usually took one or the other, which he did this time by claiming the last.

The first watch went off without a hitch, as Brian more or less expected it to. No one knew they were there in the church, and the enclosed space prevented anyone from finding them. It was nice to go on watch and be relatively safe. Exandria, for all its dangerous monsters and marauding brigands, was beautiful at night. Even from inside this dingy old structure, Brian heard crickets chirping, night birds calling, frogs from a distant pond, some kind of little creature calling in the distance. The serenity of it washed over him. For the fist time in a long time, he felt legitimately at peace.

It gave him time to think. He had come quite a long way since arriving in this world. They all had. From not even really knowing how to use his powers, to fighting intelligently as a team with the rest of his party, Brian's journey to this point amazed him. And, considering he had even further to go otherwise, his mind staggered at the possibilities.

Just for the nine hells of it, Brian grabbed his holy symbol. He upturned his other hand to allow some divine energy to flow through it. A golden glow encapsulated his palm. There, in his hand, sat an impossible spark of life, of the power given to him by the Platinum Dragon. But, did he really deserve this power? Other clerics dedicated their entire lives to serving their patrons. Brian thought Bahamut was made up until a few weeks ago. Did the simple act of picking up a holy symbol make him worthy of wielding the power it provided? If only he could cast Commune.

These notions plagued his mind until eventually Ylva came to relieve him. He went into the back room, chose a bedroll with empty space on either side, and fell in it. Despite his harrowing thoughts, the serenity of the night overtook him the moment his head hit the straw pillow. Sleep came in almost an instant.

No dreams accompanied the slumber, as was his usual. Brian simply closed his eyes, ready to open them once again when morning came. However, he would not quite get his wish. The streaming lights of daytime were not what woke him up. Rather, a series of harsh clangs.

His eyes shot open. The Gift of Knowledge took over, allowing him to sit up and grab the warhammer laying next to him in the one slick motion. He first looked around to see both Hector and Tiffany also sitting, and Ylva already on her feet. Next, his attentions turned to the source of the cacophony. Calvin stood in the entrance to the back room, banging his club on the wall repeatedly.

"Everyone up!" He shouted over his own noise. "We've got company!"

"Calvin," Hector said, but his voice was drowned out.

"Calvin!" Tiffany yelled, a sound louder than a person her size should be capable of. The barbarian lowered his weapon and looked at her, eyes wide as if impressed.

"What kind of company, Cal?" Ylva asked, clearly annoyed at the rude awakening.

"The crazy animal head wearing kind," he answered.

At his words, Tiffany sprang to her feet followed shortly by Brian. Hector followed a moment later, his old bones unable to stand with the same ferocity.

"This is bad," Tiffany said. "The captain's journal said they would regret turning away bear-head guy. They must've come back to deal with them."

"How many are there," Hector asked.

"Eight," Calvin answered simply.

"And is this a fight? Do we go out guns blazing?" Ylva asked. "So to speak," she added.

"They said they just want to talk, but I don't know."

"Well, then, let's go meet them politely," Hector said. Staff in hand, he began to make his way out of the back room, giving the others no choice but to follow.

Brian liked his direct approach. If these fiends were waiting for Calvin to come gather the rest of his friends, then they'd likely not stand around for them to strategize in secret. Going out to face them, even if it mean doing so mostly blind, was the right call.

The cleric was second to last out, followed by Tiffany, preceded by Ylva, Calvin, and Hector. Upon arrival, Brian found Calvin's assessment to be true. There were, indeed, eight of them. Moreover, each wore a grizzly outfit. All of them were in various states of undress, most without shirts. What shoes they did wear were made from animal parts.

Two sported hog heads over their own. One had what looked like an eagle's beak strapped over top of his own. A topless elven woman wore a crown made from the heads of ferrets. A dwarven man had covered almost his entire body in a patchy blanket of bluejay feathers. One woman (more dressed than the other) sported a disfigured bull's head, while a halfling chap wore gloves and boots made of stitched together chicken feet. In the center of them all stood a shirtless hunk of a man, skin magically altered to the appearance of tree bark, his head covered by a stag's with its antlers ground to jagged points.

"Is this everyone?" Asked the Stag, his voice slimy in presentation but also muffled by the ghastly organic helmet.

"Yes," Calvin answered.

"Curious," noted the Stag. "When we saw the bodies piled outside, we expected to see more of you."

"It's just us five," confirmed Ylva.

"And am I to assume you're responsible for cleansing this space?"

"You are."

"Then I should thank you for saving us the trouble." The Stag gave a little bow, one that came off as more condescending than in any way noble. "But I must ask, what was your business here?"

"We are mercenaries of the Adventurer's Guild," Hector said. "We were hired to remove the bandits from this location."

"I assumed as much. So you work for coin and contract, and you think yourselves, what? Good? Honorable?" The Stag challenged. "What right were you given to take their lives?"

"Weren't you about to do the same thing?" Ylva countered. "You just said we saved you the trouble."

"Intent is everything," said the Stag, as if it were a profound statement. "See, you work to benefit yourselves. We work to benefit the land."

"And who exactly are you, anyway?" Calvin chimed in.

"We are holy warriors, the purest protectors of the soil, guardians of Exandria as it should be, the punishers of heathens and false idols." The Stag explained. It would've been a grand statement, if not for how the animal head made his voice sound.

"If you're protectors of the realm like we are, then I don't see why there should be a problem," Hector said.

"Not of the realm, of the soil," the Stag corrected.

"This isn't getting us anywhere," Ylva said so only her companions could hear. Louder, she called: "What do you want with us?"

"Well, my dear, that depends on what you want," slithered the Stag. "What are your plans for this building?"

"Plans?" Hector looked around to his friends, who were of no help. "I don't think we have any plans. We just came here to do a job. I didn't think any further than that," he said. Nods from Brian and Ylva confirmed they were of the same mind.

"Of course you didn't. You unclean masses never do," the Stag said. Hilarious, coming from him. "What if the worshipers come back? What if they rebuild this place?"

"That would be a good thing, right? Churches don't hurt anyone." As the only man of faith, Brian felt compelled to risk speaking up.

"They hurt the world!" The Stag turned his ire on Brian. "Structures like this aren't supposed to be here. Why cut down majestic trees and trample the dirt just to stack up a few stones? No matter the intent, it is not the right of we greater races to claim the land for our own."

This man's growing anger threw up an immediate red flag for Brian. Angry people often did irrational things. They were prone to violence and impulsive actions. He didn't like where this was headed, what would happen if the Stag couldn't be calmed or reasoned with.

"This land isn't claimed by anyone, currently," Ylva began. "It's obvious you don't want us here, so we'll go. No need to get angry about it."

"You may go, yes, but what others will come? What have you accomplished if more hoodlums show up? How have you protected this land, and those living around it, if more people come to take it?" The Stag grew more insistent with every word.

"I can see about finding the Sarenrae worshipers who used to live here. Her followers are more reasonable than others. I'm sure we could convince them to stay away," Brian said.

"Don't waste my time with your false assurances," spat the Stag. "If we occupy this land, can you tell me the followers of this heathen goddess wouldn't just cleanse the church for their own use?"

"Well, I—" Brian attempted.

"No!" The Stag cut him off. "You can't promise the sanctity of this hill, nor that of my brothers and sisters."

"Like I said, no one owns this place. If you want it, then I'm sure you can come to an agreement with the people around here," Ylva said.

"We don't want to own this land, we want to return it," said the Stag as if it made sense. "It's clear to me that the only way to ensure that, is to make sure you can't tell anyone of what happened here."

"Please, we don't have to fight," Hector said. "We want nothing to do with this."

The Stag ignored him. "Let the people think this place still occupied. Let them believe you failed, and keep away. In doing so, the soil shall reclaim what is Hers."

Ylva drew her sword and shield. Brian grasped his weapons a moment later. Calvin hadn't actually put his away yet, so he simply grabbed it with two hands. Brian looked around but couldn't find Tiffany, which was probably a good thing.

"For Her glory, bring down the infidels! Attack, brothers and sisters! Make them one with the soil." The Stag urged his people forward. At his behest, they charged.