-----The treasure is quickly loaded in the wagon. After everyone climbs in or mounts up on the remaining horses, Kazel steers the vehicle south again. The wagon rolls steadily out across the grassy plain. They stop at a point about a mile south of the town.
-----Runik hops down and asks, "We start a fire out here? I s'pose the guards in town'd be too busy to bother with us."
-----"If we are to camp out here, we will need to arrange a watch detail," Brandel adds. The young mercenary squints hard to make out details in the dark countryside.
-----The Dread Pirate waves at the company to continue on for another mile, "Arrr, a mile isn't really all that far, if'n someone should get curious about what a campfire is doing so close to town."
-----Dread then says, "We should decide what to do when morning comes, assuming that we aren't overrun with zombies during the night. Since Kazel has the butchering skills, if she's willing to, then she should take the wagon and the mercs and go find and skin the dragon. Seth can go spy in town and maybe take his bath, as long as he keeps his disguise hat on. I'd like to go check out that trapped door in the tunnels. Maybe Runik can stay here in camp and keep an eye out fer Marast and the priests."
-----As the Dread Pirate lays out his plans for the following day a gleam enters his eyes and he says, "Kazel, why don't ye take the horses and the loot with ye tomorrow when ye go to skin the dragon. Take the ropes too. If ye think it can be done, see if ye can figure out a way to drag the carcass off the road. Ye can bury the loot off to the side of the road, then skin the dragon, then drag its corpse on top of where ye buried the loot. Anybody passing by will probably just think that some passing merchant group or caravan wanted to clear the roadway, so they dragged the body off to the side of the road. And its body'll probably be big enough to discourage anybody from tryin to mess with it or move it. The loot should be safe enough, buried underneath a dragon's corpse. Take the grappling hooks also. And ye might want to braid the ropes up double, so they won't snap as easily under the stress. Between the ropes, the horses and Krord, ye might be able to do it. If not, we'll think o' somethin else to do with the loot."
-----Seth smiles at the idea, "Well, that is an excellent subterfuge my nautical friend, however let us hope that there are no local legends that go along the lines of 'dragons have gold in their bellies' or 'dig where a dragon has died and thou shall find items of wonder.'" Seth takes out his spell book and the new scrolls up on the wagon and sets about scribing as many of the new spells as he can into the book.
-----Covering the distance to the second mile, the group comes into sight of what looks to be a small farmhouse about a half-mile off to the southwest. A small glow indicates a light source at its windows.
-----When they get there and begin setting up camp, the Dread Pirate sets up the following watch schedule: Dread, Kazel, Seth, Runik, Brandel and Krord arranged in shifts of one and a half hours. Brandel and Krord are to be together on last shift since they don't have infravision and it should be getting lighter by morning. Between the two of them they should be able to compensate for not being able to see as well.
-----The night then passes quietly while the sky remains very dark as if the clouds were keeping the moon and the stars from shining on the world. Dread takes his watch with Kazel. Later that night, Seth and Runik relieve them.
-----Toward the middle of the second watch, the silence in the countryside is broken by a single wolf cry. Moments later, the animal's call is answered by another and then another until the cries join together in what seems like one long mournful sound. For at least an hour's time, the night seems devoid of life except for the howls that are heard somewhere out in the darkness.