It is through luck that the mule responds to Czespecem, likely aided by the day they had already spent together walking side-by-side. Some hours pass, when the dwarf notices something strange. Trees on the roadside with too many shadows. Stretching towards the cart, but not reaching it. The mule senses something amiss, and speeds up. And soon, this strange occurrence is behind you.
So the dwarf keeps on. More hours pass in silence. The sun begins to set, and then it is gone. The road is not difficult in the dark, not for the mule nor for the dwarf who sees in the night. Around a bend, however, a light can be seen. A lantern. A man on a donkey, swaying as though drunk. As he approaches and hears you coming by, he calls out in a scratchy voice, "Lo, you who walk in the dark, have you heard the great truth? The monastery was but the beginning, all the gods will smite all the lands! Not a soul will be left alive, save those who pay fealty to none! Repent, and disown the gods!" The heresies he speak are strange to hear, especially at this time and place. But the man continues by, preaching at the figure he cannot see, and then he is gone.
Morning comes. As the sun rises, the sound of hooves can be heard. A knight comes into sight, with a retinue; all are armed, all are mounted upon well-treated steeds. As he pulls beside, the knight gestures for Czespecem to stop. He raises the visor of his helm and reveals a stern face with the nose of a drunkard. "You, dwarf, I come seeking one who would challenge the faith and corrupt the gullible and weak. Reports put him on this road. Have you seen such a man?"
