From the gate Michael was able to see what looked like fifteen or sixteen men and women. Four were on horseback and with them was a cart being drawn by a mule. Two of the men on horseback were clearly the knights that Kris had mentioned, and the others behind them on horses looked to be lightly armored as well. The knight’s armor was interesting, with solid pauldrons rather than layered ones like the more modern designs he’d seen that provided more movement. He wasn’t certain if it was an aesthetic choice, or the suits were antiques.As they approached, the gates were opened and the knights and militia were welcomed inside to cheers and praise from the crowd that had gathered to watch their return. At some point a number of small children and elderly had come out to see them and they returned their smiles and praise with smiles and waves of their own, even though Michael could tell that they were exhausted. When they’d approached the gates he’d actually watched them make a concentrated effort to stop slumping in their saddles and sit up straight. When the knight's eyes reached his, there was a brief look of confusion. They leapt off of their mounts with a clang and handed their reins off to a young stableboy before approaching Kris who was standing to meet them. “Welcome back sers,” said Kris, bowing a bit.“No need for that,” said the nearest one, removing his helmet, revealing a middle aged man with a dark complexion and a shaved head.“Yes there is,” said the other knight, removing his own helm to reveal a similarly aged man with a short cropped beard and gray hair. “There’s always a need for respect and etiquette, especially in dark times.”The first man sighed, but ignored the other’s comment. “Kris, report.”“No sightings of rift beasts. Received a wagon from gatepoint and sent them along with warnings to Creekbend. Had these two show up,” she pointed to Michael and Ollie. “They said they were here to help. The pretty- (...)