Morning light reaches the dry hollow beneath the broken wall. Effruin wakes to pale gold, stiff limbs, and the quiet rasp of stones shifting nearby.
Zev stands at the hollow’s entrance with a crooked walking stick gathered from the ruins. The aged skeleton points along the road, then toward the distant forest.
Effruin
The road leaves the castle. The forest offers cover.
The gesture is simple, without promise or explanation. Zev glances toward the sunlit fields, where returning soldiers or scavengers may soon discover the ruin.
He lowers the stick and waits beside the opening, leaving the choice visible. Beyond him, the road lies empty beneath drifting mist and broken battlements.
The hollow remains dry behind Effruin, but it is no longer hidden from the growing day. Zev’s silent invitation hangs between shelter and departure.
✓ Quest Accepted
Travel with Zev as companions