Nothing reassuring. The problem is much more dangerous than thought. But you still need to act.

So you've learned something very important.

For this you needed your attentiveness, your charisma and your ability to convince people.

And one more thing: you had to risk your own life. You were almost pierced through by a huge two-handed sword. The images of this huge sharp steel blade that is rapidly approaching your chest will haunt your mind for a long time. Extremely unpleasant memories...

The threat to this village of Olinsford is much more serious than you previously thought. White Wolf. This is not just a wolf. Because of this beast, the young nobleman Canlur Macclarn began to turn into a wolf-like monster who was obsessed with bloodlust.

You strain your memory and you remember that similar monsters were mentioned by old hunters in your home village. Of course, these stories were more like terrible legends (none of your interlocutors personally encountered anything similar). But now you are convinced that the legends are based on a terrible reality.

Such monsters are called werewolves.

If, due to the bite of a white wolf, a young nobleman began to turn into a werewolf, then this means that...

This white wolf is himself a werewolf.

Another huge wolf-like monster. A monster that you will have to kill.

You're thinking, “What if the hope that killing the white-furred monster will lift Canlur's curse is false? Then, probably, I will have to kill Canlur himself... And the one who tries to stop me..."

You glance nervously towards the one who almost killed you recently.

Gascon.

A middle-aged man in leather armor and a heavy fur cloak. His narrow, close-set eyes look at you with contempt as Canlur tells you the tragic details of what happened. Gascon's entire appearance demonstrates determination: if his lord orders, he will kill you without a second thought.

When Canlur's story was finished, you began to talk about what you learned through conversations with villagers and observations.

You detail your observations regarding the tragic events that are taking place in the village of Olinsford to two of your new acquaintances. Of particular interest to your interlocutors is a fact that you can confirm: a secret underground passage that you noticed in one of the small caves that are located along the path leading to the ruins of the watchtower.

They want to see it with their own eyes.

You accompany the stern warrior Gascon and the nobleman Canlur to this cave (good thing the cave is not very far away). You show a secret passage that was disguised as an ordinary stone.

Gascon carefully examines this secret passage. Then he goes down a couple of steps along this passage and peers into the darkness.

He bends down and picks up something from the ground. Then he throws some small thing into the darkness.

Ten seconds later, the distant sound of stone hitting stone reaches your ears.

Gascon turns towards Canlur and says: “There are a lot of steep stone steps that lead far down. It's dangerous to go there. And the danger is clearly not only in the darkness and the possibility of tripping and falling.”

Canlur sighs and says: “You will have to leave me in ruins, Gascon. I can’t go with you - the closer the night, the more dangerous I become for everyone... You must go with this commoner and try to find at least something that can help solve the problem. In view of the story of Raul about strange events in the village, I assume that the bite of that vile white wolf was not an accident..."

Gascon looks at you skeptically and, stroking his large steel-gray mustache, replies: “I don’t trust this commoner. But... If this is your order, my lord... I will do my best to find a solution!”

These two guys aren't even interested in your opinion. It is clear that they perceive you as a commoner who can be used to solve a problem that concerns them. But if you are unlucky enough to somehow displease these persons, then... It’s not at all difficult to guess what will await you. Your glance falls sideways on the huge two-handed sword of Gascon.

After exploring the cave, you and your two “companions” again go to the ruins of the watchtower.

Among these stone ruins there is a small, inconspicuous room, the entrance to which is disguised by all sorts of rubbish (fragments of half-rotten boards, small stones).

Inside this room you see iron chains with shackles. Chains are attached to the stone walls. Gascon helps Canlur put these chains on his hands and on his feet. The warrior then takes out the key and closes the shackles.

If you did not know about the reasons for what was happening, then all this would seem extremely strange to you: a warrior puts shackles on the nobleman whom he swore to serve!

But you understand: it’s better to have your hands in shackles than the risk of turning into a bloodthirsty monster who will run around the neighborhood and kill everyone he sees.

Canlur Macclarn remains in this small room within the watchtower ruins.

After this, you and Gascon return to the cave.

The two of you walk down the stone steps into the darkness together. Luckily, you have a torch in your bag and enough supplies to start some fire.

The light from your torch is weak. The passage is narrow. Two persons here can only go one after the other.

But at least you see something in this darkness.

You walk up the steps slowly and carefully.

The stern warrior Gascon is coming for you.

The descent takes considerable time. This is a long secret underground passage.

After half an hour you feel that there are no more stone steps ahead.

The torchlight illuminates the relatively flat stone floor surface.

You look around.

You see a large underground room. It's deserted here. But there are several corridors from this room.

The first corridor leads to the west. You scan the area closely and notice signs that someone was walking in a westerly direction. Almost invisible marks. It was a long time ago. Maybe a couple of weeks ago.

The second corridor leads in a northern direction. There are no traces in this direction. But you hear some strange noise coming from this corridor.

The third corridor leads south. This corridor is different in that you see some kind of dim glow somewhere in the distance in this direction.