The Watchpost at Ashfall Ridge

“The smoke column you followed for two hours has gone out. That is not a good sign. The road ahead narrows between stands of pine so dense the light dies before it reaches the ground, and somewhere in that dark something crossed the road in the mud, recently, moving toward the ridge on two legs but with a stride far too wide for any man. The dispatch from the garrison captain is folded in your pack and very clear: retrieve the soldier, retrieve the case, and do not engage if the numbers are not in your favor. Nobody told you the numbers. The trees ahead are perfectly still.”