After all the adventures, Jack forgot that he had not eaten for a long time, but now the hunger began to remind again. So he decided to find a tavern. Jack did not know why he thought about it, but went to look for a local tavern. Soon he found her: it was a large wooden building with a sign on which was a wolf's head. Before the entrance was a drunkard, Jack decided not to touch him, and went inside. Inside it was a bit crowded, but quite comfortable. It was noon and the peasants worked in the fields, so there were few people in the tavern.
"Lunch-10 silver, room for a day 26-silver."
– Tiredly the innkeeper said when Jack approached him. He only ordered dinner, and sat down at a table waiting for the order. Soon they brought a chicken leg with potatoes. While eating potatoes, Jack was thinking about what to do next, but suddenly a young fellow sat down at her table, and ordering the beer said:
"Well, stranger, you do not need a guide? I'm Karhard, the best guide in all of Valdennis,
I know everything: from the Red Mountains,
to the shores of the Royal Sea."
"Where do you get that I need a guide,
I know where I need to go."
"Well, where are you going?"
"In town."
"What city?"
"To the nearest."
"You will not go there."
Karhard said with an unpleasant smile.
"Why?"
"Because the only road goes through the castle, and the castle is under siege.
And I think that the soldiers will not miss you."
"And I cann't go around bypassing?"
"No. Because from the east the castle is surrounded by Dead marshes, and from the west forests with ... em ... with ruins ..."
"And what is so terrible about these ruins?"
"They are magical ... Elvish, and therefore cursed. There are ghosts ..."
Jack only smirked when she noticed that Karhard had turned slightly pale when the conversation turned to the ruins.
"Well, thank you for talking, but it's time for me to leave."
By this time, Jack had eaten dinner, and quickly paid out on the street. These ruins seemed to his interesting enough to visit them, but first he had to buy a horse. Once he had a lot of money, Jack decided not to complicate his life and just buy it, after asking local residents, he soon found the one who sold the horse. A little bargaining, they agreed on 3 gold coins, and soon Jack rode along an empty road to the north. He was lucky that no one was on the road because he could not ride horses, and the horse did not go straight, but in zigzags. After a couple of hours he went to a small hill and saw almost the entire valley: in the east there were swamps, in the west of the forest, and between them was a castle, the siege was in full swing, the castle was burning. Another hour later Jack reached the fork: the left road was apparently abandoned long ago, while the right was used much more often. Jack went on the left, but the road gradually turned into a path, and then completely disappeared, and Jack went where the eyes look.
After half an hour of wandering, he stumbled upon a ruined city wall ...
