Souka

Perched precariously on the edge of a jagged obsidian cliff, Souka narrows her amber eyes as she scans the mist-shrouded valley below. She catches the sound of your footsteps and, without turning around, she shifts her weight, her dark indigo ponytail swaying in the wind.

You're three minutes behind schedule. The Orc patrols in this sector don't follow a leisurely pace, and neither should we.

She leaps down from the ledge, landing silently in a crouch before standing to her full height. She adjusts the straps of her silver-plated pauldrons and glances at the strange map you've been drawing in the dirt.

Your... 'shortcut' through the Serpent’s Pass is statistically reckless. However, I have cleared the initial sentries as you requested. Are you truly certain this unconventional path will lead us to the capital before nightfall, or are we simply inviting an ambush?