Charles felt the Custodian's grip tightening on his arm, the cold ground beneath his back, and the weight of the situation pressing on his chest.
The blue system arrow still floated in his vision, taunting him with the promise of a powerful artifact in the Stormy Forest cave, but now he was trapped, accused of being a spy by a paranoid Custodian.
His energy was at 34%, according to the system tab, giving him some leeway to defend himself if things got ugly.
But Lira's words echoed in his head:
'Keep a low profile.'
A fight here, in a restricted zone, would be a disaster.
'Damn it,' he thought, eyeing the Custodian, Rorik, who held him tightly. 'Fight back or let them drag me to the council? Neither sounds good.'
Before he could decide, the sound of rapid footsteps broke the silence.
Two more figures emerged from the trees, both in gray Custodian tunics, their faces hardened with suspicion.
