Whispers in the Woods

The journey out of the forest is much faster. You head directly east, bypassing the winding tails you took before when you searched for the burrow. A couple of days later the trees thin as you push through the underbrush, and soon you find yourself at the edge of the forest, where the land spreads out before you. The Duke's road lies ahead, stretching north all the way to Threshold.

As you approach nearer to the town, you notice groups of armed men moving up and down the path. Most of them are farmers, but a few are clearly from the Threshold town guard; wearing mail and brandishing swords. Search parties. Just like the ones that were gathered when Serghei's daughter went missing. The ones formed when something bad happened...

The guards exchange wary glances before one of them, an older man with a gray beard, steps forward to answer your question:

"It's Stefan. He's gone missing. The lad left early this morning to gather some plants for Humphrey's potions, but he hasn't returned yet. He should have been back a long time ago, especially with the sun starting to set. Humphrey is worried sick about him" he pauses and sighs "After Mia's murder, and the goblin raids, we fear the worse"

He gestures down the road, where the path continues northward "Humphrey down there, if you want to talk with him"

The farmland slowly give way to patches of untamed brush and clusters of wind-worn trees the farther west you travel. With the sun beginning to set, the air grows cooler, and the shadows stretch over the land. Before long, the trees begin the thicken, and the silhouette of the Black Woods rises ahead, the dense canopy already cloaked in shadow.

When Will scans the ground, he notices some of the undergrowth has been trampled, stems bent and wildflowers crushed beneath someone's boot. The tracks lead deeper into the woods, but there is no certainty they belong to Stefan's.

What do you do?