Apparently by trying to help and provide alternative options, Loren had just added to the confusion. However, the Launceleyn was pleased that Jigano was actually sticking around; at the very least, having someone to bounce ideas off of might help the summoner come up with something he wouldn’t consider. Already, he’d at least begun to think about alternate routes through the doors. Best to clear up the white-haired man’s misconception. “I don’t need an animal that can do all three, just one of them.” Hopefully that clarification would help. Then Loren tilted his head at the bard. “Although it would be nice. Can you describe these blink dogs?” He’d never even heard of such a creature, which was surprising for someone as well-read (on this particularly specialized subject) as Loren. But if it was specific to Jigano’s world, maybe that wasn’t that surprising after all.
Glances at the titles the summoner had already gone through, Loren realized they were pretty much exclusively about the Hollowed Grounds. Perhaps that had been an oversight: he knew very little about the Greatwoods, but had been assuming the flora and fauna were similar. However, seeing as he was in uncharted territory here, that had likely been a flawed assumption. “I will confess that I know pretty much nothing about the Greatwood or its creatures.” Loren knew he was contradicting his statement from their first encounter—that he knew the risks and could take care of himself—but his pride was much less important than his task.
Loren’s jaw dropped at the suggestion. For some strange reason, he hadn’t even considered that he could try transforming the door, likely because he wasn’t familiar with that particular magic at all. “Huh. It's worth a shot.” Still, it had a very low probability of suceeding. “The doors are...tough, though. I tried breaking them down and couldn’t even scratch them.” Tapping a finger on the table in an unconscious display of nerves, the Launceleyn considered how much he should disclose to Jigano.
Then again, Remi had already mentioned this during the meeting and it wasn’t like Loren gained anything by keeping this secret. He sighed, and leaned his palms against the table and lowered his voice even more so that no one could overhear them. “Zariah forced Remi to make magically sealed and protected doors and passageways that would only open for those who possessed the matching magical keys. Edy had one, but...she's dead. And I imagine she took the key with her." He closed his eyes for a moment against the pang of sorrow he felt for his cousin's death.
"Unfortunately, no one knows what Zariah did with the rest of them.” The summoner bit his lip, trying to fight off the fear of Jace and Beatrix stumbling upon one; after the thorough search Loren had given the manor, he thought it unlikely, but even the possibility was awful to consider. “I certainly can’t find them anywhere in the manor. So I am hoping to find a beast that can locate them for me. Failing that, I can try to either break through or sneak through. Sometimes finding a way around such enchantments, something they're not designed for or equipped to handle, causes them to fail.” Or at least, that was true in theory. Without knowing more about their construction or the magic involved, that’s all Loren had to rely on.
He gave Jigano a considering look. ”I know it sounds silly but…” the summoner bit his lip, concern crossing his face and coloring his tone, “I don’t know what’s behind them, or if anything sealed in there can even get out. But knowing Zariah, and what she was capable of, I wouldn’t want to risk it.” She probably had something awful or monstrous in those sanctums. “Even if she weren’t involved, though, I’m concerned that it might provide a point of access to the manor for the LongNight monsters, which is something no one else seems to have considered.” Remi had assured Loren that it wasn’t possible, but it hadn’t convinced the Launceleyn in the slightest. Magic wasn’t always completely reliable, not in the way the alchemist’s inventions were, and Loren was sure that was coloring the other man’s thinking. At the very least the summoner wanted to put the doors through every test imaginable before declaring them safe.
Glances at the titles the summoner had already gone through, Loren realized they were pretty much exclusively about the Hollowed Grounds. Perhaps that had been an oversight: he knew very little about the Greatwoods, but had been assuming the flora and fauna were similar. However, seeing as he was in uncharted territory here, that had likely been a flawed assumption. “I will confess that I know pretty much nothing about the Greatwood or its creatures.” Loren knew he was contradicting his statement from their first encounter—that he knew the risks and could take care of himself—but his pride was much less important than his task.
Loren’s jaw dropped at the suggestion. For some strange reason, he hadn’t even considered that he could try transforming the door, likely because he wasn’t familiar with that particular magic at all. “Huh. It's worth a shot.” Still, it had a very low probability of suceeding. “The doors are...tough, though. I tried breaking them down and couldn’t even scratch them.” Tapping a finger on the table in an unconscious display of nerves, the Launceleyn considered how much he should disclose to Jigano.
Then again, Remi had already mentioned this during the meeting and it wasn’t like Loren gained anything by keeping this secret. He sighed, and leaned his palms against the table and lowered his voice even more so that no one could overhear them. “Zariah forced Remi to make magically sealed and protected doors and passageways that would only open for those who possessed the matching magical keys. Edy had one, but...she's dead. And I imagine she took the key with her." He closed his eyes for a moment against the pang of sorrow he felt for his cousin's death.
"Unfortunately, no one knows what Zariah did with the rest of them.” The summoner bit his lip, trying to fight off the fear of Jace and Beatrix stumbling upon one; after the thorough search Loren had given the manor, he thought it unlikely, but even the possibility was awful to consider. “I certainly can’t find them anywhere in the manor. So I am hoping to find a beast that can locate them for me. Failing that, I can try to either break through or sneak through. Sometimes finding a way around such enchantments, something they're not designed for or equipped to handle, causes them to fail.” Or at least, that was true in theory. Without knowing more about their construction or the magic involved, that’s all Loren had to rely on.
He gave Jigano a considering look. ”I know it sounds silly but…” the summoner bit his lip, concern crossing his face and coloring his tone, “I don’t know what’s behind them, or if anything sealed in there can even get out. But knowing Zariah, and what she was capable of, I wouldn’t want to risk it.” She probably had something awful or monstrous in those sanctums. “Even if she weren’t involved, though, I’m concerned that it might provide a point of access to the manor for the LongNight monsters, which is something no one else seems to have considered.” Remi had assured Loren that it wasn’t possible, but it hadn’t convinced the Launceleyn in the slightest. Magic wasn’t always completely reliable, not in the way the alchemist’s inventions were, and Loren was sure that was coloring the other man’s thinking. At the very least the summoner wanted to put the doors through every test imaginable before declaring them safe.
