Jigano glanced over his shoulder, feeling a pang of nostalgia at Oliver's questions as he remembered a more innocent time, when he hadn't known the answers to those questions either. Back then the world had been a brighter, more optimistic place. Back before he'd realized just how much death awaited those who dwelt in the Hollowed Grounds. "A landshark is a great beast, something like a fish with gigantic teeth, that moves through the earth like a fish swims through water. There's probably some magic to it that lets it do so, considering the size of the creatures. I've come across them... twice now," he admitted, his expression tightening with loss. "Each time one has come up from below the fields and opened its maw directly beneath the... the person it chose as its prey. I've never seen their bodies, but their jaws are large enough to swallow a human whole. Then they subside back beneath the earth to hibernate and... digest their meal, for a year or so."
He stayed quiet for a moment, eyes scanning the ruins and mind mourning Edrei. Unlike Oliver he was content to walk along the easiest path, saving his energy for later, in case they needed to move masonry or something else. He cleared his throat after a few minutes, making sure his eyes were dry before he addressed the second question. "Wicker Women are trees," he explained. "Pretty rare around here, but I've seen more of them in the Greatwood. They're not intelligent, thank goodness, but they are carnivorous, and they can move pretty fast. They respond to touch or vibration, from what I've seen. If you touch a branch or pass close to the trunk of one, they'll wrap a branch around you and pull you close to the trunk. The more you struggle, the tighter they wrap you up. Their sap is extremely dangerous, which makes struggling even less wise; it's a hallucinogenic. If you damage the tree and the sap comes to the surface it'll make you hallucinate and stop fighting. Eventually you starve to death and die, and your body feeds its roots. Watch out for gnarled trees with lots of branches that seem tangled around the trees around them, with branches wrapped around birds in their crowns, or piles of bones at their bases."
Warnings given, he was glad to turn the conversation to something lighter and happier. Music was a joy for both of them, and as they reached the edge of his last exploration he took out his small journal and a pencil and started making notes of what he saw around them before indicating they should head to the left, between two smaller buildings that had once probably been modest homes. "However much you feel comfortable with," he assured Oliver with a smile. "I enjoy hearing new music, and I'd appreciate whatever you're willing to share with me."
He stayed quiet for a moment, eyes scanning the ruins and mind mourning Edrei. Unlike Oliver he was content to walk along the easiest path, saving his energy for later, in case they needed to move masonry or something else. He cleared his throat after a few minutes, making sure his eyes were dry before he addressed the second question. "Wicker Women are trees," he explained. "Pretty rare around here, but I've seen more of them in the Greatwood. They're not intelligent, thank goodness, but they are carnivorous, and they can move pretty fast. They respond to touch or vibration, from what I've seen. If you touch a branch or pass close to the trunk of one, they'll wrap a branch around you and pull you close to the trunk. The more you struggle, the tighter they wrap you up. Their sap is extremely dangerous, which makes struggling even less wise; it's a hallucinogenic. If you damage the tree and the sap comes to the surface it'll make you hallucinate and stop fighting. Eventually you starve to death and die, and your body feeds its roots. Watch out for gnarled trees with lots of branches that seem tangled around the trees around them, with branches wrapped around birds in their crowns, or piles of bones at their bases."
Warnings given, he was glad to turn the conversation to something lighter and happier. Music was a joy for both of them, and as they reached the edge of his last exploration he took out his small journal and a pencil and started making notes of what he saw around them before indicating they should head to the left, between two smaller buildings that had once probably been modest homes. "However much you feel comfortable with," he assured Oliver with a smile. "I enjoy hearing new music, and I'd appreciate whatever you're willing to share with me."
