The Goggles let him see the area around him as he crunched over the frosted fields, at least far enough to angle around or over small obstacles as he came upon them. But past the twenty foot range of their magic the world became a wall of featureless white as the ubiquitous mist swirled with such slow intention as to be nearly imperceptible in its movement.
It would be distressingly easy to get lost out here, with neither sun nor stars to provide direction, and no way to spot landmarks at any distance away. Tal had been leaving a trail of red pebbles every few paces in the white snow as he walked, but he was still glad Hotaru was with him. The huntress's feline nose would be able to pick their route back even if some enterprising rodent stole his trail of stony breadcrumbs.
He stopped when he found an area that was mostly flat and unbroken by logs or stones and reluctantly reached up to tug the Goggles down. Instantly his vision shrank to a few measly feet, the mist making even his fingers at arm's length look a little fuzzy and indistinct, and he glared around at it. "Thanks for comin' out with me, Ru," he said to his companion, turning towards where she'd been a moment ago and squinting to try and make out her pale hair from the pale fog. "An' helpin' with my knife. Frey kinda caught me off guard with the whole 'needin' t'draw blood from a trainin' partner' part of the quest. But you're a lot tougher'n Sah," he added, with a grin gone sharp behind the laughter. "Bet I'll have to work a lot harder to even get a nick in!"
It would be distressingly easy to get lost out here, with neither sun nor stars to provide direction, and no way to spot landmarks at any distance away. Tal had been leaving a trail of red pebbles every few paces in the white snow as he walked, but he was still glad Hotaru was with him. The huntress's feline nose would be able to pick their route back even if some enterprising rodent stole his trail of stony breadcrumbs.
He stopped when he found an area that was mostly flat and unbroken by logs or stones and reluctantly reached up to tug the Goggles down. Instantly his vision shrank to a few measly feet, the mist making even his fingers at arm's length look a little fuzzy and indistinct, and he glared around at it. "Thanks for comin' out with me, Ru," he said to his companion, turning towards where she'd been a moment ago and squinting to try and make out her pale hair from the pale fog. "An' helpin' with my knife. Frey kinda caught me off guard with the whole 'needin' t'draw blood from a trainin' partner' part of the quest. But you're a lot tougher'n Sah," he added, with a grin gone sharp behind the laughter. "Bet I'll have to work a lot harder to even get a nick in!"
