the crooked kind

The glade might be untouched by the ravages of the barrier or whatever forces acted upon these strange lands. But that didn’t mean it was totally isolated. Indeed, as the pair would soon find, even this beautiful secluded place was not without it share of dangers. Just because something was tranquil on the surface didn’t mean there wasn’t something lurking underneath the surface. In this case, it was literally beneath the surface. It started small, just a shiver of the earth beneath their feet. The water began to ripple slightly and the leaves shivered as if there was an unseen wind. However, it quickly grew in intensity as the very ground itself began to buck. The two of them would find themselves flung from their feet to the punishing and still rumbling dirt. With a great cracking sound, the two would learn that trees did indeed make a sound as they fell. A great trunk was fully uprooted by the earthquake. It slammed down with some force and showering the pair with twigs and leaves, though thankfully it didn’t actually hit them. It tore up the ground as it fell, flinging dirt high into the air, and the roots pulled up most of the undergrowth of the area. The fallen tree and the cleared growth revealed an odd looking glade within the glade, containing what appeared to be a long neglected, debris covered, and now incredibly disheveled looking shrine, one somehow disturbed yet oddly untouched by the years.