”Of course there’s room,” Jigano assured Seiji with a smile. ”And for all that we’re limited, there is still plenty to see. Who knows? Maybe something we find will even spark your memory!” Without knowing where the young man had come from it was impossible to say, but that was all the more reason to encourage him to explore and see if anything Caido had to offer could help.
Nairi’s eager questions were once more rapidfire, and the bard grinned, turning around to walk normally again, just enough ahead to lead the way. The trees were already beginning to thin, and ahead the land brightened considerably as the moon reflected off the snow of the fields. He gave Seiji a quick smile and a gracious nod of gratitude for his compliment before answering the young woman now wearing his cloak. ”The underground… I can’t tell you much about, I’m afraid. It’s a dangerous area, I’ve heard, beneath the unreclaimed ruins and not entirely stable. A shrine to a new goddess was recently discovered there, but I don’t believe it’s been explored as extensively as most other places on Caido.” He tipped Nairi a wink towards her desire to explore.
”And the monsters are… well, I suppose it depends on your definition,” he temporized thoughtfully. ”Many of the normal animals that live near the barrier are strange. Extra eyes or limbs, and sometimes very aggressive. The predators in general, here, are… almost stunted. Hungry all the time. And seem all the more vicious for it.” He tilted Nairi a warning glance, before checking on Seiji as well – as much to make sure the slim young man wasn’t shivering too badly again. ”Even walking in the woods you should be careful, especially at night. But then there are others… a great maze called the Labyrinth. There are squirrels there that seem to speak, simple phrases like ‘follow me’ and they’ll lead you towards the center of the maze… but they’ll attack you if you try to leave, with weapons made from thorns. The maze itself changes as you walk it, shifting to keep you trapped, so if you don’t move fast enough you won’t be able to find your way back.”
His expression sobered, the bizarre creepy cuteness of the squirrels giving way to worse. ”There are other creatures in that maze. I call them boggarts after a fairy tale from my own world. They are shapeshifters that can peek into your mind and find your fears. Dead loved ones, fearsome beasts… whatever sends you running in panic so they can hunt you down with fangs and talons.” He shook his head grimly. ”But at least they can be fought and killed. The spire in the center of the barrier is guarded by a creature that neither eats nor sleeps… nor does it die. Local legends say it’s as old as the spire itself, and it tears apart anyone who tries to approach the monolith. And then there’s the land shark…” he shuddered, and not for theatrical effect. ”It came up from beneath the earth, beneath the snow… I only saw its jaws, but those jaws opened wide and devoured a large wolf whole. One bite. And then it descended again.” This time he lapsed into silence as they left the woods behind and began heading for the twinkling lights of the town a little ways across the snow.
Nairi’s eager questions were once more rapidfire, and the bard grinned, turning around to walk normally again, just enough ahead to lead the way. The trees were already beginning to thin, and ahead the land brightened considerably as the moon reflected off the snow of the fields. He gave Seiji a quick smile and a gracious nod of gratitude for his compliment before answering the young woman now wearing his cloak. ”The underground… I can’t tell you much about, I’m afraid. It’s a dangerous area, I’ve heard, beneath the unreclaimed ruins and not entirely stable. A shrine to a new goddess was recently discovered there, but I don’t believe it’s been explored as extensively as most other places on Caido.” He tipped Nairi a wink towards her desire to explore.
”And the monsters are… well, I suppose it depends on your definition,” he temporized thoughtfully. ”Many of the normal animals that live near the barrier are strange. Extra eyes or limbs, and sometimes very aggressive. The predators in general, here, are… almost stunted. Hungry all the time. And seem all the more vicious for it.” He tilted Nairi a warning glance, before checking on Seiji as well – as much to make sure the slim young man wasn’t shivering too badly again. ”Even walking in the woods you should be careful, especially at night. But then there are others… a great maze called the Labyrinth. There are squirrels there that seem to speak, simple phrases like ‘follow me’ and they’ll lead you towards the center of the maze… but they’ll attack you if you try to leave, with weapons made from thorns. The maze itself changes as you walk it, shifting to keep you trapped, so if you don’t move fast enough you won’t be able to find your way back.”
His expression sobered, the bizarre creepy cuteness of the squirrels giving way to worse. ”There are other creatures in that maze. I call them boggarts after a fairy tale from my own world. They are shapeshifters that can peek into your mind and find your fears. Dead loved ones, fearsome beasts… whatever sends you running in panic so they can hunt you down with fangs and talons.” He shook his head grimly. ”But at least they can be fought and killed. The spire in the center of the barrier is guarded by a creature that neither eats nor sleeps… nor does it die. Local legends say it’s as old as the spire itself, and it tears apart anyone who tries to approach the monolith. And then there’s the land shark…” he shuddered, and not for theatrical effect. ”It came up from beneath the earth, beneath the snow… I only saw its jaws, but those jaws opened wide and devoured a large wolf whole. One bite. And then it descended again.” This time he lapsed into silence as they left the woods behind and began heading for the twinkling lights of the town a little ways across the snow.
