The Chained Watcher

A Strange Mist

~~~

The day moves on, and it's back to exploration.

They've been mostly sticking to the wilderness, so they've had some very scenic views as they fly past mountains and follow the path of winding rivers. No dragons so far, but they did spot a wing of wild wyverns off in the distance. Grian had shooed the Hermits away from them, not wanting to have to dodge fire while worrying about everyone else's elytra.

It was around midday that they found something weird enough to head down and check it out. An abandoned greenhouse, with cracked glass and overgrown plants, yet there was a thick mist leaking out through the cracks. Maybe some kind of magical creature took up residence here, and that's why there's mist.

They circled around it carefully, before Grian gingerly hopped through one of the broken windows. Now that he's in here, he can see a stark difference between the plants growing over the exterior and the ones inside. Outside, the plants are the normal lush green you usually see in healthy plants, but inside it's like someone drained all the color out. The partially withered vines and flowers are a strange gray color, with not a hint of green present in either leaves or petals.

He can't actually sense any creatures inside the greenhouse, so why is there so much mist in here? Either way, it should be safe for the Hermits to poke at.

"I don't know why there's so much mist in here, but the only thing inside is a bunch of weirdly gray plants."

Xisuma carefully opened the door, shifting to the side when the pooled mist sluggishly flowed out the opening. He looks a bit off-put by it for some reason, but as far as Grian can tell there's nothing abnormal about the mist. It's just weirdly thick.

He's checking the different varieties available for something interesting, but it's Scar that finds what might be the only bit of clarification available in this greenhouse. "Hey, I think this pot has a label on it!" They crowd over, but the text is in whatever language the locals use around here, so none of them can read it. Well, if Grian used his translation spell he could, but that might give away a bit too much.

Actually, there's only Hermits around and he's planning on letting all of them know anyways, so maybe he can get away with a little magic just this once. He can even explain it off as being related to his secret so they won't bug him with questions about it! This probably isn't the wisest decision, but hey, he's curious, can you blame him?

Apparently he was staring at it a little too intensely, since Impulse asked, "Can you read that?" Whoops.

Glancing over, he shook his head. "Nope, got no clue." Impulse sighs, but then Grian grinned. "Buuuuuut..." He waits for Impulse's confusion to grow before continuing. "I could cheat, just a little."

Xisuma's eyebrows shoot up, and he directs a questioning look over. Eh, doesn't matter now, he's already shared that he can do something to surpass the language barrier. "The only rule I have if I'm going to cheat is that you can't ask how, k? We're just waving this off as magic, and it's not something I'm willing to do around other people so it's just this once."

Excited nods from all the Hermits answered him, and they backed up a bit to give him room. Not that he needs a bunch of room for a simple translation spell, but he appreciates the thought. He weaves the spell with as little magic as he can use, just on the off chance a Listener is nearby. Better safe than sorry.

Well, that name is a bit on-the-nose, isn't it? Might as well read it out loud for everyone else. "It says that this is called a 'mistleaf vine', whatever that is. Is that why there's so much mist in here?"