"And if you look to your left, you will see Eve," Goington said, his right hand on his hip, a proud smile on his face as he faced the left and stared at the land of greenery quite a distance from us, barely visible behind a hill taller than the one we were currently on.
Alexander's departure from Beckle hadn't just been a sudden and rushed journey.
With the tension in the village and his staunch faith in the system's warning, worried as Alexander informed them he would be leaving, ready to chart into unfamiliar territory with no knowledge of the fauna, Ma and Pa had gotten Goington to escort him.
Though they had declined to tell him what it cost them to convince the man, Alexander knew it had to be sumptuous, because Goington was supposed to be by his side as far as Hadrol.
It had only been a few hours since they departed the village, and after crossing the bushes and trees that stretched for more than a mile in front of the village, they had gotten to the hills that surrounded it from the front.
Behind the hill was a land that randomly had a dense and sparse concentration of trees, red and black patches of earth visible from where we stood.
Despite the season, regions with trees that carried brown leaves could also be spotted from up here. But rather than enlighten Alexander about what he was looking at, Goington drew his attention to a land very different from what lay on their route.
"Eve, do you mean the hunting grounds?" Alexander asked, his interest piqued.
"Yep. You've never been taken up the hill, have you?" Goington pointed to the hills that overlooked Eve, and Alexander nodded.
"That hill looks dangerously steep. Ma would never let Pa take me up there."
"Hmm, I don't blame her.
Climbing to the top of the hill in record time is usually used as a test for those who want to be hunters."
Thinking of the rigorous training the people of Beckle put those who wanted to be hunters through, Alexander's mind went to the game 'chasing the bull' which they used to train their children. His stomach coiled at how adverse they were to using that strength to protect themselves.
Hiding his disgust, Alexander focused on the fabled Eve. Having heard its name a few times while walking through the village, he asked a question.
"It looks so much richer than the area around it."
From where Alexander and Goington stood, they could catch only a glimpse of Eve from the side, the towering hill obscuring most of it. But from just the little they could see, a land rich with life and harvest could be recognized.
"Yep, and you might not know this, but 98% of the animals in the region before us are located there."
"That's a steep number. Unrealistic," Alexander frowned, believing Goington was vastly exaggerating.
There was no barrier separating Eve from the area around it. No matter how rich, it was impossible for the animals not to spill out to the other areas.
"Yeah, I understand you, but you'll see.
The only danger on our route will be from the land. You'll be hard-pressed to find any creature looking to kill you or something you can kill," Goington said, lifting a horn that hung from his neck, uncorking it, and taking a long swig.
Though still not believing what Goington was saying, Alexander's curiosity was stirred.
"And what is the reason for this strange phenomenon exactly?"
"Ahh, there is a reason, and it's a big one, but I can't tell you.
Only those who become hunters are privy to that knowledge."
From the drunk's words, it was clear to Alexander that there was a mystery to Beckle, which he unfortunately would not be unravelling.
"You're not a hunter, so in simple terms, you don't know."
"Well…" Goington let out a burp, the embarrassment that had claimed his face disappearing as he puffed out his chest.
"I'm a man who loves travelling and tasting the fine liquids of the Earth. I can't imagine myself being caged in the village for eternity."
"You mean hunters are never allowed to leave the village?"
"Ehhh…" Goington's expression suddenly became distant. He looked away from the direction of Eve, back to the area before him and the boy he was supposed to guide. Rubbing his chin, he suddenly marched forward.
"Let's go, boy. We don't want the night meeting us when we aren't halfway through these treacherous lands."
Within, Goington swallowed, moving forward without looking back, hoping for his words to take the boy's mind off what he had just blurted out.
Already a man who had seen much of the world, Alexander played along with Goington's wishes.
The man had let out enough words for Alexander to easily understand what he did not want to say.
Whatever secret was hidden within Eve was so tightly kept that those who became aware of it were never allowed to leave the village.
Before Alexander resumed conversing with Goington, though, this reasoning brought to his mind a question.
"Were Ma and Barth lying to me? Is this the true reason why the people of Beckle cannot afford to abandon their land?"
There were more thoughts to this line of thinking, but Alexander stopped himself from thinking too deep, blocking off other avenues of reasoning.
"What is treacherous about this land?" the being behind Goington asked, letting out a breath and following behind him.