"Well, what was it?" Hikari asked expectantly when Siri waded out of the swamp and back onto the trail. She did not look very satisfied with Siri's vague, noncommittal answer, but didn't press any further. "Don't worry, I'm always on my guard," she reassured, her spirits high - ignorance was indeed bliss, it seemed - as they took to the trail once more.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The New Fish Trail lead up to a swampy lagoon, where the path gradually sunk into the murky depths never to rise again. The open ocean was close by and its waves could be seen and heard crashing against the sandbar on the far side of the lagoon. An old two-story building, its walls soggy with moss and its roof sagging with age, sat on the near shore of the shallow waters, not too far away from the end of the trail.<br/><br/>A mousy, brown-haired halfling was sprawled over the front porch of the house, lazing the late afternoon away, but got up as soon as he saw the two girls approaching. His clothes and hair were disheveled and he was bruised and battered, as though he had just been in a fight. He took a few steps towards the girls with a noticeable limp, his face paler than was healthy. "Hello, how may I help you?" he asked, politely enough.<br/>