The ruins of the abandoned city didn't offer him much in the way of information. But in a way, that was just fine. Sometimes Hellboy found refuge in old, crumbling places full of vines and lost history. They were dead places, but at least they were peaceful.
Though Valishaera wasn't a dead place. Even though the Arybar hadn't seen head or tail of the monks that built the elaborate city for centuries, the remains of what they left behind still thrum with a pulse of life.
It could be the crops, planted and tended to by the Arybar farmers, nestled in the overgrown gardens and courtyards. Maybe the Arybar had a hand in keeping the walls so pristine. Maybe they were the ones that erased any hint of the people who once lived there. Kept the floors from cracking and vermin from digging up the rest. Though he doubts it.
The Arybar were practical people. They didn't have the time or patience for such sentimental, arduous work. They cleared out the land and worked their fields, but weren't the type to spend hours clearing the dust from elaborate stonework.
And that's where the mystery lies - If the Arybar aren't taking care of the place, who is? And what the hell happened to all the monks?
Hellboy had been wandering down a startlingly well-preserved hall when a shadow ducked around the corner up ahead, catching his attention. So he picked up the pace and followed, hurrying past a vine-covered wall.
The next hallway was empty, but footsteps echoed farther down where the foliage got thick as a garden maze. His own hooves clacked riotously against the old stone, only half-aware that more than curiosity was spurring him on.
It led him up the marble staircase to another temple, the old wooden door wreathed with creeping flowers. Halfway up the staircase stood a man, tall and thin with a shock of dark hair.
"We must hurry, my boy. There's much more to see."
"...Professor?"
It was him. Standing right there. Professor Bruttenholm, in his neatly starched suit, his eyes sharp and full of daring.
His father. Decades before the Cavandish expedition. Before--
"Come now," the Professor beckoned, disappearing into the darkness behind those massive doors. "It won't be long. I've been told the real Valishaera is just ahead."
Hellboy | Open
Though Valishaera wasn't a dead place. Even though the Arybar hadn't seen head or tail of the monks that built the elaborate city for centuries, the remains of what they left behind still thrum with a pulse of life.
It could be the crops, planted and tended to by the Arybar farmers, nestled in the overgrown gardens and courtyards. Maybe the Arybar had a hand in keeping the walls so pristine. Maybe they were the ones that erased any hint of the people who once lived there. Kept the floors from cracking and vermin from digging up the rest. Though he doubts it.
The Arybar were practical people. They didn't have the time or patience for such sentimental, arduous work. They cleared out the land and worked their fields, but weren't the type to spend hours clearing the dust from elaborate stonework.
And that's where the mystery lies - If the Arybar aren't taking care of the place, who is? And what the hell happened to all the monks?
Hellboy had been wandering down a startlingly well-preserved hall when a shadow ducked around the corner up ahead, catching his attention. So he picked up the pace and followed, hurrying past a vine-covered wall.
The next hallway was empty, but footsteps echoed farther down where the foliage got thick as a garden maze. His own hooves clacked riotously against the old stone, only half-aware that more than curiosity was spurring him on.
It led him up the marble staircase to another temple, the old wooden door wreathed with creeping flowers. Halfway up the staircase stood a man, tall and thin with a shock of dark hair.
"We must hurry, my boy. There's much more to see."
"...Professor?"
It was him. Standing right there. Professor Bruttenholm, in his neatly starched suit, his eyes sharp and full of daring.
His father. Decades before the Cavandish expedition. Before--
"Come now," the Professor beckoned, disappearing into the darkness behind those massive doors. "It won't be long. I've been told the real Valishaera is just ahead."
All he could do was follow.