And to that, she gave an all-too-knowing giggle, still leading him away from the outposts. They were moving at a steady pace, and she could see ahead of her the marker she had left to indicate where the Dead Zone began.

"Mmm, I know quite a bit! When I thought we were playing a new game, I did all sorts of research on the lore of Purradisa. Mostly, I wanted to know what was out in this spooky sounding Dead Zone place. It sounded way too dangerous! But then I learned why they called it that."

She let go of Equius's hand for a moment, but gave him a glance that told him to keep following her.

"It's not dead because people die, or because it's particularly scary. I guess it could be if you aren't prepared and you go too far away, but I am getting off track! It's called the Dead Zone because any sort of special powers or abilities someone normally has will go away once they cross a certain border."

They came upon and passed a small teacup left in the grass, and still Nepeta walked.

"For example. If Vriska or Aradia or even John came out this far, they wouldn't be able to fly. Vriska's vision eightfold would go away, and John wouldn't be able to do the windy thing. But only temporarily! Once they get closer to the castle again, it would all come back to them."

And then she stopped, turning to fully face him for the first time since they left the castle. She allowed the backpack to sink from her shoulder and gently placed it on the grass beside her. She looked up at him with a very soft, genuine smile.

"Or a very strong troll might lose his strength for just a little while."