Tales of Arlo

The Spirit That Lights the Core

The golden glow of morning poured through the lone window of Galmiir's home, illuminating the kitchen for one, final, quick meal before heading off. Cygnus was adorned with a bronze saddle and reins featuring a red blanket underneath. 

"Before you all go, I have... a little gift... for each of you," Galmiir spoke somberly, pulling gifts wrapped in cloth out and handing one to each of, "Don't stand there with your jaws on the floors! Open the blasted things!"

Oda's gift was nearly as tall as he was, not exactly hiding the gifts contents. As the cloth fell to the ground, the sword-like blade adorned by a wooden staff nearly as tall as him. 

"Should you need to obscure your weapon, you can twist the blade off the hilt," Galmiir noted. 

Sivero was given a blue crystal mortar and pestle, perfectly chiseled for the size of Sivero's hands. The old Kenku took his old mortar and pestle out, placing it in one of the cupboards and continuing to admire his new bestowment. 

 My gift was the smallest of the bunch, round and flat. When I unwrapped the neatly folded cloth, uncovering a silver circlet featuring a chalcedony centerpiece. The silver frame looked like vines, featuring small, hand-pressed metallic leaves. 

"Chalcedony was Sariah's favorite stone... It should keep the undead off of you and help you along your journey to become a master in the School of Divination," Galmiir explained, "I made that centuries ago... It's about time it got some use."

"Thank you so much, Galmiir," I teared up, "I love it."

I place the circlet on my head, finding that it fit perfectly. Oda glanced over from his examining his new weapon, smiling. 

"The sun is nearly above the trees now! We're losing precious daylight!" Galmiir announced, ushering us all up and out the door. 

During our time at Galmiir's, Sivero made a ladder that allowed him to travel between Mount Angorus and the surrounding jungle. Galmiir climbed onto Cygnus's back and had the displacer beast sit at the edge of ledge where the ladder was tied. 

"North will the be the fastest way out the jungle and the direction of the Fountain of Spirit," Galmiir stated firmly as he pointed us in the right direction, "Don't forget to come back!"

Sivero, Oda, and I scaled the mountain, taking each step slowly down. The further we got down, the less faintly we could make out Galmiir or Cygnus. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I watched the ladder get dragged up to the mountainside porch. 

Oda used his new staff to help us trek through the tall plants once more. Although we knew that the jungle was filled with dangers, we felt much less on edge. This place untouched by civilization had become a safe haven for us, a place not even my father's most loyal guards dared enter. 

Learning form our first trip through the forest, we made certain to look above our heads as well as the ground. Sivero had seen more Deathcoils while he hunted and gathered around the jungle, but he learned that they seemed to avoid the path that he and Cygnus had walked daily. 

When Sivero hadn't been gathering food, he would make his way out to the north edge of the jungle. We followed the trees that had marked with crosses, allowing us to focus on the trail before us rather than staring at a map. 

Having spent days in Galmiir's workshop, the heat was no longer an issue for us. Even in our layers of clothing and armor, the jungle heat didn't compare to the boiling lava of the workshop forge. 

As we walked along the jungle, I lifted my eyes up to find hordes of giant toucans watching our every movement. My attention was broken when I heard the breaking of branches in the distance to our right.