Tales of Arlo

A Heart Undefended

The morning brought a gentle chill, stirring me awake. Oda was asleep next to me as Sivero sat with a campfire, facing the lake. The Kenku cocked his eyes as he scanned the water surface, analyzing each flop of a fish or random swell of bubbles. 

"Those kappa are nothing to snuff, huh?" I teased, patting Sivero on the shoulder and made the  geezer jump in the air, "If I focus my attention on the water, something is telling that they're staring right back at you from behind that cluster of cattails."

Between the cattail stems, a round, yellow bowl lined with green hairs popped out of the water. I could faintly make out its red eyes peering from just below the water. When I looked directly in its eyes, the kappa quickly ducked its head and swam behind its nearby friends. 

"I don't think you'll have to worry about those guys again, Siv," I laughed. 

"Kappa aren't much to worry about when you're on land," Oda yawned as he joined us at the fire, "They're only a problem when catch you with your pants down in the water."

During his shift of watch duty, Sivero had gather some apples. He saved each of us one to eat, having placed the rest of his bounty in a warm, apple-based tea. We watched the campfire flicker until it died out and packed up our things. As we began walking away, the kappa followed us from the lake and nearly stood at the edge as we left their territory. 

Artemis' Bow glowed brightly as we continued our western-bound path, the crunching of autumn leaves being the only sound to break up the gusty breeze and occasional bird calls. We reached a small path stamped with the hooves of horses and began to follow the trail until we reached a fork in the road. 

Between the two pathways was a thin, rickety wooden sign that read "Vardurr" down the right path and "Ashfall" down the left. Before we could continue, I had to wrap my crossbow in its cloth and sling back over my back. I put my cloak back on, slinging the hood over my head once again.

"Sivero, have you ever been to Vardurr?" Oda asked as we trotted down the road. 

Sivero shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. 

"Going in blind has gotten us this far, I guess," I sighed with a slight chuckle. 

"It's also broken your ribs and you've nearly drowned twice now," Oda complained, "Poor Sivero nearly got ate by giant snake."

"And we're still here," I reminded him cheekily. 

The occasional homestead began cropping up, clearing out some of the trees and giving us a better view of the cloudy, grey sky. Long, log fences began lining the path with more frequency as we neared Vardurr. 

Standing loftily in the grey sky was a black tower, covered in ropes and topped with an unfinished roof. The dirt path beneath us morphed into stone and I could see a short city wall at the end of the road. 

"I should probably try to blend in," Oda stated as he looked around to ensure we were alone, hiding behind a nearby tree to be certain. 

When Oda walked back around the tree, he had taken his dark elf form. To better fit into his armor, he had made himself slightly taller as a dark elf. 

"If anyone asks, I'll admit to be being half-tiefling" Oda shrugged, as I looked up at him confused. 

With one final fitting, we walked towards the city wall. The bustling streets were filled with fast-paced workers all looking to get back to their job. This stone-clad city was lit by the faint glow of purple, stained glass street lamps. The roofs featured rounded tiling with curved ridges that featured a variety of thin statues at each corner. Some of the statues were fish, while others looked like the kappa we had seen at the lake.