Tales of Arlo

Scavengers Undercover

Sivero, Oda, and I walked peacefully along the Melted Forest. Our eastern path led us along the stream and out towards where the trees began to thin. The emerald oaks of the western side of the Melted Forest were now outnumbered by the yellow and orange streaked trunks of the rainbow eucalyptus of the east. The earth beneath our feet was a red clay that bolstered a variety of fern-like plants and bushels of umbrella bamboo.  

The air was filled with the chorus of bugs and the occasional caw of a larger bird. Oda held onto my hand, leading me over plants and helping me avoid holes in the ground that were large enough to fit my leg. Every so often, I could see plants in the distance being parted, but there was no sign of what it was other than an occasional soft hiss. 

"Sivero, remember when I had my pet python, Stringbean?" Oda called ahead to our Kenku companion, who was much further ahead. 

Sivero squawked out in disgust, not even turning around to give Oda the satisfaction of seeing his anguish. The medicine man continued to scan the ground, tactfully avoiding any of Stringbean's distant relatives. 

"The humidity is going to kill me" I complained, desperately trying to fan myself off. 

With each step towards our destination, I could feel the air become heavier and heavier. It felt like I was walking through soup. As I complained in place, Sivero began taking off his robe. The old Kenku stripped down to his black shorts and undershirt. 

"That Tiefling blood is coming in nice and handy, right now" Oda taunted us, flexing his arms towards the sky. 

As Oda continued to flex, I took my bag off and pushed it towards his chest. He chuckled and slung my bag over his free shoulder. 

"If I'm taking your bag, you'll have to guide yourself until we get to more even ground," Oda explained, trying to keep up with nearly frantic Sivero, "Bird Brains hates snakes, especially the kind that grow out here."

"Are they as big as the rats in the sewers?" I asked, not really wanting to know the answer. 

"If the prey animals are that big, what do you think it says about predators?" Oda taunted Sivero and I both. 

Sivero began nearly running, with Oda trailing close behind. I had gotten more used to the dance of avoiding the snake holes, just about able to keep pace with Oda. Anytime there was a crack in a tree, Sivero would jump above the plants and frantically survey the area. I could see the exhaustion in his eyes as his fear fought to keep it down, but even Sivero was reaching his limit. 

The Kenku began to slow down his pace, allowing me to finally catch up to them. Sivero surveyed the entire area once before sitting down his bag and reaching for the water he had stored. The blissful relief of water hitting his tongue blinded him to his fears and the world around him, finding one moment of peace. 

Sivero began screwing his canteen shut when a serpent the width of Sivero dropped from an overtop tree, swiftly wrapping its green-scaled body. Oda jumped at the massive snake, barely being able to wrangle the snake into a headlock with both of his arms and body. Its yellow eyes looked around wildly as it nearly flung Oda, who was narrowly dodging the sharp, white horns on its head. Without any thought, I grabbed my dagger and stabbed the beast in the eye until its eye came out with my blade. 

"Slit its... throat... these guys breathe... poison" Oda grunted, being thrown even more wildly by the enraged snake than before. 

I shook its eyeball off my dagger and rammed my blade into its throat before using my entire body strength to tug it across the rest of its throat. The agonized beast whipped its body out, throwing Sivero beyond multiple trees. The giant serpent fought Oda, squirming until it reluctantly let go its last fighting chance.