Jojo

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Arlo

Somehow, Arlo believed the knight. Strange appearances aside, he could tell that he wasn't capable of such a thing. He didn't seem to be a caster, and if he was so outwardly aggressive as to beset someone with shadow sprites he would have already attacked them.

He owed his level-headed reaction to the scenario before him to his already bizarre adventure since he left home. Running into interesting characters and strange happenings was just part of the experience to him. However, the dwarf was something of a sight he had never seen before. Machinations of the sort were exceedingly rare, and had he not already been preoccupied he might have flocked to the dwarf asking to study his creations. His eyes lit up with excitement towards the dwarf, but he quickly remembered the situation. Turning his head to see the dwarf also allowed him a glimpse of something else, movement rushing behind a building. He stared off towards it for a moment and tried to determine what it might have been. A villager rushing home perhaps? No, this was more familiar to him. He could swear he saw a leveret. But in Wanderneir? No, his mind must be playing tricks on him.

Arlo's attention was gained again by the elf he had saved as she spoke. His name? He realized in the confusion that he had not introduced himself.

"Listen, everyone. My name is Arlo, and I'm the acting court wizard under King Lancaster. I've been hired to seek out the source of the shadow sprite crisis, and have express permission to use whatever at my disposal to do so. While it seems all of you are capable people, I must advise that you seek shelter until dawn. If the guards of this city see you out at night you wont be charged with a crime but you might be placed in a cell until daylight for your own safety."

Arlo turned towards the dwarf, one of his creations held a strange light that seemed bright enough to travel safely.

"Sir, I know you don't know any of us, but would you be kind enough to escort these people to their homes should they need it? I still wish to talk more with each of you, you can all find me tomorrow morning in my housing near the castle, third house on the right."

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Haha yeah, at least Cider might have someone to mess around with soon

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Cider

The shallow stagnant waters of the swamp were a comfortable home for any slime, the water was a relaxing and safe place to rest. When Cider slept, he could not maintain his normal humanoid shape and he became a puddle almost indistinguishable from the swamp water in the moonlight. Sometimes his next meal would even stumble right into him trying foolishly to cross the swamp water in low light conditions. Other slimes shared his home but they were much simpler than him, even Cider could tell he was out of place among them. He could not remember where he came from, but he recalled a friendly face, a human face.

It was sufficiently dark now that some of the small glowing creatures would begin their flight, and the leaves of the plants in the water too began to shine a deep blue. In an otherwise exceedingly dark place they provided some beauty, and Cider appreciated them even if he couldn't think of the words to call them.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

So many people out after curfew! Haha.

Ban the Person above you

Banned for looking at my profile.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

@Sophrus Hah that was a great joy to read. You've got ye ol' dwarven lingo down pat.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

@Lumiere approved! But you already knew that.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

@Rune_Alchemist talk to me anytime lol

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Another solid character @Sophrus, he's approved too! Dwarves are always good fun.

Isle of Atria (Open World, Always Open)

Arlo

Arlo studied the woman's wounds from where he stood. He was no healer, but he had not yet seen an attack survivor since he began his work for the king. The attack lasted mere moments but yet they managed to cut her up pretty bad, Arlo shuttered to think about what larger groups might be capable of. Luckily, her wound was minor and would be healed with only bandages and time.

In a local like his hometown, shadow sprites would be only a nuisance and settled in an hour by the many casters that call it home; but here where magic was shunned and feared, they were defenseless. Magic would not be the savior of these people. They would not allow it. Arlo had to find the source directly, and get these creatures back to their usual scampy behavior.

Arlo thought that the woman was a native here, and that perhaps his method of saving her was unsettling. So when she asked him if he had a death wish, he took it as a threat until she finally thanked him. Relieved by this, he began to explain that he had the king's permission to use magic however needed, before suddenly the man on horseback he had spotted before had suddenly appeared before them and the stranger he had just saved had already knocked an arrow in her bow. At closer inspection, the knight had something otherworldly about him, as if the glowing eyes wouldn't give that away. Was that stylized armor he saw, or was that his body?

"H-hey, wait a minute now. No need to resort to this, people could get hurt." Arlo said, inhaling deeply to manually draw in more mana to his body. Arlo looked around, the rest of the townspeople had vacated the area during the attack. "Well, more hurt anyway. Please put your arrows away before someone sees you and locks you up."

The knight, or so Arlo had taken to calling him in his head, spoke to them in cryptic language. What had begun? What else was happening in Wanderneir that was worse than the crisis happening right in front of him? Arlo might have assumed that he was talking about a crime he was about to commit, had it not been for his last line.

"And you, you don't have anything to do with this, do you?" he asked the knight calmly.

Arlo noticed the guards were absent during this whole situation, but knowing the nature of the people that lived here they probably ran off with the rest. They dared not mingle with the arcane.