Exploring Glenvale (Ursa, Janel, and Lynn’s POV) – 4C-QO

Chapter 4 – Spiders in the Trees (continued)

Ursa and Janel walked together towards the inn while Talindra headed off to investigate deeper into the town. Once it was just the two of them, Ursa turned to the shorter kitsune, “So uh… Kaylen and Lynn?”

Janel blushed, “Yeah, that was a little uncomfortable. Hope something like that doesn’t happen every time we camp. Danny this morning was almost as bad, though at least they found a bit of privacy for whatever they got up to.”

“You embarrass easily.” Ursa observed.

Janel didn’t deny it.

“Are you jealous?”

The kitsune sighed. “A little? It’s not like I’m trying to pursue Kaylen, but… Maybe I feel a little envious of their boldness.”

“You’re not usually outgoing.” Ursa guessed, and Janel nodded.

At that point they arrived at the inn, and Ursa turned towards the stables. “I hope we can find you a mount big enough for you.” The kitsune said, causing Ursa to pause and turn back to her.

“That would be nice.” Ursa agreed. “I guess I haven’t been very subtle about how much I like the horses.”

“Yeah, I think most of us have noticed.” She said, then turned away.

Ursa smiled for a moment before heading into the stables to help the stable-hand attend to the horses.

Janel slipped quietly into the inn, and approached the innkeeper. There wasn’t much movement in the dim interior. Presumably they weren’t very busy this time of day, though there were a handful of people in the common room. “I’m part of Adept Kaylen Gallowglass’s party.” She said after getting the man’s attention. “I believe you have some rooms set aside for us?”

“Ah yes, the Adept paid for four rooms for seven adventurers, one of them a half-giant?” The middle-aged man with rather handsome muttonchops made the last part a question.

“That’s correct. I’d like to take a look at the rooms, can I get the keys?”

“I can give you one of the keys, but if you want to look at the other rooms I’ll open them up for you.”

Janel frowned, but quickly agreed, “I’ll take the one key then.”

A minute later she was upstairs moving down the hall while examining the key in her hand. It was relatively plain and made of iron with the image of a cat fashioned into the handle. She found the room it went to and let herself inside before locking the door and sitting on the bed. She pulled a roll of leather from beneath her tunic, and after opening it, she examined the variety of slim metal rods and wires she had collected inside. She compared a few of them to the key, and after selecting a few that seemed to have similar shapes bent into them, she put the rest away, and slipped back out into the hall.

She found the other three locks easy enough to pick with her chosen tools, and she spent a few minutes just looking around. There wasn’t really anything to find in the rooms, but she did note that the rooms were not identical. One was a bit larger than the others, and had a larger bed that appeared it had just been moved into the room, probably for Ursa. Though there were still two beds in each room, making eight total.

After exhausting the limited exploration offered by the four rooms she went back to the first and threw herself onto the bed. “Guess it’s not so bad to be bored for a bit after all the excitement yesterday.” She muttered to no one in particular before kicking off her boots so she could settle in for a nap.

When Talindra split off from her half-giant and kitsune companions, she made her way through the town, walking a wide circuit around the main part of the town before making her way towards the wall. There were walkways built along parts of the wall, many of them leading up to small watchtowers. The guards mostly ignored her, as she approached one of the stairs on the inside of the wall, though one held up a hand before she could ascend the first step. “What’s your business?” He asked.

“I am Talindra. I came here with the adventuring party of Adept Kaylen Gallowglass in response to your people’s request for assistance with the giant spiders. I wish to take the lay of the land. Might I observe from the top of the wall?”

The guard seemed surprised, but didn’t find any issue with her request. “Alright, go ahead. You’re an elf, aren’t you?”

“I am.” She confirmed as she started walking up the steps with the guard close behind her. “Have you not met an elf before?”

“I haven’t.” He admitted. “My name is Kel. Kel Trent.”

“It is good to make your acquaintance, Kel Trent.” She told him.

They arrived at the top of the wall, and Talindra was able to look out over the sharpened log battlements and into the forest beyond. The wind picked up above the level of the wall, and her braid swayed as she scanned the tree line. She could make out distinct areas where trees had recently been felled, along with areas where new trees were growing, a cycle of planting and harvesting that took place over years and decades, rather than seasons. To Lynn, it was strange, for elves did not cut down trees in large numbers like this. When they needed wood, they would usually only take part of a tree, allowing the rest to continue to flourish. She knew some elves who would have been angered by this, but to her it seemed sensible, if foreign.

“What do you see?” The guard asked after a moment.

“Sight isn’t the only sense I am using. I smell no sickness, and hear no imbalance of the creatures of the woods. It is curious that the spiders would become so aggressive. I had expected to see some signs that their natural prey had grown thin, or moved out of the area, but the forest seems healthy.”

“We take good care of our forest. Our lives depend on its health and prosperity.”

“Then why are the spiders targeting people?” She wondered aloud.

“I wish we knew.”

“Do you mind if I walk along the wall?”

“Go ahead. I will escort you.”

Talindra started at a brisk pace, not quite a jog, moving along the platform. And when she reached the end of the platform she leapt up on to the logs themselves, her feet finding easy purchase on their sharpened peaks as she continued north.

“Um… I can’t walk there.” Kel informed her.

She paused and looked back, “Then I shall go on from here. Thank you for your time.” And with that she picked up her pace. She wanted to make a complete circuit of the wall if she could before she was expected back at the inn.