Hunting (AGM Child plz)

[Xanta'Kun]

Brightening 10 of Optia,
Spring of Era X in the Age of the Darkening

It was another bright spring day in Abestat. Xanta awoke from whatever pile of stuff he had fallen asleep in the night before and layed in his 'bed' for a few heartbeats, then sat up. He rose slowly and headed for the bathroom. The blood all rushed back into his head after his long night of sleep, and he had to steady himself against a wall as his vision darkened and his head spun, then he went back about his business.

The sink was actually fairly clean, Xanta had washed it out the night before. He started wetting his bluish skin, paying close attention to his sensitive gills, and realized he was naked. Oh well, he thought, no one else is around. He washed the rest of himself quickly, making sure to wash behind his ears and under his arms.

Xanta then returned to the room where he had slept, found his robes by his 'bed', and put them on. The cool damask fabric felt good against his skin, but once he got out in the sun the black coloration would probably make it blistering hot. He grabbed something vaguely comestible from the kitchen and wolfed it down.

Yet again Xanta had a schedule-less day ahead of him. I really need a job. He began thinking of things to do to pass his time, and thought about Kirran and Dagget, the hunting dogs he had purchased a couple days ago. Already he'd grown pretty attached to them, they were well trained and friendly.

As he headed out the door he thought about asking Viz if he wanted to go, but either he had gone or was asleep in some obscure part of the hovel, like the other room. He picked up his katana from a shelf and strapped it on, the gold embroidery on it's sheath sparkling in the wan sunlight filtering through the small window.

He pushed open the door to the hovel and went out into the bright day. He figured it was still pretty early, he had gone to bed at a reasonable time the previous evening. Already the dogs were awake, running around in the area behind the house, pulling on their tethers and trying to explore the further reaches of the yard. Night was also awake, standing solemnly over the dogs, his black blanket sparkling with dew. The horse looked down on the playful dogs like a parent over their children, then turned aside unconcernedly. Xanta ran back in the house, grabbed some feed for Night, and filled his fodder sack. He then untied the leashes from the post holding them and let the dogs pull him along.

Eventually the dogs found their way to an uninhabited area, and
Xanta unleashed them and let them go about their hunting...

[Champloo]

Xanta had chosen a fairly good day for hunting, the suns were shining, the birds chirping, and the goblin smiling.

Oh wait, that last one was certainly not good.

But it was true, a goblin was standing there, right underneath a tree peering at it funny like something was wrong. "Gah! Elfy! Ju see woman in tree? She pretty woman go serale when she climb up tree, know she up there, can't spy her. Helpe Grarg find woman, will you helpe Grarg?" The goblin had spied the elf, and was asking for his help. "Grarg wantta shiny coin human-jirl stole."

[Xanta'Kun]

Kirran and Dagget were beyond Xanta's control now, so he let them hunt. They'd return when they were done, they were trained to do so. This goblin had him thoroughly confused however. He naturally felt animosity towards this foul creature, but he still didn't understand what it wanted. A coin from a girl in a tree?

"Why should I help you Grarg?" he asked skeptically. He tried to spy out a woman in the trees, but his weak eyesight and sonar revealed nothing, the leaves were too dense to make out any shapes hidden within. "What exactly do you want?"

[Champloo]

Grarg snarled. "Grarg want pretty coin! Grarg WANT! Grarg's pretty coin, Grarg's master gave Grarg pretty coin to show Grarg free! Grarg not have pretty coin, Grarg good as imprisoned!" The goblin looked miserable and sad.

Meanwhile, the two dogs had picked up a scent, they ran to the tree and pawed it, perhaps to show they had found the scent or that it lead to the tree or up it.

Grarg whined as he looked up. "Grarg no able to climb, all Grarg know is spending time in blue room that master say make Grarg nice." Grarg shrugged, there was certainly something un-goblinlike about him though.

[Xanta'Kun]

If the goblin's story was true, then Xanta felt sympathy for the creature. It was a believable enough story, and no creature deserved slavery or imprisonment against their will. Very well, I will help this creature. He doesn't appear dangerous anyway. Xanta thought.

As the dogs approached the tree, Xanta made up his mind that there was at least somthing there besides wood and leaves. He walked over to the tree, patted the dogs to let them know they could let the scent go, and proceeded to climb. "Anyone up here?" he called as he climbed.

[Champloo]

"None, but I." Said a calm, peaceful, drifty female voice... FROM the tree. Xanta fell as the branches twisted and shimmered... leaving only air as he fell to the ground. Where a mighty oak once stood a pretty grown woman did instead, the only 'clothes' that she had was her strange green hair, which twisted around her and covered her most private parts... barely.

"That goblin was such an easy target." Her voice spoke again, this time with a hint of amusement. "I'll give it back to him, but only if you play a game with me first." She gave a peal of laughter as she pointed at Xanta. "Play the game." The goblin advised.

"If you want to play, you first have to tell me your name." The tree-woman said, smiling michviously.

[Xanta'Kun]

Xanta layed on the ground where he had fallen, dumbstruck first at the disappearing tree, then at his good fortune of finding such an... attractive woman. He thought about Leara, and any stray thoughts regarding the woman immediately left his head.

He wasn't sure what was going on still, but Xanta figured out it'd all work out in the end.

"My name is Xanta'Kun. What kind of game is this, may I ask?" Xanta spoke. He suddenly had the feeling that the goblin had played the game, and lost a very dear posession. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...

[Champloo]

The woman? giggled. "It's a dice game silly, I roll a die, and if it's odd, I get to take something of yours, but if it's even, you get to take something of mine... deal?" She reached into her hair to produce a bone die, and smiled winningly at Xanta, she seemed to be enjoying herself. The dogs had gone off again, in search of food no doubt, and the goblin glared at the female as if he could stare the coin out of her.

In the end it was Xanta's choice, he seemed to be the key player in this game... at this stage at least, and it was his choice, should he make this game a dice game? Or would he abandon attempting to get a strange coin for a goblin from this pretty female in front of him.

[Xanta'Kun]

"Sure, if you swear by the gods that the die is not rigged." Xanta liked taking chances, and this was definitely a game of chance. If he lost, well, he would lose. If he won, now that was a whole different game. Who knew what the maiden had? Perhaps she had something of more worth to Xanta than the goblin's coin.

A million possibilities flooded through Xanta's brain, but he remained silent. It all depended on the outcome.

[Champloo]

"Fine, fine, I swear, by the stupid Gods, that this die isn't rigged. Happy?" She smiled, what looked like a REAL smile as she fiddled with the die. "Alright then, lets roll." The die clattered... a five! This was bad, she had a start. "Hey, how about you give me that sword, it looks beautiful." She moved closer, so she was about two feet from the Elf, she sat down on her legs, still smiling. "Pleeeease?" She held her hand out, probably awaiting the sword, while her other hand managed to hold the die and fiddle with her hair.

[Xanta'Kun]

"Wait a second," said Xanta, realizing his simplicity too late, "what exactly do you have that I can take?" he asked skeptically.

"I will not play unless there is a chance for me to win." Nonetheless he unstrapped his katana, but held onto it, unsure of what he would do next. It depended mostly on what the woman had...

[Champloo]

The 'woman' held out her hands. "Ten." She said, and turned around to a tree, bending over, she searched in the tree hollow for something. It was a rather attractive view of her.

She stood up with a moss cloak, folded into a makeshift bag, she put it on the ground and stood cross-legged from Xanta, as if she were a merchant hawking her wares. She spread out the cloak, eight items lay on it.

A comb, inlayed with what appeared to be silver.
A box, locked and made of metal.
A key, small and bronze.
A statuette, it appeared to be one of the goddess Carmelaya.
The die they were playing with, she had placed it on the cloak.
A scroll, tied closed with twine.
A knife, small and sharp.
A gold crown.

"Where is Grarrrrrrggggg's coin?" The goblin asked, stretching the pronouciation of his own name. "In the box silly." The green-haired woman said. "But you'll need the key to open it. Now are you satisfied? Gimme the swooord." She said, in a childish voice.

[Xanta'Kun]

Xanta rolled his eyes and handed over the sword. When it rains it pours he thought. He knelt down before the woman's cloak and looked the items over. He grabbed the box.

"That'll do for now," he said. He wished he hadn't bothered with this stupid game, but that's how it went.

[Champloo]

OOC: Sorry for the post crappiness.


IC: "But... but but butttt!" The woman pouted. "You haven't won yet! You need to rolll the rigggght." It was weird, how she talked. She tossed the die. A 4. She frowned and let Xanta keep the box. "You got lucky this time!" She said, and before Xanta could do anything else, rerolled.

"A SIX?!" She cried, not believing. "Putrid! Horribable!'' But she didn't break her word, she sighed and let Xanta choose another item to take. "The cloak also counts, if your interested. And I have my secret item. But... I'd rather not give that up." She sighed, it was clear she didn't want to reveal the fact that she possessed a 'secret item'. It was obviously of some personal worth, although perhaps not all that useful to Xanta'Kun. Regardless, she didn't appear to want to show it to him unless he asked for it, so if he did ask for it, it would be taking a gamble.

[Xanta'Kun]

OOC: oops, i misread the post. i thought she rolled a ten.

IC: Xanta picked up the key from the cloak. "Fair enough," he said. He wasn't one to take personal items from people, and he had more important things to win back right now.

He stuck the key in the lock of the box, hoping that it was the key that went to the box.