by Nanospliccer » Mon Jan 18, 2016 11:08 pm
Well, tha' coulda gone bet'r... Aside from th' more secretive service I requested, I basic'ly jus' traded my work fer somethin' that should belong to me anyway. Blasted cow-beast... she's a kind heart fer true, but by crispwhisker's phoenix eggnog is she lackin' in use. At least this means I don't hafta leave an' find myself a new lead, since I ain't sure if one'a those exists anymore. I've been searchin' fer months, an' this cow is th' end o'th' line, right now. It's a right bountiful an' beautiful dead end, though, aye...
Still, 'specially now tha' my business with 'er has turned... white, I very much feel like takin' my leave, doin' my job, an' earning th'... th-the, um, thing that I requested from her... I take a deep breath ta clear my head an' pull my pick from my sack, dashin' over to th' tree an' slamming it inta th' bark. It digs in, chippin' away the side of th' tree in splinters an' sinking inta th' softer stuff within'. I use it as th' perfect handhold, pulling with all my strength an' launchin' myself up to th' lowest branch. I reach down an' pull th' pick from the wood, feelin' it slip slimy-like from th' sap-leakin' wound the tree now bears, th' only trace I ever leave of my existence 'ere. I taste th' sap lightly with my tongue 'fore cleanin' th' pick off with a leaf an' placin' both carefully back in my sack. From there, I scan th' leaves above me, lookin' for handholds an' pawrests an' weakness in th' boughs, so as not to end up right back where I started. I get movin' even 'fore I've truly found my mark, pullin' myself up near th' trunk an' usin' th' thickest parts of ev'n the weakest branches to steady myself as I ascend. Branch after bough after burly wood I leave behind, until I find meself in th' treetops among nests an' leaves an' sunlight an' fresh air. Th' only glimpse I ever get of th' world beyond this little wood.
I fill my lungs. Climbin' was a nice diversion from the conflict o' these new companions, especially th' one I turned my back on to get up 'ere.
...so maybe thinkin' about 'er jus' now wasn't such a good idea...
Maybe I was too harsh on 'er in my thinkin' before. Tis not tha' she's useless, jus' that she's got a very particular set o' skills, which happen to be quite unlike anythin' I might be needin' from her, for now, at least. An'... well, she did off'r me somethin' very intimate at first, somethin' that's not usually a common share, ev'n fer beastmen. She took to my plot like a wolf takes to th' scent of heat, an' ev'n if it's helpin' 'er in th' process... it's a very kind thing to do to offer yer produce to a stranger, ev'n fer a job. Maybe... it wouldn't be so bad to continue workin' fer this sort of pay?
Maybe you should earn yer first paybottle first, leadhead!
I curse myself internally, workin' my scope off of my rifle an' lookin' down at th' forest floor for tracks an' bushwhacking. I don't see much of th' latter, an' thus I c'n only think tha' this Esmer lass is nearly as careful toward th' grasses as I be, but th' soft peat an' soil betrays plenty of th' former headin' off inta th' brush. Fortune found, I wave down at th' big lass an' motion th' way the tracks are movin' 'fore I begin tha' way myself, workin' quickly from branch ta branch, tree to tree, an'... 'old on, what's that smell? It's sort of sweet, an rather... lovely... sort of makes me feel like havin' a lie down, aye...
Next thing I'm aware of, I'm on th' grass with a splittin' ache in th' back o' my 'ead an' surrounded by blue sleepin' flowers. I'm quick ta my feet, growl-cursin' both the weald an' myself fer gettin' me inta these situations as I hear a rather jarring SMACK from behind me. Hastily, I turn about an' see a slowly 'wakenin' whitecloth an' the big lass who roused 'er, preparin' ta fight 'xactly what I expected they would be. Bloody rape-vines... we don't have time for this, nor do I partic'lerly 'ave th' urge ta be filled at th' moment! Last time I encountered these dicks, I barely 'scaped with my entrances intact an' lost one o' my bottles. Though, after what they did to it, I'm not so sure I want it back anyhow...
"Ugh..." I groan, rubbing the back of my head as I focus on th' vines. They're still rather far away fer now, since th' host plant is likely somewhere safe underground somethin' approaching a thousand meters away... Kill th' vines an' th' plant should leave us alone. I take my rifle off o' my back, clickin' the scope back in an' takin' aim at th' vines. I grit my teeth as I aim ov'r th' big lass an' 'er girl, wishin' they were out of th' way fer this shot... but there's nothin' ta be done about it now, so I focus, clear my mind, an' take aim...
BANG!
*Shot using 10 AP with Perch[hidden?] and Gun Proficiency = +[3 or ]4 To-Hit.
*Pardon, by the way... indents are not working at the moment...