Hunting's Really Hard [Training/Solo]

[Treksha]

13th of Summer, 512 AV 3rd Bell He needed to hunt. It had been days since he had eaten more than bread, and despite his fears that anything more substantial would cause him to be sick, Treksha needed food. Hunting with his staff was something the man would never forget; he often toiled to capture and kill a single prey, often getting nothing more than a few lizards that had been a little too slow in fleeing for each expedition. Looking for some other way, some easier way to kill the desert creatures was an inevitability after those nearly failed attempts. It had become routine for the man to travel from the deserts outside the city, where he set up his tent nightly, through the gates of Ahnatep and into the early morning clamour of the bustling enclosure. Daily, when the sun would rise, he would embark on the short journey into the city and explore, looking for work and entertainment. None would come. He would wander those streets for hours, eating what little he needed, and then leave again for the outskirts. But today? Today he needed true sustenance. He needed to hunt. Once again he left for the city's gate, worked his way into the city and eventually, after once again getting lost and having to struggle through crowds, found himself in the gargantuan market called the Pavilion. He knew, after his first day and all subsequent days he had visited that market, that you could find nearly anything your faintly-beating heart desired in that open-air lot. Treksha had obtained much knowledge in those days, but this time he entered in search of an object. Something to kill quickly, something he could use with little experience and still hunt somewhat effectively. A weapon, perhaps a sword? After stumbling through the market for close to a bell, Treksha was forced to take a moment to breathe on a small bench squirreled away between two large tents. The merchant on his right was peddling jewelry of copper and silver, roughly hammered but beautiful in their quiantness, while the merchant on his right sold salted fish of all shapes and colours. From his bag a circular loaf was procured, one that he had bought on his first day in Ahnatep. They had been saved for a time when he felt eating them was appropriate, and he decided he needed to taste the slightly sweet Acacia Honey-baked bread after all he had gone through within the last few days. Him biting into it was almost interrupted by a small boy running by with a stone in hand, but he managed to move out of the way before taking a bite. He stood with bread in hand, turned to the man selling the jewelry, and started perusing his wares. The glittering specimens caught his eye often, but there was one piece that he almost could not escape. A pair of small, hammered copper earrings, loops with a pattern of interlocking rings etched into the metal was simply sitting on the wood of one of the tables, looking almost neglected. The man never mentioned them, and they looked to have sat in that very spot for days on end. Treksha beckoned the man over to the table, motioning toward the pieces of jewelry and conversing with him in Common, hoping the Eypharian would understand. "These. What are they used for?" His smile was sincere, even though he rarely liked to admit his ignorance and asking such a simple yet vital question chafed. "These are earrings, meant to be worn on your ears through a hole which is pierced through the lobe." The merchant's Common was at roughly the same level as Treksha's, but the tone of condescension with which the man spoke was universal. "Are you interested in purchase?" Treksha winced at the thought of someone piercing a hole through the lobe of his ear, but the call of the jewelry was stronger than his hesitation. "How much would it cost? The piercing and the jewelry, I meant." The man sighed, as if educating a child, and put on the vaguest of smiles as if to attempt to seem personable. "For the earrings? They have not sold, so perhaps ten silver mizas, if for nothing else than to get rid of them. The piercing would cost an extra twenty copper mizas." After deliberating for a few moments, Treksha made his decision by pulling out a pouch from beneath his cloak and procuring the needed coin. He handed them to the merchant, who invited him behind the table and pulled a small needle from a spot where it had been hanging, made hot by the raging Eyktolian sun. With one swift movement, the man had plunged the needle through one lobe, then another movement sent it through the other. He was obviously experienced, because before Treksha was even capable of making any sound of pain or discomfort, both holes were pierced. The Eypharian took a cloth that was soaking in a large bucket of water, wiped away the scant amounts of blood on Treksha's ears, and inserted the earrings in the newly pierced holes. "And there." He stood back, smiling a more genuine smile at the Half Benshira. "You look less like a common Chupra now, boy. Now, go!" He ushered Treksha out of the stall and back into the throng of people in the Pavilion.

[Treksha]

Emboldened by his newest purchase, the Benshira boy's steps were more lively as he continued through the market, looking for weapons being sold. There were men offering swords, but they all looked too heavy, and others selling large, unwieldy spears and other such weapons. He stopped for a moment at one stall where a woman sold long leather bullwhips, but they were much too specialised for what Treksha needed. Nonetheless, he made a mental note to learn the processes in which the weapon was made and moved on. Past stalls of maces, stalls of axes, and even stalls of nothing but bows and arrows, until right before he gave up and went back to find some more food, he noticed one stall selling long knives. He swiftly stepped over, nodding to the six-armed woman running it and inspecting the myriad blades on the singular table of the mid-sized stall. There were smaller knives, large cleavers, and even daggers with no way to grip them. He wondered at those for a moment, eventually deducing that they were meant to be thrown, and continued to look. One particular blade caught his eye; it seemed useful, yet easy to use. The blade was about the length of his forearm, more of a long knife than a dagger, with a distinctly waved blade that made it look especially menacing. The steel glinted in the sunlight, and the hilt was wrapped in simple brown leather, likely that of a cow or goat. The pommel came to a small point, more decoration than weapon, but the exceptional part of the dagger was the guard. Sprouting from the hilt was a blade, parallel to the actual blade of the weapon, in a position that, when the knife was grasped, would rest directly across the fingers of the wielder, giving them a literal "edge" to a punch. It was quite an intimidating weapon, and Treksha knew that it would suit his needs perfectly. "Excuse me," He said to the woman, who looked at him with a kinder expression than the male merchant from earlier, "This blade here, would it be of use if I were to hunt? It looks quite... Menacing, and I need something that I can easily kill animals with." His smile was again sincere, but it was evident in his tone that having to admit his ignorance so many times in a day was quickly wearing on him. The same condescension was in her tone, but in a more pitying manner, as if she felt that she needed to help this poor chupra as an act of charity. "That is a kris, a dagger often seen as a good luck charm. The blade attached was a personal touch, allowing the wielder to punch an attacker." Her Common was much better than Treksha's, but she still spoke with a distinct Arumenic accent. "I suppose it could be used for hunting. However, I would not recommend using it on predatory animals without some sort of experience or training." She lifted the kris with two of her hands, using another to point out the different parts of the weapon, and smiled at the boy that she could tell was not entirely Benshira by his skin and eyes. "If you are interested in purchase, I would sell this blade for twelve gold mizas." Treksha knew that the blade in her hands was quite the interesting piece, but he could tell the quality was not good enough for the blade to be worth twelve gold mizas - and he was running out of coin. "I do like the weapon, and purchase is something of which I would like to do, but I fear twelve mizas is too much. I would be willing to pay... Nine, at most." His smile turned more serious, but he did not for a moment lose his kind, sincere manner. He knew that trying to seem honest would get him what he wanted better than any other tactic. "No, no, I could never go that low for this piece of craftsmanship," The Eypharian merchantwoman said, "But perhaps eleven gold mizas. That is a very good offer, you know!" Her voice was stern, and Treksha could tell there was not much else he could do to change her mind - but he simply had to try. "Ten gold mizas and five silver. That is the most I would pay." He smiled widely at the woman, trying to disguise his doubts and convince her to sell for that price. "Ten..." She looked almost angry for a moment, then resigned. That same look of charitable kindness came came across her features once again, and she smiled. "We have a deal." Treksha doled out the coins he owed her, and the woman handed him the blade along with a scabbard that would go on his belt and sheathe both blades. "Happy hunting, Chupra." She winked at him as if that were their own little joke as he belted on the scabbard and sheathed the blade on his left. He simply smiled at her and quickly left, going toward where he thought the gate to the outside world was. The day still hadn't reached the fifth bell, and he was eager to go hunting with his new blade; somewhat naively, he left for the rolling sands of the Eyktolian desert.

[Treksha]

Outside of the city, he found his horse, Nihael, exactly where he had left him. The steed was the best-behaved of any animal Treksha had ever found, and it often seemed as if he understood everything the man said to him and more. He hated leaving the stallion saddled and bridled because he knew how much he hated being so restricted, but the steed was now eager to gallop through the sands and Treksha was ready to comply. He mounted Nihael, ushering him into a walk, then a trot, then a gallop through the dunes, smiling as the Hikzu whipped the sand and his clothing into a near seamless storm that he and the horse rode through playfully. He did not ride his horse very well, but he had never needed much riding experience on the open sands. If there were any danger, he could easily ride away on the Eyktolian Desertbred and escape on the open sea of sand. He rode a while, heading out into the open sand, keeping his back to Ahnatep. While he knew he could see the city now, the sands could always shift and he could find himself stranded - something the man sorely wanted to avoid. Eventually, after riding hard and giving Nihael all the exercise he could possibly want, Treksha located a very small oasis, almost lost between two dunes, with a few scraggly trees and a small pool of clear water; it was a perfect spot to find prey, and possibly predators. He dismounted, firmly telling Nihael to stay, and crouched low to the ground. He had grabbed his quarterstaff on his way out of the city, and now held it parallel to the ground, ready to defend himself if necessary. He knew that the dagger would be a better weapon for the actual hunt, but if there were any predators he needed to have a weapon he knew a little better at hand. Treksha crested one of the two dunes that created the valley above the oasis, and picked out two small animals lapping up water. They looked like bowbacked goats, but there was no real way to be sure. He surveyed the rest of the area and, seeing no predators, decided to go back to strap his quarterstaff to Nihael's pack. Once the Benshira crested the hill again, one of the goats had disappeared. He crept down the hill, unsheathing his new kris and skirting around the oasis to be to the side of the goat. If the man could approach without the creature viewing him as a predator, he could possibly get close enough to take it out with a few quick stabs, so he crept slowly to its side whle it peacefully drank from the pool. He got closer and closer, until, just a few steps away from being close enough to make the kill, the goat looked directly at him. Stopping, his muscles tensed as the horned animal inspected him, trying to decide whether he was harmless or predator. It evidently chose predator, because it turned lowered its head, evidently to try to ram into him. With a few moments to spare before the headbutt, he tensed his muscles further and sprang, moving out of the way of the creature barreling toward him. The goat turned, looking at Treksha once more, and the half blood decided to move before it could. He ran and leapt at it, bringing the dagger down in a plunging motion to strike the creature. It squirmed out of the way, but was just close enough that, once he landed, he could grab one of its horns. The Bowback bucked wildly, trying to dislodge his grip, but he pulled the creature to him and tried to get a couple stabs in. Stab, squirm, dodge, the goat managed to avoid every strike he made. The man nicked himself pretty badly on the left forearm with one stab, and felt his anger rising. Coming to a peak, the adrenaline rushed through him and Treksha pulled the creature tightly to him, bringing the wavy blade of the kris up to slit its throat. While he caught its throat, it continued to squirm and he managed to accidentally cut way down its right side, also cutting into his right leg slightly. One squirm, then another, then one last squirm, the goat died in his arms as Treksha swore profusely at his two shallow yet painful wounds. He sorely needed to get better at hunting and better with this blade, but at least he had meat for the night. When he stood, he surveyed the corpse; the goat was bloodied and a bit cut up, but it was plump, about the size of a small child. He couldn't help but think of all the meat he'd get from this one kill. Looking at the head of the goat, he knelt and touched the skull, feeling how hard it was. Perhaps he could use the bones, too? Shedhael had shown him how to carve those circles, or at least the basics... And the skin would make very supple leather. Overall, he was pleased with his hunt, and heaved the goat over his shoulder to carry back to Nihael, and then back to his tent outside Ahnatep for the spoils of his first real hunt.

[Colombina]

The XP Wand Is Waved! Good job on the scene at the Pavilion, please deduct the apropos amounts from you ledger. You're getting better at including more detail, this is a step in a positive direction! Don't be afraid to wrap training threads in a story. You can have more narrative going and still get good xp. Treksha's Loot 2 XP Negotiation 1 XP Kris 1 XP Stealth 2 XP Hunting Lore of Kris's appearance and history Lore of proper way to hunt a goat Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.