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Hunting

"So, what are you doing?" you ask, looking at Zergie as he arms himself.

"Well, me and Onetas are both warriors. I'm more of a warrior of the land - I can live rough and know many different berries and roots that are nutricious. Onetas is more of a Knight. We often hunt to feed these two old men -"

"OLD MEN?!" Meiphusis roars, leaping to his feet. His leather pants ruck up slightly as he does so, and you see a carved wooden leg, adorned with odd runes, for just a moment. With surprising and frightening speed, he draws two daggers and glares at Zergie.

"Well, Meiphusis isn't exactly old... but he's not a lot of good at hunting for things. And Zethall is a Mage and Diplomat, not built for hunting or fighting," Onetas explains, his voice deep and rich. You feel an odd tingle looking at him - you have a feeling you just experienced the female equivalent of an erection.

"I can kill perfectly well... I just tend to hunt people more than foolish animals," sneers Meiphusis, licking his metallic teeth and leaping back onto the floor. He returns his two daggers to their positions - the right-handed one goes in his pocket, while the left-handed one is dropped into his boot.

"So! Up to a bit of training - and hunting?" Zergie grins.

On the trek through the forest, you learn much of your hosts. Zethall is, indeed, a kind of rock who holds the others together. He's intelligent and bold, but he's also chauvinstic and old-fashioned. Nontheless, he's often polite, and would love nothing better than an enormous library to peruse at will. Meiphusis, in contrast, is a thief and rogue - in his youth quite the gentleman, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, and always polite to women. Recently - in the last ten years, anyway - after a nasty accident, he became bitter, and began robbing for heartless fun. Nowadays he's retired - but still VERY quick, and to be watched carefully.

Onetas is, indeed, a Knight - the son of a very important noble, and of rich and colourful heritage. On the trip he's wearing a paticularly dazzling suit of armour - glistening like silver, with a beautiful sword to match. He also has a shield on his back. You soon realize that feeling you had for him in the hut wasn't a one-off - as he talks to you about this and that, you notice things such as his handsome, well-defined features... his well-built chest... and...

Well, putting that out of your mind, you begin listening about Zergie. He's kind of a leader for the party - born in a nowhere village hundreds of miles from Corinth, he nevertheless became a proud and powerful General in the Corinthian Army. He retired at the age of 27 - two years ago - and is now a hunter and barbarian, ranging the wild wastes and grasslands of Corinth for hunting fodder, and to seek his fortune (from what you hear, he regrets leaving the Corinthian Army). He lured Onetas to the hut, promising riches and power, but to both their horrors, Onetas was disowned by his father and left to live with the others. Zergie regrets this much, as far as you can tell, and is therefore always polite and well-mannered to Onetas.

You soon reach a large plain, and, in less than five seconds, an enormous savage monster leaps out at you!

"YOU DARE ATTACK A LADY?! TASTE MY BLADE, BEAST!" Onetas howls, lunging at the monster. In seconds the beast is up against a tree, with most of its flesh torn off and its bones scratched to ruin.

"Onetas! We can't eat that, now - or make things from the bones." Zergie sighs. Onetas glares at him, and walks over to you.

"Are you well, Arra?" he asks anxiously, looking at you.

"Yes..." you whisper, looking at his eyes - they're so big and innocent, and he looks at you with both longing and tenderness.

In a few hours, all three of you are trudging back to camp - Zergie has an enormous sack full of flesh, and Onetas is carrying a number of cow hides ( to refine into leather ) and a number of bones (apparently, to sculpt - despite his disposition, Meiphusis is a master craftsman, and can do wonders with his knife). You soon come to the hut, and walk in to find Meiphusis and Zethall arguing.

"Look, women aren't nearly as intelligent or powerful as men! Surely men deserve their elevated stature - the only thing women are good for is making children!" Zethall says heatedly, glaring at Meiphusis.

"Zethall, you fool! Women have just as many rights as men! I've seen Amazonian women who could skin a bear with their hands - and women who have their own personal libraries, with thousands of books! Women are just as powerful and intelligent as men, and you need to accept that!" Meiphusis may be a murderer and a scoundrel, but he's apparently very pro on equal rights.

"We're back!" Zergie calls, and both he and Onetas dump everything on the floor. Zergie goes into the living room and joins in the debate - apparently when things are boring, they have an argument. Normally it's Zethall and Meiphusis against Zergie and Onetas, but sometimes - as now - Zethall disavows intelligence and becomes old-fashioned and pig-headed, and everybody teams up against him. You and Onetas go into the bedroom.

"So... interesting day." Onetas smiles at you, revealing amazingly white teeth.

"Yes..." you whisper. You feel incredibly nervous, but also indescribably happy, being here with him. You can't seem to think up complete sentences... you simply gaze into Onetas' eyes and feel yourself drifting.

"Arra... I have something to tell you," Onetas whispers, holding your hand.

"What is it?" You look deep into his eyes.

"I..."


Written by Goku (edited by wanderer)

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