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Post by Xentus on Aug 14, 2023 21:21:33 GMT -6
Current Quest - #23 (First Completion)
> Xentus, accompanied by...
This was supposed to be simple and easy. Rid some trees of bugs. And it was his brilliant idea to bring a kind of creature that ate bugs. But not just a single lerrel. No, that wouldn't do if there were many trees to cleanse. And he didn't think two would do the job either. So he brought three lerrels to do the job. Three very noisy, very energetic flying menaces. See, his reasoning was that he got the three of them together - three siblings - and they were bonded with one another and loathed to be apart. He didn't want to come back to his keep and find that one of the separated siblings made a mess of the place out of anxiety. Oh no, his bleeding heart was too stricken at that idea.
Now, there was no one but himself to blame for the regret that now filled the pit where his heart once was. One of the siblings was using his head and horn as a perch, staying clear from the other two that chased one another around his torso as if he were some kind of tree. Ah, that's all he was to these things. Just a big, moving, food-giving tree. Trying to get them to settle down was impossible. Xentus had made up his mind and made steady pace to the garden where he'd find the infested trees. And it was upon seeing them did his chest sink with the realization that the lerrel might just eat the fruit too..
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Post by Xentus on Aug 14, 2023 21:32:45 GMT -6
Just how horrid of an idea this was only now sank in. Xentus drew in a long breath between his teeth and exhaled slowly. Maybe this wouldn't go poorly. Maybe these menaces would behave and eat the bugs and bug-infested fruit and that was it! Yes. Right. It also now dawned on him that getting all three back down from the trees and back to the keep was going to be quite the endeavor. Perhaps if he lured one to him with treats, the other two would notice and follow suit.. The quickly formulated plan would have to do for now and be tested later. There was a job to do!
"Alright then. Aelar, Raethan, Kyrel. Go eat some bugs", the leopard 'commanded' as he reached the grove and pointed to the nearest tree. Even from here, he could see the fruit-fattened caterpillars that squirmed across the bark. Large, green, and hopefully delicious to the lerrels. The continuous chattering of the three siblings intensified as they curiously looked toward where the man pointed. The biggest one, Raethan, who was perched on his head, let out a loud bark as he launched off and fluttered into the lowest branches. The screeching of Kyrel and Aelar came next as they followed suit, jumping off the man's chest and scrambling onto the tree. Xentus hadn't realized how his ears were ringing from all the noise the lerrel made. But he did feel as if a collection of heavy weights were lifted from him, and he breathed deeply in relief.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 14, 2023 21:42:38 GMT -6
Kyrel was the first to catch one of the grubs. He announced his catch with a victory screech - immediately garnering the attentions of his two siblings. A mistake, he realized too late. Raethan and Aelar did previously have their sights set into the higher branches, looking for caterpillars to snack on. But with Kyrel conveniently announcing that he'd made an easy catch, his reward was now in the crosshairs. The other two flittered down from their respective trees and scampered after their sibling. The victory screech now turned a scream for dear life as the lerrel climbed up along the bark and into the canopy. The chase was on. And there was only one prize to be had.
Xentus watched, dumfounded. This... Wasn't what he'd imagined how things would go. None of how this little venture went was how he thought things would go. And yet he consistently found himself surprised by the decisions made by the three menaces. He supposed he'd dubbed the trio appropriately at least. While he did want to ignore the chaos and focus on the task at hand himself, he really couldn't tear his eyes away. The agility and grace the three lerrels had as they raced up and down one tree and bounced to the next was actually quite awe-inspiring. Especially considering all this commotion was over a single grub. He wasn't sure what to make of it all. Was it competitiveness? Food aggression? Or just the innate sense of not wanting a sibling to have something that they didn't.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 14, 2023 21:53:13 GMT -6
The scrapping was over in less than two minutes. Kyrel had gained enough ground away from his siblings and had the chance to stuff his mouth with the squirming grub, smacking loudly in the process. Bug juices splattered onto its face as it ate in a rush before the other two caught up and tried yanking the prize right from his jaws. Upon seeing the eaten bug, Raethan began chittering loudly and turned tail, as if to stomp off in a fuss. Aelar stopped and seemed to consider licking the juices off her brother's face... Which she did decide to go forward with after a brief moment.
Xentus shook his head and got to work. He decided to not get involved with sibling politics. There was some valuable insight here on their behavior though - the biggest wasn't the best and they were greedy for what wasn't their own. All good to keep in mind when he took the time to start trying to tame the menaces. He wouldn't want to find himself getting chased down by some angry lerrels after not giving them all equal shares of whatever reward he might give. The horror. A shudder ran down the leopard's spine as grabbed the grubs that he could see off the berries they munched on and collected them in a small woven basket. He knew as soon as any single one of the lerrel trio caught on that he was collecting snacks, they'd set their sights on him and the basket of goodies.
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Post by Xentus on Aug 14, 2023 22:11:53 GMT -6
The leopard kept a careful eye on the three creatures while he worked. Overall, they seemed to eat whatever bugs they found as soon as possible, likely to avoid getting mobbed just as Kyrel had. At one point Aelar had three grubs hanging out of her mouth. Xentus did his best to keep any giggling to himself, lest he draw any unwanted attention. Despite the loudness, the antics of the lerrel trio were actually quite amusing to behold. They didn't like being on the same tree together, and would often swap spaces with a sibling should one deem the other's tree riper then the one they'd settled on. The grubs were a higher priority than the fruit was in terms of what they set their sights on, but occasionally one would deem a particular fruit tasty looking enough to eat instead. Bug-infested fruit were enjoyed the most, but harder to find. If he had to guess, it was Kyrel who ended up doing the best job of pest control. He seemed to pick up on where the bugs were hiding rather quickly and would soon be snacking. Raethan only went for the obvious, large ones. Aelar preferred fruit..
After about two hours had passed, it seemed the menaces had eaten their fill. The trees looked... Better, he guessed. There weren't any more bugs looming around after a courtesy glance, though the fruit weren't looking too great either. Hopefully Turner wouldn't mind too badly. Xentus called for the lerrels and showed them a quick glance at the basket full of writhing caterpillars to get them moving. They were far less energetic than before, though still quick enough to send the man running before his ankles were nipped.
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Post by NPC on Aug 15, 2023 13:14:44 GMT -6
Congratulations, you have successfully completed the quest! Your QP will be added to the bank shortly.
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