Asherons Call: See, There's This Banderling Up a Tree....

Ok, Flamandria of Thistledown has an....AC-centric sense of humor. I know, she's sent me a joke or two. Here's one for today:

A farmer near Rithwic wakes up to find his apple trees full of young banderlings. He sends word down to the tavern with a passerby that he is looking for some help. A short time later, a crossbowman leading a shreth on a leash stops by. "I heard you were looking for some help," says the man.

Yes," says the farmer, "I have an apple orchard that is overrun with young banderlings. I don't want to kill them, because that wouldn't be very humane."

"Ah," says the man, "Then you are in luck. My partner and I specialize in capturing creatures alive, for whatever reason. We charge an M note per mob, plus a bonus for extreme critters, but we can do your whole orchard for 2 sings."

"Your partner is a shreth?" asked the farmer. "What does a shreth want with sings?"

"No, no," laughed the adventurer. "My partner is not here today. We have trained this shreth to help us. In fact, I will have to have you help me since he isn't here."

"Ah," says the farmer, "then you won't be charging full price..." After some haggling over a pot of cider, they reach a bargain and set to work.

"Here's how it is done. First you take this X-bow," says the stranger, cocking and loading a sparkling deadly bolt into the x-bow.

"But I don't want to kill them," wails the farmer.

"No, no indeed," says the man. "No profit in stalking elusive creatures for capture only to end up killing them. We don't use the x-bow on the banderlings, we use the shreth on them."

"Shreths can climb trees?" marvels the farmer.

"No," says the hunter. "I climb the tree. When I get up there, I will shake the branch until a banderling falls out. Then the shreth catches it. It has been especially trained not to eat it or kill it. Instead, it locks its fangs onto its crotch. Just the right amount of force from those razored jaws will immobilize the banderling until we can tie it up. The shreth can hold anything--for days if it has to."

"Oh," says the farmer. "So what is the x-bow for?"

"Ah, well, that's the most important part, see?" says the man. "If I fall out of the tree, you SHOOT THE SHRETH."

Think you can do better? Send me your jokes or tomorrow I'll post more of Flamadria's. *grins*