Green-Skinned Ambition (spellThief x iridium248)

[spellThief]

Krozag(though he often went just by Zag), was not a particularly intimidating beast. If there was one thing he had going for him, it was that he wasn't quote as short as some of his companions. Standing in at....almost four feet, he was practically towering! Well, alright, he was maybe a little bit short of almost four feet, but not by much! Not that any goblin would be described as tall or anything resembling intimidating. He wasn't particularly muscular, he certainly wasn't tall, and even a Dwarf would be able to look down a little bit at him, and most of his ilk. He wasn't as dirty or unkempt as Goblins that would be encountered in the wild, but that wasn't entirely by choice. Wearing at least a vest, even if he didn't wear anything underneath it, and a pair of pants(his loincloth idea shot down very readily) was mandated if he wanted to keep his job.

Not that he really wanted to keep his job in the inn, he thought dryly to himself with a twitch of one of his long, pointed ears, jutting out at slight angles from the top of his head. They were almost elf-like, albeit lacking all of the grace and beauty, and any Elf would probably be downright offended if such a comparison was made. No hair graced his head, and his nose was elongated and slightly hooked downwards. He was clean...for a goblin, but he outright refused to walk around smelling like flowers or fruit or whatever nonsense Elves did to themselves. There was some benefit to keeping from stinking too much, though. His job was demeaning, mostly consisting of sweeping and hauling out garbage and doing whatever task someone else couldn't be bothered to take care of. They employed him, though, a goblin, and the fact that he had somewhere to sleep and...what could be described as food wasn't terrible.

What he lacked in strength, and payment, and employment opportunities, and height, though, he made up for in some other ways. He was cunning, for one, and underhanded to the bone. People got drunk, and then got careless, so he supplemented his income by swiping whatever wouldn't be missed by adventurers and citizens. Gold, small magical items or potions, anything and everything he could get his fingers on. If there was one other benefit to the job, it was that the girls employed, and to a slightly lesser extent the owner, were all wonderfully attractive, and he filled his eyes just as much, if not more so, as he filled his pockets while he worked. If there was anything nicer than a pouch of stolen gold and a pair of big, Elven tits spilling out of a dress, or some adventurer walking around in skimpy armor, he had yet to discover it. The very thought nearly had him salivating, but he straightened up and made a point to at least look like he was working, lest he get swatted or yelled at. Perversion was another characteristic that he embodied in spades, not helped by the fact that hookups weren't exactly something that was common for him. Fantasizing and staring had to do, along with...well, he kept himself entertained.

The day was young, though, the Inn not yet filling up, and he left with a lot of cleaning up to do after last night, none of which he was particularly interested in doing. As long as the tavern wenches were out there with him, though, he would be able to keep himself distracted enough to suffer through.

 

[iridium248]

The Heroes' Hearth was an Inn in the traditional style, a tavern set not-too-far from the usual stomping grounds of countless parties. It was a sturdy structure (if a little small), a two-story building finished in rough-hewn wood, worn smooth by time. It'd seen countless adventurers come and go (Well, mostly go) over the years - And, as you'd expect, there was an equally high turnover rate for the staff. It seemed like every few weeks, some barmaid would get it in her head to be an adventurer, too, and she'd leave at the crack of dawn with the next group to pass through.

Few of those groups - It had to be said - ever came back. The risks of the profession meant that they usually suffered rather terminal fates...Indeed, the Inn made a thriving side-business selling off the battered equipment and miscellaneous bits of magic from the last band of would-be heroes to the next; It was a growth industry, after all!

As luck would have it, right now - The place was very much in-between adventuring groups...They never seemed to arrive more than one at a time. The faint creak of the bat-wings swinging open, the jingle of the chime overhead...

A lissome form was momentarily silhouetted against the light - And what a form it was!

"Hmmm..." Long, lovely legs crossed with a supple scrape, the sorceress Valeria's lips curving in an oh-so-thoughtful pout! Her slim fingers curled around her staff, her curvy hips rolled as she sauntered forward, adjusting the wide brim of her pointy hat...Dark blue hair, so blue it was almost black, cascading down the sleek curve of her back! Apparently she'd been having some success...Her flowing blue wayfarer's coat fastened at her slim waist with a bejeweled buckle, not *quite* concealing a voluptuous figure stuffed into a tight bodice as least one size too small for her! Heeled boots clicked against the floor, as she sauntered forward, apparently coming to a decision...

"-This'll do," she said, to no-one in particular...Moving with a dancer's easy grace, as she sauntered over to the nearest table~!

"Krozag!" Wood clunked, as Tialyn Luxora - one of the bar's wenches, perpetually put-upon, her silvery hair caressing her pointy ears - bustled past, with an armful of trays...Her big green eyes coming to rest on the goblin, secure that there was *finally* someone lower on the totem pole than she was!

"Make yourself useful - Take her order, will you? And, for Prisma's sake, don't get underfoot...I'll be *right* over."

She swept past, her slight frame almost buried beneath her burden - Just like all the other tavern maids, each one hurrying off on their own tasks-!

 

[spellThief]

For being a rather small structure, it still felt sprawling enough for 'Zag, whose small stature at least proved some benefit in that regard, beyond the obvious advantages of staying largely beneath people's notice. Some would be frustrated by that, particularly, he imagined, humans and the other towering races who were used to being the center of attention, but it was useful for him to earn his own bonus on the side. Honestly, he couldn't see why half of the wenches who came through got it in their skulls that they could be rich and famous if they only crammed their deliciously ample bust in a suit of armor and marched out with whatever group would take them on.

For however much he longed to be doing almost anything else, adventuring did not make the list as preferable to his current job. It was perhaps a little unfair to say that no goblins could fight, as in some rare....very rare occasions some group pulled together some ounce of competency to prove a threat, but alone, and with no experience or training to speak of, Krozag wouldn't be a particular asset unless something needed stolen. Which he supposed was at least occasionally the case, given the frequency of parties employing rogues, but he could live well enough without. The current lack of adventurers was little comfort to the overworked creature, who was still cleaning up after the last group.

Of course, honest and hardworking goblin as 'Zag was, he could somehow suffer through putting his current task on hold to turn his gaze towards the entrance as someone entered, and what a someone! If he had to guess from the attire, he had her pegged for one of them magic types, and a damn sight more attractive than the goblin shamans who usually practiced it. While generally fond of the color blue, Krozag's appreciation for the hue skyrocketed as he looked her up and down, lingering understandably on her bodice and its valiant efforts to contain her figure, for however much success it was having. He made sure that the view wouldn't fade fast from his mind and then resumed his task, waiting for the girl to settle in and become distracted before he stole another peek.

"Huh?" He replied when his name was called, flinching instinctively and clinging to the broom he held as if expecting a rain of either blows or insults to fall upon him at any moment. He quickly realized that it was the elf wench rather than the owner speaking to him though, and he allowed himself an easy grin as he turned his attention there instead. Familiarity had done little to soften the appeal of the creature, her pointed ears refreshingly similar to his own, though her figure was far more attractive. Mm, the things he'd do if he could get his grubby hands on her.

As always, his first response when tasked with something was to bite back a sarcastic string of words in the goblin tongue that roughly translated to 'blow me'. As if he wasn't making himself useful already! He knew well the futility of arguing, however, his grin fading a bit, though it came back full force when he realized he was being tasked with attending to the sorceress. "Of course, my dear Tialyn!" He replied, smile practically predatory as he discarded his dustbin and broom against the wall, wiping his hands off on his pants and strolling over to her table, whistling merrily all the way. To be seen, he had to clamber up onto the chair opposite her, dusting himself off and looking over to the blue-haired beauty. "Hey there, sweet cheeks. Welcome to the Heroes' Hearth." He gave a slight bow, eyes lingering on her chest more often than her own eyes.

"What would you like Krozag to give you?" He inquired, gesturing to himself, likely unnecessarily, and allowing his thoughts to wander to the things he'd do to her, given the chance. Such shapely legs, which were obviously front and center when he was walking normally, though he could only imagine, looking at the curve of her hips, that she'd have a great ass on her as well. Whether it could compare to her bust, he could only guess, though, suspecting perhaps not. "The sausage is quite popular." Charisma and subtlety in spades, that was for certain. He had noticed that she had pointed ears as well, but suffice it to say that wasn't where his attention was.

 

[iridium248]

Krozag would probably hear Tialyn's sigh, as she swept past...Though his attention was more likely to be fixed on the luscious blue-nette at the table, her chin perched on an upturned palm! A slim eyebrow arched, her lips curving in a half-amused, half-annoyed pout...About the standard response when meeting a goblin!

"-'Sweet cheeks'~?" Valeria echoed, in that husky, lilting voice of hers...Her brow furrowing ever-so-slightly, staring right at the goblin - For a moment, her lips twitched, as if she wasn't sure whether to take offense or to be amused at his temerity...Before - fortunately! - settling on it being a joke for now. After all, she'd come a long, long way...And even the prospect of having to interact with a goblin didn't outweigh her need for a hot meal and a warm bed!

Still, the lovely half-elf couldn't help but find goblins...Sort of gormlessly entertaining, so tawdry and pathetic it was almost cute. She'd been on the road for a while, too - Which was probably why she didn't give him a little jolt from her staff, to show him who was boss! (She couldn't be *absolutely* sure, but inns tend to frown upon electrocuting their servants.)

She shook her head, a little chuckle teased from her silky throat - A distinctly tolerant one.

"Hmmmmm~" Valeria leaned forward - Inadvertently giving the goblin a good look down the front of her tight, tight bodice...Or maybe just taunting him with what he could never have. She canted her head to the side, as if contemplating Krozag for a moment...Before her slim shoulders lifted in a little shrug, a little gleam to her deep brown eyes.

"-The sausage, then," she said, not without heavy irony - "And your finest wine."

Valeria's slim finger traced over the menu - "Bread, too. Salt butter - And some root vegetables."

With that *body* of hers...It was no surprise she'd have an appetite to match! The sorceress seemed content to take the goblin at face-value for now...But there was probably - As Krozag had likely learned - a thin line between 'amusing' and 'annoying'...Not that goblins ever took the lesson to heart!

 

[spellThief]

Part of Krozag did register the sigh, but for some reason, he seemed to coax a lot of those out of the bar maiden. Of course, he saw nothing in his own behavior that could cause anything like that, so he merely chalked it up to an Elvish thing. Not that he exactly knew many Elves, but 100 percent of them thus far conformed to his theory. With results like that, he could be one of the tinkers who loved blowing themselves up so much. Which was pretty much why Goblins with anything beyond the shaman magic they managed to gain control of were rarely, if ever seen. Mm, those lips of hers looked delicious curled up in a pout like that.

It was too bad that he would see none of the benefit of selling anything to the sexy blue-nette. After all, even if she saw fit to leave a tip, one of the other serving girls would no doubt swipe it, if the girl didn't offer it directly to them instead of him. It was an underappreciated task, this was. He merely kept his unfettered grin as she echoed his statement, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her cheeks were sweet, after all. Of course, there was always the possibility of her using her magic to swat him down a peg or two, but surely she wouldn't waste her magic on a target like him!

Tolerance was good enough for the moment, anyway. She didn't have to love him, though if she only understood how devastatingly handsome and well-endowed he was compared to other goblins, she would certainly swoon. As for the peek down her top, well, whether or not it was intentional, it wasn't like the Goblin to allow an opportunity like that to go to waste. Gods, the body on this one. If he had his way, he would definitely get his hands on those. Not that, as a goblin, he was likely to ever get his way, but he could dream. Fortunately he didn't drool, though, as that probably wouldn't have done him any favors. He merely stood there, the perfect picture of professionalism, at least when not ogling her, waiting for her to decide.

"As you desire." He decided that a bow would be laying it on too thick. He had nothing with which to write her order down, but remembering small details was important when swiping things off of people, including making up for all of the tips and bonuses he never received, so remembering it to the back where the kitchen was wouldn't be a problem. He wasn't sure just how fine of wine they had, honestly, not often indulging himself and usually stuck cleaning rather than serving. For such a hearty meal, she didn't look to be packing any padding! His theory, not that he intended to share it, was that it all went to her chest, though the more reasonable conclusion was that her magic probably burned through most of the calories she consumed. "Coming right up, cutie." Yup, this was why he wasn't allowed to interact with guests, as he turned and hopped down, adjusting his pants(which suddenly felt far tighter) and casually swaggering his way to the back. It was too bad he'd have to swipe something off of her later. Only way she'd give him anything, much as he'd love to seduce her.

For now, though, he could content himself in making his way back to the kitchen, listing off the order. Fortunately, it didn't require much preparation, at least beyond the sausage, so he could loiter until Tialyn came back to deliver the meal, and he was stuck back cleaning. If he was lucky, some of that fine wine would end up soaking through Tialyn's dress, but that was probably a bit too much to hope for. At least the view had been nice while it lasted.

 

[iridium248]

The food *was* good, Valeria had to admit - But after weeks on the road with nothing more than trail rations, *anything* would've been a threat! The luscious wizardess adjusted her pointy hat, the faint clatter of fork and knife against the plate echoing in the tavern...Carving a chunk of sausage for herself, her lovely features lighting up with anticipation...

-Only to notice that she wasn't alone! The goblin was still looking at her...Ogling her, rather, with that gormless, pop-eyed look goblins got when they thought they were cunning! Not that she minded, of course - No-one would take offense at a goblin being...Well, a wretched little creature. And, in a way, it was perversely edifying to know that she still had it...The first male attention she'd received after her long, long journey.

Either way, though - It was distracting.

Valeria's lips curved in a little smile, as she canted her head to the side...Meeting the goblin's gaze, just for a moment, as she leaned forward - Crooking a finger, in a beckoning gesture! "Come here~" she breathed, in that husky lilt of hers...A slim eyebrow arched, the alluring sorceress looking oh-so-inviting...

-But when Krozag got close, he'd be disappointed! The busty magical vixen hadn't been momentarily overcome by his charms...Instead, with an absent gesture, she flicked a heavy gold coin at him - Taken from some forgotten horde, worth more than a week's wages! - the chime echoing in the air, as it wobbled against the wooden surface.

"Make yourself useful, and take my bag up to my room," Valeria said - That smile lingering on her lips, as she patted the heavy satchel she'd been carrying, laden with plunder! It didn't cross her mind that anything untoward might happen...After all, she'd looted mainly magical artifacts, and she didn't see a goblin learning how to *use* any of them - Right? After all, if she - A student of the arcane arts - would have to spend weeks poring over their purpose...There was no *way* a runty goblin could figure out how to activate them - By accident!

 

[spellThief]

Krozag had been in the situation that Valeria was in. Alright, well, not entirely. His tits had never been nearly as nice, but the bland and distasteful nature of trail food was something that he was well accustomed it. He wouldn't deny that it was at least a good part of why he had settled down in this job he hated. For however much perks it brought him, it did at least leave him near hot food. He rarely was given any of the good stuff, but that rarely stopped him from having it once in a while. Wait, did she know he was staring? His mind couldn't decide whether focusing on her luscious tits or the juice clinging to her full lips, and so he had sort of fallen into going back and forth.

She had been surprisingly tolerant with his advances, which was why he almost felt bad that he was going to rifle through her belongings and swipe one or more things. It wasn't anything personal, but a goblin had to make a living, and his boss certainly wasn't doing that for him! Mm, oh Gods, did she have it. Wait, she had beckoned him! Willing or not, no man resisted that sort of invitation, and practically before he knew what he was doing, the Goblin found himself sliding across the floor to stand at her side.

It was impossible not to be disappointed when it turned out that she didn't want his (surprisingly) powerful goblin cock. She just wanted her bag carried up to her room! The dissapointment abated as quickly as it had come, though, once the gold coin was in his hand. That brought the same avaricious grin to his face as ogling her chest did, to be sure. The only times he saw gold coins were...well, they weren't given to him, suffice it to say. "But of course, my lady." He grinned what he hoped was a charming smile, but probably only came off as a lecherous grin. She was a mage, in addition to a bombshell, so it was inevitable that she had something worth taking.

Over the long, long time of his employment there, Krozag, much to his disdain, had gotten pretty good at hauling things back and forth. He certainly didn't enjoy it, but as he found himself up at her room(fortunately he had managed to catch which one it was), he knew that he had at least a good few minutes before anyone registered he was gone. It had been a struggle to haul all the loot upstairs, after all, and all would expect it to take even longer. Which meant he had time, after shutting the door and making sure no one was watching, to leisurely pick through her loot. Given that it had already been shuffled around by movement, it was unlikely she would notice. There was so much here, though, and so valuable! He wanted it all, but he didn't have enough hiding spaces to stash the lot, and she would certainly notice that.

To that end, he settled for pulling a wand of some kind out of the bag with a quiet whistle. This seemed like the way to go, as tempting as the two potions he had managed to swipe over the year were. Those were for Tialyn, though for lording even her lowly position as a serving girl over him. He was pretty confident that the effects would be interesting, whatever they were, but this wand was more a mystery. It wouldn't be tough to use, just point and shoot, right? The catch would be to make sure that he didn't accidentally zap the mage or something like that. He had no desire to get himself killed. Surely she would be willing to help him experiment in the name of magical discovery though, hm? He tucked the wand away on his person and made his way back downstairs with a grin, intent on seeing just what the new artifact of his could do.

 

[iridium248]

The wand wasn't much to look at, as things go. It was merely a slender rod of obsidian, a few runes coiling around the length like ivy, shifting at irregular intervals. Valeria had contemplated it, then merely thrust it into her bag - After all, she'd reasoned, there were greatest treasures...And she'd have plenty of time to decipher the runes.

Not that she could have, of course. For the wand was one of the notorious artifacts that had belonged to the legendary Sultan Ibram, the Heartbreaker...So named for the powerful, inexplicably willing women he'd collected for his harem - Never mind that the Sultan himself had the manners (and facial features) and shape of a fat toad~! No-one, not even the jealous eunuch who'd stabbed him in the night, had suspected that this minor trinket was the source of his power...Or rather, the power he'd worked over women's minds-!

And now that devastating item - potency undiminished, despite centuries of decay - was in the goblin's grubby paws.

As Krozag made his way down the stairs, he'd hear the creak of the tavern's door swinging open - a momentary burst of chatter breaking the silence - as a lissome form, arms burdened by groceries, stepped through the batwings-! As luck would have it, a long stride of those shapely legs almost bowled Krozag over...A soft hiss thrumming from the tavern wench's full lips, as she stopped just short of a collision-!

"Krozag~?" Arisa Ortensia's pert nose wrinkled, at the sight of the goblin - "...Why are *you* out of the kitchens?"

As always - not uncommon, when dealing with Krozag! - her voice was somewhere between cautiously curious and vaguely repulsed; Her slim shoulders lifting in a little shrug! "Well, never mind." She leaned forward, ever-so-slightly...Shifting her weight, setting the tall bags down with a little sigh of relief. "-Get these to my moth - Maria, why don't you? You know how she gets when she sees you idling..."

There was a wry note to her voice, as she dusted her hands off - The innkeeper's daughter, Arisa had grown up in the tavern...And, just like any girl who dreamed of adventure, longed to run away and do something - anything - else. Still, she was hardly a bad sort...Sometimes, she'd slip Krozag food or an extra coin - Or let the goblin loaf, on occasion...Though with the kind of vaguely pitying care you'd show a particularly ugly dog-!

 

[spellThief]

Whatever it was, if it didn't prove to be useful, or perhaps proved to be too useful to safely keep around, Krozag was pretty confident that he could find someone who might be willing to buy it off of him for a pretty penny. How long that money would actually last was another matter, given his habit to burning through it just a bit quicker than was healthy, but life was for the living, was it not? What was the point of having gold if he couldn't get some stiff drinks, some busty girls, and a long weekend that he wouldn't remember? His initial intent, while descending the stairs, was that he could immediately test it out, but it seemed that, at least for the time being, fate had other plans. At least it was securely tucked away out of sight, and a bit of stiffness in the goblin's pants wasn't exactly new for the perverted little creature.

The sudden collision almost came out of nowhere, but it did at least give him a chance to reach out, ostensibly out of instinct, to keep himself from being knocked over, and running his hand along her leg for as long as he figured he could get away with it before stepping back.

"Mistress Arisa." Krozag greeted her cordially enough, though his tone was slightly wistful, his beady little eyes fixed first on her chest, and all of the skin that was shown there, before dragging itself back down to her long, shapely legs. She might not have had the tits to compare with the blue-nette currently stuffing her mouth with meat, but damn did her lovely mother leave her well off, genetically speaking. It didn't hurt anything but 'Zag's self control that her attire usually showed them off so well, either. They were distracting enough that he hardly remembered having nearly been knocked over, despite the fact that it had been only seconds. That was the power of lust on a goblin's mind, one might suppose.

"Gods above and below I want to see those legs spread." Krozag murmured in his own tongue, before clearing his throat. "That is to say, I was helping a patron take bags to her room." Of course, that was only a break between staring at said blue-nette's bust, but absence made the heart grow fonder. Which tragically meant his heart would be growing that much more fond as he was sent to deliver the groceries to Arisa's mother. He knew the futility of protest even as he opened his mouth, and merely nodded. Hopefully after this he could slip away. It helped that he was fond of the girl, for her amiable personality as much as her body. If the wand proved helpful, he would consider sparing Arisa whatever its effects were, though a certain Elf was just begging to be on the receiving end of his rod, in more ways than one. Both of them would always be around, though, while the Blue-nette was a temporary target, and that made her that much more important.

For however less agreeable Maria was, though, he wouldn't altogether mind seeing her again, if only due to how gracefully she had aged. She clearly didn't overindulge in the food or drink that her tavern served, and while she no doubt once had a body that had brought men running, now it was paired with the silent power that made it generally clear that it was her who would express interest, not the other way around. Krozag wasn't bothered by her age, though, not with how sexy she still was. Slightly less attractive a notion was carrying the groceries, but such was life as a goblin! He thought briefly about how he might turn the situation to his advantage, but seeing no immediate opportunity, he instead sighed softly and scooped up the groceries she set down. Off to the kitchen then! This time he had to genuinely look out for other passers-by, as the food rather obscured his vision, and he was perhaps in a bit of a hurry. At least he had his fantasies to keep him occupied through the short journey.