Grunthor listened to the others while he massaged his hands. Everyone had entirely different skills, and orcs got skills from eating things, could he get their skills by eating bits of them? Also what couldn't an orc eat? Lazash was chewing on scales and feathers, probably from boredom, but she didn't look to be struggling. Drinking the blood hadn't done anything to her, could orcs just eat things raw? Could they eat bones and such as well without issue?
While he thought about it he laid his Elwet out next to the flames before nudging it in a bit. The others had prepared the other two, but he didn't know how to do that. So he'd roast the whole thing as is. It'd take a bit considering these birds were likely to have higher resistance to flames. Although...was that a skill or just biology? Was it everything or just the feathers and scales? There were a lot of questions floating around in his head now.
Lazash explained a portion of the fire-chickens. The stone could be used for fire starters, so like flint? Did that mean there was a chemical in them to start a fire like the Assblasters of Tremors 3? Or did they need a spark to work with to do those fireballs? Unfortunately none of them were capable of making armor, or clothing. They were from modern times, but there were hobbyists out there. But none of them were that lucky today.
The other two chickens were split among them, but he waved it off. He was experimenting now with his own to see what the best cooking method for them would be. Sure he was no chef, and he knew nothing about butchery, but he knew his way around cooking meat. He had vast protein intake when he was human. The only part he wouldn't even attempt to eat would be the birds intestines. No poop-chute for him thank you!
As she watched the others begin to prepare and cook the Elwets they had killed. Akeno found herself grateful for the fact that she had been dragged into this group. Had she been hunting alone as she had originally planned, she doubted she would have been able to start a fire, let alone do all of the cutting, draining and de-organing necessary to make the birds palatable to eat. Though she had said she could cook a little, it was always in a kitchen with pre-prepared ingredients, well maintained modern tools and an actual oven.
In other words, her mom’s cooking lessons had not prepared her for a survival situation.
Grunthor was trying his best on the other side of the fire, but considering that she hadn’t seen him remove the innards, including the apparently very iron-rich liver, nor drain the body of blood first, she didn’t expect the end result to taste very good at all. Or even be safe to consume, for that matter.
Taking Esfir’s invitation for what it was, Akeno sat down by the fire near to the other Orc. The cooked meat smelled surprisingly good, the aroma not much different from a normal barbeque, though given the lack of seasoning or anything other than, well, the meat itself, she expected the taste to be a little bland. Still, food was food and the smell was making her remember that she hadn’t eaten anything since dying.
Reaching out to take a piece from the pile Esfir had divided up for her, Akeno remembered her manners and quickly pressed the palms of her hands flat against each other first. “I humbly receive this food.” That out of the way, she picked up a piece and took a bite.
Certainly a fair portion of meat, given her snacks beforehand as she had tested her theory about ingesting parts of the beast. In that vein the female orc had no complaints as Esfir divided up the meat among the four of them. The smell of the cooked bird was certainly as it had been described to her within the information provided by her analysis skill, though the taste to her didn't seem too bad considering. The first bite was a flood of sensations to her, really. Heat from the flame, and flecks of grease that stung the chin and tongue. A soft, stringy consistency, with a slight grain. A lightly salty, slightly yeasty taste on the tongue, but dense and moist. A metallic hint of blood still lingered, along with an earthy game-flavor. The first bite was a flood of sensations. Heat from the flame, and flecks of grease that stung the chin and tongue. A soft, stringy consistency, with a slight grain. A lightly salty, slightly yeasty taste on the tongue, but dense and moist. A metallic hint of blood still lingered, along with an earthy game-flavor.
Consumed: Congealed Elwet Blood Consumed: Cooked Elwet Meat Consumed: Cooked Elwet Marrow Consumed: Small Cracked Elwet Bone Fragment
You are Well Fed. Your HP and SP recovery rate is temporarily boosted. Current Ingestion: Elwet - 100% All Ingested Skills have been detected! Choose ONE:
[Skewer]
[Fire Bolt]
[Murderous Intent]
A new feeling settled in the pit of her gut...as though a muscle she'd never known had begun to flex, a muscle akin to the lungs that could draw something into their bodies. The more she ate, the more this feeling swelled. And then, each time she bit into her portion, the smells and tastes and even the consistency upon her tongue provoked a mingling of senses and the memories associated with them...
The Elwet's sharp horns and spear-like beak... The Elwet's flaming breath... The Elwet's fiery, angry eyes burning with malice...
Just like when their lungs grew full of air, this new "muscle" inside them needed to breathe out...yes. This would do nicely, and now she had all of her portion eaten as well. So that was valuable data in and of itself to learn about ingesting things, as well as being of a benefit in being able to choose a new skill to learn due to [Ingestion].
She would choose the [Fire Bolt] skill to take in this case. Seemed to be the most useful to her, if it was like thhe MMORPG spells it sonded like from back on Earth. Perhaps even a branching into the magical arts at that. Mmm.
Perfect!
So what she'd had beforehand, added with this portion of meat and bone marrow, was just enough to get her to 100% when eating an Elwet. Would this change with large creatures needing more biomass? Would it also vary depending on her and the others' own physical maturity and development? What if they advanced in level far enough? Hmm. So many questions yet to be answered, but she would remember all of this for the future. It was certianly a learning experience indeed, especially as they'd need to get another creature to complete the quest for the Head Warrior now. At the same time, though, having a well-fed body and being able to hunt and get things done with that before heading back would be to their advantage in her mind. Just as much of an advantage as her choice of first skill.
Every little advantage over the world around them was certianly be valuable in these days and beyond.
But if she had to place another theory out there in her mind, simpler creatures such as these Elwets would maybe be easier to unlock all of their 'ingested skills'. This compared to stronger and more powerful ones, which might need more biomass to unlock more potential skills and likewise to 'ingest' fully then. In that vein, that would be something to keep in mind for the future. Could be a way to ensure that they got the best 'bang for their buck' on skills and accruing capabilities in this new world. Eh, depending on how long they worked together in the long-term of their new lives at least. For now, though, it was certainly something she was happy to do for their survival and so forth for mutual benefit unless any of the others got back-stabby.
"I am at one hundred percent ingestion for Elwet now, with all potential skills to get revealed, after all I've eaten before and with my portion here. Hmm. I'll assume it's because these are smaller and simpler creatures that we can unlock Elwet-related skills so quickly perhaps.
I'll also wait before eating next time, though, my apologies everyone."
The female runt made sure her gathered Elwet antlers and such supplies were with her. It would be well enough to carry at this stage, but they'd need a pouch to carry anything else with that. Just something to try to learn to craft, or get someone else to for a favor or such, in the future. Preferrably sooner than later, though, if they were going to make anything of note along the way. Heck, maybe they could find some useful materials to boot among the plants and such as well...which only made it a shame she could only have chosen one analysis skill. But the one she'd chosen would be useful indeed, if employed correctly.
Yet the Head Warrior's warning about the caves and nocturnal creatures 'havving a reason to only come out at night' still lingered in her mind a little bit. Concerning, but useful to know in this case then.
Her eyes then moved over to Akeno, and the particularly familiar behavior of sorts that the other female had shoown before eating. Or rather, a cultural habit she assumed? Either way maybe it would spark some conversation before they took to the road so they could get kills to bring back to the orc camp to fulfill their quest. Wanted to do that before it got too late into the day, or heaven forbid dark, for that matter.
"Though if I may ask to indulge my curiosity, Akeno, your name and mannerisms remind me of the Far East. Would you happen to have been from that region of the world before?"
Ingestion - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
Creature Analysis - Rank I - Upon analyzing a target, information relevant to the chosen type will be displayed. Higher Ranks will grant more detailed information. (For example, using Creature Analysis on a Slime would tell you the most generic, widely known information on Slimes as a species)
Fire Bolt - ???
Empty Skill Slot
Current Equipment and Inventory:
Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
Wooden Stick - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A wooden stick. From a tree. That's...that's all there is to it. Can be thrown.
Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.
Current Location: Forests Current Activity: Following Gren @Lucius Cypher to the source of the smoke. Having finished her task, Vola took a minute to stand back and inspect her handiwork. It was clear that she made the right choice in becoming a teacher rather than a butcher in her past life. The end result of her labour being somewhat messy and uneven. In spite of that though, Vola feels as if she did a rather good job considering that this was her first time cleaning and skinning anything, let alone with only a sharp rock available to do any cutting! Hopefully, it’ll get easier and less messy the more she does it. Glancing down at her now slightly blood-stained hands and pelts, Vola grimaced. What she wouldn’t give for a nice hot bath right now…
Dismissing that thought quickly – not wanting to torture herself with the impossible – Vola turned her attention back to the butchered Tatzelwurm. What they need to do now is figure out a way to start a fire before they very well actually have to put raw meat into their mouths. It was as she was deeply pondering the merits of rubbing to sticks together cartoon-style that Gren brought her attention to the smoke rising over the trees in the distance and suggested going to see if it’s another potentially willing runt ally. There were admittedly some risks, but Vola was feeling extremely brave when faced with eating raw meat as an alternative. Besides, she trusts that they’ll be able to handle themselves if it comes down to it. “That’s a good idea Gren! And besides, the worst case scenario is that we just run away.”
With the two runts in agreement, Vola quickly worked to gather up all the usable and safe for consumption items she got from the Tatzelwurm, carefully bundling them up in a way that makes them easier to carry along with her other possessions. Thinking for a moment, she also grabbed another handful of the Tungem leaves, just in case their little group suffers another injury that requires more than the four leaves in her possession, before following after Gren. “I'm right behind you.” As they walked, Vola also kept an eye out for any signs of wild animals that might be attracted by the smell of the meat in their possession. She didn’t want to be caught off guard by a hungry wolf or something similar.
Current Skills:
Ingestion - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
Rune Scribe - Rank I - Isekai Skill. Normally, this Skill requires the User to be capable of at least one other Magic Skill. Use a personal writing system to imbue magical effects. At Rank I, the scribed Rune has only half the effectiveness of the original Spell and fades after 1 day. (For example, one could use this with a piece of parchment to produce a consumable Scroll of Fire Bolt--or place the Rune somewhere in the environment with certain spells to create a sort of booby-trap.)
Empty Skill Slot
Empty Skill Slot
Equipment and Inventory:
Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
Wooden Stick - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A wooden stick. From a tree. That's...that's all there is to it. Can be thrown.
Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.
Stone Hatchet - Equip, Weapon/Tool - Gren has it.
Tungem Leaf x4 – Material – Can be used to make a Leaf Compress
She had expected much worse, really, considering how badly the prep had gone, how few tools they had at hand for breaking down the Elwets, but in the end, Esfir could say that she approved of it. It was good food. With spices, it'd be improved. With a pot, it looked to be a good stewing meat. There was a satisfying denseness to it, the way it settled in her stomach, and perhaps, she recognized, this was the first time that she had eaten solid food in this body of hers.
Esfir closed her eyes, enjoying this moment of fullness for a bit longer. Pleasures were rare. She would ensure that they were not. Food to feast on every day, a home to call her own, wealth beyond measure and business that recorded record growth after record growth. An army, literal or figurative, at her beck and call. A world, turned to an oyster, for her to peel and poke at at her leisure.
She ate cleanly. Not a dribble of juice trickled down her lips, not a scrap of meat remained on those bones. And as her 'skill', this gift of her birth, offered up further recompense for the mere act of eating. And who was she to turn down a gift such as this?
A gift, such as [Murderous Intent].
Now, it was just a matter of thinking. Nookis in forest dens, Camazots in mountain caves. There was the threat of nighttime predators, certainly, but the larger issue was one of accessibility. Regardless of what she thought about the barbarism of Orcish society, it went without saying that it would be more dangerous still to be caught outside at nightfall. Nests that they know not the appearance of, or caves, which would require an ascent up a mountain.
Esfir tensed the muscles in her legs. Still as spry as when she had set off.
Of the organs that the Elwet had, it was the stomach that was the most useful. Just spill out the bile, tie up one end, widen the other end, and there. A bag. Small and smelly, but for the purposes of what she wanted to use it for? It was enough. While the others continued to talk, making their preparations to head off, Esfir took in a deep breath before striding towards the foul bush, stripping its leaves and seed pods, before tossing both into the stomach-bag. It would be more effective if ground to powder, but for now, she could settle for smoke. The beak, while possibly usable for a spearhead, would serve to carry some of the smouldering embers of the fire instead, then used to cap off her bag. The stick itself, used as a roasting spit, wasn't likely to be of any used to her anymore, so she let that go, replacing it with the antlers of the Elwet instead. With some finagling, the orc runt finally set things off by bundling the feathers and sparkstone into her raggedy clothes and nodded to herself.
She definitely needed a bigger bag after this. One with straps so her hands could be free.
No matter though.
"Caves next. Camazots, yes?" She could only imagine them as bears or wolves. Good prey, if one could get over how they were predators. "Any of you recall anything of them?"
The Elwet tasted better than she had expected. The smell coming from the bird as it had been cooking as already assuaged most of her concerns, but Akeno had definitely still been expecting it to taste worse than it did. Honestly, aside from a slightly off earthy flavour that made her feel like what she was eating was a little unclean, it wasn’t bad.
More worrying than the taste was the strange sensation that had begun in her stomach as she continued to eat; something in her gut began to roil, the feeling somewhere between an involuntary clench and a flex of some kind of muscle deep in her abdomen. It was more than a little disconcerting and Akeno was initially afraid that she was having some kind of reaction to eating the strange creature, but once she began to experience these waves of sensory information and memories that were not her own she caught on to what was happening.
Sharp horns and a pointed beak digging into flesh.
Heat washing over her face as she breathed fire from her mouth.
A murderously intense gaze, staring down her opponent.
This was her skill; the skill of all Orcs in this world. The ability to gain the powers of whatever they ate. Akeno hadn’t expected it to be a physical thing, but apparently it was and if it was going to feel like this every time she ate something, she would have to get used to it.
Deliberating as she continued to eat, Akeno eventually decided to choose the [Fire Bolt] skill. The skewer thing might be useful in close combat, alongside her karate, but she didn’t exactly have any claws or horns to work with; though she couldn’t discount the fact that she might grow them on taking the skill. Murderous Gaze was interesting; if it had the effect of paralysing whatever saw it in fear or scaring it away like she thought, then it would be useful for avoiding dangerous situations, but she couldn’t be certain of what it did or how effective it would be.
Fire was fire though. It was simple to understand and would give her an extra avenue of attack. Plus, what kind of martial artist would she be if she turned down the option of getting her own Hadouken or Sonic Boom equivalent?
Finishing up, Akeno threw the remains of her food onto a pile with the rest of the bones and stood up to stretch. Lazash watched her as she did and asked her a question about where she was from. “Did the Japanese give it away? I’m from Miami, but my parents are both from Tokyo. I’ve never been there myself, but I know the language.” It was all she spoke at home after all; her mom had never put much effort into learning English, even after living in America for as long as she had and in spite of the fact that her husband had been fluent even before leaving Japan. Her stubbornness about it always annoyed Akeno as a child, since it meant she had to learn twice as many words and remember to switch between the two all the time; she recalled it being one of the first things she had rebelled about as a child, though it had lasted long.
Akeno appreciated being bilingual now. Even if it wasn’t exactly useful or come up very often outside her family, it was just a nice skill to have. Or had been, before dying and being reborn in a place where the language and the country it came from no longer existed.
Grunthor watched the bird as the fire took it. The smells weren't pleasant, he wasn't expecting it to. The feathers took a while to catch fire, merely smoldering and falling out. The scales puffed up like a pinecone and clinked before popping off with ease. What he could salvage he did, and a message appeared making him blink. "Fire hardened scales and feathers?" He questioned aloud. Picking up the good scales he ran a finger along the edge to see if they were sharp or not. He didn't apply to much pressure, no need to wound himself.
Putting it back in the pile he watched the bird, poking it and shifting it as it cooked. After a bit more waiting he began to eat it. It didn't taste good, it was very gamey, and that chewiness meant it was undercooked. Which was dangerous on Earth. This world probably didn't have salmonella, and orcs were probably robust enough to not get really sick from eating things. Speaking of, he was capable of eating the whole damn thing. Minus the actual bones of the bird.
The system popped up telling him he got a buff from being well fed, but due to the bird being undercooked a random chance of the pepto bismol commercial. "Eating over one hundred percent doesn't net anything extra. I'm going to have a random chance of sickness, or I might magically discharge, which is explosive....do I even have magic? He stated as he thought about the skills. He didn't really like the options...but Murderous Intent would fit best. It might cause enemies to freeze up to let him land extra free hits.
The others were talking, and Esfir mentioned caves to fight some of Camazots. Sure, his scalp was scabbed over, his knuckles were a bit sore but he wouldn't be punching much yet. This body didn't have the oomph for it. Looking down he thought for a moment before taking off his loincloth to use the cloth as a small bag for his fire hardened stuff. His body was too young to warrant worrying about nudity, but he was modest enough to turn so the others only saw his green cheeks. He was clearly ready to get going to the cave.
He soon found out that his knowledge of climbing trees and the old techniques he was taught didn’t translate too well to this new form. He would need to strengthen it up to get back to what he was used too for this to work out. His thoughts where cut off when he felt more than heard a vibration in the tree and a weird blue blur falling down towards him.
The ball of goo fell into him and knocked him down onto the ground with the thing bouncing off his chest. For a wired soccer ball, it almost knocked the wind out of him. Quickly getting up on all fours in a defensive posture that allowed for quick movement his eyes locked onto the new creature. It had strange arm like tendrils coming off of it and almost seemed to look at him and his companion for a moment before turning and trying to run away.
Agar took this opportunity to follow up beside it, taking advantage of the rough terrain as the slime had trouble navigating on it. Watching how it moved and shifted for a moment to observe the new quarry, pouncing towards the beast once he was satisfied about learning how it moved. Leaping forward and slightly above it he was attempting to stab the creature with his sharp rock, “don’t ya run away fom me, you oversized wattr balloon.”
The Fangs and Claws Vola had taken off the Tatzelwurm were about as one would expect--quite sharp, the fangs also seemed to have hollows for venom, and the claws were almost as broad as a pocket knife's blade while being just about as long. What the system called a Coilbone seemed to be the creature's spine, except parts of it weren't really bone at all, but something with a fatty, rubbery texture---in certain segments, the vertebral column could even rotate nearly 170 degrees before the rest of the bones began to twist along with it. Given how thin and flimsy the connective material was between these sections, maybe it had something to do with the creature's catlike nature---supposedly, the reason cats always landed on their feet and could fit into tight spaces was because some of their bones "floated" instead of being firmly attached to the skeleton. The eye was like a cold, icky, glassy marble. A bright, venomous green with a night black pupil.
With the Tungem Stick and a few extra handfuls of its leaves in their possession, the two runts headed for the smoketrail they'd seen earlier. A short walk brought them through some thick underbrush and into a small clearing, where they saw four other Runts seated around a fire and eating what smelled like some kind of spicy chicken---though by this point there wasn't much of the beasts left, and their fire was beginning to die down too since it had taken a while to cook their kills.
Skill Gain: [Fire Bolt] - Rank I - A basic elemental bolt of fire magic. Hurl or shoot a magical projectile roughly 30 feet in a straight line. It travels at roughly the same speed you could physically propel a small rock. Upon striking a target, the flames spread over it in a small explosion; highly flammable targets may spread the flame for up to 10 seconds.
Skill Gain: [Murderous Intent] - Rank I - Focus hatred and the desire to kill through the subtle senses. A creature that is weaker than you must exert its willpower or be Intimidated (Intimidated creatures suffer reduced speed). A creature that is already Intimidated, Shocked, or Unaware may instead become Fearful and be unable to act for 5 seconds. Creatures that are stronger than you can only be Intimidated by this Skill if they are already Shocked or Unaware, but their willpower threshold is higher.
Skill Gain: [Fire Bolt] - Rank I - A basic elemental bolt of fire magic. Hurl or shoot a magical projectile roughly 30 feet in a straight line. It travels at roughly the same speed you could physically propel a small rock. Upon striking a target, the flames spread over it in a small explosion; highly flammable targets may spread the flame for up to 10 seconds.
Skill Gain: [Murderous Intent] - Rank I - Focus hatred and the desire to kill through the subtle senses. A creature that is weaker than you must exert its willpower or be Intimidated (Intimidated creatures suffer reduced speed). A creature that is already Intimidated, Shocked, or Unaware may instead become Fearful and be unable to act for 5 seconds. Creatures that are stronger than you can only be Intimidated by this Skill if they are already Shocked or Unaware, but their willpower threshold is higher.
While Lazash and Akeno made small talk and acquired their skills, Esfir began cleaning out one of the Elwet's stomachs and Grunthor examined the changes in his bird's feathers and scales. Each of the runts saw the results of their Ingestion, and thankfully once they had chosen a skill it seemed the System provided more knowledge about it---and, in fact, even more information that wasn't "spoken" by the strange interface began to throb inside their skulls. The method to call up the power each of them had absorbed...with room for personal preference, even, and a mixture of their psychological intent with the resources of their new bodies as fuel. Magic Power and Stamina Power, it seemed, were the primary sources that Skills needed in order to work.
As Esfir moved on to gathering leaves and seedpods from the gnarled, foul smelling bush, some of the plant's black sap happened to drip onto her hand from the broken stems. It smelled exceedingly foul, like fresh dog droppings or the stomach bile one regurgitates when there's nothing left in their digestive tract. What was more, it was sticky like a fresh drop of acrylic paint, and attempting to wipe it off just smeared it the first few times before finally removing it. Yet even once the gunk was gone, the scent remained. Her skin also itched slightly, but it didn't seem to be an allergic reaction of any kind.
Grunthor examined the blackened feathers and expanded scales. The "fire hardened" Elwet feathers felt more like plastic than actual feathers now, and the individual downy fibers seemed to have melded together into an even surface. It was as if they'd turned from "real" feathers into those fake ones most sport archery arrows had. Meanwhile, the scales just seemed...harder, than before. And ever so slightly warped in their expansion, so that their outer sides were slightly convex. His finger found that they weren't really sharp (though maybe they could be, considering how thin they were) but they had a cold, almost metallic feel now. They were still only about twice the size of a human thumbnail...but if they were put onto something else, like say leather, in large enough numbers, maybe they could actually be used as lamellar of some sort?
The four began bundling up their belongings in preparation to head North, to the Camazotz caves---but just before they were about to leave, two more Runts entered the clearing. One of them was carrying the remains of a snakelike creature, and the other had a primitive looking stone hatchet...
Despite the Slime's panic, Agar was able to quickly catch up with it---the blobby monster didn't seem very fast given its lack of legs. Maybe if only one Runt had been around, it'd have staged an ambush attack from the tree, but faced with two it chose flight instead of fight. But Agar wasn't going to let it get away that easily!
The vengeful Runt leaped into the air, bringing down his body weight and his sharp rock onto the spherical monster! The Slime made a high pitched, phlegmy warble as the knapped blade sank deep into its body. It lurched with all its might to throw Agar off, but as the runt rolled through the grass, the Slime wobbled from side to side. It moved forward only a few more inches before, with a pitiful sound like a deflating balloon, it stopped moving and...seemed to leak some kind of plasma, shrinking down as the fluid formed a shallow puddle underneath it.
Esfir rubbed her fingers together, nose wrinkling at the foul stench. It'll be a while before she could have any opportunity to wash it off, so for now, she simply had to avoid rubbing her eyes with that hand. Regardless, it was time to go. Grunthor, the most injured of the group, seemed fine with it, so Lazash and Akeno had less reason to stick around. Turning towards the dying fire once more, Esfir was about to extinguish it by kicking some dirt over it, when the rustling of brush revealed the appearance of two more Orc Runts.
Four versus two. And that snake was only prepped for cooking, not actually eaten yet. They had the advantage in terms of Skills acquired. Murderous Intent on the one with the hatchet, let Grunthor and Akeno finish them off. Frost Arc after on the other, suppress them until it was a four-on-one. They'd get the snake, the branch, and the hatchet.
"We're done here," Esfir said, nodding towards the newcomers.
This was a shoddy group with unaligned ideologies. They could perhaps coordinate against monsters, but if each one of them was human on the inside, there was no guarantee that they could flip the switch to attacking another sapient being. And they didn't have much ability to carry more than they currently did, either.
"Feel free to use what remains."
The sun was ever-falling. Better to leave such plots for another time.
// Get The ball >> a quiet stroll through the forest //
Quickly the orc runt scooped up his kill not wanting any of it to go to waste even going as far as to scoop up some of the insides that already deflated out of the wound he caused. The fight wasn’t much of a fight but he didn’t see much use in hitting a water balloon with a stick to try and kill it. Puncturing it was the safest option and as it seemed was also the quickest. He figured it might have hurt him if it was backed into a corner and fighting him properly but this one chose to flee and died for it. This world was just as unforgiving as the last.
Putting a small portion of the jelly insides into his lip he began to slowly cut the puncture wound open further, letting the substance rest between his teeth and lip. It did taste good, he remembered some sort of fruit or berry tasting similar. By the way the thing moved it was likely an opportunistic omnivore maybe it was like bear meat where it tasted like what it had been eating. If that was true then perhaps there was more food in the tree somewhere.
Agar kept the sweet and slightly tart Slime inside in his lip like he had done countless times before with plants and some animals. If you weren’t sure if it was poisonous one should keep it there to see if the skin on your lip becomes numb or starts to hurt. If it does then its likely not edible. He took his time to carve out a small chunk of the slime that could fit in his hand, the consistency and thickness was like those cheap dodge balls at the store.
Tearing the last bit of the skin off and filling it with a handful of the goop inside the slime, Agar handed it to Duram with a nod. “Ere, its bout alff, I’m a go dis ways, you follow if want. Stay save.” With a smile Agar turned and started to walk off stopping only for a moment to check if he had everything. Almost immediately he began eating the rest of the slime jelly after not feeling any strange way from it. With only a small portion left of the slime jelly, he then cut off a small piece of the skin to chew on. It wasn’t great but it was definitely something to keep him busy while he carefully walked through the forest.
Not wanting to cut any more off the slime knowing it could make a good container of some caliber but he would need to treat it if he wanted it to stay preserved. Drying it was an option if it didn’t fall apart, or perhaps finding some brains of another creature to see if brain tanning would even work in this world. Either way he couldn’t do that right now. So, he kept walking. direction wise he was pretty sure that he should be walking with the fort to his right with the rest of the forest to his left. He was at least somewhat confident that some of the other runts might be in this direction.
<< Current Quest: Find Something to Eat and Bring it Back Whole. Hunt Selected: Random Inventory: Slime membrane, loincloth, stick, sharp rock Location: Into the forest <<
Fortunately the walk towards the fire was pretty uneventful. Granted it's not like they run into monsters every couple of steps, but Gren was still a bit high off the adrenaline from the last fight, so he was just expecting a fight wherever he goes. When they reached the clearing, he spots four other grunts, having looked like they just finished eating as well. Four against two... Not that Gren was planning on fighting them, but you can never tell. It's not like he hasn't had his fair scare of scraps against the other runts in the baby pit, but he doesn't remember having to fight any of these, so hopefully they're no one who holds a grudge against him. Only one spoke up towards them, sounding really mature for her age. Gren figures he ought to respond in kind.
"Danke! Just wanna roast this beastie while we can before it gets dark. Then we're gunna go keep huntin. Y'all wouldn't happen ta know where north is would ya? Lookin fer a cave that hunt a big beastie and get stuff." Before Gren walks over, he chops a few branches off a bush or low tree so he can feed the fire a bit more. He was also thinking about constructing some extra weapons, or at least sharpening the sticks a bit so they can be used as spears. "Looks like you all just had a scrap yerself. If Lola's aight with it, I don't mind coming with ya ta help hunt! Many hands make light work and stuff, yeah?" While Gren talks, he also takes out the branches and starts shaping them with his stone hatchet, removing any small branches and bark. If he remembers correctly he's pretty sure you can harden wood with some fire, so he'll try to carefully harden the pointy end so they'll do a better job killing stuff. He also vaguely remembers how to make a spear thrower, or at least the basic mechanics of it. Which really just meant he saved one of the tungum sticks to have a little branch he can use as a hook to flick the future wooden spears in the future.
Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
Wooden Stick - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A wooden stick. From a tree. That's...that's all there is to it. Can be thrown.
Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.
Stone Hatchet - Equip, Weapon/Tool - An axe with a blade made of stone.
Tungem Branch x4 - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - Branches from a Tungem tree.
[Fire Bolt] - Rank I - A basic elemental bolt of fire magic. Hurl or shoot a magical projectile roughly 30 feet in a straight line. It travels at roughly the same speed you could physically propel a small rock. Upon striking a target, the flames spread over it in a small explosion; highly flammable targets may spread the flame for up to 10 seconds.
Perfect. Something to use to be able to set fires at will, albeit unless she ran out of magical juice or stamina or whatever it took to cast it most likely. It was also a start into learning and casting and coming to understand magic in this world, which was self-admittedly an exciting prospect on her part. To what extent could this be used? What could be achieved with what she knew alongside these things she was delving into for the first time? Ah, that would certainly be educational and fascinating to pick apart and determine to a greater level of certainty over the long-term.
“Did the Japanese give it away? I’m from Miami, but my parents are both from Tokyo. I’ve never been there myself, but I know the language.”
A mostly quiet but light chuckle, of all things, would come out of the beautiful female's mouth before she back to Akeno once more.
"Actually, to my ears what you said sounded as if it was English. A curious implication for things in this world, I believe.
Ah, but back to your question. It was the mannerisms before you ate and your apparent martial arts skills being what tipped me off to the potential of you being Japanese admittedly. You seemed genuine and earnest in it all as well."
She had once worked with a Japanese-raised associate of the same company before her untimely demise. A very hard worker, rather respectful, and while friendly and good to work alognside and toss about ideas with....could admittedly drink more than people over twice his weight. Haha. Ah. Tch. That was right, he was involved on the same project she'd been carrying before dying as well. Sent him a copy as a backup, thank goodness, so perhaps he would get handed what remained of her last grand project to finish. Certainly had the aptitude and work ethic to at least finish it, compared to most of her other now-former coworkers, if not his own ideas to be able to inject into the design to tweak it with his own sentiments.
Eh, but that was all in the past now unfortunately. Not that she'd be forgetting any of it even if she could actually do so.
To throw away everything from before, simply for the now and the new? No. No no no. In fact, her past was going to be the foundation for what came next and whatever she could build up in this life. Certainly it would not be easy to make it all work out eventually, the darker of the two spirits who had talked to her seemed to be looking forward to that at least, but it would be something that would be hers and which she'd ensure would be worth it in the end. That much could be counted on if she survived and lived long enough to get that far.
Though if she could get her hands on some rudimentary pain-killing herbs or roots or such, then at least the throbbing headache of new knowledge going into her mind could be aleviated in the physical sense. Would at least be a minor quality-of-life bit if nothing else, hmm?
"Eating over one hundred percent doesn't net anything extra. I'm going to have a random chance of sickness, or I might magically discharge, which is explosive....do I even have magic?"
Lazash would look simply over at the male orc runt before speaking once more.
[color=silver]"If we all had the same options for Elwet skills, then I'd assume we can all theoretically learn magic if we could all potentially gain that Fire Bolt skill."
Then came Esfir's voice to her ears, as wizened and old as it could sound given their shared age as Orc Runts at least.
"Caves next. Camazots, yes?" She could only imagine them as bears or wolves. Good prey, if one could get over how they were predators. "Any of you recall anything of them?"
"Nooki make dens in the caves down here in the forest, seeming to indicate they might be mammals. Meanwhile Cazamots make nests farther up the mountain and in caves, so they could be flying creatures or maybe something like unto a bear. Of course that's all merely cohnjecture at best until we actually see them.
it was implied that they only dare to come out at night for a reason though."
It was her best cuurent working theory, if nothing else, and she wouldn't go on beyond that. But she had told the group and Esfir what she had been told by the Head Warrior about them at least. If they ran into a daytime predator along the way, then, they'd have to handle the situation as best as they could at such a juncture. Of course they were acting as a group, for now at least, and had each just gained a new skill at that. It would be more of an advantage for their side in such a case, then, as compared to running into such a daytime predator alone.
Still, the female orc runt would take cues from Esfir and Grunthor as she used her rag-clothes to create a rudimentary bag to carry her load of items and equipment. She would even tie it up at the top, then, to make it easier to carry around on her right shoulder. Could switch shoulders to give each arm a break as they went along to boot. Hmm. Yes, that would be acceptable for the time being.
The four began bundling up their belongings in preparation to head North, to the Camazotz caves---but just before they were about to leave, two more Runts entered the clearing. One of them was carrying the remains of a snakelike creature, and the other had a primitive looking stone hatchet...
Ah. Seemed that the fire had drawn some other runts to their location. She was surprised more hadn't arrived to try to glean any pickings from them or the like. Then again, many had seemed to run off and talk as if they'd be doing this task all alone out here. To see two seemingly cooperating fellow runts, then, was certainly something...but at least they were not foolish enough to attack a larger group either. Hmm. Not notable enough overall to talk to them about it, or to the others about it right now in passing, and beyond that Esfir would proceed to say anything she might have felt worth saying to them. Lazash would also give a nod to the newcomers before moving along, but all that was left were any remaining scraps of Elwet not brought with them along with whatever was left of the dying if not mostly-dead fire by now.
One of them (the male) seemed to greet them in German, though, and asked about joining in on a hunt. Joining in? Well numbers could be a boon, but too many of them and it'd become a mess trying to divide up the meat and spoils and bringing anything back. If it were up to her she'd say 'yes', at least as far as it took to get them to the caves, before suggesting a split for hunting so the four of them and the duo could do their own things. Mmm. She'd let Esfir make the call on this particular situation, as much of an unofficial leader as she had seemed to become in all of this thus far. Meanwhile, she hadn't heard anything from the female runt yet in turn.
The four of them that had already banded togeher for now had to get kills to bring back to the camp, after all, to fulfill the quest given to them. Daylight was burning quickly, and they couldn't be out here alone forever like impetuous idiots without worse troubles likely coming to them in all eventuality. They couldn't afford to slow down or stop again right now, one way or ther other. Worst case scenario in the best case situation, perhaps, they ran into more stuff along the way and got stalled before killing and bringing it back before nightfall so they could go off to the caves tomorrow or on another following day.
Ingestion - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
Creature Analysis - Rank I - Upon analyzing a target, information relevant to the chosen type will be displayed. Higher Ranks will grant more detailed information. (For example, using Creature Analysis on a Slime would tell you the most generic, widely known information on Slimes as a species)
Fire Bolt - Rank I - A basic elemental bolt of fire magic. Hurl or shoot a magical projectile roughly 30 feet in a straight line. It travels at roughly the same speed you could physically propel a small rock. Upon striking a target, the flames spread over it in a small explosion; highly flammable targets may spread the flame for up to 10 seconds.
Empty Skill Slot
Empty Skill Slot
Empty Skill Slot
Empty Skill Slot
Empty Skill Slot
Current Equipment and Inventory:
Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
Wooden Stick - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A wooden stick. From a tree. That's...that's all there is to it. Can be thrown.
Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.
Grunthor's examination led to what was pretty much plastic feathering commonly seen in modern day arrows, even he knew of that, and thew scales became...metallic? But they weren't sharp. They could possibly be sharpened though, but they didn't need to be. They just needed to be strong, so he tried bending the hardened scales. Given their size he'd need a whole gaggle of of Eswir just to potentially get a shirt of scale, not that he had the first clue how to go about that. He was thinking about embedding them somehow into wood to make a crude flanged club of some sort. Sure his fists were his main weapon, as a human. But he was small, scrawny, and weak. He needed equalizers to level the survival field.
While the four were doing their own thing another two runts showed up, probably following the smoke trail and smell of cooking food. It seemed they snagged a Tatzelwurm and one of them had a better weapon than just a sharp rock and a thumpin stick. The one with the hatchet spoke, talking about going hunting with them. He didn't remembering hearing anything about Camazots, so why were they about to go bumbling into a cave to hunt them? Assuming it wasn't like a bear they could probably pig pile on it. Hell if they had a torch could probably blind it...possibly. He'd follow along with the others when they went.
Today was just a day of new and unpleasant experiences apparently.
What did it feel like to have information suddenly and forcefully placed into your brain? It wasn’t a question Akeno had ever had a reason to ask herself, even though she had seen things like the Matrix and other sci-fi stuff where it could and did happen; she just wasn’t the type to think about that type of thing. Movies were a very surface level thing for her; if it wasn’t on screen it wasn’t worth thinking about.
But if she had thought about it, maybe she would have thought that it would hurt? She could imagine having that much information inserted all at once would be an overstimulating experience that would give you a headache or a migraine. Or maybe it felt like nothing at all and you didn’t even think about it until the next time you, well… thought about it and the information was just there.
As it turned out, it felt like neither of those things. It didn’t hurt exactly, but it wasn’t subtle either. The information she had just received about her new skill, both a brief description of it and also, weirdly, the physical steps she needed to take to use it, were insisting themselves to the forefront of her mind like an intrusive thought. The knowledge making absolutely sure that she knew that she knew this now. Try as she might she couldn’t not think about Fire Bolt for a few seconds before the feeling faded away.
Annoying, especially when other people were talking around her.
Akeno sat in silence for a while, letting the information recede back into her mind and letting herself catch-up on everything that had been said in the meantime. Two new Orcs had arrived, dragging the corpse of some snake-like looking thing into their camp and asking to use their fire to roast it. Like the last Orc, Esfir did not extend an invitation for them to join their group, instead offering them the use of what was left of their camp in a pointed un-invitation before making to leave. One of the new pair either didn’t catch the hint or chose to ignore it and asked to join them instead.
Many hands made light work, like they’d said, but it also meant they would need to hunt more to fill the quota for all of them. There was a balance to that; add too many people and you wouldn’t make the fights any easier than they already were, meaning all you had were more mouths to feed. Their arrangement was working so far with four, there was no guarantee it would still work with six. It was Esfir’s say though; she wanted to be in charge, so this was her responsibility.
For now, she just focused on what she needed to do for the next step of their quest; which was, apparently, prepare for a fight with something called a Camazotz. Something nocturnal which spent its days in a cave and only came out at night. The big Orc back at camp had apparently given some kind of cryptic warning about that, but the others couldn’t figure out what.
“If it’s nocturnal, doesn’t that mean it can see in low light? Ambushing them while they’re asleep is great, but if they wake up we’ll be fighting them in a dark cave where they can see and we can’t.”
Lola must be the one that didn't speak up then, the one carrying the mangled snake-creature. Esfir looked at her, then at the hatchet-wielder who had moved onto some crafts while awaiting an answer. An answer from both of them.
"If there are only four Camazots within the cave, those would go to us first." A clear line to be drawn, between the group that had been together since inception, and those that wished to join after the fact. "Otherwise, if she is alright with it, then follow." A tacit understanding that Esfir would not be waiting for the two runts to finish cooking their own food, finish digesting their own meal, finish selecting their skills.
An understanding too, that she wouldn't be waiting for 'Lola' to have her say.
Esfir strode off, northbound towards the mountains that peeked out from the canopies. "We have fire," she spoke to Akeno, "and if we didn't have fire, we still have sunlight. We ambush to cripple and kill. Failing that, retreat to the mouth of the cave and fight them off there." Smoke them out afterwards, with the putrid stench of the Rotberries.
Or, she just saturates that enclosed space with magic and freeze them all to death.
Gren looks at the group who was just about ready to leave. While Gren can't stop them, maybe he could convince them to hold their horses for just a bit. Putting some tazelwurm meat over the fire to cook, Gren speaks. "Well if y'all are going in, I ain't gunna stop ya. But you lot still dressed in yet baby clothes with sticks and stones. Oh I'm sure you all a capable sort, but if what I hear about them caves to the north is true, runts like us ain't even suppose to be near there. It's rough enough for proper hunters, let alone is squirts who don't even got a knife ta share between em."
Taking out the tazelwurm claws, Gren uses his sharp rock to carve a groove in his stick, one big enough to fit the claws into. He would do this for each claw and tooth until he had a sort of spiked club. More importantly, he would have something that could likely cut and skin better than a rock, and a back up weapon to his hatchet. "What I'm saying is that you all could use some kit. Lemme tag along with ya and I can help ya not just inna fight, but also getting some gear together for ya. Bits of armor so you don't get hurt when the monster goes clawing your arms, or a proper axe or spear so you ain't throttling beasties to death. Of course this stuff takes time, but better too careful than unprepared."
Taking any cooked tazelwurm off the fire, Gren helps himself to any cooked meaty bits, still talking whilst his mouth is full. "Even something as simple as a torch can help ya. A light inna darkness, a flaming club if need be. I can make stuff like that fer ya, if ya just give me a moment to get that sorta thing together." The last thing he would do is take that coil bone, the weird fatty rope spine, and fashion it into a sling. He tied the center into a sort of basket and used the tungem leaves to fill the gaps, then demonstrates the weapons pote tial use by slinging a piece of rock or wood at a tree. Certainly more dangerous than just chucking things by hand. He finishes off whatever tazelwurm he has cooking before looking at the crew.
"What say ya then? Just let me know what you be wanting, and I'll work me magic putting it together for ya. All I ask in return is that ya take me with ya and help with me hunt too."
Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
Wooden Stick - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A wooden stick. From a tree. That's...that's all there is to it. Can be thrown.
Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.
Stone Hatchet - Equip, Weapon/Tool - An axe with a blade made of stone.
Tungem Branch x4 - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - Branches from a Tungem tree.
You've Attempted to Craft! Tools Used: Stone Hatchet Process: Woodwork, Fire-Hardening Material: Tungem Branch x4
...
...Result: You've crafted: Fire Hardened Short Spear! (x3) You've crafted: Spear Thrower! The quality of your items is undetermined.
Short Spear - Equip, Weapon [Fire Hardened, Tungem Wood] - A haft roughly three to four feet long topped by a sharp point. Though lacking the range advantage inherent to most spears, it's easier to use in one hand and light enough to throw.
Spear Thrower - Equip, Weapon [Tungem Wood] - A stick with a carved notch and handle. By placing a spear in the notch, it can be used as a lever to multiply the power of a throw. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, it may be as much as three times the force.
You've Attempted to Craft! Tools Used: Sharp Rock Process: Woodwork Materials: Wooden Stick, Tatzelwurm Claws x2, Tatzelwurm Fangs x2
...
...Result: You've crafted: Bone Spiked Club! The quality of your item is undetermined.
Spiked Club - Equip, Weapon [Horn/Bone, Wood] - A club that's had spikes of some kind embedded into it. Basic, but gets the job done.
Grunthor and Gren experimented with the materials they'd found while the others mostly discussed the creature they were going after next and how to bring it down. While putting together a few weapons either to share or solely for himself, Gren also helped himself to the fire as Esfir had "graciously" allowed. Lola, for her part, seemed content to observe for now. The female runt had been content to let Gren take the lead before, so maybe she was just the agreeable type. Although whether she'd risk traveling so much further from camp, and taking on a beast the Head Warrior had apparently given some cryptic warning about, was yet to be seen.
Grunthor found he couldn't bend the scales, but perhaps it was less their toughness or resistance and more the fact that, being as small as they were, it was hard to get enough leverage with just his fingers. Like when a piece of paper has been folded too small to fold anymore. And these metallic bits of scale from a chicken sized creature were both harder and smaller than a folded square of paper.
Esfir seemed in a hurry to get a move on, so regardless of how long Gren took to do his crafting and eating, or whether or not Lola spoke up, it seemed like the original four Runts would soon be on their way. The others had all pretty much passively accepted that they were following the "oldest" of the reincarnates, so when she struck out, they would too.
While traveling towards the North Cave, they would come across yet another Runt traveling in the opposite direction, keeping the camp to one side and the forest to the other. He was carrying what looked like...a deflated blue dodgeball?
But of course, whether they ended up negotiating with this Runt too likely wouldn't change their end-point destination, even if he ended up coming with them as well...So they would eventually arrive at the North Caves... [AREA CHANGE]
Cutting the Slime open and feasting on the jelly within was a fairly intuitive process---they seemed like incredibly simple creatures, and perhaps that was appropriate for something so similar to an amoeba. Once he'd taken the edge off his hunger (truth be told, there wasn't actually all that much to the slime to eat, for while it was filled with gel, its body was also inflated by air, which was, of course, inedible) Agar continued his journey along the treeline. He carefully kept the camp in sight, a sound strategy for a new environment where he hadn't yet learned his way.
But as he continued on, he would soon see another group coming from the opposite direction. And they were headed on a path that seemed it would take them into the mountains. There were at least four of these other Runts, and they had the remnants of vaguely recognizable odors around them: Smoke and ash, blood, and...was that...barbecue?
If he wanted to speak to them, or maybe even join them, it looked like he might have to do it quick---they were all following a female who seemed very focused on getting to wherever this group had decided they were going. Were they all still on the hunt as well?
North Caves
Roughly an hour’s walk from the camp, in a northerly direction along the scrubby, gravel-covered slopes between the trees and the mountainside proper, a valley opened up where a fast-moving stream came down a long slope and meandered off into the woods. Within this valley, there were several cracks and clefts in the rock walls to either side, and one of these was larger and darker than the others. It looked to be a talus cave of some sort, where the collapse of rocks who knew how many eons ago created a roof that was piled high with detritus and topsoil over the years. A short climb would allow one to see over the lip of the ground and down into a slanted, slippery passage...but this open chamber of the cave was still somewhat cramped, and a much narrower passageway further into the depths sat at its back, where the shadows hid what else might lie down that path. Yet, one could feel a cool draft coming out of the rock, which meant there had to be more to this cave than met the eyes...
The climb here had been mostly uneventful, as the proximity of the Orc Camp had probably kept most of the more dangerous critters up on the mountain paths more subdued. Dire Rats could occasionally be seen darting here and there among the rocks, in a manner similar to squirrels in one's backyard, but without a concentrated effort these little critters would be quite difficult to catch. They could fit into such small spaces, and move so quickly, that if they wanted to hide---which they did, as even if they were predatory, Orc Runts as a rule were at least twice their size---they could do so before one could simply jump and grab them.
However, up in the vast blue skies, every so often the shadows of birds could be seen. They didn't circle like vultures, but rather simply passed over from time to time, so it was hard to tell if it was the same creature each time, or different ones. It was also hard to tell how big they were, or whether they might be observing, tracking, or simply ignoring the Runts. Nonetheless, they were an indicative sign of life from the environment. Once, one of these flying shadows did let out a very hawk-like screech, and sped up as it arced over the valley's roof, disappearing in an instant beyond the edges of the rocky peaks above.
Thus, did the questing Runts come to the next leg of their hunt...
Ushnekh nearly froze as the other Runt hinted that they may have caught on to the fact he could use Magic-- but kept his head down with a firm nod as his prize was tossed back into his arms. Even as panicked thoughts of what may await the runt should his abilities be figured out by some of the more ambitious older Orcs before he had the power to defend himself flitted through his mind, he clamped down on those feelings as fast as they rose; promising himself to suppress his paranoia long enough to redeem his quest with the head warrior.
Though he did his best to keep his nerves properly steeled-- Ushnekh was hardly ready for the raucous fanfare that followed the submission of his kill. As pale as he went when Auguz drew the attention of the entire tribe onto him; the Head Warrior seemed to care little about the Runt's nerves, so long as he could nod along and answer his name when asked. By the time Auguz was finished showing him off; Ushnekh's orange-gold eyes were scanning the surrounding crowd, cataloging the various reactions.
Taking note of any Orcs that had less than savory glints in their eyes as they had taken him in-- he hustled off, not bothering to meet the less-than-pleased gaze of his fellow Runt as he passed by.
Whatever the other Runt knew, they clearly weren't pleased with the fact that he'd stolen the glory of being first to return with prize in hand... Even if he hadn't wanted the pomp and circumstance that he'd ended up recieving; he'd gotten it anyway, along with the attention of a fellow Runt that clearly seemed to carry a share more cunning than most of the other Runts.
A potential enemy to watch out for... And one he'd likely have to kill at some point.
QUEST COMPLETED! Quest: Find Something to Eat and Bring it Back Whole
Kill a Creature
Keep the Target in High Quality Condition
Return to Camp Uninjured
LEVEL UP! Choose ONE:
Increase HP (Health)
Increase MP (Magic)
Increase SP (Stamina)
Gain 1 Skill Rank Point
A New Quest is Available:
Quest Giver: Head Warrior Auguz Quest Details: Fulfill Duties within the Tribe (0/2 Minimum)
Be at the Training Circle before sunrise tomorrow morning
Find your own food (1/3 meals provided for)
Find your own shelter
Accept an optional Quest from another Tribe Member
Taking care to disappear into the camp well before the other Runt could get any ideas about following him to steal his spoils; Ushnekh made his way to one of the communal fires near the outer walls of the camp, patiently moving as he did his best to ensure that none of the other Orcs got any ideas of 'Crushing' the first Runt to return from his hunt. Carefully settling himself down near the fire with his back to the wooden wall, and digging around for a nearby sharpened stone as he slowly took to skinning his kill as he perused the upgrades offered by his level.
Carefully slicing away meat and fat from what remained of the Tatzelwurm's pelt, Ushnekh considered his options; while HP would make him harder to kill, equipment could cover for lack of raw HP. While SP would make him slower to tire and increase his endurance, he could just as easily train his stamina to acquire similar gain, and likely the same for his MP.
The skill level however, was a different story. While Ushnekh was certain he could train up the skill just the same-- it was uncertain how long getting an equivalent skill gain would take... Not to mention the fact that upgrading the skill could open up new possibilities for growth. Sharpening a nearby half-burnt stick into a skewer, the Runt proceeded to place whatever meat wasn't shredded to near uselessness on his improvised cooking implement before setting it to roast and making his selection.
That done, the Runt carefully dug out some of the cooler coals from the fire to cure the inside of the pelt with, carefully massaging them into the skin as he waited for his meal to finish cooking. Once the meat was properly roasted, Ushnekh greedily partook of his meal as he wrapped the pelt over his right shoulder and above his left hip like a sash, tying the mangled strands together and securing them with the Tatzelwurm's fangs to act as a fastener before shifting the his newest wardrobe item so that the fasteners and knots would be just behind his left hip; where it would hopefully be less likely to take a hit.
Gripping his trusty staff, and tucking a few of the leftover Tatzelwurm bones into the waist of his Loincloth, Ushnekh plotted his next course of action. While building his own shelter certainly had its merit as an idea-- getting into the good graces of the Camp's higher-ups was most likely the best course of action to ensure some measure of protection against the more opportunistic of the lower ranking Grunts and scheming Runts.
Which begged the question-- who he would subordinate himself to?
After some deliberation, Ushnekh decided that his best choices lay with either the Head Scout, or the Shaman. One would give him a greater amount of field work and likely drawing less attention, whereas the Shaman could supply greater insight into the workings of Magic at the expense of likely drawing far more attention.
Gritting his teeth and setting his jaw, the Runt slipped his way through camp; doing his best to remain unnoticed as he made his way to the cluttered lean-to of the Shaman first, carefully scanning his surroundings; aiming to get an idea of how many subordinates or apprentices the Elder Orc kept under her wing-- and if he could sneak glimpses of whatever lessons she offered both knowingly and not...
Current Location: Forests Current Activity: Helping Gren @Lucius Cypher cook and craft, interacting with Akeno @King Cosmos, Grunthor @Kazemitsu, Esfir @ERode and Lazash @Crusader Lord. As they entered the clearing Vola made sure to stick somewhat close to Gren’s side, especially at the sight of four other runts gathered there. Are they friend or foe? Would they attack to try to get more meat? Would she and Gren be able to outrun them if they did? Gah! Why is this so nerve-wrecking? It was simpler with Gren, for one, it was just one other person to interact with and he seemed genuinely nice as well, but these four are total unknowns and before she could think twice about it, Vola slipped into her old behaviour of staying quiet and trying to appear insignificant. You can get a lot of information about others by staying still until they forget that you’re there and in this case, it could lead to them underestimating her which might be useful if a fight breaks out.
Thankfully, peace seemed to reign for now, and Vola gave them a small smile and a nod in thanks for the permission to use their leftover fire and nodded along in agreement when Gren suggested a team-up while she carried the supplies over to the fire. There is strength in numbers after all, and strength is something that they will sorely need in this world with all of its dangers, so she wont object as long as they are amenable. Which… they sorta seemed to be? Some of them seemed to consider it and the one that Vola assumes to be the leader didn’t outright warn them off, though it was clear that she wasn’t willing to wait for them, which Vola can understand. This group already had a working dynamic, who knows what effect two outsiders will have?
Gren was quite eloquent as he made his case though, much more so than Vola would have been. She might have been good in front of a classroom before her death, but there is a large difference between teaching kids and a negotiation with other orcs. And yes, technically she and all the other runts around here are children, but they don’t feel like children. Vola isn’t sure whether it’s just an orc thing, or if there might be some other reason, but that’s not the priority right now. Not willing to let Gren do all the work, Vola spoke up for the first time, while helping Gren to position the meat over the fire to cook properly. ”I can also help a little if anyone gets hurt. Tungem leaves can make an okay bandage in a pinch. She gave a quick glance to one runt in particular as she said that having noticed some of the dried blood on his head, though she quickly looked away, making sure to keep her eyes high. Is walking around in the buff normal for orcs? Her Vola memories doesn’t give her a lot of insight into this matter…well…probably best to try not to dwell on it.
Instead she proceeded to help Gren with his crafting, while keeping an eye on the meat so that it wouldn’t burn. As it finished cooking she took the portions of the flames, handing them to Gren. It didn’t really feel right for her to take away from his share when she wasn’t all that helpful in the fight itself, besides, she wasn’t sure exactly how much needed to be consumed for Ingestion to be completely effective. She’d rather Gren take a bigger share and be able to gain a skill, than both of them being stuck at 50% or something and not being able to get another skill until they get their hands on a second Tatzelwurm. If there’s any leftovers once Gren has his skill, Vola will eat some of them. In the meantime, she’ll take a look around the clearing for anything that might be useful. Like small, throwable rocks, long grasses, vines, ect.
If there isn’t anything though, she’ll turn her attention to the bones that was lumped together with the meat. she brought along with the meat closely inspecting them and slightly testing their sturdiness – carefully though, she doesn’t want to break them. If they seem sturdy enough and are solid, she’ll use her sharp stone to try and sharpen their tips to make something along the line of bone daggers. However if the bones are hollow, like the cats back in her first world, she’ll choose one of the biggest ones and cut off each end so that it would resemble a larger-scale pea-shooter like the ones kids use in school only, she's planning on using it to shoot darts instead of peas and spitballs...
Current Skills:
Ingestion - After consuming a required amount of biomass from a particular Creature, 1 of that Creature's Skills can be copied at its lowest Rank.
Rune Scribe - Rank I - Isekai Skill. Normally, this Skill requires the User to be capable of at least one other Magic Skill. Use a personal writing system to imbue magical effects. At Rank I, the scribed Rune has only half the effectiveness of the original Spell and fades after 1 day. (For example, one could use this with a piece of parchment to produce a consumable Scroll of Fire Bolt--or place the Rune somewhere in the environment with certain spells to create a sort of booby-trap.)
Empty Skill Slot
Empty Skill Slot
Equipment and Inventory:
Swaddling Pelts - Equip, Clothes - Old animal skins used to keep an Orc baby warm as they sleep. Once the Runt is old enough to start hunting, these are usually just enough to cover the parts that need the most covering.
Wooden Stick - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A wooden stick. From a tree. That's...that's all there is to it. Can be thrown.
Sharp Rock - Equip, Weapon/Tool, Material Component - A rock with a slightly sharp edge. Useful as a primitive knife or chisel. Can be thrown.
Stone Hatchet - Equip, Weapon/Tool - Gren has it.
Tungem Leaf x4 – Material – Can be used to make a Leaf Compress
