[h2]North Caves[/h2] [hr][@ERode][hr] As Esfir left the cave, she would find that the other Runts had either retreated, or simply split apart from the group. She was now, it seemed, alone in the valley. To the west, she could see the slopes still rising up to the waterfall where the paths grew rockier and more winding. Back east, and then down the southern edge of the mountain range, would be back the way she and the others had come. Straight ahead and across the narrow, shallow stream--which would be north--the other side of this ancient watershed pathway ended in a straight rock wall, which rose for many feet before the first cracked ledges appeared. If she dared, she might climb further up and see if the area around the waterfall's pool bore any new discoveries. Climbing the smoother, more sheer northern wall would probably require tools she didn't have at the moment, like a pickaxe or rope, but if she went east back to the treeline and then continued north there might be another path up into the mountains proper. Or, she could return to the forest for another, likely easier hunt. No matter what way she went, she still needed to find intact prey to bring back to the camp... "Ooooi!" A deep, gravelly voice suddenly rang out from further up the slope. Following the line of the waterfall upward, and then to one side, a large shape appeared to lean over one of the stony shelves. "You, Runt! Stay right there!" An axe, not made of stone but metal, was wedged in between two rocks before its handler began to descend the cliffside. A second tool was used the same way, before his big green foot found a proper place to stand so he could wrench the first axe out and repeat the process. Soon there was a heavy thump, and with much longer strides than her own the heavy figure came jogging down towards Esfir. [hider=KOUGHAT THE BRUTE][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1094242197211185182/1166365291689807874/x-bowen-orc01.png?ex=654a3953&is=6537c453&hm=0a648f8fa4bd0cb6b7b6e135886a79ee07b8e588010ea6f3d36e15cf0f1251b3&[/img][/hider] This was an Adult Orc that Esfir didn't know personally, but from his size alone she'd be able to deduce he was one of the "variant" types of the species scattered in smaller numbers throughout the camp's population. Known as "Brutes," these Orcs had either been genetically gifted with great size or had somehow managed to acquire such mass through copious amounts of food, body-enhancing Skills, and other methods. They were among the most respected of the tribe's warriors, and the first pick for any raiding party. As he approached Esfir, hooking his axes through a broad strap of leather around his gut, he towered over the Runt at six feet and a handful of inches in height and what had to be over three hundred pounds. He looked down at the runt with one thin brow raised and a half-scowl on his cracked lips. "Wot's a liddl'un loik you doin' all dis way out?" He glanced back at the cave, and seemed to take note of the scorch marks and scattered rubble left in the wake of the explosion the others caused. "...Is you wot's made dat camazot scream, a minnit back? If'n yo're on da hunt, ya've dun scared away anyting ya coulda caught!" He turned his gaze skyward for a moment, looking at a particular spot further up the mountain. If Esfir squinted, she might be able to make out some dark areas that looked small and vague in the distance. Was it just the shadow of the rocks? Or were there more caves, further up? In any case, the Brute sniffed the air, then grunted something under his breath before returning his attention to Esfir. "M'name's Koughat. Who're you?" [hr] [center][h2]The Forest[/h2][/center] [hr][@Rune_Alchemist][@Timemaster][hr] [quote=SYSTEM:Svarok]Obtained Items: Coarse Hard Stone x1 Hard Stone x1 Fine Grained Sharp Stone x1 Blue Argep Berries x6 Green Argep Berries x3[/quote] [quote=SYSTEM:Carmina]Obtained Items: Fresh Stonewood Twig x4 Fresh Stonewood Branch x3 Consumed: Fresh Stonewood Twig Consumed: Fresh Stonewood Sap Activate [Ingestion: Stonewood] (Y/N)? Approximate Ingestion: 0 > 2%. Current Ingestion: N/A Ingestible Skills [Stonewood] - Further Progress Required! [b]Warning! Harmful Ingestion detected![/b] [/quote] While Svarok gathered some of the more [b]useful looking stones[/b] and a [b]handful of the berries[/b], Carmina experimented with the strange tree she'd found, hacking into a few of the lower branches. Her Sharp Stone was suitable for cutting off [b]smaller sticks[/b], which hadn't even blossomed any foliage yet, while the Stone Hatchet she'd just acquired from the Goblin allowed her to get a few decently sized [b]branches[/b] off the trunk. [b]And as soon as she'd wrenched the fresh wood away from its parent tree, she could see the oozing stumps start to change in color.[/b] As she popped one of the fresh twigs into her mouth and chewed--crunching through the wood and fibrous insides with great difficulty--she saw the tree's off-white inner wood darken to gray. As she finally managed to pulp the wood between her teeth, the chopped ends of her harvested branches did the same, and the wounds in the original trunk oozed a [b]dark-colored, oily sap[/b]. And once she'd swallowed the pulpy mouthful, there was a low, ever so slight crackling noise as the sap on the Stonewood tree hardened like a scab. [b]It too, began to rapidly turn gray and dry until it matched the petrified growths she had seen on the other tree.[/b] Carmina started to cough as something stuck to the inside of her throat. It didn't clear, and her ribcage instinctively heaved as the coughing intensified. She couldn't swallow. Her throat felt painfully dry. She couldn't get air into her windpipe either. There was something scratchy stuck at the back of her tongue-- She finally hacked out a small, crusty, gristle-hard gray lump. As if she'd swallowed a pebble. The branches she had chopped off were still somewhat flexible, woody, and had a wet heaviness to them like fresh wood tended to. Only the ends where she'd cut them from the tree had the hardened sap scabs--although, in the case of the smaller twigs, they were [b]starting to feel a little less springy by the second.[/b] The two Runts headed back to the place Carmina indicated, where unbeknownst to them four others of their kind had shared the spoils of their first hunt in much the same way Svarok and Carmina planned. Within a few moments, red-hot coals at the very bottom of the charcoal pile were discovered, and from these and a few handfuls of grass, leaves, and dead wood that could easily be harvested around the area the orclings soon had a [b]fire[/b] of their own started. The smoky spiral soon rose into the sky above them--and it carried a slight hint of barbeque? Maybe it was left over from whoever had cooked something here before. [hider=ASSUMING THEY CARVE GOBLINS] Lightly Tainted Goblin has been disassembled! Lightly Tainted Goblin has been disassembled! Some items have been damaged or are unusable. Useful Items Obtained: Goblin Ear x4 Goblin Fang x3 Cracked Goblin Fang x3 Goblin Tibia x4 Goblin Femur x2 Cracked Goblin Femur x2 Goblin Humerus x3 Broken Goblin Humerus > Bone Shards x5 Goblin Rib x8 Cracked Goblin Rib x1 Goblin Head x2 Small Bones x3 Goblin Liver x1 Tainted Goblin Liver x1 Goblin Heart x2 Lightly Tainted Goblin Meat x53lbs (Goblin A: 61 lbs pre-disassembly; Goblin B: 59 lbs pre-disassembly) [/hider] [hr][@Kazemitsu][hr] [hider=GRUNTHOR SYSTEM][quote=SYSTEM:Grunthor] Consumed: Stone Slime Gel Consumed: Cracked Stone Slime Flakes Current Ingestion: Stone Slime - 50% > 85% Ingestible Skills [Geo Slime]:[list][*][Blunt Damage Resistance] [*][Danger Scan] [*][Stone Shot] [*][Tough] [*][Camoflauge: Rock][/list] Skill Gained: Tough - Rank 1 - Increase defenses for a short time by tightening the body, and resist flinching or being knocked back by strong impacts. Movement is slightly slowed while this Skill is active. Consumes Stamina. You have filled all Skill Slots! ... Victory! Loot Obtained: Punctured Slime x1 Consumed: Slime Membrane Consumed: Slime Gel Activate [Ingestion: Slime] ([b]>Y[/b]/N)? Approximate Ingestion: 0 > 100%. This will ERASE previous Ingestion Progress [Stone Slime]. Current Ingestion: Stone Slime - 85% No Ingestible Skills remaining [Stone Slime]. Ingestible Skills [Slime]:[list] [*][Blunt Damage Resistance] [*][Danger Scan] [*][Scavenge][/list] [b]You are [u]Bloated[/u]. You cannot eat any more food until bloating has decreased. Rate of weight gain has increased. Stamina Consumption has temporarily increased.[/b] [b]You are [u]Tired[/u]; your stamina is low and your body needs rest. Stamina Recovery has temporarily decreased.[/b] [/quote][/hider] Given all of his activity and that he'd eaten three different monsters over the course of the day, [b]Grunthor would soon feel like a cartoon character being followed around by a tuba player. A long sit down, maybe even a nap, would be warranted as well.[/b] Nonetheless the Runt pushed onward after defeating the slime he'd stumbled upon while making his way back from the Northern Caves. He re-entered the forest, perhaps taking note of Akeno using her magic on new prey of her own, or maybe noticing a thin curl of smoke coming from the place where he and the others had feasted on their spicy chickens. It didn't take long to find a few tracks and a tuft of fur caught on a briar patch. [b]But, when he found yet another prey, it seemed something else had beaten him to it.[/b] [hider=WOMPUS CAT] [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1094242197211185182/1094282981356617798/7769d657180ccf4bb596454d992a3351.png?ex=65466371&is=6533ee71&hm=7beb8713898943b4087645b45c38218d94511a534d7146b85ed76d3598f0ff5e&[/img][/hider] The beast stood as tall or taller than an Orc Runt at its shoulder, and was easily three times heavier. A broad chest and powerful forelimbs rippled with muscle beneath not only thick fur, but hard, fleshy armor akin to that of an armadillo. Gripped in its fanged jaws, a Jackalope bled out the last of its life as bone and cartilage snapped and popped. Even an adult orc wouldn't dare to hunt one of these beasts alone; the foggy memories of pre-awakening in the Brood Pit brought flashbacks of hearing the horror stories, or hearing particularly adept hunters brag about a scar they'd gotten tangling with such a beast. Grunthor made the smart decision to get the hell out of dodge as quietly and quickly as possible... But the Wompus Cat watched him go with green eyes that glimmered in the shadows of the trees. It slowed its chewing for a moment...then went back to its meal with a low, undulating growl... Soon after, Grunthor returned to the camp but was roughly denied entry. However, in lieu of going back into the forest alone, it seemed an opportunity had arisen... "I have no way of killing that thing, nor if there were a dozen of us little Runts. But having a second set of eyes doesn't hurt since I need to get another kill, which if I get I will hunt something with you and you can claim the whole thing for yourself." Grunthor replied before holding his hand out for a shake. The darker Runt simply looked at his outstretched hand, then wagged one finger while smirking. "Ah, but I already [b]got my kill[/b] for the day! And I wouldn't exactly [i]need[/i] your help to hunt something just for the sake of a meal, like a Dire Rat or Slime, yeah? So, how's about this, my grumbly friend?" The greasy-haired Runt threw his arm around Grunthor's shoulder and turned him towards the south, before gesturing towards the distant rocky slopes. "[i]I[/i] happen to have heard, by exhausting the NPC dialogue around here," at this, he glanced side-eye at the guards, who were pointedly ignoring the two 'children', then continued, "that [b]three[/b] out of the hundred-something lumbering idiots in this tribe [b]recently went missing![/b] Supposedly, in a [b]cave[/b] one of them claimed he found down that-a-way!" Breaking away from Grunthor, he rubbed his hands together as those orange eyes glittered. "[b]So, if you come with me to the cave, we're sure to encounter something along the way[/b]--or hell, maybe inside! And, if we [b]find the three lost orcs[/b] dead, we can take their stuff and split it down the middle! Or, if we find them alive...maybe we [i]still[/i] take their stuff! You know how these games work, I'm sure! The Quest only says I gotta find out what happened to 'em! Doesn't say anything about them coming back!" [quote=SYSTEM:Grunthor] [b]An Optional Quest is now Available![/b] [b]Quest:[/b] Three Lost Orcs Supposedly, three Orcs went missing in a Cave to the South of the Camp. It's suspected they might already be dead. Find the Cave and Investigate, then Report Back to any VIP within the camp (Warchief, Head Warrior, Etc).[list][*]Discover the South Cave [*]Find the Three Orcs or any Remains [*]Investigate[/list] [b]Would you like to join [???]'s Party?[/b] [/quote] [hr][@King Cosmos][hr] As the fire bolt hurtled through the air, the Tatzelwurm's eyes fluttered open an instant before impact. Then its underbelly, as well as a few leaves and pieces of bark, caught alight with a [i]fwoosh[/i]! The creature screeched and dove off the branch, its hide still smoking as it hit the ground and rolled, scattering dirt this way and that with its claws and lashing tail! Though its body would soon be spared the searing heat, now it was on a level playing field with Akeno! She had a mere instant before the creature had its bearings back--could one of her weapons, or another fire bolt, end the conflict before it had a chance to fight her? [quote=SYSTEM:Akeno]Warning! Your MP is Low.[/quote] If she was going to use her spell again, she could feel in her gut she'd need to make it count...