Grunthor pushed through the cramping and liquid gurgles of his body. Yeah, he seriously had to shit, no he wasn't going to be able to hold it long. But long enough for him to eat a portion of the slime which had strange but unsurprising flavors. Well, the outside was unsurprising, the innards were doing something for his gut. As he ate the prompt for Ingestion popped up. A quick scan, two skills unrevealed with what he has eaten already.

So he kept eating after confirming Ingestion of the new target, slurping up the jelly innards and even crushing the stone flakes between his molars. Everything but the Membrane was devoured, revealing the last two skills to him. Tough, and Camouflage: Rock. So three out of five skills were useful to him. Blunt Damage Resistance, despite it's limitations, Danger Scan, and Tough. While he thought about what skills he wanted he stuffed whatever spoils he had into the membrane to use as a sack.

A glorp of his gut had him dive into a bush and a cacophony of liquid sounds and grunts shook the poor vegetation until a low krakoom made the leaves jump up before drooping slightly wilted. Staggering out of the bush Grunthor wiped his brow, flicking the sweat off to the side. "Fuck....I hate swamp ass... He ground out before putting his loincloth back on, grabbing his jelly sack oh stuff, and leaving the cave behind. As he moved he finally picked Tough, it sounded like a more defensive ability.

Retracing his steps back towards camp he came to a point and broke off to cover new ground. It didn't take long to stumble across a wobbling blue being. Clearly a slime, but not a Stone Slime since its surface was smooth. Like before there was no hesitation for him, he lunged forward with his Sharp Stone and brought it down on the slime point first. Why did he use the Sharp Stone? He now knew they were resistant to blunt attacks...like a club. Activating Rapid Strikes I another two blows followed, pulverizing the poor dumb creature into its afterlife.

Stashing the Stone in his membrane bag he went and just started to eat the Slime despite not being hungry. Would its flavor be different? What skills did it hold? Since it had no bits beyond jelly and membrane he simply ate the whole thing. Unfortunately he could only hold four Skills and he was topped up on them. But...he could hold onto it so long as he didn't Ingest anything else.

[Blunt Damage Resistance]
[Danger Scan]
[Scavenge]

So one different from the Stone Slime, huh? And two less! Made sense since it was a lesser form. As he thought a juicy crunch and screech caught his attention. Up in the tree nearby, meaning about fifty feet away for him, was a feline creature. A Wompus Cat if he remembered the description right, and it was fairly large. The stories he recalled from the Pit said it could knock over trees and could maul the adults. Meaning he was but a chicken nugget, fast food....and not nearly as fast as what it was chowing down on.

Backing away slowly he tried to keep his movements calm until he could get out of its sight. He had no delusions, he could not kill that thing unless he got insanely lucky. Luck was not his to have. After losing sight line he booked it back to camp with his membrane bag of goodies. Leaning back he caught his breath from that frenzied sprint.

"What doin back, Runt? No kill, no entry!" One of the guards growled out, barring the way in.

"Wompus Cat in the area....came back for a minute. Hopin it'll think twice if it followed. Grunthor replied. He was not above using the adults to save his ass from a creature that could track him.

His words got a scowl from the guards. "Get lost, scared little shit! Go get prey!" The other exclaimed.

As Grunthor huffed and scowled at the guards after the guard's rough dismissal, he would see another Runt heading towards the gate--but this one came from inside the camp. The guards allowed him to pass with barely a snort of acknowledgement, so he must have already delivered his kill. Or could there be some other reason for the difference in treatment? His skin was a darker, duller shade of green with what seemed like a mottled pattern to it, and his eyes were a fiery, ember orange. Black, almost blue hair with a greased sheen fell around his unusually mature face. As he looked Grunthor over, he grinned and held out one hand.

"Did I hear something about a Wompus Cat?" said the newcomer--with none of the usual accented or slurred speech of the other Orcs. "So, are you trying to take it down? Or just need somebody to watch your back? I might be willing to help either way...but what's your offer, huh?" He winked at Grunthor and cackled. "Can't do a Quest without a Reward, right?"

"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. Even primitives should understand a handshake, or the forearm grasp of ages past in his old world.

Carmina pulled the goblin to the clearing they were in, before remembering about the campfire she saw before and noticing all the interesting stuff she missed before.

Turning to Svarok, she looked at her inquisitively regarding her question. "God? Any God? I don't know. It's something I never thought about. But now that you mention it...I'm assuming there are many gods. Some that are goblins, some that aren't. Everything must be created by something or someone. So, I've got no clue. I prefer to deal with the now more than the after. It kept me alive so far. Now, I can see some stuff we can gather and I've passed by a campfire when I was coming over. Might still be hot enough to cook these gobs. Get the bushes, I'll go to those growths, I'm curious. " said Carmina as she dropped the goblin and went over to the petrified growths.

Taking out her knife, she carefully used it to cut and put them in her bag. Before her self preservation could tell her to forget it, she pulled just a bit out of the bag and shoved it into her mouth, eating it.

Afterwards when Svarok was done with her job, they went over to the campfire, dead goblin in tow and started to inspect the charcoal.

@Rune_Alchemist@Zeroth

---

@ERode

---

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.



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?"

---

---

@Rune_Alchemist@Timemaster

---

Obtained Items:
Coarse Hard Stone x1
Hard Stone x1
Fine Grained Sharp Stone x1
Blue Argep Berries x6
Green Argep Berries x3

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!
Warning! Harmful Ingestion detected!

While Svarok gathered some of the more useful looking stones and a handful of the berries, 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 smaller sticks, 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 branches off the trunk.

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. 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 dark-colored, oily sap. 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. It too, began to rapidly turn gray and dry until it matched the petrified growths she had seen on the other tree.

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 starting to feel a little less springy by the second.

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 fire 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.

---

@Kazemitsu

---

Given all of his activity and that he'd eaten three different monsters over the course of the day, 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. 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. But, when he found yet another prey, it seemed something else had beaten him to it.



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 got my kill for the day! And I wouldn't exactly need 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 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 three out of the hundred-something lumbering idiots in this tribe recently went missing! Supposedly, in a cave one of them claimed he found down that-a-way!" Breaking away from Grunthor, he rubbed his hands together as those orange eyes glittered.

"So, if you come with me to the cave, we're sure to encounter something along the way--or hell, maybe inside! And, if we find the three lost orcs dead, we can take their stuff and split it down the middle! Or, if we find them alive...maybe we still 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!"

An Optional Quest is now Available!
Quest: 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).

• Discover the South Cave
• Find the Three Orcs or any Remains
• Investigate

Would you like to join [???]'s Party?

---

@King Cosmos

---

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 fwoosh! 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?

Warning! Your MP is Low.

If she was going to use her spell again, she could feel in her gut she'd need to make it count...

Akeno

As the cat-snake dove from the tree towards the ground, Akeno raised her arms and settled into a loose fighting stance. The thing had been quick to react to the fire, escaping from the tree almost as soon as her spell had made contact with it; she’d kind of been hoping that it would panic a bit more and cause itself more damage before coming to its senses. Luckily, it wasn’t quite as quick to get its bearings once it was on the ground and rather than lunge straight for her as she had expected it instead began to roll on the ground to try and put out the flames.

Given that it likely wouldn’t stay distracted for long, Akeno decided to strike while the fire was still hot; both literally and metaphorically. Shifting her weight forward, she charged towards the cat-like creature, noting and then ignoring the message about her low MP as she gathered another fire bolt in her right hand and pulled it back for another attack.

She wanted to take no chances with this one, sure that it was going to be her last for a while, and waited until she was almost on top of her prey before flinging the fire bolt down on top of its upper body from as close as she dared get without getting caught in it herself. Then, continuing her forward momentum, she would follow up on the spell with a soccer kick aimed at the underside of the things chin.

@Zeroth

The forest was appealing, in the absence of any others. It was to be expected, after all. The runts had come together under the presumption that their numbers would make them more effective, but the success that they found with the Elwets wasn't mirrored during their escapades up the mountain. Impatience brewed soon after, thoughts bubbling up to the surface with regards to the efficacy of simply doing things alone, and then, just like that? A collective of six turned into just six individuals, each with their own thoughts and their own hunts.

It was good to know though. Possessing the memories of being a human didn't necessarily make one a better comrade. Possessing special abilities given to them by a deity didn't necessarily make one's life easier.

And then there was the current situation, with one of the largest of the orcs looming before her now, his countenance undeniably bear-like. The mass of a day labourer, this one had. If they were human, she'd have expected liver spots too, a nose twisted by a break that was never set. "It's Esfir," she responded, gaze settling upon the giant's neck. "Another one of the runts made a bug explode and that caused the...camazot to screech out too."

She scratched her chin.

"But what are they? Never heard anything like it."
@Zeroth

Grunthor raised an eyebrow slowly upward. "I never said something as basic as a Dire Rat or Slime. There are more powerful creatures out there and I've already killed one." He semi-explained. He didn't kill the Stone Slime by himself but the Runt didn't need to know that. But the Runt had other plans and got touchy, like a jock from those old styled movies trying to guide a nerd to do what he wanted. A sort of physical threat without threatening.

He was directed south, well at least it wasn't the cave he had come from which was more northern. Were Camazot's only found to the north? "I'll need info then. What's an npc, what might be living in the cave. I'm not stupid, I won't be your bait if shit goes south." He growled. He had never played a video game so he didn't know what an npc was. The Runt went further to explain more details of the job, Quest.

As said they only had to find them, living or dead, nothing about escorting back to camp. He had gathered right from the start that the orcs were like Earth's Spartans. Work to live even from childhood and each youngster needs to learn how to survive. Assuming the other Runt elaborated further the former boxer nodded. "Fine I'll come. But if you see a wompus cat, run. It's big, white with black stripes, and stupidly strong. He stated before gesturing for the other Runt to lead the way. He'd walk, get the previous monsters working through his system to be less lethargic and slow.

"I'll also warn you, I'm low on Stamina and apparently Bloated. So slower Stamina regen, slower speed." Grunthor said while walking with a relaxed pace.

Svarok frowned.

Hm.

Not quite the answer she was hoping for, but the words rang true enough. How many so called gods were there? How many could be classified as THE actual almighty? Which were false idols? As soon as she was strong enough, as soon as she was able, she was going to find an answer to that question.

"Indeed, lets."

Taking the spoils and various items recently now acquired, Svarok would head back to the campsite, placing the goblins next to the fire to be disassembled, quickly starting to help the others dismantle the goblins.

As she did so, a thought occurred. Surely this could be made just slightly more appetizing? First, Svarok would take one of the goblins femurs, withering the edges down to a sharp point. Next she'd grab one of the goblin hearts and some chunks of its meat and impale them on the sharpened bone, proceeding to start roasting them lightly over the fire.

After a few seconds, she'd crush two of the blue agrep berries and one of the green agrep berries, letting the juices soak both into the heart and the meat before returning it to the fire. Primitive, but it wasn't like she had many cooking options unless they wanted to setup a primitive stove or oven, and she didn't particularly think or feel like the others would appreciate trying to make something more appetizing.

She then turned to Carmina.

"What of a name 'Rogyam?'" A small frown as she'd wait for the heart and meat to roast. "I recall it somewhat being shouted repeatedly by some old orc."

---

@ERode

---

"Hah! Poked a Flak Beetle too 'ard, didn't ya!?" Koughat slapped his chest and guffawed. When Esfir asked what a camazot was, he shook his head and glanced again at the upper mountains.

"Imagine da biggest wolf ya ever seen, and da biggest bat." He snorted through his nose, then spat a thick wad of mucus into the bushes. "Then imagine they went an' fugged. And da baby grew up twoice as mean and twoice as ugly! Dat's a camazot." A shadow passed overhead, and the Brute put a hand to his axe...but it was only a hawk or falcon of some sort, flying low. He growled under his breath as he looked back at Esfir. "An' they live in big colonies. That one what roared earlier, dat was da lookout. Yo're lucky da bastards only hunt at night---unless sumfin' attacks da nest. But if they been woke up too early, den it's gonna be roight pissed."

The Brute started down the slope again, at a southern angle. He waved a farewell to Esfir over his shoulder.

"If'n yo're smart, ya hunt a rat or a slime for ya first go'roun'---maybe a fat elwet if ya can find one! Don't get yerself grukh'd, Runt!"

Well then. Though none of them had ever managed to encounter the target of this group-hunt, it sounded like that was definitely a good thing. Such a beast would require much more preparation and strength than the Runts currently had available to them, if even a Brute was wary about fighting the camazot.

The noon-day sun was moving on, and it had taken roughly an hour to get up here in the first place. The Head Warrior hadn't given them a time limit, but if Esfir wanted to press on into other locales it seemed wise to consider the amount of time it would take to return as well---because from the sound of it, the camazots would come out to play after dark.

She could go east back into the forest, west further up the streambed on the opposite of the Brute's path, or veer to either the north or south and continue along the mountains. The camp was back to the south.

---

---

@Kazemitsu

---

"What's an NPC--oh shit, are you not one of the special ones? Uh, if you don't know, don't worry about it!" said the strange Runt in words that spilled out faster towards the end. "Anyway! No, no baiting here, friend! See, that's the thing, we got no idea what's in the cave!" He flipped one hand through his dark hair and shrugged. "But given that they were full grown Orcs, my guess is something that plans for ambushes! And, because they were three full grown Orcs, if it ate them it's probably still full! So we just gotta keep our eyes peeled and not look appetizing--easy enough, right?"

In the end, Grunthor agreed, though possibly not because of anything the other Runt said. After barely missing being a meal himself, there was no question that traveling in numbers would be safer the further into the forest they went. When he explained his current Status Effects to the other Runt, the orange-eyed orcling chuckled.

"What'd you do, eat something bones and all? Or...wait, were you with that group this morning that hunted a whole Elwet flock? Ha! That's what being greedy gets you--I bet your Skill slots are already full, aren't they?"

As the two made their way south, the newcomer leading the way apparently based on instructions the other Orcs had given him, they didn't see any scurrying critters this close to the mountain's base. Despite telling Grunthor to keep his eyes peeled, the dark-colored brood-mate didn't seem too concerned about getting jumped on their way to the cave, and jovially talked to his new "party member."

"Yeah, I, uh, "hunted" an Elwet too! Ingested the [Skewer] Skill, since I already have another one for range. That's all I got for now--but I figure, it'll probably be easier to level up by doing Quests, and get more of the tribe to pay attention to me, you know? And once I have a little more independence, then I can worry about stocking skills!" He looked at Grunthor with a tilt of his head, but despite the jokester's grin those ember-like eyes of his seemed...calculating. "What about you? What's your Skill set looking like, huh Mr. Greedyguts?"

As they walked and talked, the treeline of the forest remained much the same but the mountains to the west became more detailed. The northern peaks had been much rockier and taller, their walls often sheer, but it seemed like the southern edge of the range started to fall in elevation instead. The ground was covered in gravel, save where a few scrubby bushes popped up here and there, and the rocky slopes were more shallow. They weren't exactly smooth, but didn't have the sharp edges and crags like the cliffsides in the northern valley near the other cave. A Runt could probably climb them by hand without slipping and falling off, since there were ridges flat enough to rest on. But, every so often, a cave or dip in the trails could be seen--no doubt there were still creatures lurking about up there.

Eventually a couple of scraggly trees and a patch of stubbly grass appeared in sight, and the dark Runt pointed.

"There, they told me to look between two trees! I bet that's it!"

They'd walked for at least an hour from the camp, so the noon-day sun had moved yet again. Night time was still far off, but if Grunthor planned to continue hunting even after this, he might want to take into account the travel time it would take to get back to safety.

The entrance of the cave here was much wider and taller than the one he'd seen up north, a washout or sinkhole that had filled with silt and stabilized over who knew how long. It went down into the earth like caves should, a distance that would be like taking two or three steps at once. Due to its breadth, however, the entrance let in lots of sunlight, so the two Runts could see what was probably a little over twenty feet into the tunnel.

There was no sign of a camp...but, something near the cave's entrance drew the greasy-haired Runt's attention. He walked over to what seemed like a normal pile of dirt, and poked it with his Wooden Stick. As he broke the surface, a day-or-two old smell assaulted Grunthor's nostrils.

"That, good sir, is what the Orcs call grukh. Meaning, one of 'em popped a squat out here--either while he was on watch, or just had to get up and go in the night." He pointed to where the pile lay, inside a shallow hole that looked to have been dug by hand rather than by an animal's claws. Then, with a grukh-eating grin, the Runt held his now befouled stick out as if expecting Grunthor to inspect it. "I think this is the one we're lookin' for, don't you?"

---

---

@King Cosmos

---

Akeno's down-spike Fireball followed by charged-front-kick combo was hit-confirmed by a flash of crackling magic and the Tatzelwurm's agonized hissing and yowling. It seemed to go into shock and convulse even before the Runt's foot lifted it, still-burning, from the ground and sent it rolling into the tree trunk. It slid down the wood as the magical flames seemed to fade of their own accord, rather than its drop-and-roll efforts, and Akeno was left staring at still, blackened prey wreathed in a fresh, smoky aroma.

Victory!
Loot:
Burned Tatzelwurm x1

Though some of the monster's hide was peeling off thanks to the burns, it was still bodily intact and Akeno was none the worse for wear. If she took this back to the camp, which wasn't much further to the south, then she would probably get enough credit to finish the Quest. It was past noon now, although they hadn't been given a time limit, so how many of the other Runts had already brought in their kills? Now that their little party had split up, she didn't have anyone to drag her down...or to watch her back.

Grunthor gave the Runt a dull look. "You do realize you're talking too well to be a normal Runt, just like me. He stated before scratching his own cheek. "I never got into some things others did, I was very sports oriented. I even got into professional boxing before I shit the bed. He continued. He hadn't been stupid in his past life, he could connect dots as basic as this.

The other Runt chuckled at his status plight and questions what he ate. "Yes, I ate the entire bird minus some small items. Then the majority of a Stone Slime, finally a normal slime. I have its Skills...saved for lack of a better word. As long as I don't Ingest anything else you can 'keep' the previous set if it's something you want." Grunthor explained as they began moving South. He let the other lead the way since obviously Grunthor had no information except it was South.

The Runt asked what his skillset was looking like. "Making my opponents uneasy while I hit them fast with some toughness currently. If I can build myself up like before...well I'd probably be able to completely dominate anything my size or smaller when I'm a full sized adult. He stated while tromping along and keeping his eyes and ears wide open. Not that he'd probably hear the wompfruit cat.

Eventually they arrived in the rough area given that the landmark were looking between a pair of trees. A point to take note of was the positioning of the sun. It took an hour to get out here with no creatures around. Had he just gotten lucky all three times? The got to the cave and could see a bit of the way in. Runt started poking at a pile of what looked like dirt, which was at least day old shit. A little lore, grukh was shit, huzzah.

"Doesn't hurt to explore a little. The South Cave might be safer than the North Cave with Camazots...whatever the hell those are." Grunthor muttered before tilting his head slightly while looking into the cave. "Can you see in the dark? He questioned, or did Orcs have Darkvision? He sometimes listened to the nerds back in high school to see what they were up to.

Twice the size of a wolf. She could imagine then, considering her current size, how that could be an issue. The propensity to live in colonies made it even more dangerous, and it would be a tight thing to start with, trying to kill a lookout before it struck back. She furrowed her brow, filtering through those hazy memories in search of anything that may have suggested their presence before. Shadows against the moons and stars. Howls that rattled like a screech instead. Wingbeats, in the dozens.

Nothing came to mind. Perhaps her senses were too dulled in her infancy.

That was enough of that then. Hopefully Lazash made it out too, perhaps alongside Akeno. Esfir turned her gaze skywards again, tracking the movement of the sun, gauging the distance between that blazing orb and the mountains. The hues of the forest were turning yellow and orange now, afternoon settling in around her. She felt the warmth of the light seep into her flesh, a momentary reprieve after her climb up.

Westward would tread the ground that the Brute had; his presence was likely going to be a similar disturbance to the wildlife she could handle alone. North and south would bring her along the mountains once more, which was a questionable prospect if the camazots were truly creatures that infested the caves. East then.

Back to the forest.
@Zeroth

Agar

// The Head Hunter >> Back to the forest //

Agar ignored the notification of ingested skill choosing instead to keep eating. The poison attack sounded interesting though, he wanted to see what that last skill was. The orc and the smell of this area all held a familiar feel that felt right to him. He didn’t expect her to accept him right away especially with how the other orcs talked about her. Still, she did offer him a few good options for quests.

Turning towards the sun when she mentioned the time, biting down on the wurm for a moment to measure the distance from the horizon to the sun with one hand under the other. He hoped that the measurement of judging how many hours were left in the day by judging his hands worked here too. If it did he still had some time but not much and he had to agree with her that he wasn’t best suited for this life yet as this runt.

It was a strange choice of quests and it felt like it was a test of sorts. The runt wasted little time in deciding his choice of task, “Agar does not wish to disrupt the tribe but help it, this one will retrieve the mushrooms. Gives time to learn the forest and our home.” A simple answer but he wanted to make sure she knew why he chose the mushrooms over stealing the pouch. Sure, it would probably be hilarious but he wanted the risk, the danger of risking his life.

He gave her a nod then headed back into camp, it was lunch time by now and plenty of the other orcs were sitting around the fires or eating a snack. Agar also took this opportunity to find an opening around one of the fires. Completing the quest was important but he also needed to take a moment to rest and recover his strength before pushing forward.

Laying out the harpy meat on the rocks close to the fire, it wasn’t going to be a perfect cooking surface but he just needed to give the meat a good sear before continuing into the forest. His hands were not idle while he rested and cooked. While continuing to finish the raw Tatzelwurm Agar laid out the parts of the creatures he had slain and began to make a basic pouch that at the very least should last him a day or two until he finds something else that works.

Pulling the harpy wing membrane out tight for a moment, clenching his hands and releasing them, they didn’t move like his old hands but they should do for this task. Carefully he began to lay out the membrane with the Tatzelwurm leather strips and broken coil bone. He carefully began breaking small bones off the coil bone and using them with the fangs and talons to pull twist and pin the skin of the beasts together using the tatezl claw to help puncture the skin and leather but did not use the claw or the intact harpy talon in the materiel used to create the pouch.

He wasn’t sure how well it would keep without being properly maintained but in the end, he had a working pouch. Still wasn’t sure how long it would last. The only time he stopped was to move the harpy meat around and he had finished his raw Tatzelwurm meat including the one eye he had harvested. the taste was weird but the salt he tasted in it was refreshing. Now he spent a little longer exposing the pouch to the flames of the fire to dry it in the way he set everything. Feeling satisfied with his pouch construction and the slightly blackened harpy meat, Agar carefully arranged everything that was left into the pouch with the harpy meat and after a quick stretch set out towards the deep forest that the scout talked about. munching on a kind of cooked piece of harpy meat.

Agar only stopped for a moment once he was outside the camp again to apply another layer of mud on himself and try to find another stick he could use for the trek, sharpening one end of it as he walked if he found one. upon entering the forest he would assume his carful stance while also knowing he had to maintain a certain speed to make it to where the huntress had said. ignoring any orc drama that may have been happening at the front of the camp.

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@Zeroth

Akeno

Akeno’s strategy, even if it did just boil down to ‘hit it really hard, really fast’, had worked even better than she expected. She had caught the catsnake-like thing completely off guard and taken it down before it could do so much as growl at her and now she had a mostly intact creature to take back to camp so that she could finally complete this damn quest.

She didn’t even need to confirm the thing was dead, since the useful message pop-up already told her the fight was over.

Akeno walked over to the Tatzelwurm and despite already being informed that the thing was dead, kicked the corpse anyway just to make sure. When the thing flopped over onto its back and didn’t do anything else, she bent down to pick it up by its torso and began to figure out how she was going to carry this thing by herself.

This fight had gone much smoother than the one against the chickens earlier this morning and had been much less risky than heading blindly into a cave to fight something unknown. Not to say that this wasn’t also dangerous and reckless; Akeno knew that fighting alone, with no support, had a whole host of dangers associated with it. Even so, this had felt so much more comfortable than fighting as part of a group or enacting some grand plan beyond their means; just her, a single opponent and a fight that was low to moderate risk for an adequate reward. It was simple, straight forward, with as few variables on possible.

When it was just her, every variable on her side of the fight was something under her control; she knew her own body and her own capabilities, less so now that she was smaller and green, but the point still stood. When it was just her the only unknowns came from her opponent and how they would react, even more so now that she was fighting wild and magical creatures instead of other people, but being able to react to and adapt to her opponent was something she was used to. When it was just her, or maybe just her and one other person she could understand, then she could focus and not have to worry about anything but what she was doing.

She wasn’t a great fighter. She wasn’t some master martial artist, hell she’d barely even earned her black belt before she’d died. She never even won a tournament, despite entering so many. That was why she needed to minimise how many complications were involved when she fought, to give herself the best chance of getting things right.

After struggling for a minute of two Akeno managed to wind enough of the snake-things tail around her arms that she could carry it without letting too much of its body drag along the floor. With the weight of her kill in her arms, she set off in the direction that she thought the Orc’s camp was.

@Zeroth

@Rune_Alchemist@Zeroth

Carmina collected what needed to be collected and followed Svarok. Quitely looking at him as they walk, her mind kept telling her something is off about how he asked about "God". It wasn't the usual "God" one would refer to in this world but more like God-God. The human one or so. But as she pondered on it, the campsite appeared and stopped.

The two of them started carving up the two goblins they killed, collecting many parts from them. Starting the fire from there wasn't too hard, some of the charcoal was still hot enough to light up a few branches.

Carmina stared at Svarok as they asked, once more a religious related question.

“Rogyam”

“I’ve heard it too. No idea who or what that is. Food? A warrior? Some kind of divine being? Maybe his favourite animal. I don’t particularly care. If there’s a way to profit out of it, I will but ‘till then, survival comes first. Regarding the question from before, what do you believe in? A god? A creature from beyond?” asked Carmina, carefully, trying to determine Svarok’s disposition and thoughts.

While she was talking, the goblin ears, the eyes and their tongues finally cooked enough to look edible. She took a deep breath and then another and then a few more, before eating them one by one.

---

@ERode

---

Though still somewhat far from the orc's camp, Esfir moved back into the more familiar environment beneath the trees. Easing through the brush in search of prey, her eyes would take in the many aspects of her surroundings. With her previous life's experience of scavenging for everything she had, in wilderness conditions much more vexing than these temperate lands, potential resources stood out to her.

A tungem tree, the same tough wood that had been used by Gren to make those spears and clubs he'd lent out among the group, nestled between the trunks of two taller, skinnier softwoods of some kind. To her left, given a wide berth by other plants, was one of those foul smelling rotleaf bushes like the one she had harvested before.

As she padded along the forest floor, her steps soft over the leafy blankets and loamy soil, she would also see a small patch of purple mushrooms with white spots gathered around the remains of a fallen tree...and, amongst them, a pile of bones. They looked like they had once belonged to a small animal, perhaps a rabbit? Most of the flesh was gone entirely, or at least dried down to inoffensive brown-and-black spots of gristle staining the yellowish-white skeleton. A pair of antlers, long and sharp if somewhat jagged, still stuck out of the creature's skull just above the mushroom caps. They were at least as large as the Elwet Antlers she carried, perhaps longer if a little thinner and more jagged.

But, the sound of leathery, flapping wings soon caught her attention. Up in another tree, high in the branches where a thrown weapon likely wouldn't reach, a featherless yet birdlike creature landed. Its beady eyes, hard to pick out on its almost blank, tightly stretched face, scanned the area...It seemed to register that Esfir was there, but didn't pay her any particular attention. The harpy shuffled a little on its branch, let loose a white wad of gloop from its rear end that fell quite far into a bush, then began to scratch and groom itself with one of its skinny, taloned legs...

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@Rune_Alchemist@Timemaster

---

While the two orc runts sat and dissected their kills, skewering various bits of the goblins over the fire--and in Svarok's case, attempting to add a little culinary pizzazz to the meal--the forest around them quieted down, perhaps due to the growing crackles and the smoky scent of their fire. It wasn't long before the two of them--perhaps with some trepidation--consumed their first real meals in this new world.

You've attempted to Craft something!
Materials: Goblin Heart + Lightly Tainted Goblin Meat + Crushed Blue Argep Berry x2 + Crushed Green Argep Berry
Process: Open Flame Roast

Crafted Item: Sweet & Tangy Goblin Roast! This consumable item may have positively enhanced or altered effects!

Consumed: Sweet & Tangy Goblin Roast
Activate [Ingestion: Goblin] (Y/N)? Approximate Ingestion: 0 > 30%
Current Ingestion: N/A > Goblin
Ingestible Skills [Goblin]:

• Muffle
• [???] - Further Progress Required
• [???] - Further Progress Required
• [???] - Further Progress Required

Consumed: Roasted Goblin Ears x2
Consumed: Roasted Goblin Eyes x2
Consumed: Roasted Goblin Tongue
Consumed: Roasted Lightly Tainted Goblin Meat
Activate [Ingestion: Goblin] (Y/N)? Approximate Ingestion: 0 > 35%
Current Ingestion: N/A > Goblin
Ingestible Skills [Goblin]:

• Muffle
• [???] - Further Progress Required
• [???] - Further Progress Required
• [???] - Further Progress Required

It seemed that, though they'd only eaten some of the large quantity of Goblin Meat they'd acquired and still had plenty left, that two things influenced their rate of Ingestion. Carmina had eaten ears, eyes, and tongue--sensory organs--while Svarok had only eaten one organ, the heart, but her cooking preparations made the meal much more palatable. So it seemed that more than just eating a creature's "normal" flesh was taken into account when "accumulating biomass," or however it was the Skill worded it.

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@King Cosmos

---

Akeno's trip back to the Orc Camp was mostly uneventful, as she was passing through territory that salready explored and there were many signs of other Runts running around as well. By this point many prey-level monsters had probably wizened up and decided to give the camp's surroundings a wide berth. But upon reaching the camp's entrance, she was suddenly stopped by the broad palms of the two guards.

"Runts can't come back til they finish the---" one of them started to say, as if following a script, but then he stopped and looked at Akeno with fresh, confused eyes. "A Tatzelwurm? Not bad...but how'd ya manage to burn it?" Before she could answer, the guard's partner shook his head and motioned her to pass through.

"Go to Auguz!" The bigger creature said gruffly to Akeno.

When Akeno re-entered the camp proper, it wasn't hard to find the Head Warrior. He stood on a small platform right in the middle of the thoroughfare, made from a couple of barrels that propped up a few planks of wood. The hastily put together dais seemed to be solely for the purpose of making him stand out, as none of the other orcs seemed to be paying him much mind and he wasn't waving his arms or shouting or anything.

"Another one! It's 'bout time!" said the Head Warrior as he hopped down. He took Akeno's kill from her without asking or even making any gesture for it to be handed over. Then he lifted the corpse close to his face and examined it with a long, drawn out hum. He looked at the Tatzelwurm, first with both eyes, then just his right as the left high squinted closed.

When he noticed how blackened it was, he glanced at Akeno suspiciously. But then he sniffed it, up and down the Tatzelwurm's length. Then he opened its mouth and peered inside. Then he turned the creature upside down and licked it somewhere that didn't seem sanitary.

After a moment, he shrugged, and tossed the Tatzelwurm back to Akeno. The head warrior grabbed Akeno's arm and held it up in the air.

"ALL O' YOUSE, LISTEN UP! THIS HERE RUNT--" he turned his head and whispered "What's yer name?" and then upon receiving answer he turned back to the camp--"THIS HERE RUNT, AKENO, HAS RETURNED FROM THE HUNT!" He then set the smaller orc down, and turned in a slow circle so that the entire camp could see the body of Akeno's prey. "SHE HAS HUNTED A TATZELWURM! TODAY, SHE LEAVES DA BROOD PIT!" Several of the adult orcs cheered or pumped their fists, and many more gave the youngster an approving half-smile or a nod of respect.

"Now, for the rest o' the day ya can do whatever the hell ya feel like...but tomorrer mornin', you be at the Trainin' Circle before first light! And after that, we'll figure out some more duties for ya!" Auguz crossed his arms as he nodded. "But no more babyin'! Don't be goin' back to the Brood Pit---from now on, you find yer own food, yer own shelter, and whatever else! If somebody will trade ya for it, or ya take it in a fight, then more power to ya! Just be willin' to work if somebody's willin' t' give ya somethin' for it!" With that, the Head Warrior hopped back up on the dais.

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

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 (2/3 meals provided for)
• Find your own shelter
• Accept an optional Quest from another Tribe Member

Completed Quest!
New Creature Observed: Pebble Mite, Dire Rat
New Creature Killed: Stone Slime!
New Creature Killed: Tatzelwurm!

LEVEL UP! Level 2 > 3
Choose ONE:

• Increase HP (Health)
• Increase MP (Magic)
• Gain 1 Skill Rank Point
• Gain 1 Empty Skill Slot

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@Kazemitsu

---

"Confident, ain't ya?" The as-yet-unnamed runt smirked as Grunthor gave vague details about himself. It seemed the fact he hadn't actually named his current skillset or the one's he'd ingested hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Camazots? You tried to hunt a camazot without knowing what it was?" Grunthor's dark haired companion blinked at him with a genuinely surprised, or maybe even concerned, look. "Yeesh. You woulda been better off with the Wompus Cat, pal." When Grunthor looked into the cave and asked if either of them could see in the dark, the other orcling shook his head.

"We won't get [Dusk Vision] for a few levels yet, I don't think. But look how much sun is getting in there--I think our eyes would adjust enough to see after a bit. If we make a torch, whatever else might be in there is gonna see us coming...if it hasn't heard us already." He shrugged, then looked back at Grunthor. "If you wanna find some sticks or rocks to rub together, be my guest, but I say we risk it."

The mottled runt crouched down and moved carefully into the cave, sticking to the wall on one side. He motioned with his head and one hand that if Grunthor intended to do the same, he should take the opposite wall. It wasn't long before he was right at the edge where the sunlight reached into the cave's mouth...and after waiting a few moments, peering and blinking, the ember-eyed hunter stepped deeper into the shadow. He looked back over one shoulder to see what course Grunthor had taken.

If Grunthor followed, sure enough his eyes would adjust after some time so that more of the cavern came into view. Of course, his vision wouldn't be as good without a light source...but it was workable, for the moment.

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@ReusableSword

---

Upon eating most of the Tatzelwurm raw--which was clammy, cold, and tough, even if the eye added a bit of flavor--Agar was able to unlock the remaining Skill in his Ingestion menu. By the time he finished cooking the bits of harpy and making his pouch, however, another half-hour or so had passed. Re-organizing, and stopping for a bit outside the camp to better prepare himself for this last hunt took a similar amount of time.



Once he was on the road, following Shamar's directions to head east towards that high cliff out in the forest, and then north into the green depths, Agar would travel for roughly an hour or so. Thus the afternoon was well underway by the time he started to notice an increase in the number of mushrooms around him. However, that wasn't the only thing he'd seen as he moved, carefully and with awareness, through the brush.

A large, scarlet-feathered chicken with a pair of horns on its head had seen him coming first, and disappeared into a thick briar patch with a loud squawk. Attempting to chase it would've taken him in the wrong direction from his destination, and the little critter apparently knew a path through the snagging branches and sharp thorns that the Runt couldn't see, because it was already quite some distance away by the time it cawed a second time.

Then, at first he thought he'd seen another Runt out here on a hunt, or maybe on the same quest he was on as well. But, as Agar drew closer, it became evident that this wasn't an Orc--its proportions were more mature even though it was roughly the same height as he was, and its ears and nose were noticeably longer though it had less muscle mass. It didn't see him coming, but before Agar could launch a sneak attack or call out to the goblin, the monster apparently saw something else in the deeper woods and took off after it, waving a weapon that looked a little like one of those obsidian-bladed paddles used by ancient Mesoamericans. It disappeared into a thick grove of trees whose shadows didn't seem welcoming at all.

Whether because of his muddy camo, his careful movements and previous life's experience in the wild, or just plain dumb luck, Agar wasn't accosted by the wildlife even though he saw a few other creatures, or heard them, from considerable distance. But finally, he came to a small clearing just before the woods seemed to transition to older, darker, and more crowded growth...

In this clearing, there were two pointy, cone-shaped shrubs with deciduous leaves that curled in tight around the plants. Hidden behind them were clusters of berries in two different colors; the larger, riper looking ones were deep, royal blue, while the smaller ones were green.

Nearer to the trees, a skinny mushroom sat with hundreds of small strands hanging down from its white stalk, making it look like a willow tree. The hairlike growths themselves had a slight red and orange tint in some places, and seemed to twitch like cilia whenever the breeze picked up.

Yet, despite it being at least two in the afternoon by the measurement of the sun...it seemed the trees were dense enough here, and the canopy dark enough, that a gently rolling mist creeped low to the ground. Wispy fingers trailed around Agar's ankles.

In order to find the Turtleshell Mushrooms, Agar could sense he would need to thoroughly search the Deep Forest one small piece at a time. From the "piece" he was currently in, the clearing, he had already quickly identified his surroundings. Searching a similarly sized area would probably take around ten minutes. Up ahead, he could see a game trail. But to his right, he could see a thicker grove of trees. The mist was thicker there, but the ground was also darker--mushrooms were supposed to like that, right?

In the same direction as the game trail, but far into the distance, Agar could also just barely see what looked like the crumbling tip of a tall stone tower...

Which direction would he go, and how would he search for his quarry?

Akeno

It was a good thing that the Orcs at the entrance to the camp didn’t press her about how the cat snake had gotten as burnt as it had, because she had no intention of answering that question and had a feeling that wouldn’t go over too well. She wondered if they just hadn’t expected any of the runts to eat anything while they were out hunting, for them to just obediently do as told and bring back the first creature they managed to kill as soon as they killed it. That seemed pretty naïve, but maybe young Orcs were actually that keen to follow commands when they weren’t hijacked by the souls of humans from another world.

Or maybe not all Orcs could absorb the skills of the things they ate? Her memories of the conversation she had with the goddess before being reborn was starting to get a little fuzzy, like it had happened months ago instead of… days? Weeks? Maybe it had been months. There was a period there where she still hadn’t quite become herself again, where she really was just a regular Orc baby before remembering who she was. Whatever the case, she remembered the goddess saying that they would be given some blessings but could only remember the part where they could understand all languages and something about having a closer connection to the ‘system’. Nothing about copying skills from what they ate. So was that a regular Orc thing? Or something only they had?

Until she figured that out Akeno would opt just not to say anything, a decision that was reinforced when the head warrior gave her a suspicious look on seeing the burnt offering. He didn’t say anything despite the look though, which either meant he didn’t care or that he was shrewder than the gate guard and that she would need to be careful around him from now on. At least for now she was done with the hunting quest and was back in the camp, though now she had to figure out what to do next.

Another quest had appeared to give her some direction for that at least, though she wasn’t sure how happy she was that video games pop-ups were now dictating her life choices. Be at the training circle tomorrow, find more food, find shelter or take an optional quest; the first was easy enough and was something she’d probably do even after meeting the other requirements, acquiring food and shelter was also something she would need to do regardless and the optional quests, which she interpreted as just doing odd jobs for people around camp, might help her get those things.

There was also another level up, which Akeno wasted very little time thinking about before choosing to take more HP. More magic would be useful, especially since it seemed like she couldn’t use too many fireballs before running out, and the extra skill slot was tempting since she didn’t even think to consider that those might have been limited in the first place. HP was HP though; Akeno liked being alive and more health would make it more likely that she continued to do that. Simple choice.

With nothing better to do for now Akeno began walking around the camp, trying to get the lay of the land now that she was free of the brood pit so that she would know where things were in the future. Along the way she kept an eye out for anyone who looked like they had some kind of trade or purpose in the village; blacksmiths, tailors, cooks, doctors. For one thing it would be useful to know where she could find the important people in the camp, but those Orcs were also the ones most likely to be able to give her jobs or things to do. In particular she wanted to keep her eye out for anything that looked like a kitchen, canteen or just general dining area; while she wasn’t great at it her limited cooking skills were about the only thing she had to offer in terms of service right now.

Unless these Orcs were interested in letting a runt open a karate dojo in their camp anyway.

@Zeroth

Grunthor glanced at the other Runt. "Considering I was an amateur in the professional boxing ring...less confidence and more knowledge. If I can build myself how I want I'd be too fast for humanoids even as a heavy weight. Weapons have dead zones, your body doesn't." He stated as they moved. Then the subject of Camazot's. "What even is one, I only heard the name from a different Runt. Is it like a bear from earth or something? He questioned curiously before they looked into the cave.

He had no idea how to make a torch, he just knew it had something more required than just a stick. He followed the motions of the other Runt, entering the cave and sticking to the opposite wall. No need to be right behind each other, that leads to tangles if the need to run arose. Proceeding slowly gave Grunthor the chance to see a couple shrooms. No he was not stupid enough to eat unknown mushrooms, he plucked them at the base and stuck them in his Slime "Bag". Once at the end of the light they sat for a bit to adjust to the dusk within the cave they started moving again. Until they reached a fork.

To the right, open, clear, no sign of critters, but there was the sign of a small camp. Why were there two camps? Was one a check point and the other a fall back point? To the left a sharp turn but there was something he very much did not want to see. "All sorts of monsters...but there's a cave with potentially gigantic spiders. Unless you have fire we are very much not going left." He muttered quietly to the Unnamed Runt.

Slowly, warily, he crept forward towards the burned out camp. He didn't just look around, he also eyeballed the ceiling pretty heavily. Humans didn't have that conditioning to watch the skies normally, but this was not his normal world. Spiders were very much ambush predators, even wanderers like tarantulas. The eight legged bastards fascinated him sometimes, but he was still wary of them.

The featherless flier, some sort of cousin of a bat, was too far to reach, even with the blessing granted upon her by that spirit, so Esfir could safely ignore that. If it just watched her, there was nothing that was to be done about it. If it attacked her, it would enter her range and she would kill it. Until they decided however, there as plenty still for Esfir to do. Taking her sharpened stone in her hand, the orc runt went off to cut off branches from the tungem tree, coming away with four that looked even and straight enough to serve as spear shafts. The Elwet horns were useful in their own way, but if she imagined a spearhead or a bayonet, then the horns from that small creature were certainly more suitable, slender and single-pointed as they were.

It was on the approach of those skeletal remains though, that Esfir encountered a real problem.

As she stepped beside the pimpled mushrooms, however, the caps let out puffs of spores. Her eyes narrowed and Esfir brought a hand up to cover her nose and mouth, but that was an entire misjudgment on her part when the caps themselves split open, barbed vines whipping out. She practically fell back, the barbs slicing into her forearm, striking her shoulders. A glancing blow, but enough to sting like a schoolmaster’s whip. Were those monsters as well? Or were they…

Esfir decided not to think too hard about it. Instead, she picked herself up and bashed the remaining shrooms to bits with one of the sticks she had. It was a quick job, though the damage that the retaliatory shroom-whips did in return indicated just how deadly they were, practically mangling the stick beyond recognition. The stick still got the better end of the deal though. With the shrooms destroyed, she could approach the skull once more, breaking off the horns. Bad luck came with good luck after; the whips that had struck her now became the lashing for securing the horn-tip onto the end of her spear.

The whips themselves looked to be edible enough as well. Though they were tasteless, Esfir could confirm that they too were targets for her ability to Ingest. Did that mean then, that ‘creatures’ covered plants as well? That plants too, had abilities to consider?

It was something worth chewing on, but something to finish later.

Esfir’s gaze turned back towards the harpy, checking its positioning, and it was in that moment that movement caught her eyes. From the shadows, another predator lunged forth, fangs bared! Finally, prey!

Twisting around, the orc runt’s gaze hardened, [Murderous Intent] released. All she needed was it to hesitate for a moment, for its body and its mind to have mismatched impulses! So long as that happened, her spear could be tested upon its head. If not? Well, she would have to hope that the tungem shaft was hardy enough to block the bite.
@Zeroth

Agar

//Back to the forest >> we must go deeper //

Agar was happy that his crafting worked out well and that his consumption of the raw rubbery meal was also working out well. He continued to think about the skills available to him while he made his way into the forest. The poison attack was something he was interested in, but the muffle had more immediate benefits. Thinking to himself to see if the system read his thoughts, "System I choose Muffle." he wasn't sure why it said he was consuming the harpy flesh he only tasted it. that meal was probably going to be for later tonight, he was hungry, yet he knew he didn't want to try and work on an over full stomach.

The trek further into the forest was interesting, he could feel the temperature drop slightly the further he went into the shaded forest. The creatures here seemed to be more on edge as well and he had the feeling of being watched a few times. There was a strange chicken with horns that ran off into a thicket, a wired not orc looking thing that ran off into the forest, more odd colored mushrooms but not the kind he was looking for, and some strange berries. even the plants through here reminded him of an old growth forest with less ferns. The mist was a nice touch, but he felt that it would be unwise to remain here in the forest’s beauty.

Agar then decided that he would have to keep working to find the mushrooms. Moving carefully like he was, the runt continued his search. taking precautions to remain as unnoticed as possible to the point that he would likely use his new muffle skill if it seemed like something was nearby or moving through. Taking a few quick handfuls of the ripe berries when he passed them, he otherwise stayed away from the other tendril mushrooms. Stepping into the next area to check Agar activated his Field Scan I ability to see if it picked up on the quest items he was searching for and anything else that could be lingering nearby.

If he could find what he was looking for and have enough time he might just go investigate the stone tower or wait until his next free time to do so. Before moving in further into the dark forest and out of the clearing Agar made sure his mud coating hadn't dried out too much. He chose to continue further into the dark forest instead of going along the game trail. He was sure it would speed up his progress, but he didn't want to run into whatever might have made the trail in the first place. He continued to be careful even though he knew it was likely going to take him longer, being sure to stop look and listen every few minutes.

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@Zeroth

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@ERode

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Obtained Tungem Branch x4
Obtained Jackalope Antlers x2
Lost 1 Tungem Branch > Broken Wood Pieces x3
Obtained Pimplestool Mushroom x2
Obtained Crushed Pimplestool
Obtained Mushroom Shreds x3
Obtained Mycellium Lash x3
Obtained Frayed Mycellium Lash x2

Consumed: Partial Frayed Mycellium Lash
You have resisted Poison!
Activate [Ingestion: Pimplestool] (Y/N)? Approximate Ingestion: 0 > 10%.
Ingestible Skills [Pimplestool] - Further Progress Required.
Warning: This will ERASE current Ingestion progress!
Current Ingestion: Elwet 85%
All Ingestible Skills [Elwet] known; Additional Biomass Required for further Ingestion.

Jackalope Antlers have been broken down.
Obtained Jackalope Point x5
Obtained Broken Jackalope Point

You've attempted to Craft something!
Materials: Tungem Branch + Jackalope Point + Mycellium Lash
Process: Handcrafting

...Success! You've Crafted a weapon!
Jackalope Spear - 2H Weapon - A decent, if primitive spear. Not suitable as a throwing weapon due to its weight, but made of tough, sturdy materials. Jackalope horn is surprisingly sharp, almost as much so as metal.

The Tatzelwurm that lunged at Esfir met the orc runt's eyes as they flashed. In that instant it understood that not only had this creature seen it, ruining its ambush, but that the creature was stronger than one might expect for its size, and that it not only had the capability to kill the tatzelwurm, but the will to do so as well. The sheer wave of hostility threw the creature off just as Esfir hoped, and in that moment the runt made her move!

The jackalope spear pierced the monster's hide far easier than her sharp stone would have, catching it through its open mouth and piercing into the back of its head! The tatzelwurm was pretty much dead--but, like some venomous snakes of earth, its jaws continued to snap and its body writhed out the last of its energy! Its claws flailed at her, and if she wasn't careful its thrashings would push the body up the haft of her spear within biting range of her hand--!

Up above, the Harpy took off from its perch, and began to circle in the air...

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@King Cosmos

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HP Increased! Healing Points are expended when you are injured, and when you suffer infection, illness, or certain status effects. When Healing Points are spent, your body will not be able to tolerate further expenditures. If Healing Points experience a sudden, severe drop, you may enter the Shock condition. When Healing Points are fully expended, you will enter the Unconscious condition. Further damage taken while in the Unconscious condition is highly likely to cause DEATH.

As Akeno explored the camp, she would see that many of the adult orcs and the Grunts were having their lunches around the cookfires, taking naps, or generally doing things that didn't require a lot of moving around, like sharpening weapons or crafting various bits and pieces. The weather wasn't especially warm, but the sunlight reflected off the rocks of the mountains and there wasn't a lot of shade. Combined with the ambient heat of the fires, it was comfortable enough for resting and bearable to move and work in, but unless it was absolutely necessary most of the camp seemed to be in "siesta" mode.

The entire camp rested at the base of a mountain, with a sloping ledge and trails at its edge back to the forest. Many of the camp’s shelters were thus carved into the rocky outcrops and cliff faces, though tents and crude wooden buildings were scattered around as well. Usually only the stronger or more renown monsters lived in the natural caves, with the rest being forced to make do with tents and teepees. In the case of some poor Grunts, it was the best they could do to make an A-frame shelter with a bed of leaves.

The few orcs who were moving around a lot, were doing something important enough to warrant it; Akeno saw a lithe-built orc running with a double armful of freshly cut logs, drawing the ire of several other adults he almost bumped into. Another had several wooden buckets and woven baskets balanced on his shoulders and head, and seemed to be making a lot of effort to keep them that way as he wibbled and wobbled towards a large patch of unclaimed ground near the brood pits. As the stack on his head did its best slinky impression, causing the orc to walk in circles under it until the whole height stabilized again, Akeno saw a couple of small beans fall out of the basket onto the ground.

She also saw the huge orc blacksmith, the one the other adults called Bowbh, working under a simple wooden shed. Several tall wooden posts had been planted into the earth, and thinner branches formed a frame for a sloping straw roof on one side. Underneath this shed, a furnace of fired clay bricks had been built along with bellows made from animal skins. Crude tables of both wood and stone held various tools and a few works in progress, although for a "blacksmith" it seemed like he worked as much with tree branches and knapped blades as much as he did with any actual metal. In place of an anvil he simply had a huge, square slab of stone. Its upper half had been blackened over time by the heat of objects laid upon it, and a fine layer of ash and soot. The orc carrying the wood deposited it next to a big charcoal pit, and said something to the blacksmith only to get a dismissive shake of the big orc's head and a halfhearted gesture of his hammer.

The Shaman enjoyed a rather cozy home by comparison: the cave itself was set at an angle to a curved rock face, and the lean-to had been built as an extension of sorts. It was similar, perhaps, to a covered patio or porch built as an add-on to a human house. A few of the Shaman’s personal belongings and knicknacks could be seen around the corner of the stone entry, but the outer area seemed to serve as her “workshop,” or ritual area…maybe even a lab? She seemed to have just finished talking to another Runt, one that had returned earlier than Akeno, and as the orcling went on their way Yambagorn shuffled back to her mortar and pestle.

Shamar, the Head Hunter of the tribe, could be seen near a large, yurt-like dwelling on the far western side of the camp, in an area of flat, unshaded rock. Away from the hustle and bustle of most other orcs, it was unclear whether she settled here out of personal taste... or because the fumes from her animal pelts, stretched and tanning in the sun, were so strong. Even to an orc's nose, they were unpleasantly pungent. The finished product of her pelts could be seen in her home's construction, stitched together in a multitude of colors with fur still attached. It looked like she had just finished hanging some new hides in front of her fire to dry, and now she was looking at several carcasses hanging over bowls of fresh blood as she decided which one to take down next.

As Akeno continued to wander the camp, however, she soon heard a group of orcs suddenly break out in chanting. One of them even began to beat a drum that happened to be sitting outside a tent. In rhythm they stomped their feet as another, larger orc passed by.

"HOO! HAA! AG-RO-NAK! HOO! HAA! AG-RO-NAK!"

The Warchief of the tribe passed among them with a wide berth, two other orcs trailing exactly three steps behind both of his shoulders and scowling at any other adult who dared get closer. Agronak walked up the first set of stairs to a larger, more ornate dwelling than any of the other orcs had, one that seemed to have been properly constructed (by orc standards) to take advantage of the mountainous terrain. His two bodyguards stopped at the bottom of the stairs while the warchief continued on. They turned back, looking out at the rest of the camp, as they crossed their arms and scowled in an appropriate manner for their station.

After seeing all the "major players" of the camp and continuing to wander for a bit, Akeno would also overhear several snippets of conversation--or, as it happened, a few shouting matches.

"Wot's he mean that ain't enough wood?! I spent all morning cuttin' down that damn tree!"

^{"They's prolly dead if they ain't, then! What they been gone for--three days already?"}

"Hah! Weakling already knows 'e can't fight worth a grukh, 'e might as well kill 'imself!"

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@Kazemitsu

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Obtained Red Cream x2

"Camazots are like...a giant bat, I guess? Imagine a wolf, but with its forelegs as bat wings and a way, way creepier face. Nasty predators, and they live in colonies big enough to split into multiple hunting packs. If you still remember what it was like sleeping in the Brood Pit, they were the things that screamed and blacked out the moon every so often." answered the Runt whose name Grunthor still hadn't learned.

As Grunthor watched the ceiling, he saw more web trails here and there but no sign yet of the spider that had made them. The two Runts came closer to the camp, and sure enough found the remains of a campfire, now burned down to cold charcoal, and three bedrolls. There were a few scattered belongings, the blackened remnants of a chunk of meat, and tracks...which led to the Runt's right, further into the tunnel. It was completely pitch black in that direction.

The belongings that Grunthor could make out in the gloom were:

• A necklace of bones and dried ears. The ears were now the color and texture of jerky, but had a more elegant look to them than orc ears. They were long and pointed, but otherwise human-like. The bones all seemed to be finger bones. They appeared humanoid, but much smaller than one would expect from a normal person.
• Leather gloves. Oddly, they seemed too small to fit an adult orc's hands, but they could probably fit a Runt just fine.
• A lucky paw from some bear-like creature on a thin string.
• Fingerless gloves, these properly adult-orc sized, made from plant fiber wrappings.
• A set of playing cards made from squares of tree bark, with smudged charcoal markings for symbols and numbers.
• A red cloth bandana.
• Stone dagger - A properly knapped and shaped stone blade set into a handle that looks to have been made from an antler of some kind.

"Hey, check it!" said the other Runt in a whisper that still managed to carry in the cave. "There's only two sets of these footprints--this other track is like something, or someone, was being dragged!" He grinned back at Grunthor. "So your giant spider must've grabbed one of them, taken him deeper into the cavern, and the other two went after it!" He pointed back at the webbed up tunnel. "But if we haven't seen it again so far, that makes me think they either wounded it, or killed it. If we had a torch we could burn those webs easy, and go deeper to see if there's anything else down here--I bet they were carrying weapons and maybe some other stuff with them!"

From here, when the two looked back, they could also see that the cave wall to their left was a little smoother and less craggy than what they'd passed so far. Near where the wall joined the floor, they could see little lumpy masses that were oddly smooth, like rocks at the bottom of a riverbed. The first thought, of course, might be a mass of spider eggs--but there were no webs around this part of the cave, and where the sunlight's longest rays from the entrance hit them, they glimmered with a black luster...

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@ReusableSword

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Skill Gained:
Muffle - Rank I - Muffle the sounds of your movements to become stealthy. The user's footsteps will be significantly more quiet, but this is only a deduction from the normal amount of noise they would make. Therefore, one's armor, weight, etc may still produce sounds beyond a certain level.

+Previous experience carried over
New Observation: Elwet, Goblin
New Ingestion: Tatzelwurm
You've gained a new skill!
New Items Crafted
Discovered New Area: Deep Forest

LEVEL UP! Level 2 > Level 3

• Increase HP (Health)
• Increase MP (Magic)
• Gain 1 Skill Rank Point
• Gain 1 Empty Skill Slot

Agar's new skill and his mud camo did wonders for his movement through the forest, as did his use of Field Scan. As he entered the dark grove of trees, the magical "sonar" wave expanded from him...and upon its return, a flood of information almost threatened to overwhelm him!

Skill Progression:
Field Scan Rank UP I > II!
At Rank II, one can roughly sense the silhouette of the creatures within range.

Not far from Agar, in fact so close that he could probably catch it if he lunged with the longer reach of his spear, was a rabbit shape with horns--one of those Jackalopes! But there was much, much more to consider before he decided on whether or not to pursue this prey...

In one of those dark trees, a large, bird shaped shadow sat nestled in what was probably a nest. It was bigger than that chicken-like thing he had encountered before. It was staying incredibly still, so much so that the silhouette he sensed actually grew dimmer--was it hiding from something?

That was very possible, given that on the ground in roughly the center of the dark trees, something with a silhouette like an alligator, plus ox-like horns, was slowly stalking through the forest. It was headed towards what looked like a ring of blurry shapes--they were apparently not close enough for Agar to make out the distinct shapes of them with his Field Scan. But based on their size...and the fact that he thought he could hear voices...were they more of those goblins? Or more Orc Runts like himself, possibly sent out here by Shamar? Whatever they were, they were definitely being hunted by this large, spike-backed beast...

Oh, and of course there were things more related to his actual quest. Through careful observation of the area and his stealthy movements, Agar had identified several mushrooms and other potentially useful materials:

• A pointy-capped mushroom that is shiny silver towards its top, dulling to gray, then black, then rusty red towards the base. x2
• A short, leafy tree no higher than six or seven feet, but many smaller branches on its trunk reaching up to nine or ten feet in length. The larger branches, usually near the bottom or middle of the tree, have round green nuts with thick shells.
• Red Cream - An unmistakable red mushroom that oozes a red, creamlike substance when its bulbous head is cut. You once heard an Orc say a single mushroom could keep someone full for several hours. But they only grow in dark places… x2
• Another of the mushrooms that look like a weeping willow, with all the tendrils.
• A Turtleshell Mushroom! x2

However, based on where the various mushrooms were, harvesting them might prove a problem--the Red Creams were under the bushes near Agar, and not far from the Jackalope. Harvesting them, even if he was stealthy, would probably disturb the prey and send it running. The shiny, pointy-cap mushroom was further into the tree copse, closer to that big alligator-esque creature. And the Turtleshells were nestled in the roots of the same tree that the large bird was nesting in!

The other mushrooms, and the tree, would be easier to get to without being seen...in fact, that tree's branches would probably be sturdy enough to climb, if he needed to get away from something very dangerous on the ground...

Hesitation!

The description had been correct, the Jackalope horn was as sharp as metal! It pierced with so little resistance that Esfir had overshot, shoving the length of her spear so far in that the serpentine creature practically gagged upon it. Its death-reflexes kicked in moments later, jaw clamping down upon the foreign object stuck inside its mouth, and Esfir leapt back in kind, dropping her spear as it writhed and flailed away the last moments of its life. It was fortunate that [Murderous Intent] had functioned. Fortunate still that she had seen it coming in time, that the lashings didn’t break despite having been freshly tied upon it.

Slowly, she wriggled her Jackalope Spear out from the creature’s mouth, inspecting the status of the tip itself. It still looked sharp. Still looked like it could pierce flesh without an issue. She’d have to check how secure the tip was later, but right now? She wiped it clean best as she could against the leaves of a nearby bush, before turning away from the dead beast and scampering off into the denser surrounding foliage.

And then, once she was immediately out of sight of that humanoid bat, Esfir dropped down into a crouch, calmed her breathing, and positioned her hands outwards, towards the beast she had left there. If the Harpy was an opportunist, if it had no understanding of what may be ‘suspicious’ then perhaps it would descend, would take a bite or two.

Knowing only of the spear, and not of the storm.

Two for one.

Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing?



@Zeroth