[h2]North Caves > Forest[/h2]
[hr][@ERode][hr]
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 [b][u]tungem tree[/u][/b], the same [b]tough wood[/b] 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 [b][u]rotleaf[/u][/b] 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 [b][u]purple mushrooms[/u] with white spots[/b] gathered around the remains of a fallen tree...and, amongst them, a pile of [b][u]bones[/u][/b]. They looked like they had once belonged to a small animal, perhaps a [b]rabbit?[/b] 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 [b][u]pair of antlers[/u][/b], 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 [url=https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1094242197211185182/1127387112157753344/latest.png?ex=65594e91&is=6546d991&hm=1100376809cefa427ef47aae03ef809653ec7eba034329f7846784b1989776be&=&width=601&height=605][b]harpy[/b][/url] 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...
[hr][hr]
[h2]Forest[/h2]
[hr][@Rune_Alchemist][@Timemaster][hr]
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.

[quote=SYSTEM:Svarok]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]:[list][*]Muffle
[*] [???] - Further Progress Required
[*] [???] - Further Progress Required
[*] [???] - Further Progress Required[/list][/quote]

[quote=SYSTEM:Carmina]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]:[list][*]Muffle
[*] [???] - Further Progress Required
[*] [???] - Further Progress Required
[*] [???] - Further Progress Required[/list][/quote]

It seemed that, though they'd only eaten [b]some[/b] 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.
[hr][hr]
[h2]Forest > Orc Camp[/h2]
[hr][@King Cosmos][hr]
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 [b]Trainin' Circle before first light![/b] 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, [b]you find yer own food, yer own shelter, and whatever else[/b]! If somebody will trade ya for it, or ya take it in a fight, then more power to ya! [b]Just be willin' to work if somebody's willin' t' give ya somethin' for it!"[/b] With that, the Head Warrior hopped back up on the dais.

[quote=SYSTEM:Akeno]
[b]QUEST COMPLETED![/b]
Quest: [s]Find Something to Eat and Bring it Back Whole[/s][list]
[*][s]Kill a Creature[/s]
[*]Keep the Target in High Quality Condition
[*][s]Return to Camp Uninjured[/s][/list]

[b]A New Quest is Available:[/b]

[b]Quest Giver:[/b] Head Warrior Auguz
[b]Quest Details:[/b] Fulfill Duties within the Tribe (0/2 Minimum)[list]
[*]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[/list]

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

[b]LEVEL UP! Level 2 > 3[/b]
Choose ONE:[list][*]Increase HP (Health)
[*]Increase MP (Magic)
[*]Gain 1 Skill Rank Point
[*]Gain 1 Empty Skill Slot[/list]
[/quote]
[hr][hr]
[h2]South Caves[/h2]
[hr][@Kazemitsu][hr]
"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.

[b]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.[/b]

[hider=IF YOU ENTER THE CAVE no meta plz]
The tunnel was relatively wide, making it easy for the two runts to creep alongside one another but with plenty of space between them, and the walls. There wasn't much for the first thirty feet or so, just rocks and dirt. [b]However, a couple of rocks looked sizeable enough to serve as tools, both of the sharp edged variety and the simple blunt kind.[/b] In one area of shadow near the wall, in what looked like a little mound of soft earth left by a burrowing animal long ago, [b]two of the distinctive Red Cream mushrooms[/b] that many Runts had considered as one of their potential "quest targets" were growing ripe.

Past this point, however, the tunnel forked. The right hand side remained fairly open and clear...and the ember eyed runt pointed to something up ahead. In the gloom, it looked like...a[b] pile of blackened wood, and a few rumpled animal pelts?[/b] There was an [b]ever-so-slight glint[/b] in the darkness as well, and the [b]smell of...burned food[/b], maybe?

In the left hand fork, the tunnel took a sharp and narrow turn between the rocks...but, [b]creeping out of that path like clusters of ivy, was something white and thick...almost like a stretched out piece of cotton candy?[/b] 
[/hider]
[hr][hr]
[h2]Orc Camp > Forest > Deep Forest[/h2]
[hr][@ReusableSword][hr]
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.

[hider=Agar: Ingesting and Crafting][quote=SYSTEM:Agar]Consumed: Raw Tatzelwurm Meat
Consumed: Raw Tatzelwurm Eye
Current Ingestion: Tatzelwurm 40% > 80%
Ingestible Skills [Tatzelwurm]:[list][*]Slash
[*]Poison Attack
[*]Muffle[/list]

You've attempted to Craft something!
Materials: Harpy Wing Membrane + Tatzelwurm Hide Strip + Broken Coil Bone + Tatzelwurm Fang
Process: Handcrafting
Refining Process: Fire-Dried; Smoked

...Success!
You've crafted [Small Hide Pouch]!

Obtained Items:
Seared Harpy Meat

...

Consumed: Seared Harpy Meat
Activate [Ingestion: Harpy] (>Y/N)? Approximate Ingestion: 0 > 10%. [b][color=red]This will ERASE previous Ingestion Progress [Tatzelwurm]!!![/color][/b]
Current Ingestion: Tatzelwurm - 80%
[b][color=red]1/3 Ingestible Skills remaining [Tatzelwurm]!!![/color][/b]

You've found an item! 
Hard Wooden Stick - [i]Much like your Wooden Stick, but from a sturdier tree. Better suited for crafting and use as a melee weapon.[/i]

You've attempted to Craft something!
Materials: Hard Wooden Stick + Sharp Stone
Process: Woodcarving
You've crafted [Wooden Spear]![/quote][/hider]

Once he was on the road, following Shamar's directions to head east towards that [b]high cliff[/b] out in the forest, and then [b]north into the green depths[/b], Agar would travel for roughly an hour or so. Thus the afternoon was well underway by the time he started to notice an [b]increase in the number of mushrooms[/b] 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 [b]chicken with a pair of horns[/b] 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 [b]goblin[/b], 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 [b]muddy camo[/b], his [b]careful movements[/b] and previous life's experience in the wild, or just plain dumb [b]luck[/b], 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 [b]small clearing[/b] just before the woods seemed to transition to [b]older, darker, and more crowded growth[/b]...

In this clearing, there were [u][b][u]two pointy, cone-shaped shrubs[/u][/b][/u] 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 [b][u]skinny mushroom[/u][/b] 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 [b][u]two in the afternoon[/u][/b] by the measurement of the sun...it seemed the trees were dense enough here, and the canopy dark enough, that a [u][b]gently rolling mist[/b][/u] creeped low to the ground. Wispy fingers trailed around Agar's ankles. 

[b]In order to find the [u]Turtleshell Mushrooms[/u], Agar could sense he would need to thoroughly search the Deep Forest [u]one small piece at a time[/u]. 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 [u]ten minutes.[/u] Up ahead, he could see a [u]game trail[/u]. But to his right, he could see a [u]thicker grove of trees[/u]. The mist was thicker there, but the ground was also darker--mushrooms were supposed to like that, right?[/b]

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

[u][b]Which direction would he go, and how would he search for his quarry?[/b][/u]